Amazon is streaming “Sneaky Pete,” a pilot developed by Bryan Cranston for CBS, who passed. It stumbles in parts and moves predictably in others but overall I enjoyed it. I hope Amazon picks it up. The title refers to an inmate who bores with cellmate Marius (Giovanni Ribisi) with endless discussion of his childhood with his grandparents. Marius gets released from prison owing a boatload of money to a bad guy and decides to lay low by posing as Pete and visiting Pete’s grandparents. He had plans of getting money from them too. But instead of being in the financial bonds business as the real Pete remembers, they’re in the bail bond business and hardly well off. But the faux Pete fits in well here and can help them track down criminals because he is one. Added to the mix is a hot blonde who looked up to Pete as a child. Supposedly she’s his cousin. But we know differently. For me it goes awry when the plot turns a little preposterous. Still it moves along fairly believably. It’s a solid cast. I can’t think of the last time I’ve liked Ribisi in a performance. The real Pete’s grandparents are played by a villainess from “Justified” and a judge from “The Wire.” Cranston even makes a small appearance, although he seems a little over-the-top. I’m not sure how they could get 22 episodes out of this, but it would probably work fine streaming on Amazon.
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