‘Fight Night: The Million Dollar Heist’ reviews: Peacock’s ‘crime caper’ could turn critical acclaim into Golden Globes glory

Peacock’s crime drama “Fight Night: The Million Dollar Heist” made its streaming premiere on September 5, 2024. The star-studded cast including Kevin Hart, Taraji P. Henson, Don Cheadle, and Samuel L. Jackson was enough to attract early buzz, but what are critics saying now that six episodes have aired, with the final two slated for October 3 and October 10? And how could positive reviews impact its chances at the 2025 Golden Globe Awards?

In a city bursting with fight night anticipation, streetwise hustler Gordon “Chicken Man” Williams (Hart) plants himself at the center of the action. His big ambitions, and even bigger talk, put him on a collision course with ruthless criminals, each consumed by their own insatiable hunger for the spoils of the event. As dawn breaks on a city reeling from the heist, JD Hudson (Cheadle), a pioneering Black detective, is thrust into a high-stakes game of cat and mouse as the body count rises. With time running out, JD and Chicken Man race against the clock to clear Chicken’s name and survive the dangerous forces closing in.

As of this writing the series has a MetaCritic score of 72 based on 14 reviews counted. Of those, 11 are classified as positive and three are mixed. Over on Rotten Tomatoes, where reviews are counted simply as positive or negative, the series is rated 95% fresh based on 21 reviews; out of all those, only one critic gives the show a thumbs down. The RT critics consensus says, “Skillfully weaving an inflection point in Black culture into a rollicking heist story, ‘Fight Night’ is punchy entertainment with a never-better Kevin Hart broadening his dramatic range.”

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Eric Deggans (NPR) says, “It’s a compelling, raucous, entertaining mix which looks at a pivotal moment in Black America through a new lens, which makes ‘Fight Night,’ in my book, quite the knockout.” Robert Levin (Newsday), meanwhile, comments that “the stars and the style more than compensate for any complaints.”

Alison Herman (Variety) agrees that “’Fight Night’ compensates for its workmanlike blueprint (true story + big names = profit) with nuanced ideas and engaging performances.” If there is a true consensus, it’s how engaging the cast is. Richard Roper (Chicago Sun-Times) proclaims, “Jackson roars like a lion throughout and delivers a number of monologues reminiscent of his Jules character from ‘Pulp Fiction,'” while Kristen Baldwin (Entertainment Weekly) notes, “The eight-episode crime caper hits big with a star-studded cast (welcome back to series TV, Taraji P. Henson!), meticulous period wigs, and some hilarious odd-couple banter between Cheadle and Hart.”

So can “Fight Night: The Million Dollar Heist” make a splash on the upcoming awards circuit? Despite the glowing reviews, it’s currently ranked outside our Top 20 in Gold Derby’s Golden Globes odds for Best TV Limited Series/Movie. Hart, Henson, Cheadle and Jackson also rank low in their respective acting races, but perhaps it’s time we give this series more consideration.

The Globes historically love to recognize big stars, and this cast has an awards pedigree. Hart is a four-time Emmy nominee and Henson is a past Golden Globe winner (“Empire”) and Oscar nominee (“The Curious Case of Benjamin Button”). Cheadle snagged an Oscar bid for “Hotel Rwanda” and 11 Emmy nominations, in addition to two Golden Globe wins for “The Rat Pack” and “House of Lies.” Jackson was Oscar nominated for “Pulp Fiction,” he’s a past Emmy nominee and a four-time Golden Globe nominee. Perhaps Peacock’s limited series is more of an awards player than we’re giving it credit for.

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