Sci Fi TV Review: Twisted Metal

Twisted Metal delivers reckless abandon at a hundred miles per hour while also throwing in some characters with depth and witty touches of satire.

What Is It?

In a post-apocalyptic wasteland ravaged by “The Fall,” John Doe—a foul-mouthed amnesiac milkman—embarks on a dangerous mission to deliver a mysterious package in exchange for a chance at a better life. Along the way, he teams up with Quiet, a fierce car thief, and encounters a chaotic cast of characters—including the murderous clown Sweet Tooth—while trying to survive deadly road hazards and marauders. In the second season, John and Quiet are drawn into the deadly Twisted Metal tournament, a demolition derby controlled by the enigmatic Calypso, where the winner is granted a single wish—assuming they survive.

Streaming: Peacock, Two Seasons Totaling 22 Episodes (So Far)

Starring: Anthony Mackie, Stephanie Beatriz, Joe Seanoa, Will Arnett, Thomas Haden Church, Anthony Carrigan, Mike Mitchell

Developed By: Rhett Reese, Paul Wernick, Michael Jonathan Smith

Johnny Jay’s Thoughts:

When this show first arrived last summer, I didn’t get around to watching it, even though it seemed like a ton of fun and I’ve always liked series lead Anthony Mackie. As the second season premiere approached this past July (imagine that, only a year between seasons), I decided to check out the first season to see if the show was worth watching. And I found myself immediately hooked, binging all ten episodes in two weeks.

It should come as no surprise that I liked the show, seeing as two of the people responsible for it are Rhett Reese and Paul Wernick, the guys who created and wrote one of my all-time favorite sci-fi horror comedies, Zombieland. The first season of Twisted Metal delivered very much the same look and feel as the Zombieland movies, with plenty of mayhem and witty dialogue along with characters that have some depth.

The show is based on the Twisted Metal video game, which has released several editions. It does capture some of that game feel, though the first season focused more on setting up the world and the characters. The creative team did a good job of establishing the game’s chaotic universe while also developing interesting storylines. But make no mistake: this series is much more about mayhem than challenging the grey matter. Don’t look here for deep dramatic development, though there are touches of it now and then along with some wicked satire. This is the type of show where you switch your brain into neutral and just enjoy the reckless abandon and chaotic fun.

In the wrong hands, a show like this could have placed hardware and bedlam above the actors and story, but Twisted Metal strikes the right balance, and the cast is up to the task of standing out amidst the chaos. Anthony Mackie is solid as ever in the lead role, while Stephanie Beatriz nearly overshadows him as the female lead. Their love-hate-love relationship is filled with back-and-forth bickering (that sometimes gets bloody), and you often find yourself rooting for Beatriz’s Quiet over Mackie’s John Doe. The lead villain in the first season leans heavily on the vengeful cop trope, but you gotta love Thomas Haden Church’s great performance. And Sweet Tooth—played in tandem by Joe Seanoa as the masked clown and Will Arnett as his gleefully devious voice—often steals the show whenever he shows up onscreen.

The first season was controlled chaos from start to finish, throwing colorful characters and sharp dialogue at you amidst the carnage and destruction. The second season introduces the actual Twisted Metal tournament and its sinister host Calypso, and despite the continued reckless abandon, it bogs down at times. Maybe that is because it had twelve episodes instead of ten and did not quite replicate the tight story-telling of the first year.  Anthony Carrigan’s over-the-top performance as Calypso also pushes things a bit too far at times, though I still enjoyed him in the role. The second season also introduces quite a number of colorful characters in addition to the new villain, but but don’t get too attached to any one of them.

Overall, I enjoyed the first season more than the second, but only by a small margin. And by the time season two wrapped up, I was ready for the next challenge our heroes will face in this twisted post-apocalyptic world. This is the type of show that could carry on for several years, delivering some delightful mayhem with touches of satire and plenty of over-the-top characters.  And hopefully more of it is on the way.

What’s Next?

Twisted Metal only just wrapped up its second season, and there has been no word on a third year yet. It has not made it into the Nielsen Streaming Rankings yet, but it was Peacock’s top original comedy in its first year and it did jump to Number 1 among that streamer’s originals in its second season. I would expect this one to get a third season renewal, and it could continue on beyond that.

Where Can You Watch It?

Both seasons are available on Peacock, and I believe you can watch the entire first season on the free version of that service (which includes ads), though you will almost certainly have to subscribe after that to watch the second season. The first season is also available on DVD and Blu-ray.

Are you watching Twisted Metal, and are you enjoying the malicious mayhem? Chime in with your thoughts in the comments section below.

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