Bad Blood (2017–2018) User Reviews

Season 1 not bad....Season 2 hmmm

[tmaria1 · 6/10 · 6 June 2019]

I just want to review season 2. Good effort but guys you need to work on a lot of areas. The biggest problem I had was with credibility. How can Declan with no foot soldiers possibly maintain the image that he does? Other than a truck driver we really do not see who Declan has on his side. No way one person could orchestrate what he does. After he loses his Mexican connection where is he getting these drugs from? That was his biggest trump card and it really needed to be explained better.

His Italian mob adversaries Cosoleto's were nothing more than 2 brothers and their 2 sons..thats it...not what I would call a powerful mob family. We never see what they do to earn money, never see any of their soldiers or associates. The bikers were for me the most credible. The twins were just not believable. Why would a mob father from Italy who never sees them send them on any mission let alone this one?

The script was ok but weak in many areas. It just felt like lines were inserted for effect but not to lead the story along. Also people in the real criminal world react much differently...they simply do not attend birthday parties of informants. Season two needed at least one more A list actor in it. These actors were good but I found some were miscast for sure. Some other observation...Good cinematography and direction, music was so so, editing was predictable. If there is a season 3 bring in a couple of more seasoned writers, another big name to match Kim Coates on the screen and get back to basing the script on the real Canadian mob/biker undeworld.

solid TV series, but only 1st season

[ifrancetic · 6/10 · 18 August 2021]

Not a masterpiece, but a solid crime series depicting mafia family in Toronto, raise and fall.

Season 2 however, really turns into a B production, with main character running the entire city on his own, going solo against the world. No bodyguards, associates, soldiers, etc. Script looks scraped together without any afterthought.

Funny enough, season 2 episodes have significantly higher score on IMDM.

Canadian Goodfellas

[marab-195-766075 · 7/10 · 14 December 2018]

Ok so loads of Goodfellas parallel, based on actual characters, first person narration etc. This is solid TV. Some reviews say it's mediocre or typical, but every episode ends with you feeling it ended too soon. Kim Coates is one of my favorite working actors, he's awesome. There's something about the way this is shot though, it's kind of dark and a little overly noir in its look. It loses a little something. Still for all its faults it's compelling t.v. that ends far too fast.

🍷 🍕 Bad Blood makes for a "Good" Crime History Mini-Series

[Ed-Shullivan · 10/10 · 26 September 2017]

This is just an excellent ensemble of veteran actors who agreed to participate in this six (6) part series outlining the historical criminal events of the Montreal crime family, led by mob boss Vito Rizzuto played by Anthony LaPaglia. After watching the pilot episode my only disappointment was that it ended as quickly as it seemed to just begin and I wanted to see more, a lot more! The supporting strong cast includes Kim Coates (best known for his role as Alexander 'Tig' Trager in Sons Of Anarchy), who plays Vito Rizzuto's confidant and mob muscle. The series also stars Paul Sorvino, Enrico Colantoni, Tony Nappo and the new dark horse to the crime genre, Brett Donahue, who plays third generation son/grandson Enrico Jr. Rizzuto.

Some viewers may say that there is one scene in the pilot episode of Bad Blood which takes place in a bar back in 1981 that may remind viewers of the violent animal rage displayed by Joe Pesci in the 1990 film Goodfellas. The scene shows a young Vitto Rizzuto and two of his cronies going back in time to 1981 in the dead of winter when they are asked by the bar owner Big Mike, to repay a favor owed to his father, and when called upon by passage of the secret word "zoo" Vitto and his two cronies are to proceed to come out of hiding from behind the door and first rough up then rob the three Bonnano mob bosses that will be in the bar with the bar owner who himself is also a mob boss. I will not go into detail other than to say that this particular nights event will come back to haunt the older Vitto Rizzuto three decades later.

If you are not yet familiar with the Montreal based Rizzuto crime family, this six (6) part TV mini-series will not only enlighten you on some factual events but I trust based on the strong showing of this pilot episode and the all-star cast of veteran mobster actors such as Anthony LaPaglia, Paul Sorvino, Enrico Colantoni, Tony Nappo and Kim Coates, you will also hunger for more episodes as quickly as the last one ends, you will want another episode to begin.

I give Bad Blood a superior Badda-Bing, Badda-Boom, 10 for 10 rating.

November 01st, 2018 Update

As much as I liked all of season 1, season 2 is so much better as Kim Coates who plays druglord Declan Gardiner takes over as the series lead role since Anthony LaPaglia's character mob boss "Vito Rizzuto" has bitten the dust. The second season has Declan really taking care of (his) business but he has a few distractions, one of those distractions being his troubled and abandoned nephew Reggie Ross (Ryan McDonald), and another being two ultra hip young immigrants from the old country Italy who have come to do the bidding of their Don father who wants a bigger take of the Canadian drug market. Not if Declan has anythig to say about it though.

