I hope this gets a second season.

The world of shows/movies based on video games is in a weird spot right now. On one hand you have absolute bangers like Sonic, Mario, The Cuphead Show, Castlevania, and so on. In the middle is a lot of enjoyable yet arguably disappointing stuff like Mortal Kombat. And then you have complete dogshit like how I imagine the upcoming Hungry Shark Squad and Talking Tom shows must be. Shows based on mobile shit.

Peacock manages to dodge controversy in its programming because whether you’re anti-woke or pro-woke your response to a new show on Peacock is likely “huh? What? Peacock is still around? I don’t know anyone who subscribes to that, I use my mom’s Netflix account and that’s it.”

Twisted Metal has a lot of talent behind it, being developed and written by Rhett Reese who did the Deadpool films, the Zombieland movies, and of course 2005’s Tarzan 2. Also on the staff is Paul Wernick who see Rhett Reese’s resume for information. And of course there’s Michael Jonathan Smith who wrote 27 episodes of Cobra Kai, but he’s also from Connecticut so we won’t judge him too much.

Let’s get one thing out of the way; Twisted Metal as a series is dumb shitass. The first game gets a pass on most of the criticism because it was a launch title for the PS1 and the devs were blazing trails and figuring out a new world of 3D games as they went along. Also Dave Jaffe literally knows where I live and I don’t want him hanging out in my driveway and smoking weed and calling my neighbor’s shiba inu a motherfucker all day so I’ll concede that the guy made great games.

Twisted Metal 2 meanwhile is a golden god and I have no further notes. Dave Jaffe wasn’t involved with Twisted Metal 3 or 4, which explains why they are regarded as the worst in the series by fans. Then he came back for Black, which is still considered by many to be the best in the series if only slightly edging out 2. The story for the games has always been puddle-shallow. Calypso, a rich guy with evidently godlike powers, holds a tournament and the winner gets their wish.

It’s really all just a vehicle (ha ha) for cars with guns to shoot each other. Which is all you need. There’s no story to butcher in an adaptation like say…Max Payne.

So with that in mind I won’t be reviewing Twisted Metal in respect to its status as a Twisted Metal product, but as a show. Twisted Metal stars Anthony Mackie as John Doe, a “milkman” delivery boy in the post-apocalyptic world of the post apocalyptic United States. John doesn’t remember his family or his name, and he takes on a job from Raven (Neve Campbell) the COO of New San Francisco, to pick up and deliver a package for a big reward. What is the reward? Citizenship in New San Francisco.

John eventually meets with Quiet played by Stephanie Beatriz. Damn, Diaz! Quiet and her brother Loud (Richard Cabral) are on the wrong side of the law and you just know this relationship is going to be one of those where the two leads hate each other at first and try to kill each other but end up banging in the ball pit of a McDonald’s knockoff. Quiet and John, not Quiet and her brother. Richard Cabral should be in more things, he’s great.

Quiet and Loud introduce us to the big baddie of the show, Agent Stone played by Thomas Church aka Sandman from the Spider-Man 3 movie. Thomas Church is great in this show as the gruff and brutal cop. Stone is a great character because while he is an evil son of a bitch, you do get the idea that he’s actually motivated by a drive for law and order. And in the post-apocalypse sometimes the law has to be even more brutal to keep order when the world is full of open psychopaths and cannibals.

And then there’s Sweet Tooth played by Samoa Joe and voiced by Will Arnett. Sweet Tooth is a great character in this show, full of energy and personality. The cast is overall just fantastic, full of memorable characters including Jason Mantzoukas who always brings his heart attack manic crackhead energy to his roles. Also you’ve got Chloe Fineman, Chelle Ramos, Diany Rodriguez. If you’re looking for a show about cars blowing each other up where all the women are absolutely gorgeous, well this is the show for you.

The writing is occasionally in that lazy “hey we can say fuck now” faux-edginess but the CG budget is better than what you’d find on some Syfy or CW trash.

There are a lot of references to the games, but given the games have almost no story there’s nothing you’ll miss by not knowing the material. It is on its own an enjoyable show. There might be less car violence than people want out of a show called Twisted Metal, and it’s a lot more about character building and world building, but it’s fun nonetheless and Will Arnett makes Sweet Tooth a lovable side-plot. And yes, the show is basically a setup for season 2 where fans get the car tournament they wanted. Assuming season 2 ever gets made thanks to the strikes.

Twisted Metal has 400 million viewing minutes in the weekend after it premiered, and I don’t know what that means other than that it was successful for Peacock.

Rating: A-