Tue 28 Apr 2020
A TV Episode Reviw: SNEAKY PETE “Pilot†(2015).
Posted by Steve under Reviews , TV mysteries[6] Comments
SNEAKY PETE. “Pilot.†Amazon Prime Video. 07 August 2015. Giovanni Ribisi (Pete Murphy / Marius Josipovic), Marin Ireland, Shane McRae, Libe Barer, Michael Drayer, Peter Gerety, Peter Gerety, Margo Martindale. Series created by David Shore and Bryan Cranston. Director: Seth Gordon.
When small time con man and sneak thief Marius Josipovic is released from prison, he quickly learns that he owes a big time gangster is on his trail for a large amount of money he thought he’d paid off. So what does he do? He heads for the home town of his former cell mate and passes himself as the other, a prodigal son finally returned home.
How does he manage this? They have not seen him in a long time and his cell mate had bored him to tears with stories of his youth. What the newly minted Pete Murphy does not know is that his new family runs a well-oiled bail bond business, and he’s expected to move right in and an active employee. This leads, at least in this first episode, into an unexpected confrontation with someone he knows from his past. Also in the abeyance he has his own past that will, I am sure, continue to catch up with him.
In terms of the basic plot lines, there are – and you may not noted this too — some similarities to the set up to the recently reviewed Cinemax series Banshee, which debuted in 2013, two years earlier. In that one the hero, also just out of prison and on the run, assumes the identity of the new sheriff, newly hired unseen. Similar, yes. but with enough differences to make each of them watchable without an excessive amount of déjà vu in switching from one to the other.
Of the two, I enjoyed this one a little more than the other. There’s enough comic potential in this series – I’ve only seen this, the first episode – to make the same implausible set-up go down more easily, with perhaps less violence. Those of you who have seen more are welcome to tell me otherwise, but I know others enjoyed this one too. It was on for three seasons, and apparently left quite a few viewers wanting more.

April 29th, 2020 at 5:12 am
It’s currently streaming free on Amazon Prime, by the way.
April 29th, 2020 at 7:05 am
Not for me. I have a long-standing antipathy to Giovanni Ribisi to start. I gave this a fair shot but…just didn’t like it at all. I know several people who are big fans, however, so it could be me.
April 29th, 2020 at 1:12 pm
I just looked. Giovanni Ribisi has a resume as long as your arm, and this is the first movie or TV show I can remember seeing him in. I don’t know how he fared in any of those, but to me, he’s a perfect fit to play Sneaky Pete.
April 29th, 2020 at 7:25 am
The first season was excellent, the second pretty good, the third so-so. And ya gotta like Margo Martindale.
April 29th, 2020 at 1:14 pm
Oops. Just had to add Margo Martindale to the list of recurring cast credits. Someone else who’s absolutely perfect for the part he/she is playing.
April 29th, 2020 at 10:21 pm
It’s one of those consistently good series that you somehow dismiss despite how good it can be. I honestly think sometimes stuff is just so casually good that we don’t appreciate it as well as we might.
Like Jeff Meyerson a little Ribisi goes a long way for me, but he is perfect for this role and I make an exception.