Dope Thief is an American crime drama television miniseries created by Peter Craig, based on the 2009 novel by Dennis Tafoya. It premiered on Apple TV+ on March 14, 2025.
Premise
Two
Philadelphia friends who pose as DEA agents to rob drug dealers face the consequences of their actions when they steal from an organized narcotics operation under surveillance by the actual DEA.
Cast
Main
-
Brian Tyree Henry as Ray Driscoll, a recovering addict and former drug dealer. He and his friend Manny exploit their knowledge of "the game" to rob dealers and support themselves.
-
Wagner Moura as Manny Carvalho, Ray's childhood friend and partner who plans to settle down with his girlfriend Sherry
-
Marin Ireland as Mina, a veteran DEA agent posing as a drug cook who survives a bullet to the throat during Ray's botched robbery
-
Amir Arison as Mark Nader, a DEA supervisor in the Philadelphia office assigned to track down Ray.
-
Nesta Cooper as Michelle Taylor, an ex-prosecutor and defense attorney hired by Theresa to arrange Bart's release
-
Kate Mulgrew as Theresa Bowers, Bart's girlfriend and Ray's adoptive mother
-
Ving Rhames as Bart Driscoll, Ray's cancer-stricken father and a notorious dealer who went to prison when Ray was a boy
Recurring
-
Gabriel Ebert as Jack, an undercover DEA agent killed during the botched robbery
-
Liz Caribel Sierra as Sherry, Manny's girlfriend
-
Will Pullen as Marchetti, an DEA agent who works with Mina
-
Idris Debrand as Teenage Ray
-
Kaci Walfall as Marletta, Ray's deceased girlfriend, who was killed in a car accident while he was driving under the influence
-
Dustin Nguyen as Son Pham, the son of refugees and a well-connected drug trafficker. He gives Ray information on rival dealers. In return, Son resells the drugs Ray steals from them and lets Ray keep everything else like money, guns.
-
Kieu Chinh as Xuan "Grandma" Pham, Son's mother
Episodes
Production
It was announced in August 2022 that
Sinking Spring, a TV series written by
Peter Craig based on Dennis Tafoya's novel
Dope Thief, would be produced for Apple TV+, with Brian Tyree Henry starring.
Ridley Scott was set to direct the
pilot episode, in addition to executive producing. Craig was also set to direct an episode.
The cast, including
Michael Mando,
Marin Ireland and
Kate Mulgrew, were announced in the following months.
In January 2023,
Amir Arison was cast,
with
Ving Rhames,
Dustin Nguyen and
Nesta Cooper among additional castings the following month.
Kiều Chinh was cast in March.
Filming began in February 2023 in Philadelphia.
In November 2024, it was reported that the series' title had been changed from Sinking Spring to Dope Thief, and that the first two episodes were set to premiere on March 14, 2025.
Reception
On the review aggregator website
Rotten Tomatoes,
Dope Thief has an approval rating of 86% based on 49 reviews, with an average rating of 7.1/10. The website's critics consensus reads, "Brian Tyree Henry and
Wagner Moura might be punching below their weight with
Dope Thiefs derivative story, but that doesn't stop them from making this thriller a riveting ride."
, which uses a
weighted average, assigned a score of 74 out of 100 based on 25 critics, indicating "generally favorable" reviews.
Accolades
| +
! Year
! Award
! Category
! Nominee(s)
! Result
! Ref. |
| 2025 | Astra TV Awards | Best Limited Series | Dope Thief | | |
| Best Actor in a Limited Series or TV Movie | Brian Tyree Henry | |
| Gotham TV Awards | Outstanding Lead Performance in a Limited Series | | |
| Black Reel Awards | Outstanding TV Movie or Limited Series | Peter Craig | | |
| Outstanding Lead Performance in a TV Movie/Limited Series | Brian Tyree Henry | |
| Outstanding Directing in a TV Movie or Limited Series | Tanya Hamilton | |
| Primetime Emmy Awards | Outstanding Lead Actor in a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie | Brian Tyree Henry | | |
External links
