About “Animal Kingdom” in a few words:

Animal Kingdom is a thrilling American crime drama series that premiered on TNT in 2016. Based on the 2010 Australian film of the same name, the show follows the lives of a family of criminals in Southern California as they navigate the dangerous world of organized crime. Led by the manipulative and powerful matriarch known as “Smurf,” the family pulls off elaborate heists and engages in violent clashes with rival gangs while trying to stay one step ahead of the law. The show has garnered critical acclaim for its strong performances and gripping plotlines.

Meet the characters from Animal Kingdom

Andrew ‘Pope’ Cody

Oh man, Pope is the kind of volatile, terrifying genius who always smells faintly of old books and leather — he’s got this weird, ancient-pious vibe and then will snap and do something utterly ruthless, like heartbreakingly casual about it. He’s the boss in the way a storm is the boss: quiet at first, then everything’s rearranged and you’re left holding the pieces, wondering if he was ever human (he’s human, sort of, I think? sometimes). He quotes scripture and maybe writes poetry in a tiny notebook but also collects weird little talismans that make you raise an eyebrow — possibly a ceramic dove on the mantel, maybe not. There’s this stubborn loyalty to family that is both noble and suffocating, and he can be impossibly tender one second and impossibly dangerous the next, which is probably the point.

Craig Cody

Craig is the original calm center — like, unnervingly calm — the guy who runs things with a surgeon’s precision and a fatherly scowl, but he also has this goofy side where he’ll half-smile at a terrible joke and you catch a glimpse of a man who used to be regular. He handles chaos like he handles an old car: methodically, with grease under his nails and pride in his hands, and don’t underestimate how cold his patience can become when it snaps. He loves old records and probably drinks black coffee at 2 a.m., and for some reason I always picture him with a faded trucker cap even if that’s probably not canon. There’s a gentleness in how he looks at his kids that is both protective and possessive — and yes, he will absolutely make you feel small if you cross him.

Deran Cody

Deran is such a soft, anxious wild card — like equal parts puppy and volcano — he’s tender and loud and then shuts down and you spend five minutes trying to coax a story out of him, but he’ll give you a ridiculous, off-key song instead. He genuinely cares about people and animals (he’s the type to rescue a stray and name it something ridiculous), but also gets swept up into stupid, adrenaline-fueled choices that make you clap and cry at the same time. He has a knack for mechanics and music and somehow both things fit together in his head — boom box in the trunk, wrench in his back pocket — but he can be flaky and stubborn in the most human way. Also, tiny detail: he probably keeps a silly souvenir from every job in a shoebox under his bed, which is adorable and chaotic and perfectly Deran.

Joshua ‘J’ Cody

J starts out sharp-eyed and hungry, like a kid with a flashlight in a dark house — observant, quick, trying to find his place, and that drive turns into something a lot more dangerous as he learns the ropes. He’s ambitious and creative in a practical, street-smart way (big brain for logistics, small tenderness for the little things like a mixtape he made once), but there’s a coldness that creeps in when survival becomes the only lesson he trusts. He idolizes the older Codys and also resents them, which makes him complicated and kind of terrifyingly relatable — you can see him becoming what he fears and what he admires at the same time. Also — random — I keep picturing him sneaking snacks at midnight and humming a pop song under his breath, which is unbearably human.