Graceland (TV Series 2013–2015) Poster

(2013–2015)

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8/10
You'll have a blast watching this underrated show!
Rob13315 October 2022
Graceland was such an underrated show that I had a blast watching. Graceland is the name of a beachfront house that was seized by the FBI and had become an undercover house for different departments of law enforcement (FBI, DEA, US Customs). It follows young FBI agent Mike Warren (Aaron Tveit) as he's put into Graceland and thrown into the fire of an undercover assignment. One of the other reasons he's there is to spy on his mentor Paul Briggs (Daniel Sunjata) to see if he's gone dirty. I really enjoyed all three seasons of this show and still mad to this day that it ended. The cast (Tveit, Sunjata, Serinda Swan, Manny Montana, Brandon Jay McLaren, Vanessa Ferlito) all do an excellent job. Give this show a try, I promise you'll have fun watching it!
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8/10
So much better than I was expecting!
Supermanfan-137 December 2022
Graceland is so much better than I was expecting! This show isn't talked about nearly as much as it should be. If you're looking for a fun show that will keep you entertained from the first episode to the last then give this a try. It had me hooked right away. What makes it even more interesting is that it's based off real events. The entire cast does such a great job that you really come to care for each of their characters and what happens to them. It ended a season too early but I'm just glad that we got three great seasons for a show that wasn't promoted the way it should've been while it was on. It's good enough where I can see myself watching it again in the future.
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8/10
Intriguing law enforcement/spy genre piece lives on good casting and locales
eschetic-27 June 2013
Despite the title (the show is only in the most tangential sense Elvis related, thank goodness), we felt we had to watch at least the pilot because of the presence of admirable Broadway actors Aaron Tveit (NEXT TO NORMAL & CATCH ME IF YOU CAN), Daniel Sunjata (TAKE ME OUT) and Courtney Vance (SIX DEGREES OF SEPARATION).

Vance, as the head of the FBI at Tveit's character's graduation, may not prove an ongoing character (inexplicably for a personality of his calibre, IMDb doesn't even mention him in the Pilot Episode at present!), but he SHOULD be as he serves as a solid grounding for a location and character heavy tale of young cross-agency enforcement agents living and working out of a luxurious beach front headquarters seized from an Elvis-fanatic drug lord (hence the name for the house and series) before the series ever begins.

The true leads in the story about drug enforcement and possibly the investigation of the enforcers are Tveit as the young hotshot just out of training academy with top scores and unlimited potential and Sunjata as the experienced but still charismatically young agent (one of the few with Academy scores exceeding Tveit's own) who is to field train Tveit. The hour and 15 minute pilot was languorously paced but ultimately got in its share of moments of excitement among the hot locations (was the opening shot really intended to evoke the opening shot of THE USUAL SUSPECTS?) and potentially enjoyable cross currents of character relationships in the unusually large ensemble.

The USA Network has made a name for itself with quirky character "mysteries" which entertain on many levels and, despite an unfortunate European-style preference for ultra-short "seasons," allowing the well ensembles time to develop followings. Given that time, with slightly tighter story telling, GRACELAND should be another in a popular line-up of lightly challenging USA entertainment. It has something for everyone between beach skin, vicarious luxury, post collegiate kidding, an underlying frisson of mistrust and dark underpinnings and the promise of developing character interplay among the large cast (who will turn out to be bad guys beyond stealing from the communal refrigerator? Who will mate with whom?).

In some ways GRACELAND looks like it wants to be a cross between the BIG BROTHER HOUSE and TRAFFIC. If they can get the mix to gel, and they seem to be off to a good start despite one or two moments which strain credibility - but which may actually be parts of the story supposedly "based on fact," they could have something very special. At the very least it's worth a second look.
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10/10
Series never should have been canceled!
suewilson-4672823 November 2015
Something this layered and suspenseful that is based on actual events doesn't come along often and when it does it should be given more than 3 seasons to establish a fan base. Yes some of it is incredulous but there would have to be some of that to offset the reality and gore of violence that is based on reality. Add to that a fine cast of actors and you get a winning combination. Such a shame it was canceled to make room for something fluffy. It's hard to understand why this wasn't renewed, especially given the cliffhanger at the end of Season 3, along with unfinished story lines that would have been exciting to explore. Why is it that once you're hooked on the drama and the characters a network decides to cancel? I don't understand why networks don't query their audiences before making these decisions! There's a reason Idol and other talent shows allow audiences (customers) to vote!!!
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10/10
I enjoy this show very much
jerrywieder2 July 2013
I'm not sure what show the poor reviews were watching, but it couldn't have been Graceland.

