Animal Kingdom is an American drama television series developed by Jonathan Lisco. It is based on the 2010 Australian film of the same name by David Michôd. The series centers on 17-year-old Joshua "J" Cody who, after the death of his mother, moves in with his estranged relatives, the Codys, who run a criminal family enterprise set in Oceanside, California that's governed by the respected matriarch Janine "Smurf" Cody.