‘Dope Thief’ Review: An Addictive Premise That Hasn’t Found the Right Dose

Apple TV+ has quickly become the home for prestige television with series like Shrinking, Ted Lasso, Severance, Silo, and so much more. The streamer looks to add to this list with its new crime-drama Dope Thief. The miniseries is based on the book of the same name by Dennis Tafoya and follows two lifelong friends from Philadelphia with an extremely dangerous side hustle.

Eternals and Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse star Brian Tyree Henry plays Ray Driscoll, and Civil War star Wagner Moura plays Manny Carvalho, as the two pose as DEA agents robbing small-time drug dealers, pocketing the cash, and moving the drugs to up the ante even more. The series was created and written by Peter Craig, who is most known for his writing contributions on The Town, The Batman, Top Gun: Maverick, and more, while the legendary Ridley Scott serves as executive producer and directs the pilot episode, “Jolly Ranchers.”

‘Dope Thief’ Is a Prime Example of What Happens When Keeping It Real Goes Wrong

Ray and Manny planned to keep their operation small, calculated, and meticulously planned out to ensure the likelihood of getting caught was the least of their worries, and the money they stole was just enough for them to live off of. That’s until Ray’s surrogate mother, Theresa Bowers (Kate Mulgrew), needs a large sum of money for something she’s unwilling to reveal to Ray. This problem leads them to pursue a lead the duo wouldn’t usually entertain, bringing them to a sketchy house out in the country. This new venture proves that their operation is way out of their depth here, and the plan gets them intertwined in one of the biggest narcotics rings on the Eastern Seaboard.

Both Ray and Manny are recovering from a past of substance abuse and they see ripping off drug dealers as a way of completing that recovery, becoming their version of Robin Hood — except the impoverished they are giving to are themselves. This mix-up finds these friends in the middle of a massive drug war and has also caught the attention of federal agents who were looking to take down the gigantic narcotics operation Ray and Manny unknowingly tried to rip off. As the stakes continue to ramp up, the two become lovable idiots on the path of destruction as they struggle to keep themselves, and their loved ones, out of harm’s way.

‘Dope Thief’ Bites Off More Than It Can Chew

While Ray and Manny are front and center in Dope Thief, the supporting characters are hit or miss when it comes to character development. Theresa plays a prominent role, but Ray’s father, Bart (Ving Rhames), feels like a massive wasted potential to capitalize on exploring Ray’s dark past. Bart mostly suffers from being a character that only serves to move certain parts of the plot forward.

The biggest culprits of far too little development are undercover agent Mina (Marin Ireland) and lawyer Michelle Taylor (Nesta Cooper), whose involvement in the show is integral to the plot, but their presence isn’t felt with the impact it should until later episodes of the series. The MVP of supporting characters goes to Son Pham (Dustin Nguyen), who has a complicated relationship with Ray, and an air of mystery regarding his true allegiance.

No Character Feels Safe in the Apple TV+ Crime-Drama

One of the highlights of Dope Thief is the intense stakes. The danger Manny, Ray, and Company are in is truly felt throughout the entire season, as running from enemy gunfire is a normal occurrence in almost every episode. Any character feels like they can meet their end at any time, and the knowledge that this is a limited series with no narrative futures for these characters only amplifies these stakes. The only part of the series that cuts into these stakes is the humor. Within a story filled with drug dealers, murder, and jail time, any jokes fall flat and feel severely out of place with the tone set within the series.

While Dope Thief will keep viewers on their toes with a faceless antagonist that seems always to be two steps ahead, the series has too many side characters that don’t have the time to be fleshed out like the two main leads, who truly carry the series on their backs. But, the series excels in telling the story of two best friends who tried to make the best of a life corrupted by drugs and crime — Manny and Ray just happened to be at the wrong place at the wrong time.

The mystery Dope Thief centers around sends the viewer on an enticing journey, but the finale feels incredibly rushed compared to the rest of the series. At the very least, the Apple TV+ original offers two incredible performances from Henry and Moura to marvel at, even if the execution of their surroundings is uneven.

Dope Thief premieres with two episodes on Apple TV+ on March 14. New episodes air every Friday. Follow Agents of Fandom on socials for all the latest entertainment news and reviews.