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The “one last heist” genre is popular, and honestly, one of my favorite kinds of thrillers. There is something exhilarating about watching someone struggle emotionally to do something they are clearly good at. Apple TV’s Lucky, from showrunner Jonathan Tropper, is a fast-paced and tightly written show with plenty of twists and turns, but at its heart it has a touching story between a father and daughter.
When we meet Luciana ‘Lucky’ Armstrong (Anya Taylor-Joy), she is clearly in trouble, being chased through a lot filled with tractor-trailers. Just as she runs face-first into a man with a gun, we cut away and see her in a gorgeous suite in Las Vegas, being embraced by a man who is explaining that they pulled it off and now they can relax. They leave the room, and we see a suitcase filled with cash on the floor of their room. Moments later, it seems that the man she loves has betrayed her when we see Lucky awaken to find no suitcase left behind.
The series follows Lucky as she chases the $10 million that she stole and then had stolen from her. She is in close contact with her father, John (Timothy Olyphant), a con man stuck in prison in a scheme related to this money. They are trying to find Cary (Drew Starkey) to save him from his mother, Priscilla (Annette Bening). She is trying to protect her son from Whittaker (William Fichtner), who only cares about getting his money back. Meanwhile, all of them are being chased by Agent Billie Rand (Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor), who is struggling to find justice.
Lucky is filled with nail-biting action sequences, making the 7 40-50 minute episodes fly by. The story is simple enough to follow, but there are enough twists and turns to make it a compelling watch. I found myself locked in through all of the episodes, enjoying the ways that Lucky had to overcome whatever was thrown at her. The way the action is shot is clean, meaning you can actually see what is happening.
The cast is stacked, and all execute (both the story and each other) remarkably well. I’ve never been a huge fan of Bening, but she manages to fully convince me that she’s a stone-cold killer in this, or at least capable of sending her lackey Dutch (Clifton Collins Jr.) in to do the job. Fitchner is only on screen a few times, but he is electric in every one of those appearances. Ellis-Taylor is steadfast in her role as the FBI agent, struggling to be a mom while also working to jail some truly heinous folks.
My favorite scenes in Lucky were definitely interactions between Olyphant and Taylor-Joy. They have a complicated story, and they both play it beautifully. Olyphant remains insanely charming, and it’s easy to see how he turned into a scam artist. It also means that every interaction between them has this undercurrent of distrust, because we know that John is a charismatic guy, which is why he’s able to lie so easily. Lucky also knows that, and you can see her struggle with her love for her father and her difficulty believing him. That tension helps make their relationship genuinely fascinating.
Lucky’s relationship with herself is also interesting to watch. The ease with which she lies can be unsettling at times. You want to like her, but in the pursuit of saving herself, we see her hurt innocent people, often without remorse, or even an acknowledgment that it’s happening. Even as she tries to change the course of her life, elements of her past will likely continue to hurt people, and that feels like it sets Lucky apart from other similar shows.
Also? Lucky has an absolute banger of a theme song. You will be digging out your old Fiona Apple CD’s as soon as you hear it.
If you’re looking for a weekly watch to help get you through the rest of the summer, Lucky is a good choice. Clever, stylish, engrossing. I don’t know if hot girl summer is a thing anymore, but watching Anya Taylor-Joy kick ass for six weeks in a row is a pretty good substitution.
Rating: 4/5
The limited series Lucky premieres globally on Apple TV with its first two episodes on Wednesday, July 15, 2026. New episodes will debut weekly on Wednesdays until the finale on August 19.
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