Mad Dogs

""Some things the police cannot protect you from.""

- Maria

Mad Dogs (2011-2013) is a British drama in which four old friends, played by The Master (John Simm), Gene Hunt (Philip Glenister), Teatime (Marc Warren) and the guy from the adverts (Max Beesley) reunite with the newly successful fifth member of the gang, Alvo (Ben Chaplin) in his new villa in Mallorca. Things take a dark turn when Alvo steals a "friend's" boat, dragging his friends into his own vengeance.

And then Tony Blair shoots somebody.

Tensions build as the Four-Philosophy Ensemble are caught in the middle of a nightmare of murder, drugs and corruption and the difficult pasts and conflicting opinions threaten to tear the group apart.


 * The Alcoholic: Woody.
 * Berserk Button: Calling Rick an accountant. According to him, he is a fiancial adviser.
 * Black Comedy
 * British Brevity: The show ran for all of four episodes per two series.
 * The Don: Mackenzie.
 * Fan Service: Maria Botto and Leticia Dolera. All without Getting Crap Past the Radar
 * There's also Marc Warren in little speedos.
 * Four-Philosophy Ensemble: Rick is The Cynic, Quinn The Optimist, Baxter The Realist and Woody plays The Apathetic. Carmen in series 2 is The Conflicted.
 * The Ghost: The guys families back in England.
 * The Mafia: The Serbian mafia  are referenced and there is a huge trade in drugs around Spain and Ibiza.
 * The Napoleon: "Tiny Blair", the gangster. This is actually acidental as the script called for "Tony Blair", but was misspelled "Tiny Blair" and loads of short men auditioned for the role.
 * Only Sane Man: Oddly enough, Rick is often the only one to see how bad things are and what to do.
 * Paranoia Fuel: In universe, all four of them get increasingly tense and paranoid. Rick esspecially breaks under the stress.
 * Posthumous Character:

Episodes of this series provide examples of:

 * Call Back: Dead animals found by the guys where they are staying, for instance the dead goat in Alvo's pool and the dead bird in the apartment they rent in series 2.
 * Death Is Dramatic: Most of the time averted, most deaths are brutal and undramatic, adding realistic tension to the series.
 * Faux Symbolism: The Catholic Church and Santería imagery in series 2. The guys hide money in a statue of the Virgin Mary, and the old woman protects the guys by painting them in a wide circle of goats blood. As Quinn steps out of the circle, things take a turn for the worse. And don't get started on the shrunken heads...
 * Only a Flesh Wound:
 * The Reveal  Although the last one was suspected since they showed up.
 * The Reveal  Although the last one was suspected since they showed up.