TV Review: ‘The Pack’

Review by James Lindorf

They say every dog gets its day, and with the premiere of “The Pack” on Amazon Prime Video this Friday, November 20th belongs to a specific group of 12 adorable canines. These 12 lucky dogs and their owners split into two packs of six will take on an epic adventure across multiple continents in pursuit of $500,000. The producers will also be donating $250,000 to the charity of the winners choosing, as well as donating an additional $250,000 to charities within their host cities. “The Pack” is hosted by Downhill gold medalist Lindsey Vonn and her dog Lucy the series travels to destinations like Los Angeles, Mexico City, and Paris. Each episode consists of a longer team task and an elimination challenge. The team race is started by a “leader of “The Pack”” challenge, which sees team representatives going one on one to earn their team an early lead. The losing team is forced into the elimination round, where the dog that comes in last is sent home.

Each episode highlights a couple of dogs. In the season opener, Duchess the Black Lab and Dixie the Bluetick Coonhound get the spotlight because they helped their owners through a difficult time. Dixie’s owner hurt himself while out hunting, and his injuries were a wake-up call that he couldn’t continue going through life with no connections. Duchess helped her owner grieve the loss of a child by comforting her and gently prodding her to do things like getting out of bed when all she wanted to do was lay there and cry. While these dogs bring a lot of heart to the show, I think that a doodle named Derby and his owner Kentucky with their matching blue mohawks, will be fan favorites this season.

Dogs are unpredictable, and they help keep things light, and the creators of the show aren’t taking things too seriously either. The first episode starts with an homage to La La Land’s opening number on the highway. While it may be lighthearted, “The Pack” is an elevated version of The Amazing Race. Not only does “The Pack” have that show’s competitive spirit, but it also has the pure love and joy that can only come from babies and animals. Since no one will be advocating for toddlers racing around the world, “The Pack” is the pinnacle for the unscripted global race genre. The intense races in beautiful locations ranging from the heart of the world’s 6th largest city to the depths of the jungle make “The Pack” a visual treat. At the same time, it warms your heart and sends your pulse racing. All episodes will be available on the 20th for your binging pleasure.