This show is entertaining and well paced. The acting of the two leads is spot on and the supporting cast, especially Manny Montana, are excellent. There's chemistry and great banter along with a darkness that most USA shows don't have.

Also, if you didn't like the first episode, give the second a shot, the show improves greatly between the pilot and 2nd and goes upwards from there.

Give this show a chance, you will not regret it.
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9/10
Grace in lies
margosanci6 June 2013
I've read somewhere about this TV show and I just couldn't wait to see the pilot episode. All I can say after watching this episode could've been said in these three words: intriguing, exciting and unpretentious! But, I'm not going to stop only with that. This is a story about seemingly ordinary people and their work: FBI agents who enforce the law by arresting the people who break the law, as they've been taught in school. Hence, this job is much more complicated by the criminal mind learned to hide, to connect with all parts of society, only to avoid justice. Because of that, the ordinary people of the law have to work undercover, to look like criminals, to talk like them, to lie and do everything to arrest them. All that lying and erasing themselves could be very dangerous and who knows where could lead. I can't wait another episode, to see all the good and the bad in these characters that will come up!
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10/10
Great Crime Thriller Show
nccashfree7 June 2013
I just got through watching the pilot of Graceland, and wow, AWESOME show. The acting was really good, and there were parts during the very first episode that had me on the edge of my seat. I love the whole undercover thing, and this show hits the nail on the head. I give the show 9/10 stars. Looking forward to next weeks episode. This definitely ranks right up there with shows like suits, the mentalist, etc. I also like how straight narrow the main actor is, compared to how loose and free everyone else it. Really good contrast. All in all, bad ass show.

PS. I see that it is sitting at a 6.5/10 rating, honestly, I don't know why it isn't at least an 8/10.
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7/10
Horrible "ending"
barbdelorme19 June 2019
The series must have been meant to go at least a season more because it had a horrible ending. So unsatisfying. Just left me dangling.
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10/10
Completely Unexpected and very much appreciated
missmomosa6 June 2013
I was unsure about this show but I give the pilot a solid 10/10 and I have a feeling the rest of the show will live up to that.

This show is fun, inviting. . .there is intrigue, mystery, fun, danger, excitement, trust and distrust, honesty and dishonesty. . .it's a fun filled ride. Twenty minutes into the pilot and I felt like I knew the characters, like they have been around for a while and this was a show in it's 3rd season.

I am looking forward to seeing how the storyline unfolds. The pilot gave way to a lot of things to unfold throughout the first season and I see it unraveling very nicely. This is a great show to put after Burn Notice and will feel the void when it ends.

