Create a free profile to get unlimited access to exclusive videos, sweepstakes, and more!
Critics Say Peacock TV Adaptation Takes Twisted Metal Franchise for Wildly Fun, Anarchic Joyride
All 10 episodes of Twisted Metal arrive on Peacock July 27. Find out now what critics are saying!
Critics are eagerly hopping into the passenger seat for Peacock's Twisted Metal adaptation, with all 10 episodes zooming onto the streaming service tomorrow, Thursday, July 27.
Hailed by reviewers as delightfully chaotic, the show is said to revel in the vehicular entropy and darkly "crude humor" of the beloved PlayStation video games that inspired it. What else would you expect from the writers behind Zombieland and Deadpool?
RELATED: Before Twisted Metal Peels Out, Here's the Best Video-Game-to-TV-Series Adaptations
Propping up the demolition derby is a memorable cast of characters, with particularly gung-ho performances from Anthony Mackie as motor-mouthed delivery man John Doe, Stephanie Beatriz as car jacker Quiet, and the dynamic duo of Samoa Joe and Will Arnett as the ice cream truck-driving Sweet Tooth.
The demented clown in the leather S&M body harness apparently steals the spotlight whenever he's onscreen. As Neal Justin of the Star Tribune puts it, "Sweet Tooth is the kind of villain that would make Batman think twice about putting on that cape."
What critics are saying about Peacock's Twisted Metal series
"Twisted Metal is absurd and hilarious in exactly the ways you want a dystopian Cannonball Run to be. Yes, it matches the games' crude humor but, mostly, it springboards from there and creates its own dark and warped wasteland sensibilities. During the back stretch of the season, there's a little bit of joke fatigue, but the demented tapestry presented here, grown from the seeds of the games and expanded into something workable as an ongoing series, is delightful." -Matt Fowler, IGN
"Twisted Metal is a very charming show that manages to accomplish a lot in its ten 30-minute episodes. There are tons of well-earned laughs, a diverse cast of eccentric characters with fleshed out and unique backstories, and a surprising amount of world-building. It's almost shocking that the show isn't longer, given everything it does and how well it pulls it all off." -Cade Onder, ComicBook.com
"[Sweet Tooth] is the show's crowning achievement, amping up the excitement factor whenever he's on screen. Sweet Tooth is completely and totally unpredictable and is both extremely funny and legitimately menacing. The whole cast is impressive, but Arnett does fantastic work using just his voice (and Samoa Joe's body) to bring the character to vivid life. If you were worried the show wouldn't do Sweet Tooth justice, have no fear, because it totally delivers an unforgettable character." -Barry Levitt, /FILM
"Surprisingly, beneath the viscera and the chaos, the writers managed to squeeze in moments of real-world commentary on human trafficking, as well as religious and racial intolerance. Case in point, two of the most significant battles of the series are not with Sweet Tooth, but rather the 'new world order' police commanded by Agent Stone and the consistently coked-up Holy Men." -Karama Horne, TheWrap
"The show is lucky, then, to have Anthony Mackie in the driver’s seat. As amnesiac courier John Doe, Mackie does heroic work trying to keep the show’s disparate impulses from ripping it apart, playing a fast-talking smart-ass with a decent amount of depth beneath his quick-flying quips. Partnered up with Brooklyn Nine-Nine’s Stephanie Beatriz, as a would-be carjacker who keeps intruding on his 'one last job,”' Mackie makes for exactly the lead this show needs, playing to its eschatological absurdities and its occasional feints toward deeper meaning." -William Hughes, The A.V. Club
"The action isn't for the faint of heart. Characters perish in gruesome fashion. Sweet Tooth is the kind of villain that would make Batman think twice about putting on that cape. But the non-squeamish are in for a creative, action-packed joyride that rivals any Mad Max adventure. The final episode teases to a second season that could be even more harrowing. We can't wait." -Neal Justin, Star Tribune
"Going in, I assumed this action-comedy’s potential appeal would lie in exciting vehicular combat or devilish jokes, but its actual strengths came from its ability to communicate the precarious personal lives of these outsiders. Anthony Mackie and Stephanie Beatriz establish fun chemistry between their characters, while Arnett and Seanoa’s performance as Sweet Tooth gets the most out of this absurd villain." -Elijah Gonzalez, Paste Magazine
All 10 episodes of Twisted Metal arrive on Peacock tomorrow, Thursday, July 27.
Want more original Peacock content in the meantime? Be sure to check out Bel-Air, Killing It, A Friend of the Family, Poker Face, Joe vs. Carole, Mrs. Davis, MacGruber, and Based on a True Story.
