Before GTA 6 Arrives, Peacock’s 9-Episode Crime Thriller Beat the Game by Months
A series for the wait
Grand Theft Auto VI is scheduled to arrive on November 19, after fans waited 13 years for a new installment and experienced a year-long delay from its initial 2025 release date. The game has generated extraordinary anticipation, with some people planning to take time off work to play.
Peacock’s M.I.A. offers a crime thriller to watch before the game launches. The series centers on Etta Tiger Jonze, who seeks revenge against the cartel that killed her family and becomes involved in drug running and vigilante murder.
Similar settings, different stories
M.I.A. is set in Miami and follows Etta as she enters South Florida’s criminal world and tries to rise through its ranks. The article describes her broad path as similar to Lucia Camino’s story in GTA 6, where Lucia lives in Vice City, a stand-in for Miami and South Florida, and seeks to climb organized crime’s ranks.
The characters’ situations are not identical. Etta’s family is murdered, while Lucia’s trouble is unexplained; Lucia also has a relationship with Jason. The series and game are presented as sharing a crime-story setting and themes, rather than the same plot.
Crime themes and comparisons
M.I.A. comes from the co-creator of Ozark and has been compared with that series for its creator, writing and genre. Its story explores a protagonist’s descent into crime, along with questions about American capitalism and the morality of killing for survival or revenge.
The full scope of GTA 6’s story remains unknown. The article suggests it may touch on similar subjects, while describing M.I.A. as a possible stopgap for viewers who want a crime thriller with a comparable setting and protagonist.
Nine episodes, no follow-up
M.I.A. has nine episodes, making it possible to watch the full series during the week before GTA 6’s release. Peacock canceled a second season in advance, so Etta’s revenge story will not receive a resolution in another season.
That cancellation also means viewers can watch the available episodes without waiting for a continuation. The series offers a related crime story, but it is not the game itself.
Key points
- Peacock’s M.I.A. has nine episodes and arrived months before GTA 6.
- The series follows Etta Tiger Jonze as she seeks revenge against the cartel that killed her family.
- M.I.A. and GTA 6 share crime-story similarities, but their protagonists’ circumstances differ.
- Peacock canceled M.I.A. season 2, leaving Etta’s revenge quest without a resolution.