The cast is great, a lot of unknowns which make it even better. These are new actors in new characters, I love it and you will too if you like action and non-stop punches.
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7/10
Inside out and backwards
insideout0988 June 2016
Where to start? Everyone lies to everyone else about everything, which is fine as long as they stay focused on their cases, but when their lies and romantic entanglements interfere with their ability to maintain plot structure, we're all screwed. I'm one of those people who enjoys marathoning where TV shows are concerned. I stay focused for a few days or week and it's over. I move from scene to scene without commercial interruption and see if everything holds together. In Graceland, it's a study in human entropy. Everything is in a state of complete and utter chaos with little resolution without massive bloodshed, both physically and metaphorically. The price the audience pays for restitution is far too steep for the time one spends pushing through it. The series was a great concept, and I am completely convinced that had it not gotten so incredibly off track with the sub-plotting tied to, you guessed it: lies! it would have had a long run. The premise of inter-agency people working under one roof is way out there cool, but not at the expense of melodrama on a grand mal scale. I wish i could rewrite the entire damn thing from the moment it got off track and see what would have happened to all those viewers who decided to look elsewhere.
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8/10
Don't judge it by the first episode
OJManze11 August 2013
I have thoroughly enjoyed the show up till this point in the series. It began similar to other series in which, like the negative reviews have said, has all the clichés we've seen before, delivering an idea we've seen before. After the first couple of episodes I would have given it about a 5 compared to other USA shows like Psych and Suits which are strong 8 or 9s. But after these few episodes, the series begins to flip the clichés on their head. Without spoiling anything, the roles perceived at the beginning of the show are switched up with many of the characters holding a secret over their heads. The one secret that has began to shift the story line really has changed the structure of the show using dramatic irony to really give the show an interesting and dramatic twist. The twist and turns as well as the cliffhangers at the end of the episodes really hooked me and even if you don't appreciate the acting( which I still think is good enough) you should at least be able to appreciate the unpredictably towards the end of the series. In summary, I feel like the negative reviews are slightly justified but don't judge this series on the first episode as it really just sets the scene rather than beginning to further the story line of the show.
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7/10
Great season 1
lance-7665517 January 2016
Warning: Spoilers
I thoroughly enjoyed season 1. A group of young undercover agents who do a terrific job fighting crime. Episodes are suspenseful and plots interesting and evolve throughout the season. In season 2, all that skill goes to hell and they can't seem to tie their own shoes laces without screwing it up. The characters who in season 1 were intelligent,courageous and highly skilled have somehow become stupid imbeciles who look like rookies and have seemingly lost many of those skills and act in defeatist ways in season 2. And with each passing episode the characters get more and more inept, emotionally stunted and incapable of carrying out simple tasks successfully. One character who was a star in season 1 seems to become fixated on one thing and looks more and more paranoid and fixated with each passing episode. It's like she had a dual personality; a competent one is season 1 and an emotionally stunted paranoid one in season 2. I'll watch season 3 just to see if any of these people regain some of the skills they seemed to no longer have in season 2. I wonder if the writers wrote season 2 while using some of the cartel's drugs they wrote about in this series as it is a very unrealistic portrayal of how characters can evolve from one season to the next. One final thing. A protagonist in season 2 who in the real world would have been arrested for having $20 million in safety deposit boxes on a $50K/year salary isn't even investigated and is single handedly capable of brining an entire FBI operation down. Further, why are there no alarms or cameras in Graceland for filming any break-ins if it is such a high risk secret safe house. The protagonist can break in with a pick and basically is able to reveal the entire secret group of undercover agents. This just doesn't make sense. This is one of many huge gaps in common sense in the plot of season 2.
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5/10
Great Show
lappdylan6 June 2013
Warning: Spoilers
I watched the pilot episode tonight and was very impressed. I am going to be eagerly waiting for more of this show. The lead character is booming with character development potential, taking you into a world of gritty action, mystery, and all shot in beautiful California. It is my belief this show will get even better as the season progresses.

Plus I just love action packed TV Shows with characters that kick ass. Especially when they are against all odds. Being good or bad just makes a good plot twist. If only the FBI where trained in martial arts as well as firearms they could add a dash of drama and some broken bones and the show would be even better. I know sex appeals already going to be thrown into the mix. That is the problem with some TV Shows they just don't get it, if you want people to love the show, make it so there is something for everyone, with the exception of whoever the hell watches soap operas. O my god Elisabeth fell down the well because Bobby got mad that she was pregnant, but it was an accident though. O MY GOD!
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9/10
WHY DID IT HAVE TO END LIKE THIS
efrosinysidery24 May 2021
I have watched this show 3 times all together AND I CAN NOT UNDERSTAND WHY IT ENDED LIKE THAT. SUCH A CLIFFHANGER. I loved this show from the day it debuted on Tv and I have never been this sad about a tv serie. ITS BEEN 5 years since it ended and I still can't suck it up.😢😢😭😣
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9/10
Good show!! Not what I expected.
jogre1724 June 2013
Warning: Spoilers
It's not my favorite show ever, but it is indeed a good show. Before i watched it I didn't think that it was going to be any good. It just didn't seem to appeal to my style. I am more of a Psych and Royal Pains type of guy, but I was still going to give it a chance. I always go by the saying, "Don't judge a book by it's cover." I watched the show and I was surprised. If you are reading this review right now it probably means that you have not yet seen the show, so I will attempt to drag you into watching the show in a brief summary without revealing too many spoilers so here it goes:

A regular guy by the name of Mike Warren has just become an FBI agent and wants to be sent to DC to work, but he is reassigned to go undercover in a investigation on a man named Paul Briggs at place in Southern California known as Graceland. Mike is to be trained under Paul and at the same time he is to investigate and make sure that Paul is doing his job. Paul and Mike's new roommates are all DEA and ICE agents who work undercover doing illegal things to help bust the bad guys who are all basically Mexicans, Russians and so on.

