As another adaptation of a mafia novel by Mario Puzo, The Last Don received unfavorable comparisons to The Godfather film series.

[9][10] John J. O'Conner of the New York Times stated that the series was too willing to reuse aspects from The Godfather, calling it "too familiar.

"[11] Ray Richmond of Variety had mixed feelings on the series, describing it as "a pretty decent trash wallow, if an overlong and often preposterous one," though he praised the performances of Joe Mantegna as mafia hitman Pippi De Lena.

[2] Scott D. Pierce of the Deseret News was more favorable, stating that "the story is intriguing, the cast is good (for the most part) and - if you have a strong stomach for violence and blood - it's relatively involving entertainment.

"[9] Hal Boedeker of the Orlando Sentinel was very unfavorable, saying that the series "drags on for six numbing hours, dwells on unappealing mob figures and contains ludicrous performances.