As with the first season, American Gangster: The Second Season profiles several African-American criminals, telling about their rise to power and eventual downfall. Ving Rhames returns as host, as do the rogues gallery of both well-known and not-so-well-known criminals. Compared to the first season, where the only "famous" criminal was "Tookie" Williams, the second season features a few more known criminals, including Frank Lucas (recently the subject of American Gangster starring Denzel Washington) and John Muhammad and John Lee Malvo, better known as the D.C. Snipers.
The profiles are mixed in terms of quality. Although each succeeds at giving enough information about each criminal's life, the quality of the people being interviewed about each isn't always the best. Episodes where the producers were able to interview victims or even the men being profiled (either in interviews or through personal tapes/ letters) tend to be better than ones featuring historians mostly because you're hearing first-hand knowledge. Even though a majority of the historians do a great job of painting a picture of the criminals and society during their rise to power, some end up making excuses or hanging onto theories rather than facts - which was a problem I had with the first season. Thankfully, it isn't nearly as prevalent and mostly seemed to pop up when it was clear that there was a shortage of information. This is especially true with the D.C. Sniper episode, which spends a lot of time on theories about why the two committed their crimes.
The three-disc series is short on extras. Aside from previews of other BET shows, there are also extended interviews with Frank Lucas, Frank Lucas, Jr., Melvin Williams and Bo Baines. Of the four, the Melvin William's interview is the most interesting, mostly because he's a pretty engaging storyteller. While his stories might put off a few people, it is hard not to listen to him.
Even though the first season had its flaws, it was still interesting and enjoyable to watch. American Gangster: The Second Season doesn't fix all of the problems with the first season, but is a much stronger season overall and worth your time.
