Kingpin (2003)

this show has been type-casted as the Sopranos on daytime TV. But i think this show is as good or if not better than the Sopranos. Kingpin is much more stylish with the camera and music then the Sopranos is and Kingpin hardly eases up there is constant action going on on screen. This show was made to be aired on Cable for the drug and violent content and i do believe this show could of beat out the Sopranos if it was made into a regular T.V. series and if it wasn't so restricted on content, overall if you like the Sopranos then you are more than likely love kingpin and even if you don't like the Sopranos you should give it a try for the massive amount of raw energy put in this TV Show.

Score 5/10 As seen on NBC and inexplicably spread over three DVDs, The six hour mini-epic Kingpin is now available to all those who blinked and missed it. Visually stunning with great sets and production values Kingpin certainly looks great. The story is another matter. Scarface minus the Godfather plus American Family then mix thoroughly with network standards and practices and you really have a mess. The story cries for more sex and violence. The acting is a mixed bag with Yancey Arias giving a great performance as the head guy. Sheryl Lee chewing scenery as his shrewish Anglo wife and most embarrassingly Brian Benben hopelessly miscast as an indebted mule/plastic surgeon. Yep it is Nip/Tuck meets The Shield without the grittiness of either series as well as a lot of unsubtitled Spanish to wade through. After you watch the first twenty minutes you will say to yourself hey this is really cool. Do yourself a favor and turn off the TV. It is the only way to preserve the feeling.

I was pleasantly surprised at just how much I enjoyed this mini-series. It has the right amount soap, drama & action and stellar acting performances all around. The only down side was 3 weeks went by way to fast, but I will definitely watch again when BRAVO airs the un-edited version in March. Let's hope the powers that be at NBC bring this back as a series.

Kingpin is an excellent series, it is one of the best ones that I have seen in a long time. This is reality, this is what is happening in the drug world. The actors bring reality to their characters, every single actor plays his/her part very well. I was hoping it would become a regular on TV. Why is it that when there is a great series on TV, possibly a big movie screen version, someone decides to end it. I am 100% positive that a lot of viewers are going to be disappointed when this series ends on Tuesday.