Created by Bill Dubuque.
M.I.A. premiered on May 7, 2026.
Distributed by Peacock in the United States and Paramount Global Content Distribution internationally.
M.I.A. (2026) TV Series Review
M.I.A. is a crime drama series set in Miami and the Florida Keys.
The story follows Etta, a young woman whose life changes after her family becomes involved in dangerous criminal problems.
She enters a world filled with crime, secrets, betrayal, and revenge.
Shannon Gisela gives a strong performance as Etta, while Cary Elwes adds mystery and experience to the show.
The series has exciting action scenes, emotional moments, and beautiful Miami visuals.
Some parts of the story can feel dramatic, but the fast pace keeps the show entertaining.
Overall, M.I.A. is a fun and suspenseful series for fans of crime and thriller television shows.
CR Rating: 7.8/10.
M.I.A. Actors
Shannon Gisela as Etta Tiger Jonze
DOB: N/A.
Bio: American actress from South Florida with Venezuelan and Irish-American heritage.
Before pursuing acting professionally, she studied psychology and leadership studies at the University of Central Florida.
Role: Etta is the series lead, a college-bound Florida Keys native whose family marina business hides a drug-running operation.
After tragedy hits, she becomes the emotional and narrative engine of the show as she moves through Miami’s violent underworld and begins deciding how far she is willing to go for revenge.
Episodes: 9 eps.
Interesting facts: Gisela has said she connected strongly to Etta because the character balances emotional vulnerability with toughness and determination.
Notable Works: Strip Law, The Secret We Keep.
Cary Elwes as Tim Kincaid
DOB: October 26, 1962.
Bio: English actor and writer born in Westminster, London.
He trained in acting after moving to the United States and attended both Sarah Lawrence College and the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art.
Role: Tim Kincaid is a former Miami police detective turned private investigator in M.I.A..
Initially hired to investigate the Tiger Jonze family murders, Kincaid gradually becomes entangled in the larger criminal conspiracy surrounding Etta Tiger Jonze.
Episodes: 7 eps.
Interesting facts: Elwes said he studied real Miami private investigators for the role and used that research to shape Kincaid’s beach-bum, Hawaiian-shirt look.
Notable Works: The Princess Bride, Robin Hood: Men in Tights, Saw, The X-Files, Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One.
Danay Garcia as Leah / Carmen
DOB: July 5, 1984.
Bio: Cuban-born American actress, writer, and producer who originally trained in ballet before transitioning into acting.
Born in Havana, she later moved to the United States and built a successful screen career through television dramas, thrillers, and action projects.
Role: Leah is one of Etta’s most important family figures, while Carmen is the twin-sister half of the same performance.
Peacock and García’s own posts make clear that she plays twins, and the character work becomes central to the family and cartel tension running through the season.
Episodes: 7 eps.
Interesting facts: García has spoken about enjoying the challenge of portraying twin sisters with distinct personalities, emotional rhythms, and physical behavior.
Notable Works: Prison Break, Fear the Walking Dead, Sniper: Ultimate Kill, Liz in September.
Brittany Adebumola as Lovely
DOB: November 4, 1996.
Bio: American actress of Nigerian and Jamaican heritage who was raised in Florida before later moving to Brooklyn.
She earned a BFA in acting from Syracuse University and quickly built attention through emotionally driven television performances.
Role: Lovely is one of Etta’s new friends and part of the “chosen family” energy that helps ground the show.
Her presence gives Etta an emotional support system while also pulling her deeper into the neon crime world of Miami.
Episodes: 8 eps.
Interesting facts: Adebumola said Lovely became the series’ unexpected pulse, and she also described the water work as genuinely intimidating during filming.
Notable Works: Grand Army, 4400, The Other Black Girl, What If…?.
Dylan T Jackson as Stanley
DOB: N/A.
Bio: American actor who has steadily built recognition through television dramas and independent productions.
His screen work includes appearances in projects such as S.W.A.T., Floating Carousel, and Godfather of Harlem. M.I.A.
Role: Stanley is part of Etta’s chosen-family circle, and his story unfolds across the season as his loyalties and identity shift under pressure.
Coverage of the series describes him as undergoing a substantial personal transformation over the nine episodes.
Episodes: 8 eps.
Interesting facts: In interviews, Jackson and his co-stars discussed the chemistry of the Miami ensemble and how much the show depends on trust between the younger characters.
Notable Works: S.W.A.T., Floating Carousel, Godfather of Harlem.
Alberto Guerra as Elias Perez
DOB: December 5, 1982.
Bio: Cuban actor from Havana who started his screen career in Telemundo productions before moving into major crime titles like Narcos: Mexico and Griselda.
He has become known for playing intense, dangerous men who can dominate a scene without saying much.
Role: Elias Perez is one of the key Rojas-side power players, a cartel-connected character whose scenes place him near the center of the season’s violence and family warfare.
Peacock and episode coverage show him as an important part of the Rojas sibling machine.
Episodes: 8 eps.
Interesting facts: Guerra said Elias was an irresistible part to play, and interviews around the show describe him as bringing a distinctly Cuban angle to the crime drama.
Notable Works: Griselda, Narcos: Mexico, Crime Diaries: The Candidate, El Señor de los Cielos.
Maurice Compte as Mateo Rojas
DOB: April 18, 1972.
Bio: American actor born in New Orleans who was raised in Miami, Florida.
He has built a strong reputation through gritty crime dramas, thrillers, and action-heavy television series.
Role: Mateo Rojas is one of the most feared members of the Rojas criminal family.
