Posted in: Preview, TNT, Trailer, TV | Tagged: animal kingdom, codys, deran, Jake Weary, preview, season 5, tnt, trailer

Animal Kingdom Season 5: Deran Looks to Lead the Pack; S04 Shockers

With the fifth season of TNT's Animal Kingdom set to hit the ground running on Sunday, July 11 (9 pm ET/8 pm CT), Deran (Jake Weary), Pope (Shawn Hatosy), Craig (Ben Robson), and J (Finn Cole) face a whole new world that they're in control of now that Smurf (Ellen Barkin) has shuffled off this mortal coil. Heavy is the head that wears the crown as the boys look to reaffirm the family's seat at the head of a very deadly table. But they'll face those looking for answers about Smurf's demise and others looking to challenge the Codys' power. But the challenges come from within the family, too- as Deran, Pope, Craig, and J each look to lead the family into the future- but there can't be four leaders. Previously, viewers were treated to a key art profile of Hatosy's Pope and Cole's J.- this time around, the focus is on Weary's Deran. The youngest Cody is also the most fiercely loyal of the four- but coming out of last season, Deran isn't feeling like being a follower any longer- this "wolf" will do anything to protect his "pack":

Meanwhile, TNT offers a look back at Season 4 with a focus on the three most shocking moments- do you agree?

In a recently-released teaser, the Codys want to make sure the world knows that "Bad is Back" and business is good:

Here's a look back at the Season 5 trailer released earlier this month making the July return official:

In "Animal Kingdom" season five, Pope (Shawn Hatosy), Craig (Ben Robson), Deran (Jake Weary) and J (Finn Cole) are still dealing with the fallout from the events surrounding Smurf's death, including family members out for revenge. With their kingdom without a leader, the Cody family's struggle to maintain their fragile alliance, and to see which of them will come out on top. Meanwhile, they search for more information on Pamela Johnson whom Smurf made the beneficiary of her estate. And back in 1984, an increasingly volatile 29-year-old Smurf is forging her own path raising Pope and Julia and leading the charge on dangerous jobs with new and old friends.

Jasper Polish (Force of Nature), Darren Mann (Fortunate Son), Kevin Csolak (Boardwalk Empire), and Stevie Lynn Jones (Nancy Drew) are set to join the cast in recurring roles during what's expected to be a 2022 debut for the sixth and final season. Now here's a look at "who's who" during the show's final run, beginning with Polish's Julia- a beautiful, intelligent, and edgy. Although she's an excellent student, she's also the type of chick who sells tabs of LSD because she thinks it's cool. She's torn between loving and hating her mother, Smurf.

Csolak's Andrew is intense and struggling with an undiagnosed mental illness. He possesses a simmering rage but also instinctively searches for redemption as he struggles with his darkest impulses. He is completely devoted to Smurf, to his best friend Baz, and his twin sister Julia. Mann's Baz is a charismatic opportunist who will do whatever is necessary to ensure his own safety. He's not above pitting the other kids against each other in his effort to ingratiate himself with Smurf, who sees him more as a partner (personally and professionally) than as her adopted son. Stevie Lynn Jones' Penny is an intelligent, beautiful young woman in her early 20s. A rule breaker in her youth, she's trying to stay on the straight and narrow. She's stuck in a loveless marriage to a Marine- though she and she and J will become dangerously close.

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