Network: AMC
Episodes: 10 (hour)
Seasons: One
TV show dates: June 5, 2016 — August 2, 2016
Series status: Cancelled
Performers include: David Schwimmer, Jim Sturgess, Lorenza Izzo, John Doman, Elijah Jacob, Michael Gladis, and Christine Adams.
TV show description:
Based on the Danish TV series Bankerot, this American television drama revolves around two childhood best friends who open an upscale restaurant together.
Tommy Moran (David Schwimmer) is a former sommelier (wine steward) and functional alcoholic. He’s raising his 10-year-old son. Tommy’s dream of opening a restaurant in The Bronx with longtime friend Dion ignites a fire in him that has been absent since his loss.
Tommy’s best friend is Dion Patras (Jim Sturgess), a man’s who’s fresh out of prison and in debt to the mob. A rockstar chef, Dion plays a central role in both Tommy and TJ’s life, all the while trying to escape his own inner demons and stay the course in his quest to be the best chef in New York.
TJ Moran (Elijah Jacob) is Tommy’s son and a talented artist. The boy witnessed his mother’s tragic death. He hasn’t been able to speak since and has frequent nightmares about the accident in fractured images, but he can’t piece the whole sequence together.
Tommy’s father is Aidan Moran (John Doman), a shrewd and ruthless businessman — and an unapologetic racist. He’s a proud Irish-American and a self-made man with a self-made code of business ethics. Aidan follows a code that allows plenty of room for bribery, fraud, extortion, bullying and a general embrace of New York’s criminal underworld.
Tommy’s late wife and TJ’s mother is Rie Moran (Christine Adams). A serial optimist, her African-American roots play a strong role in Tommy’s damaged relationship with his father. Rie was a talented chef and artistic visionary for the restaurant. Her design book remains a guide for Tommy and Dion.
A quirky single woman, Pilar Herrera (Lorenza Izzo) meets Tommy in a grief group. She’s desperately searching for true love and, in the past, has inadvertently attracted men who capitalize on her naiveté. But, when she meets Tommy, her hopes are restored.
Patrick Woijchik (Michael Gladis), aka “The Tooth Fairy,” is a first-generation Polish-American. He’s a soft-spoken, brutally intimidating local mobster with a penchant for pulling teeth. Anyone who crosses him runs the risk of understanding the source of his nickname. Though he works for his father, he is also a major disappointment to his old man.
Episode #10 — Fire
Detective Giordano’s limp body hangs from the rafters at the abandoned warehouse where Patrick Woijchik murdered him. His cell phone rings in his pocket. It’s Marisa Gallo wondering why he’s late for their breakfast date.
At Aidan Moran’s office, Dion Patras requests an advance, claiming it’s for Thirio. Aidan knows business is good and deduces that it’s for “some other crap.” Dion admits he owes someone money. Aidan refuses, even when Dion offers to pay him back at a premium.
At home, Tommy Moran discovers flyers for a school art show featuring TJ Moran’s work the next night. He asks TJ if he can come. TJ nods glumly – he’s feeling guilty about his role in sending Andre Walker to a detention center, and that triggers a flashback of Rie Moran’s death. Dion advises TJ to pretend he doesn’t know anything if people at school ask questions. Tommy warns Dion against “unsolicited parenting.” TJ enthusiastically brings Dion the art show flyer. Dion hesitates to accept his invitation, but Tommy says it’s ok.
Pilar Herrera arrives and greets Tommy, who’s struggling with what to do about TJ. She suggests they take a break and spend time together, but Tommy asks for a rain check – his head’s “about to explode.”
At home, Marisa receives an urgent call from her mother.
At the hospital, Ziggy Woijchik berates Patrick for leaving Giordano’s corpse where it could be found, wondering how he raised such a screw-up. Patrick stares at Ziggy, speechless and humiliated.
Marisa storms into the restaurant and blames Dion for Giordano’s death. Dion says it was bound to happen – Giordano was a “dirty cop.” Marisa reveals that Giordano was her father and breaks up with Dion.
At Stavros Patras’s brothel, Stavros tries on a tuxedo. He’s marrying Tasha, one of his prostitutes, to get her a green card. Dion tells Stavros that Patrick killed Giordano and guesses, “If I don’t pay him back, I’m gonna be next.” Dion asks to join Stavros’s next “job.” Stavros refuses – Dion is “a chef, not a gangster.”
Patrick surprises Tommy in Thirio’s wine room. He informs Tommy of Dion’s interest in his new restaurant and reveals the substantial debt Dion owes him. Tommy pretends he knew all along, but Patrick recommends reconsidering alliances considering the “financial burden and corresponding risk” of sticking with Dion. When Patrick directly threatens TJ, Tommy fumes and kicks him out.
Outside, Patrick bumps into Pilar and is surprised to learn Thirio is the restaurant she works for. Pilar spots Patrick’s armed “associate” and pries for information about Patrick’s business, piecing together who he really is. Patrick tells Pilar that his love interest is still “unrequited.” He admits he was once happy owning a restaurant, but that doesn’t line up with his father’s image for their business. Pilar recommends he step out of his father’s shadow, be himself and “do whatever it takes” to be happy.
Tommy confronts Dion about his ties to Patrick, now believing that Dion’s desire to open Thirio was just to pay off his debt, not to live out Rie’s dream. Dion grows emotional and admits Patrick threatened to kill Dion’s loved ones – starting with Tommy. In tears, Dion reveals that Tommy’s friendship saved his life when he was orphaned, and “I can’t let anybody hurt you.” Touched, Tommy says they’ll figure it out together.