As one of the adult Rojas siblings, Mateo plays a central role in maintaining the cartel’s violent operations and enforcing the family’s power across South Florida.
Episodes: 7 eps.
Interesting facts: Compte has spent much of his career playing law-breakers, enforcers, and other crime-world figures, which is exactly why he feels so at home here.
Notable Works: Breaking Bad, End of Watch, Narcos, In the Dark.
Gerardo Celasco as Samuel Rojas
DOB: April 8, 1982.
Bio: American actor born in Miami and raised in El Salvador, also known professionally as Adrian Bellani.
He has worked in Good Sam, Devil in Ohio, Swimming with Sharks, and How to Get Away with Murder.
Role: Samuel Rojas is one of the central members of the Rojas crime family.
Deeply tied to the cartel operations driving the season’s violence, Samuel operates within the family’s internal power struggle while helping maintain the Rojas criminal empire.
Episodes: 7 eps.
Interesting facts: Celasco has spoken about enjoying the opportunity to portray an original cartel-world character rather than a real historical figure.
Notable Works: Good Sam, Devil in Ohio, Swimming with Sharks, The Waterfront.
Marta Milans as Caroline Carver
DOB: April 19, 1982.
Bio: Spanish-American actress born in Madrid who built her career across independent films, television dramas, and major studio productions.
She gained early critical attention through indie thrillers before becoming internationally recognized for playing Rosa Vasquez in the Shazam! franchise.
Role: Caroline Carver is the sophisticated public face of the Rojas criminal empire in M.I.A..
The daughter of cartel leader Isaac Rojas, Caroline uses business, luxury real estate, and political influence to help protect and expand the family’s operations.
Episodes: 6 eps.
Interesting facts: Milans has spoken about becoming a mother via IVF, and she said filming in Miami while parenting a young child was both demanding and life-changing.
Notable Works: Shazam!, Shazam! Fury of the Gods, Killer Women, Devoured.
Mike Colter as Dominick Pierre / Councilman Pierre
DOB: August 26, 1976.
Bio: American actor born in Columbia who built his career through television dramas, action series, and crime thrillers.
He studied theatre at University of South Carolina before earning an MFA in acting from Rutgers University.
Role: Dominick Pierre, also known publicly as Councilman Pierre, represents the political side of the power structure.
Unlike the cartel figures operating openly through violence and intimidation, Pierre moves through government, influence, and public respectability.
Episodes: 3 eps.
Interesting facts: Colter has said his television work has always leaned toward layered, morally complex men, and M.I.A. fits neatly into that pattern.
Notable Works: Luke Cage, Evil, The Good Wife, Halo, Jessica Jones.
Selenis Leyva as Dr. Maribel Torres
DOB: May 26, 1972.
Bio: American actress born in New York City and raised in the Bronx in a Cuban and Dominican family.
She spent years building a steady television career before earning widespread recognition for her performance in Orange Is the New Black.
Role: Dr. Maribel Torres is part of the story’s professional and family infrastructure, and her name appears throughout the season’s later episodes as the plot deepens around the Rojas circle.
The character helps expand the show beyond gangland violence into family, medicine, and social consequence.
Episodes: 3 eps.
Interesting facts: Leyva has long been active in advocacy, and her family story has shaped much of her public life and writing.
Notable Works: Orange Is the New Black, Diary of a Future President, Lopez vs Lopez, Spider-Man: Homecoming, Breaking.
David Denman as Dan Jonze
DOB: July 25, 1973.
Bio: American actor born in Newport Beach who trained at Juilliard School after earlier studies in theater arts.
He first became widely recognized for playing Roy Anderson in The Office, but later expanded into dramatic, action, and thriller roles across television and film.
Role: Dan Jonze is Etta’s father and one of the central figures behind the Tiger Jonze family marina operation in M.I.A..
Beneath the appearance of a legitimate family business, the marina is tied to drug-running and organized criminal activity.
Episodes: 2 eps.
Interesting facts: Denman has said little publicly about the role beyond his enthusiasm for the show, but his career has long leaned toward emotionally bruised, working-class men.
Notable Works: The Office, Outcast, Mare of Easttown, The Equalizer 3, Rebel Ridge.
More Actors
• Edward James Olmos as Isaac Rojas.
• Billy Burke as Sheriff Jack Taylor.
• Sonia Braga as Vida Rojas.
• Loretta Devine as Aunt Judith.
FAQ – M.I.A. (2026) TV Series
What is M.I.A. (2026) about?
M.I.A. follows Etta Tiger Jonze, a young woman from the Florida Keys whose life changes after her family’s drug-running business ends in tragedy. She enters Miami’s dangerous criminal underworld seeking revenge and survival.
What genre is M.I.A.?
The show combines crime drama, thriller, revenge story, action, and family drama.
Was M.I.A. filmed in Florida?
Yes. Viewers and online discussions noted that much of the series was actually filmed in Florida, helping the show feel visually authentic.
How many episodes are in M.I.A. Season 1?
Season 1 contains 9 episodes, and all episodes were released together as a binge drop.
Where can I watch M.I.A.?
The series is streaming exclusively on Peacock.
Conclusion
M.I.A. delivers an entertaining mix of crime, revenge, suspense, and emotional drama against the colorful backdrop of Miami and the Florida Keys.
Strong performances, especially from Shannon Gisela and Cary Elwes, help keep the series engaging even when the story becomes intense and unpredictable.
With stylish visuals, fast pacing, and plenty of twists, the show offers a binge-worthy experience for fans of modern crime thrillers.