External links
- Black Rabbit on Netflix
- Black Rabbit at IMDb
| Black Rabbit | |
|---|---|
| Genre | |
| Created by | Zach Baylin & Kate Susman |
| Starring | |
| Music by | Danny Bensi & Saunder Jurriaans |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Original language | English |
| No. of episodes | 8 |
| Production | |
| Executive producers |
|
| Cinematography |
|
| Editors |
|
| Running time | 44–68 minutes |
| Production companies |
|
| Original release | |
| Network | Netflix |
| Release | September 18, 2025 |
Black Rabbit is an American crime thriller television miniseries created by Zach Baylin and Kate Susman for Netflix starring Jude Law and Jason Bateman. It was released on Netflix on September 18, 2025.
When the owner of a New York City hotspot (Law) allows his chaotic brother (Bateman) back in his life, he opens the door to escalating dangers that threaten to bring down everything he's built. [1]
| No. | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original release date | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | "The Cyclone" | Jason Bateman | Zach Baylin & Kate Susman | September 18, 2025 | |
In New York City, Jake Friedken celebrates the success of his restaurant, "Black Rabbit", at a private event with expensive jewelry on display. The party is robbed by two masked gunmen, but Jake refuses to give up his watch, and his investor Wes is wounded as shots ring out. One month earlier, Jake and his head chef Roxie are determined to impress The New York Times food critic, and Jake informs his business partner Naveen of a promising location for another restaurant. In Reno, Jake's brother Vince arranges an under-the-table sale of rare coins but is robbed instead, and drives over one of the thieves before fleeing. Jake reluctantly flies his brother back to New York to stay with family friend Matt, despite Vince's troubled history with drugs and the financial mess he left as former co-owner of Black Rabbit. Threatened by loan shark Joe Mancuso's henchmen, Vince promises to repay his $140,000 debt through the sale of his late parents' house, but they take his watch as collateral. The critic's visit is a success, with Vince stepping in for absent bartender Anna, and Jake suggests his brother stay on. | |||||
| 2 | "The Black Rabbits" | Jason Bateman | Zach Baylin & Kate Susman | September 18, 2025 | |
Black Rabbit — named by Vince after the brothers' former band — receives a glowing review. Jake enlists his interior designer Estelle, Wes's girlfriend, to plan the new restaurant at the former Four Seasons' Pool Room without Wes's involvement. Vince visits his estranged daughter Gen, a tattoo artist, and learns the closing offer on the house is too low to pay off his debt, while Wes is unwilling to loan him the money. Jake's ex-wife Val declines to invest in the new restaurant, and he confronts Wes over his unpaid tab. Mancuso's son Junior is determined to prove himself by collecting the debt from Vince, who tries his luck at an underground casino. Anna tells Roxie that she was raped by restaurant regular Jules, whose inappropriate behavior was ignored by Jake. Winning and losing $150,000 in the same hand of blackjack, Vince is chased down by Junior and his enforcer Babbitt, who cut off his finger and threaten his daughter. Vince turns to Jake, who meets with Mancuso; having known their late mother, Mancuso agrees to weekly payments of $20,000, but warns that the restaurant will be treated as collateral. | |||||
| 3 | "Skin Contact" | Laura Linney | Andrew Hinderaker | September 18, 2025 | |
After Vince's mistakes two years prior landed him in jail and cost the restaurant $500,000, Jake bought him out of his ownership stake in Black Rabbit. Jake promises Roxie to get rid of Jules, and lies to Naveen about a missing $100,000 in their accounting. The brothers arrange a sham charity event to raise the money they need, and Roxie demands that Jake cut ties with Vince when the scam is done, but is severely disappointed: Jules is in attendance, Vince believes he will regain ownership, and she spots Jake kissing Estelle. Vince is confronted by a former employee who blames him for the incident two years earlier that left him a paraplegic. Reviewing security tapes after a host, Mel, overdoses on cocaine given to her by Jules, Jake finds previous footage of Jules drugging Anna's drink, and considers deleting it. The brothers manage to raise almost $120,000, unaware that Babbitt has inserted himself into Gen's life. | |||||
| 4 | "No More F**k-Ups" | Laura Linney | Sarah Gubbins | September 18, 2025 | |
Roxie vandalizes Jules's art gallery and confides in her ex-girlfriend, deciding to fight for her stake in Black Rabbit. Campbell, Jules's fixer, follows Anna as she meets with a reporter. Fearing negative publicity after an article is published about Mel's overdose, Jake begins an affair with Estelle, and is discreetly threatened by Campbell. Vince learns that Jules's bad cocaine came from Matt, while Jake uses most of the money to square his own books, allowing him to proceed with the Pool Room expansion. Jake approaches Anna, who reminds him of his own sexual improprieties and tells him to stay away. When Vince is short on payment, Junior and Babbitt trash Jake's apartment until Vince tells them about Anna, and they plan to intimidate her into silence to protect Black Rabbit as their collateral. Anna accepts Campbell's offer to start a new life in Mexico, but as he waits outside, Junior and Babbitt enter her apartment. They soon leave, and Campbell returns inside to find Anna dead. | |||||
| 5 | "Trailblazer" | Ben Semanoff | Stacy Osei-Kuffour | September 18, 2025 | |
