HBO’s 2-Season Crime Thriller Series Was So Close To Being A Masterpiece

This brilliant and deeply immersive HBO Max original series was nearly a modern crime thriller masterpiece. Had it gotten more than just a limited 2-season run, which it certainly deserved after season 2’s vast improvement following its 2022 debut season, this gangster epic could very well have been one of HBO’s best thriller series of all time.

During the 2020s, new streaming series have gotten a much shorter shelf life, which is more influenced by total viewership than ever before. Before streaming took over the medium of television, new shows were generally treated as franchises, with the intention of maximizing the number of seasons. Nowadays, expectations are higher than ever for a brand new series, most of which need to gain an instant burst in viewership or face an early demise. Such is the case for this exceptional HBO series, which ended far before its peak.

HBO’s Tokyo Vice Was Nearly A Modern Gangster Masterpiece

Tokyo Vice was quietly released as an HBO Max, then Max, original exclusive series. Had it been released properly as a true HBO thriller series, however, it likely would have achieved more streaming buzz that could have given it an extra degree of longevity. One of the most interesting things about Tokyo Vice was that it was filmed entirely in Tokyo, Japan, which certainly increased the budget, but created such a deep sense of authenticity and immersion that could not have been replicated to the same degree on a Hollywood set.

Tokyo Vice had a strong debut season in April 2022, earning a Certified Fresh Rotten Tomatoes score of 85%, and picking up enough steam to receive a second season. The story is based on the memoir of the same name by American journalist Jake Adelstein, who Ansel Elgort portrays in the series. Jake throws himself into the crime beat for a prestigious Japanese newspaper and finds himself intertwined with several criminals and gangsters he hopes to report on eventually.

What began as Jake’s story in season 1, getting tied up with a dangerous yakuza gang and even befriending a powerful member named Sato, becomes a full-blown gangster epic in season 2, so much so that Jake becomes somewhat of a supporting character in his own story. This revamped narrative approach greatly enhanced the series in its 8-part sophomore effort, and increased the show’s RT score with its 94% rating. Despite these notable improvements, HBO Max pulled the plug on its budding gangster epic, robbing it of the chance to become a true crime thriller masterpiece.

Tokyo Vice Deserved More Seasons After 94% RT Season 2

By season 2, Tokyo Vice felt like one of those series that nearly has no business being so good, sort of like what recently happened with Mayor of Kingstown season 4. In ways, Tokyo Vice season 2 felt like a completely different series, entrenched in the turf war between two rival yakuza gangs, who ruled the Tokyo streets during the 1990s with their darkened sense of duty and honor. Formidable villains emerged to fuel most of the drama, action, and tension, and the relationships within the clan became the centerpiece of the series.

Tokyo Vice season 2 was produced in a gray area in which the series was unsure if it would have a third season greenlit by HBO Max. While there is a full-circle conclusion at the end of season 2, there was still so much more potential with the series when it was canceled in 2024, especially given the new focus on the yakuza gang dynamics and never-ending battles. Tokyo Vice also had a strong ensemble cast, led by Elgort, Ken Watanabe, Rachel Keller, and more. It is truly a shame that Tokyo Vice season 3 never came to fruition, since if it had continued, it could have ranked among HBO’s all-time great and masterful crime thrillers.