Lucky

“Everyone shakes their head and sighs, as if they were dealing with a mischief‑prone pomeranian rather than a swindler who thinks nothing of plunging a screwdriver into a gangster’s ear canal. The upshot? Tosh. Twaddle. Bunkum with bells on. But this is not the problem. The problem with Lucky (the series) is that it refuses to commit to its nonsense. It wants more. It wants its unexplained explosions and preposterous coincidences, but it also wants to be seen to explore serious stuff. Stuff like the nature of victimhood and the way society is so quick to condemn women who betray other women, no matter the circumstances. But it can’t seem to commit to these, either! And, lo, the tone skitters and flails like a baby giraffe on an ice rink. The script doesn’t help. Nor does the theme tune, which is performed by Fiona Apple in the manner of a blunderbussed elk. But, still. It’s summer. Our energies have sagged like hastily loosened slacks at a poolside buffet. Resistance feels like too much effort.”
Sarah Dempster, The Guardian

“The supporting cast is good. Agent Rand is a decent match for our heroine, but her most potent adversary comes in the form of the mother-in-law from hell, Annette Bening’s imperious mob boss Priscilla, whom Lucky seems also to have conned. Priscilla doesn’t seem to know where her son is. Has he been kidnapped as well? Lucky also has a dad in prison, the silver-haired wrong’un John (Timothy Olyphant) with whom she is in constant touch but whose nefarious deeds seem to add to the number of people who want her dead. Their chats are designed to offer depth and context, showing how much Daddy’s influence shaped the criminal she has become, but are probably the cheesiest moments of a drama that mostly succeeds in avoiding clichés. This is mainly just a heart-thumping ride, defiantly undemanding but enjoyably brainless fun.”
Ben Dowell, The Times