| Genre: | Crime drama |
| Opentheme: | "Harder Out Here" by |
| Country: | United States |
| Language: | English |
| Num Seasons: | 3 |
| Num Episodes: | 30 |
| List Episodes: |
|
| Camera: | Single-camera |
| Runtime: | 41–59 minutes |
| Company: | Shore Z Productions Nemo Films Moonshot Entertainment Exhibit A Sony Pictures Television Amazon Studios |
| Channel: | Amazon Prime Video |
Sneaky Pete is an American black comedy crime drama series created by David Shore and Bryan Cranston. The series follows Marius Josipović (Giovanni Ribisi), a released convict who adopts the identity of his cellmate, Pete Murphy, to avoid his past life. The series also stars Marin Ireland, Shane McRae, Libe Barer, Michael Drayer, Peter Gerety and Margo Martindale. The pilot debuted on August 7, 2015, and was followed by a full series order that September.[1] Shore left the project in early 2016 and was replaced by Graham Yost, who served as executive producer and showrunner for the remaining nine episodes. The first season premiered in its entirety on January 13, 2017, exclusively on Amazon Prime Video.[2] On January 19, 2017, Amazon announced that Sneaky Pete had been renewed for a second season, which was released on March 9, 2018.[3] [4] On July 28, 2018, Amazon announced that the series had been renewed for a third season, which was released on May 10, 2019.[5] [6] On June 4, 2019, Amazon cancelled the series after three seasons.[7]
Sneaky Pete follows Marius, a con man who gets out of prison only to find himself hunted by the vicious gangster he once robbed. With nowhere else to turn, Marius takes cover from his past by assuming the identity of his cellmate, Pete and then "reunites" with Pete's estranged familywho have no reason to suspect he is not their long-lost loved one.[8]
In November 2014, CBS gave a production commitment to Sneaky Pete.[11] A formal pilot for the show was shot in New York in March 2015.[12] On May 8, CBS decided to pass on the pilot, while also canceling David Shore's other series on the network, Battle Creek.[13] Just two days later, it was reported that the pilot might be moving to cable networks, with many expressing interest.[14]
In June, it was reported that Amazon was in negotiations to pick up the pilot, with some tweaking and possible minor reshoots before being made available to the viewers.[15] The pilot was released on Amazon on August 7, 2015 and was ordered to series on September 2, 2015.[16]
In March 2016, it was announced that Shore would be leaving the project, and would be replaced by Graham Yost, who would be taking over as executive producer and showrunner. Start of production of the full series was pushed back to allow for the transition.[17]
Episode 2 and the remainder of the first season premiered on January 13, 2017.[2]
The first season of Sneaky Pete received positive reviews from critics. Rotten Tomatoes gave the first season a 97% rating, based on 31 critics’ reviews, with the critical consensus "Suspenseful, smart, and terrifically cast, Sneaky Pete is part dramedy, part crime caper, and all in all entertaining."[18] Metacritic gave the first season a 77 out of 100 score based on 22 critic reviews.[19]
The second season of Sneaky Pete received positive critical reviews as well. Rotten Tomatoes gave the second season a 92% rating, based on 12 critic reviews, with the critical consensus "Sneaky Petes sophomore season replicates its predecessor's finesse with narrative sleight of hand and deliciously twisted capers, although Bryan Cranston's gravitas is sorely missed."[20]
The third season of Sneaky Pete continued to receive positive critical reviews, with Rotten Tomatoes giving it 100% rating, based on five critic reviews.[21]
Margo Martindale was nominated for her performance for Best Supporting Actress in a Drama Series at the 8th Critics' Choice Television Awards in 2017.[22]