Peacock’s new crime drama M.I.A. is already proving itself to be a tense, character-driven thriller rooted deeply in the culture and contradictions of Miami itself. Created by Ozark co-creator Bill Dubuque, the nine-episode drama follows Etta Tiger Jonze, a young woman whose life is shattered after her family’s brutal murder pulls her into a dangerous revenge mission against Miami’s criminal elite. Among the show’s ensemble cast is Cary Elwes, who stars as Kincaid, a former Miami detective turned private investigator navigating a city where morality is constantly blurred.

During our conversation, Cary Elwes spoke about filming throughout Miami, the layered moral conflict driving Kincaid, and why Dubuque’s writing elevates M.I.A. beyond a traditional crime drama. 

Hi! I’m talking to you here from Miami. 

Cary Elwes: We very much enjoyed making this show in Miami. We all fell in love with your city. And Miami plays a very large role in our show, obviously. It’s set there, and we embraced it, and everybody seemed to embrace us, which was very nice. It was reflected on screen.

So with your character Kincaid, what defines his moral compass in a world where nearly every character is morally gray?

Cary Elwes: Good question. I think that’s part of the journey that all these characters are going on. They have to look inward and really reflect on whether or not they’re making the right life choices.

That’s the beauty of Bill Dubuque. I’ve been a fan of his for a long time. He obviously writes great character-driven stories, but they’re action-packed like this one. I think this is probably the most exciting thing I’ve seen him do.

No, it was surprising, especially after that first episode. I couldn’t believe a quarter of that cast disappeared. I was looking forward to seeing the growth of a few of those guys, but that’s not the case anymore. Moving on, with Kincaid, do you view him more as an outsider to this world that’s based in Miami?

Cary Elwes: Well, he’s an ex-Miami detective turned private investigator. From the folks that I interviewed who are active investigators living in Miami, they all told me the same thing, which is that, number one, a lot of them are ex-police officers, and they rely heavily on their colleagues in the department to feed them information. Also, having worn uniforms for such a long period of time, they really leaned into dressing more casually. So they didn’t find my choices too much of a stretch for this part.

But what I liked about Kincaid is that, yes, he’s somebody who is inquisitive by nature. That’s his job. But because he’s strapped financially, he takes on this case to find the killers of this young girl’s family and discovers that the people who hired him for the job have questionable ethics, so he’s forced to reevaluate his own morals.

And speaking of that, what do you think Kincaid tells himself to justify not looking too deeply into who he’s working for?

Cary Elwes: That’s essentially what everyone tries to tell themselves the first time they encounter somebody who’s not being straight with them, right? They try to find all kinds of excuses, especially if it’s a financial one, to continue down that path. I think that’s human nature. 

Essentially, this willful blindness of his was more of a survival instinct, to say the least. 

Cary Elwes: What’s that saying? Fool me once… I think that Kincaid can only take so much of being treated like he’s not intelligent enough to figure out the truth for himself.

Lastly, do you see him ultimately becoming an ally to Etta, or are they headed into a clash?

Cary Elwes: That’s for everyone to find out. I’m not even privy to that information myself, but I am grateful that we got to all go on this journey together. I’m very proud of this show. It’s really exciting.

It’s extremely well written, extremely well directed, and extremely well performed. All the actors on the show are terrific, including and especially Shannon Gisela, who plays the lead, Etta Tiger Jonze. She’s a remarkable talent, and I think audiences are just going to be blown away by her. But the whole cast is great. I’m so proud to be working with them. I knew some of the work from some of the cast members, but not all of them. Going to work and discovering just how talented they really are, and what wonderful people they are, Alex, was a wonderful surprise for me because it’s always nice to go work on a show where everyone ends up getting along and bonding together, and that’s what happened on this show.

Perfect, and just one last thing, quickly. What was essentially your favorite memory here in this lovely city? 

Cary Elwes: Gosh, how do you encapsulate Miami into one memory? It’s impossible. I think that’s part of the beauty. If I had to say one thing, part of the beauty of Miami is that you cannot pinpoint one specific thing. It’s a feast for the senses, both culturally and visually. There’s no other place like it on earth, right?

That is true.

M.I.A. is now streaming on Peacock.