Anna's death was an accident; when Junior and Babbitt forced their way inside, she fatally struck her head. Realizing he has lost Vince's watch, Junior returns to Anna's apartment but the authorities have already arrived. Roxie suggests to Wes that they buy Jake out, revealing Estelle's infidelity. Vince and Jake reminisce before burning down their parents' house and arranging a sizable insurance payout. Campbell warns Jules, assuming he had Anna killed, and the Friedken family gathers for Jake's son Hunter's birthday. Estelle informs Wes that she is leaving him, while Jake dismisses Roxie's plan to take over Black Rabbit, and Detective Ellen Seung informs Anna's coworkers of her death. To cover up their visit to Anna, Junior and Babbitt kidnap Jake and Vince and prepare to execute them. In desperation, Jake reveals the restaurant will be hosting a private event with over $1 million in jewelry for Junior and Babbitt to steal. The brothers are cut loose, but angrily go their separate ways. | |||||
| 6 | "Attaf**kinboy" | Ben Semanoff | Carlos Rios | September 18, 2025 | |
As children, Jake and Vince were given their beloved counterfeit watches by their father. Jake comes clean to Estelle about Anna, and walks Junior and Babbitt through the plan to steal the jewelry from his safe. Holding a memorial for Anna, Jake tells Detective Seung there is no saved security footage, and Campbell delivers a non-disclosure agreement and a $500,000 payoff to ensure the same. Jake brings Mancuso the money and asks to call off the robbery, assuring him Vince has left for good. Wes and Roxie have acquired the Pool Room, and convince Jake's partners to sell Black Rabbit out from under him. Roxie and fellow chef Tony report Anna's rape to Seung, and Tony discovers the incriminating footage was deleted. Mancuso reprimands Junior, while Vince lets Gen tattoo him before skipping town, but he is caught by Junior and forced along on the robbery. With the jewelry already out of the safe, a masked Junior and Vince hold the party at gunpoint, but Jake recognizes his brother. Wes, Tony, and an armed guard are shot, but Vince kills Junior before he can execute Jake, and escapes with the jewelry. | |||||
| 7 | "These Kids Nearly Got Munsoned" | Justin Kurzel | Zach Baylin & Kate Susman | September 18, 2025 | |
As a child, Vince killed his violent father with a bowling ball to save his mother, who called on Mancuso for help. In the aftermath of the robbery, Vince calls Jake, promising to disappear if he will help Gen; realizing their family is in danger, Jake sends Val and Hunter out of town but Gen refuses to go with them. Jake seeks out Campbell, who advises him to go to the hospital where his staff waits for updates on the critically injured Wes and Tony. Confronted by Roxie about the missing security footage and for leaving the scene, Jake refuses to cooperate with Seung, who finds Vince's watch at Anna's apartment. Vince delivers the jewelry to Junior's fence, but is forced to flee with his cash when Mancuso arrives. Jake nearly reveals everything to Estelle, but Babbitt has kidnapped Gen, forcing Jake to meet with Mancuso. On the run, Vince sees on the news that Wes has died. | |||||
| 8 | "Isle of Joy" | Justin Kurzel | Zach Baylin & Kate Susman | September 18, 2025 | |
Mancuso forces Jake to call Vince, who reveals he is visiting Matt's bar before leaving town, and Gen is set free. Jake races to warn his brother, but Mancuso and Babbitt ambush Vince and kill Matt. Revealing that he protected young Vince by staging his father's death as an accident, Mancuso allows him a final request of Scotch and drugs. Vince subdues Babbitt with Matt's cocaine and escapes with Jake, who saved the incriminating footage of Jules and blackmails Campbell into arranging a private plane. With a manhunt for Vince underway, the brothers flee from the police and return to Black Rabbit to retrieve the footage. A guilt-stricken Vince confesses that he killed their father, but Jake already knows, and the brothers forgive each other. Summoning the police and taking the fall for everything, Vince throws himself from the restaurant's roof. Jake gives the footage to Seung and is confronted by Mancuso, who lets him live. After Vince's funeral, Jake apologizes to Estelle before parting ways; Jules is arrested; and Roxie and Tony open a new restaurant, "Anna's". With his family safe, Jake closes Black Rabbit and starts a new life tending bar. | |||||
The series was announced in 2022 with Zach Baylin and Kate Susman having created for Netflix with Jude Law and Jason Bateman set in the lead roles and executive producers alongside Baylin and Susman. [2] [3]
Executive producers also include Michael Costigan for Aggregate Films and Ben Jackson via Riff Raff Entertainment. Andrew Hinderaker, Zac Frognowski, Justin Levy, David Bernon, and Erica Kay also executive produce. Jason Bateman is also directing episodes of the series. [4] Directors also include Laura Linney, Justin Kurzel and Ben Semanoff. [5]
In March 2024, Cleopatra Coleman was confirmed in the cast alongside Amaka Okafor, Sope Dirisu and Dagmara Dominczyk in unconfirmed roles. [6] Additional casting including Chris Coy, Troy Kotsur, Abbey Lee, Odessa Young and Robin de Jesús was announced in April. [7] [8]
Filming began on location New York in April 2024 [9]
Black Rabbit premiered on Netflix on September 18, 2025. [10]
The review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes reported a 62% approval rating based on 42 critic reviews. [11] Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned a score of 62 out of 100 based on 22 critics, indicating "generally favorable". [12]
