‘Animal Kingdom’: Who Survived the Dramatic Series Finale?
[Spoiler Alert: Do not read ahead if you have not watched Sunday’s Season 6 finale of Animal Kingdom.]
The TNT drama series Animal Kingdom came to an end on Sunday, August 28, after six seasons, but which characters made it out alive, and who ended up saying goodbye for good?
In the finale, titled “Fubar,” the Codys put together their plan to break the oldest Cody son, Pope (Shawn Hatosy), out of jail. However, J (Finn Cole) had plans of his own, as he sought to get revenge on family matriarch Janine “Smurf” Cody. What followed was an episode of double-crosses, violent showdowns, and, yes, plenty of murder.
The violence started when J turned on his uncles Deran (Jake Weary) and Craig (Ben Robson), abandoning them while in the middle of a shootout with the cops following the prison break-out. Later, Craig and Deran held up a convenience store for some cash and a first-aid kit. But the store owner’s child shot Craig, who wound up dying as Deran promised to raise Craig’s son like his own.
J’s girlfriend Penny (Stevie Lynn Jones) also met her demise after she decided she wasn’t going to run away with her beau. Knowing that he couldn’t leave behind any loose ends, J fatally dosed Penny’s cocktail and wept as she passed away.
And while Pope survived the shootout with the police, the guilt weighing him down after years of psychological abuse from Smurf eventually became too much to handle. So he ended up setting the Cody house on fire and laid down to die. As for J, he lived to fight another day. In the episode’s final moments, we saw a glimpse of J, all alone in some kind of luxury getaway.
With J and Deran surviving the finale, fans immediately began speculating about a potential spinoff series. While TNT has yet to confirm any plans for future series set in the Animal Kingdom universe, the network’s general manager Brett Weitz said in 2021 that he is open to the idea if the show’s creator Jonathan Lisco is on board.
“John knows how much we love him and love working with him,” Weitz told Deadline. In our jobs, you want to nudge the creators, you don’t want to force them into a decision. So, when he’s ready and he feels like there’s a natural evolution to that show or spinoff, not only is my door open, but there’s probably a slot on the air for him to do that. He could do no wrong in my books.”
Correction: An earlier version of this article incorrectly listed Scott Speedman as the actor who portrays Pope.
Conversation18 Comments
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G
That, my friends, was a fine show!
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P
I will forever wonder if Deran made it to Thailand!
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O
They really should have showed him getting off a plane in Thailand, clean shaven and short haircut.
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G
Deran is in Fiji - he ordered the drink that arrived for J
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C
Excellent show. Nothing else like it on TV. Will miss spending my Sundays with the Cody boys!
But come on, TV Insider! Scott Speedman’s character died seasons ago; the brilliant Shawn Hatosy plays Pope.
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C
Scott Speedman doesn't play Pope, so if the writer can't get that correct, it makes me wonder about the rest. Especially since TBS/TNT have been very public about getting out of original programming.
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O
Put some respect on Pope! He is portrayed by Shawn Hatosy!
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G
I think... I'm gonna miss my Sunday nights with those Bad Boys. I hope they do a spin-off (Animal Planet, lol).
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Please continue this series if you can.I'm totally hooked and will miss this show if it goes off. 🙁
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R
so much for TV Insider knowledge of the actors!!!!
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No excuse for such incompetence. Speedman doesn't play Pope, he's not the oldest son, in fact his character, Baz, doesn't have the Cody last name. If you can't bother to get basic facts straight from a hit show that's been on air this long, you need to do something else.
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R
Pope should have let the traitor die in the pool !!!!
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I’m heartbroken! There were so many fantastical jobs that they pulled off and survived, why did Pope and Craig need to die! I hope there is a spin-off where Craig makes good on his promise to kill J.
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theres not going to be a spinoff it would take a year just to film it let a lone write it.. with craig dead on a hill and pope dead by the pool whos gonna fill in for em? is J gonna do jobs on his own??? Nah hes got 5.4 milly im sure hed be done with further crime at this point....Renn probably doesnt even know craig is dead...
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You’re right. It’s wishful thinking that there’ll be a spin-off where Deran kills J. But I woud watch!
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R
I didn't like the ending. I can't see how Deran could just leave Craig lying there as much as he loved his brother. And they never let us know what happened to Deran after he left. We got to see the ending of Jay at the resort, but Deran just walked away. I'd like to seen him with Craig's son. Then we would know he made it to him.
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Yeah the ending blew chunks...
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I was so sad to see Pope and Craig die. I love this show. I would have loved to see Craig and Wren raising Nick. Hopefully if they make a spin off we can see Daren keeping his promise and raising Nick with her. Maybe they will go after J to claim the money that belongs to them.
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