Season 2 is fantastic with lots of twists and turns and strategies, and of course a string of deserving murders/executions. Hang in there for season 2 as its twice as good as season 1. Kim Coates shows why he is a star and I hope to see more of him on the big screen in the near future. Badda Bing Badda BOOM!

A Great Second Season

[royhectorkabanlit · 10/10 · 4 June 2019]

Bad Blood Season 2 Review

Another underrated show that turned out to be one of the best Crime Drama Thrillers on Netflix. Season 2 I felt was a lot better than Season 1, it seems the whole creative team had found their voice and had gotten comfortable using it.

The new "Euro Fashionista" villains also were quite interesting. Does this mean that the sibling's father will be the main villain for Season 3? At any rate, such a great show, I just didn't want to stop watching it and watched the series as often as I could.

Bravo, excellent, don't you dare cancel this, Netflix.

The Son is the worst part

[ddolan-37989 · 6/10 · 29 November 2018]

OMG.. such a great ensemble of actors but the actor who shall remain nameless is one of the worst actors on television.. on episode 2 and I really hope they kill him off soon or I'll have to stop watching. Too bad they got every other cast member bang on!

Season 2 is even better!

[dereklambe · 10/10 · 2 June 2019]

A couple of evil twins are sent from Italy by the 'Ndrangheta to take matters in hand and soon start trying to muscle in on Declan's operation. But the mad Irishman isn't giving in without a fight.

Season 2 is action-packed, with a lot of edge-of-your seat scenarios. However, as well as being taut and with no unnecessary scenes or filler, it also manages to produce finely-drawn characters who you can actually care about. Let's hope they can keep the high standards for Season 3.

Commercial network hurts presentation

[archie-56 · 25 October 2017]

Perhaps it is unfair to evaluate performances and presentation, but mood is lost when we leave a dramatic scene for a yogurt commercial. But beyond that, there is something oddly flat and pedestrian about this effort. It is interesting to examine the true-life underside of Montreal--the U.S. does not have sole rights to mobsters--but the gravitas of The Sopranos and Boardwalk Empire is sadly wanting here. The still images in the opening credits, particularly Kim Coates (with that vampire-like hooded,coloured eye business)and Paul Sorvino looking like a menacing bulldog provides unfulfilled promise of true explosive threat and menace thatwe expect out of the principals. They aren't helped by a plain-Jane script that doesn't allow for much layering or nuance. The series TALKS rather than really SHOWS. Dialogue provides by-the-numbers exposition. A lot of the acting comes off as theatrical vs authentic. Certainly there are violent scenes but they don't really resonate. The female characters in particular are ill-served---whether a crusading lawyer or politician or mistress---come off as either overly shrill or whiny, whereas no-nonsense street-wise savvy and seductiveness are non-existent. The males do not get off unscathed either, lacking in depth. Scenes of meetings with other mobsters have groups of guys trying real hard to LOOK tough and mean like movie standees trying to exude explosive menace. Using slow motion whenever Anthony Lapaglia strolls around is to suggest a bigger-than-life cold-blooded ruthless lion but we don't FEEL it. (The same approach was used when Colm Feore portrayed Pierre Trudeau several years ago, much to the same toothless effect--no fault in effort by Mr. Feore.) We want to see more home-grown Canadian productions but to distinguish themselves against non-commercial cable networks is a challenge.

Enjoyable

[matthijsalexander · 6/10 · 25 October 2017]

It's no Soprano's or Son's of Anarchy, a bit mediocre at times.

The biggest flaw in this production, to me, is La Paglia, I find him utterly unconvincing as a mob boss. He lacks that true Italian mob boss-vibe.

That said, over-all it is an enjoyable show. Good for a Saturday-binge-watch on a cold winters night.

Gets better and better

[erikneergaard · 9/10 · 1 June 2019]

First season was ok, season two was just great. Great actors, story and play!!

A glaring goof in season 2 episode 7?

[cudaseeker-1 · 7/10 · 10 June 2019]

First season was great. But second not so much. Ok, in season two episode 7, when Declan, Rose and her brother Twix have Teresa, Christian and their two drivers/bodyguards pinned down in a shootout, they shoot Christian and his driver.....Rose gets winged, and then all of a sudden Teresa and her driver/bodyguard..... get away? HOW? It shows nothing on how they got away. Very stupid writing. Is this a HUGE plot hole or just a complete screw up of film editing? We rewatched that scene 4 times just to see if we missed something, like them getting away in the SUV or something and can't figure it out. Same as the last episode where Teresa shoots Declan....... once....in the back when she easily would have shot him multiple times as angry as she was. Ruined the ending of the season with dumb scenes.

Seems some type of people don;t like it

[the_real_smile · 10/10 · 20 January 2020]

This movie revolves around the rising and falling of a couple of mafia families. This series had my biting my nails, season one was good, but oh boy, season 2 had me on the edge of my seat. Fine acting, good plot twists, very enjoyable.

Has all the good stuff, still falls short.

