Two lifelong friends have a good thing going, posing as DEA agents and ripping off small-time drug dealers in Philadelphia — until they shake down the wrong house, according to the Dope Thief trailer Apple TV+ dropped recently. Then they and everyone they care about are marked for death.
Clocking in at nearly three minutes, the trailer looks gritty and great, though maybe a little too relentless with the violence. If you’re a fan of intense crime dramas with high stakes, Dope Thief brings the heat. And if you’re looking for something equally thrilling, check out this dope snow crime series review on Cult of Mac. The new eight-episode crime series from Academy Award nominee Ridley Scott debuts Friday, March 14, on Apple TV+.
Update: The first two episode of Dope Thief started streaming Friday. Ridley Scott directs the first one. Reviews so far seems good-to-stellar. Esquire called it TV’s “next great crime thriller.” And surprisingly, a review in The Guardian said it’s like Brooklyn Nine-Nine meets Breaking Bad. In other words, not just grit, but humor.
Dope Thief trailer: Gritty crime drama series debuts March 14 on Apple TV+
The new trailer makes Dope Thief look like a badass, gritty crime drama with plenty of action. So much violent action got into the trailer, actually, they might have done well to shave a minute of gunplay off it. Or trade it for more footage from the drama side of the series.
And we get a treat to look forward to in the first episode. Film legend Ridley Scott (Gladiator, Napoleon) directs it. He also executive produces the series alongside fellow Academy Award nominee Peter Craig (The Batman, The Hunger Games: Mockingjay).
“Based on Dennis Tafoya’s book of the same name, the series follows longtime Philly friends and delinquents who pose as DEA agents to rob an unknown house in the countryside, only to have their small-time grift become a life-and-death enterprise, as they unwittingly reveal and unravel the biggest hidden narcotics corridor on the Eastern Seaboard,” Apple TV+ said, describing the show’s thrilling premise.
The new show stars Academy Award, Emmy Award and Tony Award nominee Brian Tyree Henry (Causeway, Bullet Train), who also serves as executive producer. Alongside Henry we’ll see Wagner Moura, Marin Ireland, Kate Mulgrew, Nesta Cooper, Amir Arison, Dustin Nguyen and Golden Globe Award winner Ving Rhames.
Watch the Dope Thief trailer:
Watch dramas on Apple TV+
Dope Thief debuts on Apple TV+ with the first two episodes on Friday, March 14, 2025 followed by a new episode every Friday through April 25. In the meantime, you can catch plenty of other dramas on Apple TV+. It’s available by subscription for $9.99 with a seven-day free trial. You can also get it via any tier of the Apple One subscription bundle. Customers who buy a new iPhone, iPad, Apple TV, Mac or iPod touch can enjoy three months of Apple TV+ for free.
After launching in November 2019, “Apple TV+ became the first all-original streaming service to launch around the world, and has premiered more original hits and received more award recognitions faster than any other streaming service. To date, Apple Original films, documentaries and series have been honored with 471 wins and 2,090 award nominations and counting,” the service said.
Apple TV+ is home to more than 200 exclusive movies and TV shows (including breakout soccer comedy Ted Lasso). The service also offers documentaries, dramas, comedies, kids shows and more.
Source: Apple TV+
This post first published on February 18, 2025. We republished it on March 14, 2025, when the show started streaming.
David Snow, an expert on Apple hardware and software, writes on a variety of technological and cultural topics for Cult of Mac. They include Apple news, technology buying guides, and features about computer setups and Apple TV shows and movies.
With 30 years of experience covering technology and other subjects, he has written and edited for numerous print and online publications, including CMP Media, TechTV.com, CNET, Wired News, Red Herring magazine, Law.com, The National Law Journal and Law Technology News magazine. Among other roles, he served as executive editor of the Law.com network of websites and editorial director, technology, for ALM Media.
Snow graduated with a B.A. from Syracuse University with majors in magazine journalism and psychology. While there, he worked as a reporter for The Daily Orange newspaper and associate editor of Equal Time magazine.
Founder of the blog At the Waterline, he can be reached on X (formerly Twitter) via @atthewaterline and on Mastodon via @dsnow.
