Posted in: Preview, TNT, Trailer, TV | Tagged: animal kingdom, pope, preview, season 5, Shawn Hatosy, tnt, trailer

Animal Kingdom Season 5 Preview: Is Pope The True Apex Predator?

With Smurf (Ellen Barkin) having shuffled off the mortal coil, the fifth season of TNT's Animal Kingdom finds Deran (Jake Weary), Pope (Shawn Hatosy), Craig (Ben Robson), and J (Finn Cole) finally able to break out on their own and move the family business into new (and we're assuming deadlier) directions. But between shocking truths about Smurf's past and some folks in the present looking to come at the Codys hard, the boys won't have a lot of time to decide on where things should be heading. And while the Codys know that the family needs a new leader, what do you do when everyone thinks they're ready to take the crown? In the first of what appears to be a series of character profile posters, we get a look at Hatosy's Pope. An unpredictable animal with a bad habit of feeding into his own worst (and violent) urges. But is he enough of an "apex predator" to do what needs to be done to lead- even if it means going against blood?

Here's a look at the newest teaser for TNT's Animal Kingdom, premiering Sunday, July 11, at 9 pm ET/8 pm CT:

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.

Enjoyed this? Please share on social media!

Stay up-to-date and support the site by following Bleeding Cool on Google News today!