This all might sound a little confusing right now, but if you give the show a chance you will understand completely. So do it. Remember, don't judge a book by its cover or in this case don't judge a television show by your first impression of the commercials. Same idea, same meaning.
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10/10
Bravo!
cacal-katrina30 June 2013
I've seen a lot of TV shows,and this is by far my favorite. I fell in love with the pilot episode when I saw it before the official June 6th premiere. I went to the advanced screening in Chicago, and people who hadn't seen it loved it. What I love about Graceland is that there's some comic relief to lighten up the dark situations. And I gotta say that I LOVE the entire cast. In my opinion, this is the best cast I've seen on TV. You get so drawn into each character and their stories. So is this show worth watching? You better believe it! Each episode keeps getting better and better, and I have faith that this season will be a great one. If you love suspense, thriller, and humor, you'll love Graceland. So far, I've been on the edge of my seat watching each episode. So don't miss out on a fantastic show! Here's to hoping for more seasons!
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9/10
The "USA" network finally got it RIGHT !!
mattod-753-73049831 July 2013
I've watched this show from the pilot episode and it keeps getting better and better.The cast is pretty much all new actors besides "briggs"(rescue me), so they are not worried about the same crap as an A-list TV actor would ,they want to make the show GREAT and it shows in their performance each episode.The dialog is "real",its how people their age talk and act.Theonly thing i would change about this show is to make more darker.The show is by far my favorite summer show and i keep hearing people talk about it so i know its NOT GOING ANYWHERE anytime soon..SO if you haven't watched this show yet give it a shot its worth the 42mins on a thursday nite,,reporting live from the "HOOD" its ya boy Matt giving u the scoop on whats actually good to watch (nelson ratings r crap)
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7/10
This
Headturner119 August 2023
Is decent. I had nothing to watch and I think I tried it before but this time I got thru a season. I don't know why the main protagonists are always unbearably unlikable!?! The Mike guy is awful I can't stand him. I like Manny Montna in many things but in this he is't the tough guy, more insecure guy. It's an interesting watch and usually I watch UK shows if they're crime based. I liked Daniel Sinjata in Rescue me and he's good here just not as funny but everyone is so reckless and inept. Supposedly it's based off a true story and I'm thinking in what universe do different branches working together much less living in the same house?!? Most of the characters are ( slow horses) lol, not even that more like CI's turned and all living in one house . They are reckless and get so many people killed and are morons but somehow it's watchable...
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10/10
Wish this would continue
kathystrickland5 February 2020
Great show! Don't know how I missed it when it was on USA but sad now that I've finished the series. Terrific acting, suspenseful plots, definitely keeps you on the edge of your seat.
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7/10
I really liked the first season but that's it
interestingstuff26 June 2022
The first season was great with interesting characters, beach theme, plot twists and intriguing storytelling that kept you wondering what's coming next. In the second season the show changes completely and it simply turns from a show of Undercover Agents into an "FBI Themed Soap Opera". The cases they work on and all the FBI action takes the back seat while complicated love lives of characters become the main story.

I don't know why they had to ruin a perfectly good show after a great first season but they did and this led to show being canceled in as little as 3 seasons. They should have stuck with what worked and not try to change it into something completely different.

