Gang Related (TV series) explained

Genre:	Action drama Crime drama
Creator:	Chris Morgan
Composer:	Photek
Country:	United States
Language:	English
Num Seasons:	1
Num Episodes:	13
Producer:	Howard Griffith
Editor:	Elba Sanchez-Short
Cinematography:	Krishna Rao
Runtime:	43 minutes
Channel:	Fox

Gang Related is an American action drama^[1] television series that aired on Fox from May 22 to August 14, 2014.^{[2] [3] [4] [5]} The network placed the original series order on May 8, 2013, for 13 episodes. On September 2, 2014, Fox cancelled the series.^[6]

Plot

The series follows the personal and professional lives of the members of the elite Los Angeles Police Department's multi-agency Gang Task Force as they take on the city's most dangerous gangs, including one with which a task force member has ties.

Opening narration: (by Ramon Rodriguez)

Cast

Main cast

• Ramon Rodriguez as Ryan Lopez: an LAPD detective and former U.S. Army Ranger who was taken in and raised by the Acosta family at a young age after the death of his father at age ten. He was born in a poor town in Mexico, and moved to the United States illegally with his new family at that time.
• Jay Hernandez as Daniel Acosta: son of the Acosta family who is working as an investment banker and is Ryan's childhood best friend.
• RZA as Cassius Green: DEA Agent and Ryan's second partner.
• Sung Kang as Tae Kim: FBI Agent and Veronica's partner. He has a sister, who suffered a brain injury and lives in a long-term care facility.
• Inbar Lavi as Veronika "Vee" Dotsen: ICE Agent and Tae's partner. She was stuck by a needle and is uncertain if she will be HIV positive. Her brother, Anton, is in prison for life. They are Russian.
• Rey Gallegos as Carlos Acosta: older son of Acosta family who is a lieutenant of the "Los Angelicos" gang.
• Shantel VanSanten as Jessica "Jess" Mary Chapel: Assistant District Attorney of Los Angeles County who is also Sam Chapel's daughter and Ryan's girlfriend.
• Cliff Curtis as Javier Acosta: Head of the Los Angelicos and patriarch of the Acosta family. His parents were illegally working at a restaurant when it burned down and the illegal workers all died. Javier and other people still in the basement escaped, but not his parents.
• Terry O'Quinn as Sam Chapel: Head of the LAPD Gang Task Force and father of Jessica Chapel. Chapel goes rogue at times to achieve justice.

Recurring cast

• Emilio Rivera as Tio Gordo: right-hand man of the Los Angelicos
• Jay Karnes as Paul Carter: an LAPD Internal Affairs detective investigating the circumstances surrounding the death of Ryan's partner
• Konstantin Lavysh as Anton Dotsen: brother of Vee Dotsen
• Philip Anthony-Rodriguez as Billy Cabrera: undercover agent working at Daniel's bank
• Lela Loren as Silvia: Daniel's fiancée, she is implied to have lingering feelings for Ryan. She was Ryan's girlfriend before he joined the Army. They went their separate ways. Her name is tattooed on his arm. When he came back, she was with Daniel.
• Amaury Nolasco as Matias: killer working for the Metas. He's famous for using his signature sledgehammer in executions.

Critical reception

Reviews for the show were mixed. It holds a 41% approval rating with an average score of 5.69/10 on review aggregator site Rotten Tomatoes. The consensus states: "Gang Related focuses more on being dark and edgy than delivering an original narrative, resulting in a fairly ordinary cop drama."^[7] On Metacritic, it has a score of 52 out of 100, indicating "mixed or average reviews".^[8]

Dorothy Rabinowitz at The Wall Street Journal wrote: "the writing is sharp, the atmosphere thick with tension from, among other things, car and foot chases".^[9] In contrast, The Hollywood Reporters Tim Goodman wrote: "it's pretty clear right away that you're dealing with a pile of clichés that, pushed together and financed, can never be more than dreadful".^[10]

Development

In January 2013, Fox announced that it had received a pilot order for the project.

