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Graceland (TV series)

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Graceland
GenreDrama
Action
Created byJeff Eastin
Starring
Opening theme"Holding On" by Ian Franzino & Dilini Ranaweera
Country of originUnited States
Original languageEnglish
No. of seasons3
No. of episodes38 (list of episodes)
Production
Executive producers
  • Jeff Eastin
  • Sean Daniel
Running time42 minutes
Production companies
Original release
NetworkUSA Network
ReleaseJune 6, 2013 (2013-06-06) –
September 17, 2015 (2015-09-17)

Graceland was an American drama television series created by Jeff Eastin that premiered on the USA Network on June 6, 2013.[1] On October 1, 2015, USA Network cancelled Graceland after three seasons.[2]

Premise

A group of undercover agents from various law enforcement agencies in the United States, including the DEA, the FBI, and the ICE, live together in a confiscated Southern California beach house known as "Graceland". Rookie FBI agent Mike Warren is assigned to the house fresh out of Quantico training.[3][4]

Cast and characters

Main

Portrayed by Name Position Assignment Seasons
1 2 3
Daniel Sunjata Paul Briggs/Oden Rossi Senior Agent FBI Main
Aaron Tveit Michael "Mike" Warren Agent FBI Main
Vanessa Ferlito Catherine "Charlie" DeMarco Agent FBI Main
Manny Montana José "Johnny" Tuturro Agent FBI Main
Brandon Jay McLaren Dale Jakes Agent ICE Main
Serinda Swan Paige Arkin Agent DEA Main

Recurring cast

  • Jay Karnes as Supervising Agent Gerry Silvo[5] (Pilot): An FBI supervisory agent responsible for overseeing all operations at Graceland. He is not seen after the pilot episode.
  • Pedro Pascal as Juan Badillo[6] (Season 1): An FBI control officer who was assigned to Mike's investigation into Briggs. While undercover as "Jangles", he confronts Briggs about his suspicions and is drunkenly shot and killed by the agent. Briggs pulls down the mask covering Badillo's face and later buries him, not realizing that he is a fellow FBI agent.
  • Jenn Proske as Abby[7] (Season 1): A woman from Baltimore, Maryland who became Mike's girlfriend, after being introduced to him by Mike's roommate, Paige. She moved out west for the summer to take a break before beginning her career in law. One day, Mike brought Abby home and upstairs (which is against the house rules), where Abby saw Paige dressed undercover and holding a gun. Frightened, she confronted Mike and broke up with him when she felt he was lying to her.
  • Scottie Thompson as Lauren Kincaid (Season 1): A DEA agent who initially lived in Graceland before Mike moved in. Her partner, Donnie Banks was shot during one of their undercover ops, where she was undercover working with the Russian Vzakonye crime family. Donnie got transferred out of Graceland and she tried everything in her power to bring him justice, even going as far as putting the rest of the agents and herself at risk. She gets kicked out of Graceland after Paige reports her to the DEA. In actuality, Briggs set Lauren up to get transferred in order to keep her identity safe from the Russians.
  • Gbenga Akinnagbe as Jeremiah Bello (Season 1): A rising criminal warlord and ex-military man from Nigeria, who resides in Long Beach and was involved in smuggling both drugs and weapons. His drug supply came from the Caza Cartel, and he worked with Mike, who went undercover in order to get close to him. He is shown to be merciless, even towards his own men. He gets arrested and sentenced and discovers that Mike is a fed.
  • Vincent Laresca as Rafael Cortes/Jangles[8] (Season 1): A Mexican Federale who befriended Charlie and worked with her. He was revealed to be "Jangles", the mass murderer affiliated with the Caza Cartel. He was named so by the FBI due to the sound of his jangling keys during his murders. He was the one responsible for torturing Briggs and getting him addicted to heroin. Charlie goes to Cortes' vacation house and they are trailed by Briggs, who confirms that he is Jangles after discovering a set of keys in his bag. Both Briggs and Charlie are captured, tied up, and tortured by him until Mike arrives and shoots him dead.
  • Christopher Redman as Whistler (Season 1): He was a heroin junkie, C.I. (confidential informant) for the FBI and a friend to Charlie. Charlie had Whistler's best interests at heart, seeing his skill as a carpenter and giving him a chance to start his life over by suggesting that he put his cut of money from the FBI into buying a house to fix up. He does not go through with the buy and later on dies from a heroin overdose given to him by Quinn.
  • Ciera Payton as Cassandra (Season 1–2): Jakes' ex-wife and mother of his son Daniel. She left Jakes due to the difficulties of having a family while he works undercover. She works as a nurse in a local hospital. In Season 2, she files a restraining order against Jakes, preventing him from seeing their son.
  • Raheem Babalola as Derek (Season 1–2): Cassandra's boyfriend and father figure to Daniel. He met Jakes at a bar, unbeknownst to him that Jakes knew exactly who he was. After striking up a conversation, he reveals to Jakes that he is a former gang member who left that life behind after getting shot twice during a drive-by. He woke up in a hospital and fell in love with the nurse, who turned out to be Cassandra. He currently lives with Cassandra and Daniel.
  • Deniz Akdeniz as Wayne "Bates"' Zelanski (Season 2): A DEA agent who was assigned to work and live in Graceland, taking over Mike's room after he left for D.C. He quickly formed a friendship with the other roommates, especially Johnny. He was transferred out of the house after Mike moved back in and had to decide between him and Jakes in order to work on the bus line case.
  • Emily Rose as Jessica Foster (Season 2): Assistant Deputy Director of the FBI, and Mike Warren's lover.
  • Erik Valdez as Carlito Solano (Season 2–3)
  • Jamie Gray Hyder as Lucia Solano (Season 2–3): Carlito's sister.[9]
  • Brianna Brown as Kelly Badillo (Season 2): The widow of Juan Badillo.
  • Nestor Serrano as Carlos Solano (Season 2): Lucia and Carlito's father, and the head of the Solano cartel.
  • Carmine Giovinazzo as Sid Markham (Season 2-3): The head of the LAPD’s Gang Task Force.
  • Frank Licari as FBI Director
  • Lawrence Gilliard Jr. as Deputy Agent Sean Logan (Season 3): The F.B.I. agent in charge of the Los Angeles branch who is aware of Paul Briggs' accidental killing of Juan Badillo and assigns Briggs to infiltrate the Sarkissian family.

