The Black Donnellys is a show about four Irish brothers trying to survive the harsh streetlife of Hell’s Kitchen where both Italian and Irish gangsters run the neighbourhood. Jimmy, the oldest brother is somewhat of a lose canon; always getting himself and his brothers into all sorts of trouble. Tommy, defenitely the brains of the family always ends up trying to fix everything and protect his brothers. It’s a good show. Somewhat simple sometimes and the storylines aren’t always brilliantly thought up but there’s a good balance between the fascinating stories of mob life on the one hand and the devoloping relationships between characters on the other hand. The obvious but difficult relationship between Tommy and local girl Jenny Reilly (Olivia Wilde) adds a bit of fireworks too.
The show is fast and there’s a lot of use of flashbacks, mainly from the perspective of “Joey Icecream” a former friend of the Donnelly brothers, who is in protective custody and explains how it all got this far. And hey, they even threw in Captain Janeway as the Donnelly mother! NBC cancelled the show after about six episodes, which is a darn shame. Seems to me they made a big mistake by doing so. But then again, catching a glimpse of Olivia wilde each week might have clouded my judgement. The full first season will be out on DVD on the 4th of september and I fear we won’t get to see a second season. For now, make sure you get a hold of the first season and some snackfood and a couple of days off from work. Have yourself a fine Black Donnellys marathon.
Thank you for commenting on The Black Donnellys. We are still campaigning and hoping for a second and subsequent seasons. Visit us at http://www.savetheblackdonnellys.net and at http://www.thefirecrackerlounge.com. This really is a great show and we were all disappointed that NBC didn’t give TBD a chance or the credit it deserves. A big thanks to Mark Cuban for airing the first season on HDNet and for realizing what a great show this is!
It is a shame that the black donnellys was cancelled. It is a great show. Thanks for mentioning the season one of the black donnellys will be out on DVD.
NBC made a huge mistake cancelling this show. If you missed it, you can catch Season 1 in HD on HDNet, Wednesday nights at 8 pm EST, 11 pm EST or Thursdays at 2:00 am EST. And if you want to see more, head on over to the Save The Black Donnellys headquarters at http://www.savetheblackdonnellys.net or check out the “Firecrackers” thread at http://www.thefirecrackerlounge.com. Currently, we are targeting HBO with our shamrocks, quarters, and crackers campaign and will target other networks if need be. Someone has to be smart enough to revive this show and put it back on television. (Thanks Mark Cuban and HDNet for making it possible to view The Black Donnellys the way it was meant to be watched–on television in high-definition!) To the fans of TBD, we know you miss it, so come help us get it back.
I agree, it is a shame and a HUGE mistake for NBC to cancel this series.. but no fears! We willl perservere to bring back a second season of The Black Donnellys.
..Like Jericho fans, with belief, strength and unity, we can bring this show back! TBD is definitely worth saving.
a show that potentially could be the next sopranos (or better) has/never been given the chance to develop an audience. the marketing sucked. what a travesty!!