15. Love/Hate (2008)
This RTÉ series about Dublin, Ireland’s criminal underworld probably flew under your radar. Across five seasons, we watch a string of interconnected characters as they fight, bargain, and kill for power.
AlthoughLove/Hatewas the subject of controversy due to its graphic nature and the casting of a real undercover Garda Síochána member, it was still met with critical acclaim and various awards.
Created by Stuart Carolan, this realistic TV drama stars Aidan Gillen, Robert Sheehan, Tom Vaughan-Lawlor, and Killian Scott—names that aren’t unknowns in the British TV industry.
Related:A Guide to British Accents Using Popular TV Characters
14. Top Boy (2011)
Top Boygot a lot of buzz throughout its five seasons. When Channel 4 suddenly cancelled it after two seasons, Drake himself bought the rights and soldTop Boyto Netflix so fans wouldn’t be disappointed!
The popularity of Ronan Bennett’s crime drama was mostly due to its unflinching realism.Top Boyunfolds in modern-day London in a Hackney housing estate that many viewers will find familiar.
Even though Dushane (played by Ashley Walters) and Sully (played by Kane Robinson) are drug dealers,Top Boystill feels relatable because it successfully adopts a realist tone with sympathetic characters.
13. McMafia (2018)
The protagonists of gangster shows are difficult to place. We’re privy to their motives, histories, and pressures, so we come to understand their criminal behaviors. Yet, what they’re doing is still technically immoral.
Alex Godman (played by James Norton) truly wants to play it straight as a banker, despite his wealthy father’s involvement in the Russian Mafia. But by the end ofMcMafia, he’s accidentally transformed himself into an all-out kingpin, Walter White style.
You can feel the money, greed, and alpha energy radiating off this BBC drama, which was triggered by Misha Glenny’s nonfiction bookMcMafia: A Journey Through the Global Criminal Underworld.
Related:The Best BBC Drama Series of All Time
12. Kin (2021)
A more polished version of the aforementionedLove/Hate,Kinis yet another Irish crime drama produced by RTÉ and starring Aidan Gillen. Peter McKenna and Ciaran Donnelly fly us back to Dublin, where a petty local feud erupts into death and destruction.
The bad blood between the Kinsellas and the Cunninghams is uncannily similar to the real-life Hutch versus Kinahan rivalry that has left 18 people dead (so far).
That said, the creators have only vaguely denied that the events inKinwere inspired by the Kinahan gang, even going so far to say that it’s up to viewers to decide for ourselves.
The narrative isn’t anything we haven’t seen before, but with its talented cast, inventive framing, and tense cinematic atmosphere,Kinis very much worth roving the usual tropes for.
11. Ozark (2017)
Bill Dubuque and Mark Williams gave us this American crime drama that features two unlikely criminals: an average suburban couple.
Marty and Wendy Byrde (played by Jason Bateman and Laura Linney) move to the Lake of the Ozarks with their kids. Why? To launder money for a Mexican drug cartel. Of course, it goes badly wrong.
The final season was particularly praised for its clear direction, acting, and polished cinematography. It also won a fair number of awards, including a couple of Golden Globes for Bateman’s performance.
Related:The Best Female TV Anti-Hero Characters
10. Gangs of London (2020)
If you likePeaky Blinders, you have to check outGangs of London. It’s about another British gang-family who practically owns the city, except this time it’s in modern-day London rather than post-war Birmingham.
Peaky Blindersstar Joe Cole even headlines this action-packed drama, created by Gareth Evans and Matt Flannery.
Loosely based on the 2006 video game,Gangs of Londontracks two rival gangs in the heart of Britain’s most multicultural city, where a power vacuum is left after the assassination of the head of the Wallace family.
Gangs of Londonwas an immediate critical and commercial success, one of the biggest shows to launch in the summer of 2020.
Related:The Best Modern British TV Shows
9. Gomorrah (2014)
The US and UK television landscapes both feed off all things thrilling and criminal, but that doesn’t mean they should hog all the spots! That’s why I’m throwing an Italian-language pick into the mix.
Roberto Saviano’s gritty modern noirGomorrahis set in Naples and depicts the internal shifts of the Savastano clan.
Unlike most gang TV shows, which focus on external gangland warfare,Gomorrahis more concerned with different generations within a specific mafia family. You know, like a TV version ofThe Godfather.
Marco D’Amore reigns supreme over this critically acclaimed drama, which was so successful that it hopped across continents and streamed in almost 200 countries!
