Two years after it went into production, and one lawsuit later, Prime Video has dropped the teaser trailer for Criminal, the TV show based on Ed Brubaker and Sean Phillips‘s sprawling crime series, revealing it will be released in two four-part installments, titled “Coward” and “Lawless.” Based on the similarly named first two arcs of the comic from 2006-07, they will arrive respectively on Wednesday, January 13, and two weeks later on January 27, 2027.
Criminal follows friends Leo Patterson (Charlie Hunnam) and Ricky Lawless (Gus Halper), one of whom is trying to leave the life of crime they were raised in, while the other seeks to follow in the footsteps of his infamous father. “When Ricky’s older brother Tracy (Luke Evans) returns home from the Army, their tragic family history comes home with him.”
The official synopsis adds, “Drawn into their orbit are Greta (Adria Arjona), a sharp-tongued car thief from Leo’s past, and Mallory (Emilia Clarke), Ricky’s girlfriend, who fears what he’ll do to get by. Gunfights, heists, and tragic romance are the order of the day, but will anyone make it out alive?” The first four episodes will focus on Leo and Ricky, while the season’s second half will center on Tracy.
The show also stars Richard Jenkins, Kadeem Hardison, John Hawkes, and Logan Browning. Recurring and guest cast members include Michael Mando, Garrett Hedlund, Patrick J. Adams, Pat Healy, Taylor Selé, Aliyah Camacho, Marvin Jones III, Michael Xavier, Dominic Burgess, Chris Diamantopoulos, Lawrence Kao, Katie Stevens, John Pyper-Ferguson, Robert Lee Hart, Aina Brei’yon, and Kyle Davis.
Brubaker, who served as showrunner with Jordan Harper, celebrated the reveal in his newsletter, saying, “I’m immensely proud of how this show turned out, and I think as fans of the books and me and Sean’s work, you’ll be especially pleased with how faithful the show feels to the world of the comics, and how close the adaptations are to the books. There are literally scenes you can compare one-to-one with the books, even lines of dialog or voice-over here and there.”
He adds that Phillips painted the main titles for the show, and lots of background art you’ll have to “keep your eyes peeled [for] as you watch.” He does not mention the lawsuit alleging abusive behavior during the show’s production that was filed against him in September; his representatives have previously responded, claiming the plaintiff’s “claims lack merit.”
In addition to the trailer, you can check out several stills below. Brubaker and Phillips’s latest, Unfinished Tales, will be released by Image beforehand on November 11. Other executive producers on Criminal include Phillips, Philipp A. Barnett, directors Anna Boden & Ryan Fleck and Dee Rees, and writers Sarah Carbiener, Halley Gross, Cortney Norris, and Minhal Baig.