In February 2013, Ramon Rodriguez was the first to be cast as the protagonist Ryan Lopez - a gang member sent in to infiltrate the LAPD. Shortly after, Sung Kang was cast in the role of Tae Kim, Asian gang specialist on loan from the FBI who refuses to celebrate Ryan's achievements because he considers Ryan's tactics dangerous and wasteful. Jay Hernandez later joined the cast as Daniel Acosta, gang lord Javier Acosta's son, and Ryan's best friend since childhood.

In March 2013, RZA and Cliff Curtis were then added to the cast with Curtis cast in the role of Javier Acosta, the head of one of the most dangerous gangs in Los Angeles.^[11] RZA was signed onto the role as Cassius Green Ryan's partner and best friend on the Gang Task Force originally from the tough streets of Oakland.^[12] Shantel vanSanten was cast in the days following as a doctor who treats Ryan for his bullet wound injuries and the daughter of the gang task force's captain.^[13] Tom Berenger was originally cast as Sam Chapel, a tough, dynamic police chief who oversees the Gang Task Force but was later replaced by Terry O'Quinn.^[14]

On May 8, 2013, Fox officially picked up Gang Related to series for 13 episodes.

Notes and References

1. Web site: Development Update: Wednesday, May 8 - FOX Drama Series Pick Ups. May 8, 2013. The Futon Critic. May 12, 2013.
2. Web site: Fox Picks Up Dramas 'Rake', 'Gang Related', 'Sleepy Hollow' And 'Almost Human'. May 8, 2013. Andreeva. Nellie. Deadline Hollywood. May 12, 2013.
3. Web site: Fox Drama Series Orders: 'Sleepy Hollow,' 'Rake,' 'Gang Related,' 'Almost Human'. Goldberg. Lesley. Rose. Lacey. The Hollywood Reporter. May 8, 2014. May 12, 2014.
4. Web site: FOX Announces Additional Spring and Summer Premiere Dates . March 26, 2014. The Futon Critic. April 17, 2014.
5. Web site: FOX Announces Premiere Dates for 'Kitchen Nightmares', 'Gang Related', 'Hotel Hell', 'MasterChef' & More; 'Enlisted' Pulled From Schedule . https://web.archive.org/web/20140327221458/http://tvbythenumbers.zap2it.com/2014/03/26/fox-announces-premiere-dates-for-kitchen-nightmares-gang-related-hotel-hell-masterchef-riot-more/248376/. dead. March 27, 2014. . Amanda. Kondolojy. March 26, 2014. April 17, 2014.
6. Web site: Gang Related: Cancelled by FOX; No Season Two . tvseriesfinale.com . September 2, 2014. September 2, 2014.
7. Web site: Gang Related : Season 1 (2014) . . August 6, 2018.
8. Web site: Gang Related : Season 1 . . May 23, 2014.
9. News: Blood Ties and Mayhem . Rabinowitz . Dorothy . The Wall Street Journal. May 15, 2014. May 22, 2014.
10. News: 'Gang Related': TV Review . Goodman . Tim . . May 20, 2014. May 22, 2014.
11. Web site: Anna Popplewell To Co-Star On CW's 'Reign', Cliff Curtis On Fox's 'Gang Related' . Andreeva . Nellie . . March 4, 2013. May 31, 2014.
12. Web site: Rza To Co-Star In Fox Drama Pilot 'Gang Related', CW's 'Reign' Adds Actress . Andreeva . Nellie . . March 4, 2013. May 31, 2014.
13. Web site: Michael Rapaport To Co-Star In CBS' Greg Garcia Pilot, 'Gang Related' Adds Actress . Andreeva . Nellie . . March 9, 2013. May 31, 2014.
14. Web site: Terry O'Quinn Joins Fox's 'Gang Related' . https://web.archive.org/web/20130322073907/http://www.deadline.com/2013/03/terry-oquinn-joins-foxs-gang-related/ . dead . March 22, 2013 . Andreeva . Nellie . . March 19, 2013. May 31, 2014.