‘Mike’: Hulu Throws Knockout Punch in Mike Tyson Limited Series (Review)

Over the years, there have been several documentaries and movies made that are based on the story of Mike Tyson. The one that stands out is the HBO movie Tyson, which stars Michael Jai White as the boxing star. That film was released in 1995 and told his story up until when he was arrested and convicted of raping Desiree Washington. But now that it’s 2022 and Tyson has continued to stay in the headlines for the right and wrong reasons. This has led to Steven Rogers and Karin Gist telling their story of Tyson in the new Hulu limited series Mike. And while the series is similar to previous adaptations in terms of telling the ups and downs of Tyson’s career and professional life, it takes viewers on a wild and challenging ride. 

The series starts with Tyson (Trevante Rhodes) taking on Evander Holyfield in 1997 and biting his ear. It then goes to his one-man show in 2017, and this is where he talks to the audience (and the viewers) about his life. Each 30-minute episode takes a look at Tyson’s life starting when he was a little kid and being bullied which led to him fighting back and eventually getting into trouble with the law. The first two episodes show the rise of Tyson and becoming heavyweight champion. Episodes 3 and 4 take a deep dive into Tyson’s relationships with Robin Givens (Laura Harrier) and Don King (Russell Hornsby) as well as the beginning of his downfall which includes suffering the first loss of his boxing career.

But the fifth episode is the one that’s attention-grabbing and hard to watch as the focus is on Washington (Li Eubanks) and the trial against Tyson. Other than the one interview she did with Barbara Walters in 1992, Washington never told her story to a media outlet and has stayed out of the spotlight. In Episode 5, Washington breaks the fourth wall and gives viewers a brutal look at that night when she was raped by Tyson and the backlash she received for fighting back. 

Portraying Tyson is not easy, but Rhodes has no issue becoming the boxing legend. Known for his role in the Academy Award-winning film Moonlight, Rhodes captures Tyson’s voice style and presence in a way that hasn’t been done before. But as good Rhodes is as Tyson, Hornsby’s portrayal as King is second to none. One could argue that Hornsby is one of the more underrated actors in Hollywood as he always delivers in any movie or TV role has been in during his nearly 30-year career. He captures what made King the most well-known promoter in boxing history. Mike also features the legendary Harvey Keitel who plays Tyson’s trainer and mentor Cus D’Amato, and while he can be tough, Keitel makes the character likable and the voice Tyson needs to hear for him to become a boxing legend. 

The real Tyson called out Hulu for producing a series about his life. There are very full dull moments in Mike and fans of the boxer will enjoy learning more about who he is as a person. But because of that, there are some moments where the story takes a very dark turn which reminds us that Tyson has lived a very interesting and very disturbing life. Nonetheless, Mike has the tools to become an undisputed champion among limited series this summer.