Mama Barkin oversees hunky pack in ‘Animal Kingdom’

You’ll be forgiven if you mistake the new TNT drama “Animal Kingdom” for a TV version of “Magic Mike.” The four hunky brothers and one equally buff nephew would starve to death if every restaurant had a “no shirt, no service” rule.

The series, premiering Tuesday, June 14, is based on the 2010 film of the same name, which, in turn, was loosely rooted in the story of a real family of Australian criminals.

Janine Cody (Ellen Barkin, “Happyish”), who goes by the name Smurf, is the matriarch, a modern-day Ma Barker overseeing the criminal activities of her four sons. Pope (Shawn Hatosy, “Southland”) is the eldest and perhaps the most disturbed, but then again, it’s a toss-up, given his younger brother Craig’s (Ben Robson, “Vikings”) serious drug problem. Baz (Scott Speedman, “Felicity”) seems to be the most levelheaded of the siblings, while Deran (Jake Weary, “Chicago Fire”), the youngest brother, is tightly wound with a secret life his family doesn’t know about.

The family has its ups and downs in the crime business, but the operation is clearly lucrative, and they’re pretty good at staying out of prison. The danger is that the boys are all hotheads to one degree or another. An earlier slipup has already put Pope in jail, and the local cops always keep an eye on the Cody family, in hopes of catching them red-handed at some point.

As close as they are, the Codys are estranged from one member of the family, Smurf’s daughter Julia, a heroin addict who was living with her 17-year-old son, Joshua, known as “J” (Finn Cole, “Peaky Blinders”). She dies of an overdose as the series begins, leaving J to fend off her dealer, who is looking to collect for her final purchase.

With no place else to go, J goes over the river and through the woods to Grandma’s house. Smurf takes him in at once, but J’s uncles are wary of having a young kid in the house. They don’t even think he can be trusted, much less join the family business, but Smurf thinks otherwise.

How will the boy adjust? Will J, like Oliver Twist, remain unaware of what’s going on in the household for a while? Or will he take too easily to a life of crime? The direction of J’s moral compass provides a thematic foundation for the rollicking interactions between the rest of the family members.

The series was developed by Jonathan Lisco, with the film’s director, David Michôd, and producer, Liz Watts, executive-producing, along with John Wells (“The West Wing,” “Shameless”), among others. By the way, we can probably thank Wells for a kind of mini-“Southland” reunion. In addition to Hatosy, former “Southland” cast member C. Thomas Howell has a recurring guest role, and Regina King is among the show’s directors. Christopher Chulak, who directed throughout the run of “Southland,” also directs some of the new show’s episodes.

Lisco and his writers do a good job weaving a compelling narrative, one that’s filled with action, but more significantly defined by the complexity of the individual characters. Except for Pope, we don’t really see any of the characters as “seriously” bad; they’re boys doing what boys do — almost.

The most morally ambiguous character is dear, sweet Grandmama. Sexy, dripping in gold bling, fond of tight slacks and low necklines, Smurf is, of course, a knockout, and Barkin plays the hell out of the character. One moment, she’s maternally tender, making sure her boys and grandson are happy, tucking J into bed, whipping up lavish feasts for what seems to be an eternal pool party at the homestead. The next, she’s a coldhearted crime lord who makes sure her boys stay in line.

Barkin was made for this role, and she’s clearly having a good time with it. So are we.

David Wiegand is an assistant managing editor and the TV critic of The San Francisco Chronicle. Email: dwiegand@sfchronicle.com Twitter: WaitWhat_TV Follow me on Facebook.

Animal Kingdom: Dramatic series. 9 p.m. Tuesday, June 14, on TNT.