If you ever watched Ozark and thought, "This needs more sweat, alligators, and a revenge-fueled orphan," then Peacock's new series M.I.A. is your answer. From Ozark creator Bill Dubuque and showrunner Karen Campbell, this nine-part crime drama trades Missouri's lake country for the humid, neon-drenched streets of Miami. But don't call it Ozark in flip-flops—M.I.A. is its own beast: a saturated, campy Miami noir that works thanks to a breakout performance from newcomer Shannon Gisela.
What Is M.I.A. About?
We meet Etta Tiger Jonze (Gisela) up to her neck in swamp water, baiting an alligator with a frozen chicken for a tour group. She's the youngest in a family of low-level Florida Keys smugglers running a fishing charter that hasn't actually fished in decades. The family answers to an aging cartel leader (Edward James Olmos in a guest role) who's planning his own death with the enthusiasm of someone scheduling a colonoscopy.
Etta wants adventure—not to traffic young women for the cartel's incoming management. Her refusal triggers the show's inciting catastrophe: her family is gunned down and torched at their marina while Etta watches from the water, screaming silently beneath the surface. They die because she made the morally right choice. She won't make that mistake again. Heading north to Miami, she falls in with two Haitian immigrants, Lovely (Brittany Adebumola) and Stanley (Dylan Jackson), orphans who recognize her grief. Etta also reconnects with her mother's estranged twin sister and begins methodically dismantling the men who destroyed her family.
Shannon Gisela Is the Reason M.I.A. Works
Gisela is likely a name you don't know yet. Her IMDb credits include an animated Netflix series and some shorts. None of that prepares you for what she does here. She brings a barely contained manic energy that makes you buy Etta's Kill Bill agenda from the start. Charming, sharp-tongued, closed off, clearly broken—that's a lot to play at once, and Gisela makes it look easy while dodging bullets and clawing her way out of knife fights.
Her performance works because the script lets Etta be unlikable. She's grieving, feral, and bad at love, and the show refuses to soften any of it. The supporting cast is having a blast too. Cary Elwes is a far cry from Westley as Kincaid, a slimy South Florida private investigator. Adebumola shines as Lovely, and her chemistry with Gisela carries the series' best non-violent moments. Danay Garcia plays dual roles as Etta's mother and aunt, while TV vets like Tovah Feldshuh, Billy Burke, Paul Ben-Victor, and Loretta Devine add prestige juice to this Molotov cocktail. The joy is watching Etta and her friends survive a world that's constantly trying to swallow them whole.
M.I.A. Masters the Miami Noir Aesthetic
The first thing M.I.A. has going for it is also the rarest: it was actually filmed in Miami and the Keys. The show uses mangroves, gators, and swamplands thick enough to hide multiple bodies—which is convenient, because that's exactly what M.I.A. uses them for. Director Alethea Jones establishes visual guardrails early: oppressively damp and color-drunk, lit with the practical neon of motel signs and gas-station fluorescents.
Florida is positioned as a grease trap for immigrants—first-generation Holocaust survivors and Haitian refugees washed up looking for traction. That societal commentary is hamfisted in places, but the sheer vibes work overtime to help you ignore the constant addition of characters with far-fetched backgrounds. For fans of crime dramas that lean into style, M.I.A. is a must-watch. If you're looking for more crime family sagas, check out Sean Bean's 'This City Is Ours' on AMC+.
Over-the-Top Twists and a Breakout Star
M.I.A. isn't afraid to go big. Some twists are genuinely shocking; others feel like they belong in a different, campier show. But Gisela's performance keeps everything grounded. She's the anchor in a sea of neon and blood. The series also benefits from a killer soundtrack and a willingness to let its characters be messy. It's not perfect, but it's never boring.
Peacock is pushing M.I.A. as its answer to Ozark, but the show is better than that comparison suggests. It's a humid, stylish crime drama that announces a new star. For those who love the genre, it's worth the binge. And if you're in the mood for more crime thrills, Jude Law and Jason Bateman ignite Netflix's 'Black Rabbit'.