Series overview

Main article: List of Graceland episodes
SeasonEpisodesOriginally aired
First airedLast aired
112June 6, 2013 (2013-06-06)September 12, 2013 (2013-09-12)
213June 11, 2014 (2014-06-11)September 10, 2014 (2014-09-10)
313June 25, 2015 (2015-06-25)September 17, 2015 (2015-09-17)

Reception

The first season of Graceland received mixed reviews. On Rotten Tomatoes, it has a 69% rating, an average score of 6.1/10, sampled from 26 reviews.[10] Metacritic gives the first season a score of 58 out of 100 from 26 critics, signifying "mixed or average reviews".[11]

Brian Lowry of Variety said while everything here is compatible with Burn Notice, the show's high notes can't disguise how ordinary a visit to Graceland feels.[12] Television critic Matt Zoller Seitz wrote, "Graceland doesn't strike me as a series that will reward close scrutiny, and I am not convinced it's knocking itself out to be one. USA sent out the pilot and the fourth and fifth episodes, and I didn't feel deprived for not having seen episodes two or three. At the same time, though, this is not an entirely trivial series. It's the kind of work that I like to classify as "deep shallow," in that it deals in familiar tropes and simple themes but articulates them in a clever, stylish way."[13]

After the season 1 finale aired, Carla Day of BuddyTV said that "throughout the season, Graceland went in unexpected directions that kept the characters fresh and made it exciting to watch."[14]

Upon its season 2 renewal, USA Network president Chris McCumber praised Eastin for once again delivering for the network, saying "Graceland’s brilliant serialized storytelling mixed with striking cinematography and a captivating ensemble cast has clearly resonated with a wide audience. We’re proud to be the home to one of the summer’s top new cable dramas and anticipate Graceland will be a long-term player for the network." According to the article in Variety where TV Reporter AJ Marechal called it "one of the top fresh cable dramas of the season", Graceland's first season averaged 4.3 million viewers, and increased according to its Live + 7 Day (DVR) ratings.[15]

References

  1. ^ "USA Network Sets Summer Series Premiere Dates". The Futon Critic. April 4, 2013. Retrieved April 24, 2013.
  2. ^ "USA's 'Graceland' Canceled After Three Seasons". hollywoodreporter.com. Retrieved 1 October 2015.
  3. ^ Yeoman, Kevin. "USA Orders 'Graceland' From 'White Collar' Creator". Screen Rant. Retrieved April 19, 2013.
  4. ^ Littleton, Cynthia (June 29, 2012). "USA gives series pickup to drama 'Graceland'". Variety.
  5. ^ "''Graceland': USA greenlights 'White Collar' creator Jeff Eastin's new series".
  6. ^ Ng, Philiana (November 5, 2012). "'The Good Wife' Actor Checks Into USA's 'Graceland' in Major Arc". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved May 30, 2013.
  7. ^ Moorhouse, Drusilla (November 9, 2012). "'Graceland' casting scoop: Jenn Proske and Chris Redman guesting on upcoming USA drama". Zap2it. From Inside the Box (blog).
  8. ^ Ng, Philiana (January 30, 2013). "USA's 'Graceland' Taps '24' Actor in Recurring Role". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved May 30, 2013.
  9. ^ Ng, Philiana (March 4, 2014). "'True Blood' Actress Heads to USA's 'Graceland' (Exclusive)". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved August 4, 2014.
  10. ^ "Graceland: Season 1". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved October 5, 2015.
  11. ^ "Graceland". Metacritic. Retrieved October 5, 2015.
  12. ^ Lowry, Brian (June 5, 2013). "Review: "Graceland"". Variety. Retrieved September 12, 2013.
  13. ^ Seitz, Matt Zoller (June 6, 2013). "Seitz on Graceland: A Sun-Drenched Cop Drama That's Both Eye and Brain Candy". Vulture. Retrieved May 21, 2014.
  14. ^ Day, Carla (September 12, 2013). "'Graceland' Review: Briggs Executes His Exit Plan". BuddyTV. Retrieved May 21, 2014.
  15. ^ Marechal, AJ (September 10, 2013). "'Graceland' Renewed by USA for Second Season". Variety. Retrieved May 21, 2014.
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