In the third season, our FBI agents act really really stupid and do extremely moronic things. There is no way undercover FBI agents with special training will act as stupidly as they did in this show. In every episode 2-3 of them come within inch of getting exposed and killed because of something stupid they did and only survive by pure luck. They might as well walk around wearing huge banners on them saying "this is an undercover FBI agent" and be less exposing than they were.
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9/10
Definitely Improved
ncbdc2725 August 2013
I think the show has definitely improved from the first few episodes. I thought that the first 2 or so episodes were very weak and the characters were boring and had no layers but I stuck around because I thought it might get better and I'm glad I did. The characters have much more depth now and the show has gotten less hokey. Although I do think it all may seem a bit unrealistic (not the fact that they all live together but what's been happening) its entertaining and always keeps me guessing and on the edge of my seat. I feel like they try to cram to much into each episode though. But overall it's enjoyable and the acting and the show itself have gotten much better.
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Don't watch. You will regret it
spkelsekladden8 June 2013
Graceland First impression= Don't waste your time, your not getting it back, and it ain't worth it The TV series seem weary hastily put together. Not to mention if your expecting a undercover FBI agent, I seriously doubt you send a message through the cockpit of the plane he's traveling on, asking for FBI agent so and so, and I also doubt the stewardess would go asking for said FBI agent in front of all the other passengers. It kind of tends to blow you future cover. The entire crew seems highly unprofessional in their behavior. This is one of those show that you have seen a million times before, where the ragtag bunch of a undercover crew are suppose to be the best there is and so on, and the newbie make all the mistakes they tell him not to make, and where every one is semi hostile towards him cause he's replacing someone they have worked with for a long time. You've seen it in 21 Jump Street; you've seen it on Dark Blue and basically every other show of this type. When are the people who makes these show gonna realize that nobody, and I mean NOBODY shoots up as a way to test the drug. If you wanna get killed by shooting your self full of rat poison or washing powder sure. But if you gonna buy a suitcase full of drugs, you don't shoot up to test the product. The acting is wooden at best the lines are standard an tacky and the actors are basically bottom of the barrel I'm wondering if the people above me have seen the same show I have, or are they simply paid to say good things about this show? It was 45 minutes I won't get back, with a bunch of actors that can't act, can't say lines
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7/10
Not Worth Renewing
shaneshaneladd15 September 2014
This show "jumped the shark" with the episode of the team robbing a bank and blowing up the security boxes. That was just freaking crazy. What government agent would do that? None of these characters have any respect for the law and none of them actually follows orders. What happened to the FBI agent and his drug running business? That was a major themes last season that was ignored.

Mike went totally off the rails this year with the bank robbery and the burning of the women's body. Who cares if that prick lives? The finale with Serinda Swans character telling the corrupt cop where he could find and kill Mike was just unforgivable. This show had an excellent first year but the writers totally screwed up the show this year. Do Not Renew!
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2/10
Not right for me... or anyone interested in quality writing
anthonyfoxdavies22 September 2013
I'm really a fan of great writing, plot and character development, screenplay, acting and cinematography.

This show has: * hot actors * a nice scenery with MTV fading shots of surf / sand ala Jersey Shore * awful cliché of what "work" means when it comes to a profession

The writing is just bad. It's up there with Entourage minus the interesting characters (Gold etc). There are sharp, disjointed elements to the screenplay and writing that boil down to an attempt to put multi- leveled writing in place - such as the social+professional aspects to their lifestyle. The actors are trying to move from catchphrase "surfs up!" terms being used to describe their profession with overly fast- talking nonsense about the case which is really trying to add some substance to the vacuous nature of the show.

This is horribly juxtaposed. The attempt to heighten the drama with such bad plot would be fine if the writing were consistent, but it's just not. The only thing constant is the fleeting dashes between thinly executed emotion on behalf of the 2d character's actors and the idea that apparent professionals in the FBI are all "street" playas hanging and surfing while talking slang and sharing good times.

It's stupefying to watch and how this got a production budget is beyond me. It may pass for entertainment in the US teen market but this doesn't have the ability to cross the ocean and appeal to a wider audience.

Don't waste your time.
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10/10
Love this series so much hated when I heard it was canceled
johnnyreevesbass21 July 2018
Graceland is by far one of the best series that I have seen to date. I got to say at first I about turned it off but I gave it a chance. Boy I am glad I did, as the story progressed you almost get close to the characters. The last season left such a cliff hanger that I was so hoping for another season. After months and months of waiting finally heard the bad news no renew. I was so surprised as was most people.

Still years later and I am still from time to time restarting the show up. If you want a great story to watch for late night shows or just some great content to binge watch this is your show!!!!
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