Overview: Miami Beach, 1959. As Ike Evans rings in the New Year at his luxurious Miramar Playa Hotel, Havana falls to Castro’s rebels. It’s a turbulent time in Miami, but it’s THE place to be. The Kennedys, the mob and the CIA all hold court here. And Ike, he’s the star of his hotel. But everything comes at a price.

DVD Verdict: It seems Starz has got some TV mojo these days. Having brought us Spartacus and then Boss, we now get a climpse into the classy, yet brutal Miami of the late fifties in 'Magic City.'

Set in the late 50's, a really classy time, the creators have gone to incredible depths to show just how classy the time period was. With the cars that rock alongside the music, from the Rat Pack the mob guys to the casinos and the drinks, everything is design icing on the cake.

As Frank Sinatra rings in a new year in the grand ballroom of Miami Beach's most luxurious dream palace - the Miramar Hotel - its visionary leader, Ike Evans (Jeffrey Dean Morgan), must deal with the Mob, his complicated family and a city in the midst of dramatic change as Fidel Castro takes control of Cuba just 200 miles offshore.

By day the hotel at the center of 'Magic City' is all diving clown acts and cha-cha lessons by the pool, but at night Miami Beach reveals a darker truth. Dopers, dealers, strippers, gangsters and those who arrest them drift together to hear the top nightclub acts perform. Just beneath the surface, racial tensions stir. Ike must deal with all of this, even while global intrigue is brewing right under his roof.

Jeffrey Dean Morgan as the lead, what a fantastic choice of actor, we don't see enough of his talents. Inded, all the acting is good, the characters quickly defined with a touch of slight touch of cliché personalities. But I think it helps to make the story move along by quickly separating the good from the bad and the mysterious.

And so, for all those viewers that have yet to see this picked-up-for-a-second season TV show, take a few hours on the couch and relax. Watch a few episodes in a row, and you will go back in time. If you are having any personal difficulties in life; this is the heroin that will allow you a few hours respite. You will become a fly on the wall at the Miramar Hotel in Miami Beach in 1959. I doubt you will think of anything other than whats happening on the screen. You will however, want more! This is a Widescreen Presentation (1.85:1) enhanced for 16x9 TVs.