Patrick orders Ziggy’s doctor to transfer him back to prison, though he’s not fully healed and the doctor is concerned for his safety.
Tommy finds out from Pilar that Patrick helped expedite Thirio’s health inspection. Tommy warns her about Patrick’s “rougher side,” but Pilar defends him and suggests they go into business together. Tommy insists she’s wrong.
Dion leaves a voicemail for Marisa, asking to be a part of their child’s life.
The next day, Aidan stops by the restaurant to pick up TJ for his weekly visit. Tommy balks at the idea of TJ going back to Aidan’s house after what happened with the gun. Aidan offers to take TJ out before his art show instead. “Being with that boy is my one pleasure in life,” Aidan admits. Tommy relents, but warns Aidan that he’ll be telling the school “the truth about that gun.”
Stavros and Tasha plan their wedding party at Thirio. Tasha greets TJ, prompting a flashback of Rie greeting him before her accident. Patrick stops by, invited by Tommy. Dion is confused. “We have a problem. I have a solution,” Tommy explains.
In Pilar’s office, Tommy offers Patrick a one-quarter interest in Thirio in exchange for relieving Dion of his debt. Horrified at the thought of being in business with Patrick, Dion insists he owes cash, not a stake in their restaurant. Tommy and Dion argue until Patrick angrily walks out. Patrick passes Stavros and Tasha, wishing them a long and happy life. “Too bad your nephew won’t be around to share it with you,” he adds.
Dion pulls Stavros aside and begs to be let in on his upcoming “big job.” Stavros gives in and allows Dion to join a robbery of a high-stakes poker game that night.
Correctional officers wheel Ziggy out of the hospital on a gurney. He locks eyes with Patrick and lunges forward. Patrick smiles.
That night, Dion tells Tommy that he can’t make it to TJ’s art show because he has to “take care of something.”
Tommy makes up with Pilar and invites her on a date to TJ’s art show. She accepts.
At the show, Tommy tells Aidan about Dion’s predicament with the Woijchiks, and how it’s put TJ in danger. Aidan says Patrick needs to “go away.” Shocked, Tommy says he’s just talking about intimidation, but Aidan tells Tommy to “learn how the world works” and protect his family when they’re threatened. “You know I’m not healthy,” Aidan says. “I’d like nothing more than to take Patrick Woijchik to the grave with me.” Aidan adds that if Patrick “even breathes in TJ’s direction, he’s gone.”
TJ’s counselor, Anna Davis, finds Tommy and tells him about her recent visit with Andre at the detention center. Anna says she believes Andre when he says he never saw the gun before. Anna asks Tommy to come to her if TJ offers any indication he knows something about what happened. “All TJ knows is Andre Walker brought a gun to school,” Tommy says definitively.
In Thirio’s kitchen, a gloved hand pulls the gas supply pipe loose.
Tommy invites Pilar home with him after the show. She declines, wanting Tommy and TJ to have time alone.
Outside a warehouse, Stavros hands Dion a gun and pulls down his ski mask. “Your job is to hold this and act tough,” Stavros says. “I’ll handle the rest.”
Leaving the school, TJ watches a car peel out and has a flashback of his mother’s accident. His eyes widen as he realizes something.
Stavros and Dion rush into the warehouse, guns raised, shouting for the players to put their heads down. Stavros runs around stuffing his bag with cash. A man at the poker table lifts his head and looks directly at Stavros – it’s Patrick. Dion points his gun at the back of Patrick’s head, hands trembling. Stavros finishes and pulls Dion away. Outside, Stavros insists Patrick didn’t recognize him, but Dion thinks Stavros’s accent gave them away. Patrick follows them out, shooting at their car as they speed away.
Arriving home, TJ rushes upstairs. Tommy sits downstairs and has a glass of wine. In the kitchen, gas continues to leak.
In his room, TJ sketches rapidly.
Dion returns home and tells Tommy everything’s going to be ok. He stuffs wads of cash inside his couch cushion.
TJ gathers all his sketches of Rie’s accident and riffles through them like an animated flip book. As the scene comes to life, TJ fully remembers what happened and breaks down in tears.
Tommy hears TJ call out for him from the top of the stairs. Stunned, he rushes over. “Mommy’s accident… It wasn’t my fault,” TJ cries, “And it wasn’t an accident.” Tommy starts up the stairs towards TJ just as an enormous explosion goes off in the kitchen.
Tommy dreams of a pregnant Rie showing him around Thirio, but is jolted out of his brief reverie by TJ’s voice. Tommy crawls from under the wreckage and reaches up for TJ as Dion appears at the top of the smoky staircase and starts down. Debris rains down on them. The three meet in the middle of the staircase as a second explosion blows out Thirio’s windows. Rie’s pink cell phone and design bible go up in flames. (Courtesy AMC.)
First aired: August 2, 2016.
What do you think? Do you like the Feed the Beast TV show? Do you think it should have been cancelled or renewed for a second season?
I Really Like The Show. There Should Be A Season 2 At Least.That Was Not A Normal Ending.
I loved that series. Was very original and intelligent. Seems like every time a series comes on that is half way intelligent it gets cancelled. WTH?
one of my favorites for this season,cant understand why its canceled.
No it should have been renewed ..great family drama and real to life . Sad it’s gone
Feed the Beast, is a fresh change to the existing line up on amc. Great story line, I really enjoyed the first season. Do not cancel.
I’d like to see a second season to see where they go with this. I am sure they have epidosed ready to go to continue on. I say one more to give it the time to spark up the kitchen side and less the mob side. The mafia aspect got to be a little too much