Peacock’s 9-Episode Crime Thriller Beat GTA 6 By Months

Published Nov 12, 2026, 2:30 AM EST Sean is a senior writer for ScreenRant and has been writing about new TV releases since December 2023. He has received multiple advance screenings of popular shows and ideated his own coverage read by hundreds of thousands of readers. Sean is a self-published author of a Western novel. Sean has also written award-winning opinion pieces related to local politics while getting his Bachelor's degree in journalism. Rockstar Games is just a week away from releasing Grand Theft Auto VI, but Peacock beat them to the punch with a crime thriller series released months ago. Grand Theft Auto VI is anticipated to be the biggest video gaming event of the entire decade, and fans of the series are eagerly awaiting its release on November 19. It's hard to overstate just how momentous the release of GTA 6 will be. To put it into perspective, it's estimated that the US economy could lose $1 billion in productivity based solely on the number of people planning to take off work to play the game. Adding to the anticipation surrounding GTA 6 is the fact that fans of the series have already waited 13 years for a new installment in the franchise. That also includes a year-long delay from GTA 6's initial 2025 release date. As marketing for the game ramps up, fans learn more about protagonists Jason and Lucia, and after preloading for GTA 6 began earlier this week, this last week of waiting is nearly unbearable for many. While nothing can speed up the release of GTA 6, Peacock does have an alternative to it that can help pass the time, and it's already been out for several months. Peacock's crime thriller series M.I.A. follows Etta Tiger Jonze as she sets out for revenge against the cartel that murdered her family. As she enters the world of drug running and vigilante murder, Etta also embarks on a quest to become the "Queenpin of Crime." Most importantly, M.I.A. is perfect for anyone who can't wait for GTA 6. Peacock’s M.I.A. Is Essentially A TV Version Of GTA 6 Credit: Peacock It's actually remarkable how similar M.I.A. is to the premise of Grand Theft Auto VI. The stories have so much overlap that M.I.A. basically feels like a television adaptation of GTA 6, albeit one that released first. Take the premise alone: Etta is a young Latina woman living in Miami who enters the criminal underworld of South Florida at the ground floor. She has to rise through the ranks and deal with drug dealers and gangsters in order to accomplish her goal of avenging her family. M.I.A.'s premise should be immediately familiar to GTA 6 fans, as it's broadly the same as Lucia Camino's story. Like Etta, Lucia is a young Latina woman living in Vice City, a thinly veiled stand-in for Miami and South Florida. Lucia then attempts to rise through the ranks of organized crime to help deal with some unexplained trouble she has. There are obviously differences, like Lucia's relationship with Jason and Etta's family being murdered, but the stories are very closely aligned. Even more broadly, M.I.A. also scratches the same itch GTA VI does. As a savvy crime thriller from the co-creator of Ozark, M.I.A. falls under the same genre as GTA VI. While it is true we don't know the full scope of GTA VI's story yet, it's safe to assume it will touch on the same subjects as M.I.A. did, namely the corruption of the protagonist as they descend into the world of crime, critiques about American capitalism, and questions about the morality of killing for survival and revenge. M.I.A. Is The Perfect Show To Watch Ahead Of GTA 6’s Release The fact that M.I.A. is basically a television adaptation of Grand Theft Auto VI also makes it the perfect way to pass the time for this last week of waiting for the game. Think of M.I.A. as an appetizer: it offers a similar crime thriller story, a similar setting with a similar protagonist, and similar excitement to GTA 6. In essence, it's the next best thing to being able to play the game early. M.I.A. is also the perfect size to watch before the release of GTA 6. With just a week to go before launch day, M.I.A. only has nine episodes. Unfortunately, Peacock canceled M.I.A. season 2 preemptively. While that means Etta's revenge quest won't get a resolution, it also means viewers can experience the entire series this coming week without having to keep track of when it returns. If you're looking for something to pass the time before Grand Theft Auto VI comes out, you won't find anything better than M.I.A. Release Date 2026 - 2026-00-00 Network Peacock Showrunner Karen Campbell Cast Shannon Gisela Etta Tiger Jonze Directors Alethea Jones, Benjamin Semanoff, Gwyneth Horder-Payton, John Dahl, Mairzee Almas Writers Bill Dubuque, Karen Campbell