Who Survived Season 6 finale of Animal Kingdom? The TNT drama series Animal Kingdom ended after six seasons on Sunday, August 28, but which characters survived and who had to say goodbye.
In the finale, titled “Fubar,” the Codys devise a plan to free the oldest Cody son, Pope (Scott Speedman). J (Finn Cole) had his own plans, as he sought vengeance on family matriarch Janine “Smurf” Cody. What followed was a series of double-crosses, violent clashes, and, yes, murder.
J started the violence by abandoning his uncles Deran (Jake Weary) and Craig (Ben Robson) in the middle of a shootout with cops following the prison break-out. Craig and Deran later held up a convenience store in exchange for cash and a first-aid kit. However, the store owner’s child shot Craig, killing him as Deran promised to raise Craig’s son like his own.
Penny (Stevie Lynn Jones), J’s girlfriend, also died after she decided not to run away with her beau. J fatally dosed Penny’s cocktail and wept as she died, knowing he couldn’t leave any loose ends behind.
While Pope survived the shootout with the cops, the guilt he carried from Smurf’s years of psychological abuse became too much for him to bear. So he set fire to the Cody house and laid down to die. J, on the other hand, lived to fight another day. We saw J alone in some kind of luxury getaway in the episode’s final moments.
After J and Deran survived the finale, fans immediately speculated about a possible spinoff series. While TNT has not confirmed any plans for future Animal Kingdom series, the network’s general manager Brett Weitz stated in 2021 that he is open to the idea if the show’s creator Jonathan Lisco is on board.
Weitz told Deadline, “John knows how much we love him and how much we enjoy working with him.” In our jobs, we try to get people to make decisions, but we don’t want to force them. So, when he’s ready and thinks there’s a natural next step or spinoff for that show, not only is my door open, but there’s probably a time slot for him to do that. In my eyes, he couldn’t do anything wrong.”