[darrel076 · 6/10 · 22 July 2020]

This show has murder, drugs ,sex etc. Everthing thats makes a good show, but the writing I isn't good. The shoddy acting really kills the show. It's not God awful, but could be better.

the 2nd season blows!

[H-W-tenPas · 2/10 · 20 August 2019]

Like so many other sequels, the second season blows, and it blows in a major way. The acting performance is way below average, the script is poor, the story line is predictable and rather childish. Let's hope it stops here. One main character ( Kim Coates) can't pull it off all by himself. The cast in the first season was so much better, with Anthony LaPaglia and Paul Sorvino. Why are those producers not satisfied with one good season, and do they keep on making those awful follow ups. Or spend some more money on capable directors and scriptwriters and not the hacks from season 2.

Great show. Great story.

[joe-2697 · 9/10 · 2 December 2018]

Quite a few twists and turns in the story. Look forward to watching Bad Blood.

Some things seem unbelievable in real life but who knows what that works is really like.

Kim Coats does a great job acting. He is a talented actor that doesn't get the recognition he deserves (as long as he isn't trying to cry... sometimes looks forced but aside from that he is a talented actor)

Cannot wait for season 3. OMG season 2 finale really left me hanging on a cliff.

Good series but could have been great

[jeffmcleo · 9/10 · 8 December 2018]

Well acted with Coates and La Paglia stand out performances. The violence was extreme and consistent with the genre. I sensed the principal photography was lacking in creativity and capturing the scene with intensity of the script. Overall I would definitely recommend the time to watch every episode

Acceptable product

[sprichnichtzumir · 7/10 · 13 February 2021]

I understand the bad reviews, it's not breaking bad or the sopranos but we gotta admit, it's a nice show, it's entertaining with unexpected twists and deaths. The first season was very good, the second one was lame but both aren't as bad as people say. I recommend it.

Captivating

[sissy3006 · 10/10 · 8 December 2018]

So far I am hooked, on a pretty good mafia series. La Paglia and Coates great work, and glad to see both back to making a good TV series, look forward to seeing what's up next

Season 1 - 10 stars...Season 2 - 1 star

[johndoemofo · 7/10 · 16 September 2019]

Season 1 was outstanding and you can leave it at that, as a mini-series. Season 2 fell apart by ep. 4 with homosexual mafia brother/sister bosses and a nephew to the main lead who makes the moron Jesse from Breaking Bad look like a genius rambo type.

Kim Coate's show

[danielcereto · 8/10 · 10 June 2019]

Kim Koates is an amazing actor. I like him since his role on Sons of Anarchy. This is a great series and probably underrated. This is a mixture of Sons of Anarchy with a touch of Narcos. On the other hand, some plot holes or a bad script make some characters decisions unbelievable. Overall, If you loved The Sopranos and Peaky Blinders, give it a try, it is not as good, but pretty watchable.

Season 2

[info-46-718776 · 6/10 · 6 June 2019]

I don't know who I want to punch more; the gangsters for discussing literally every detail of their crimes (from drug meetings to murder) on their normal hipster cellphones, or the FBI for not bugging the bejesus out of them. Or perhaps it's the lone wolf single man crime family, who in between chilling at the farm keeps a couple of crime families with dozens of members in check, because hey, he is very scary. Then again, the annoying brother with his unexplained "condition" might get the honor along with a prize for lamest acting an most annoying plot device. But if you get over all the inconsistencies and over acting (Christian with his constant catwalk face anyone?) it's an easy watch and overall pretty entertaining, mostly thanks to Kim Coats and Sharon Taylor, the only ones that bring any kind of depth to their parts.

Binge!

[jkipkangor · 8/10 · 27 December 2018]

I've been ignoring this series for a long time only to try it over a long weekend. It's very fast paced with many characters, sounded slow, but I got the story quite quickly. Too many deaths in the first season, but second seasons heads the narcos way and it's a different plot altogether for me. Watching all two seasons on one seating for me isnt easy, but this one made me

Good season 1 Bad season 2

[rodfer15 · 6/10 · 30 May 2021]

Johnny Falcone is worst actor ever in season 2. Overacting permanently.

Great start, poor finish

[dkite-84979 · 1/10 · 7 June 2019]

Talk about a great series going all to s#'+. In the world of disappointment associated with GoT. You would think writers and producers would be a little more sensitive to a decent finish. Guess not! I sit on the edge of my seat, well sorta, through seven episodes of calculation, intrigue, and plot development to wrap it up with "Good guy gets shot then shoots bad guy or girl. Seriously people! You telling me a guy that could anticipate all his advisories moves but some how couldn't see the bad guys coming in the end. Especially when he received a phone call telling him the bad guys are coming!?! To quote the immortal Dead Pool "Thats just laze writing"!

Don't stop now

[rmarr-95810 · 10/10 · 30 December 2018]

Awsome, a great series. This could be the Canadian Sopranos if written properly. Keep it coming..Don't stop now.