Critic Reviews

What ensues is a wry, quick-witted and quick-paced dramedy that melds two disparate cultures. With O'Dowd and Romano at the center, Get Shorty also benefits enormously from a well-cast ensemble that doesn't have an obvious weak link, even in the bit parts.

Get Shorty is superbly entertaining, both dramatically and comedically, and buoyed by performances that still lack official recognition from various trophy dispensers.

In no way does it lose the sublime sauce that lubricates everything here--how movies and movie-making, or just the allure of Hollywood, capture the imagination of those outside that world while warping those within it. That's where the best comedy comes from in Get Shorty and there's no letting up on that element in the early going of season two.

In short, a lot is very right with Get Shorty, which may well come calling again during next year’s awards season.

Romano is perfectly cast precisely because this is the character he knows how to play. With a gritty, energetic, and page-turning tale to work with, Miles is a great host for the series’ best moments.

This pilot does enough to have Leonard fans sticking around for more "Action!" [11 Aug 2017, p.53]

As a hangdog hitman and a long-suffering auteur, O’Dowd and Romano complement each other. Is Hollywood more cutthroat than a drug empire? This series might have something to say about that. Epix’s Get Shorty is worth having.

Mr. O’Dowd is a delight as we watch Miles get sucked into the hell that Hollywood can be. And the series made an inspired choice by casting Ray Romano as Rick, a failing producer whose help Miles seeks. The two, Droll and Droller, pair deliciously, but they don’t hog the proceedings, leaving plenty of room for all sorts of other colorful characters to make an impression.

Get Shorty, a dark and satisfying 10-episode series premiering Sunday on Epix, makes a persuasive case for recycling. Based primarily in spirit on the 1990 Elmore Leonard novel, the series is a fine upgrade from the almost forgettable 1995 film version.

It’s well-made and beautifully played, and one welcomes, for a change, the story of a person attempting to pull himself out of a life of crime instead of one sliding into it. We have had quite enough of those.