8. The Wire (2002)
LikeTop Boy,The Wireis one of those shows that everyone seems to have watched. At first, it seemed like HBO had just made another detective show where police try to crack down on crime and corruption.
However, what makesThe Wireso uniquely great is that it’s taken from a range of perspectives, from detectives to drug dealers to dockworkers to school teachers to journalists, all representing the city of Baltimore.
There are actually some major allegorical themes and motifs woven throughoutThe Wire’s five seasons, with each season moving the lens to a different institution and its effects on Baltimore as a city.
Richard Nixon’s war on drugs is still being battled in present-day Baltimore, where the hierarchies and bureaucratization of the law, the criminal and the business worlds closely mirror each other.
Related:The Best TV Shows About Cops, Police, and Criminals
7. Sons of Anarchy (2008)
Sons of Anarchyfollows the personal and “professional” life of Jackson “Jax” Teller, the president of a criminal Californian biker gang who wants to reduce the criminality of the group. Easier said than done.
Played by Charlie Hunnam, Jax is loosely based on the tragic Shakespeare protagonist Hamlet. Both characters are born into power without a father, the ghost of whom lingers over their heads as they deal with their evil uncle/stepfather.
Kurt Sutter’s action-packed crime drama attracted an average of 4.9 million weekly viewers as evidence of its brutal popularity.
Related:The Greatest Crime TV Shows About Criminal Anti-Heroes
6. Boardwalk Empire (2010)
HBO has produced an array of hit television shows in their time, from 1998’sSex and the Cityto 2019’sEuphoria. In fact, many of the shows on this very list were brought to us by HBO, including this one: Terence Winter’s period crime dramaBoardwalk Empire.
Set during Prohibition in New Jersey,Boardwalk Empireis inspired by Nelson Johnson’s 2002 bookBoardwalk Empire: The Birth, High Times, and Corruption of Atlantic City.
In it, Johnson details the rise of criminal kingpin Enoch L. Johnson, fictionalized here as Nucky Thompson, a politician with connections to the mob. Steve Buscemi takes up the role of the Machiavellian protagonist, alongside a host of other famous faces.
Related:The Best HBO TV Shows of All Time
5. Narcos (2015)
Colombia is essentially headquarters for the cocaine trade. It’s where infamous drug lord Pablo Escobar reigned, who centers as the primary figure of interest in the first two seasons of Netflix’sNarcos.
The billionaire’s interactions with other drug dealers, his enemies, and the DEA make for a gritty and fast-paced show, with an omniscient voice-over narrator to keep us up to speed.
The third season ofNarcosmoves into the boom of the Cali cartel in the absence of Escobar and remains as gripping as ever. Instead of a fourth season, there was a spin-off series in 2018 calledNarcos: Mexico.
Related:The Best Foreign-Language Netflix Original Series
4. Godfather of Harlem (2019)
Forest Whitaker stars inGodfather of Harlemas said Godfather, based on the real-life New York crime boss Bumpy Johnson in the 1960s.
After Bumpy serves ten years in prison, he returns to find his city run by the Italian mob—so he forms an alliance with Muslim minister Malcolm X. How’s that for an intriguing premise?
Chris Brancato and Paul Eckstein are the creators behind this sharply written (and dressed) crime TV series, even managing to make us sympathize with the short-tempered murderer.
As of this writing,Godfather of Harlemhas been renewed for a fourth season. There was also a documentary series made in 2020 calledBy Whatever Means Necessary: The Times of Godfather of Harlem.
3. The Sopranos (1999)
When you think gangster, you probably think of stereotypical Italian-American mobsters like the ones featured in Martin Scorsese films. And then you haveThe Sopranos.
Conceived by David Chase,The Sopranosdocuments one mob leader’s struggle to maintain family life while leading a criminal organization. What you don’t expect is for that same crime boss to have a therapist.
James Gandolfini takes on the role of Tony Soprano, who—for all his drug lord machismo—suffers from panic attacks.The Sopranosran for six seasons and is often regarded as one of the best TV shows ever made.
Related:Why The Sopranos Is Still the Greatest TV Series Ever Made
2. Breaking Bad (2008)
WhenBreaking Badfirst aired in 2008, viewers were understandably skeptical. How could the dumb-but-lovable Hal fromMalcolm in the Middleconvincingly play a homicidal drug kingpin?
But Bryan Cranston proved us all wrong with his iconic performance as the high school teacher who resorts to cooking meth. He’s the innocent Walter White by day, the notorious Heisenberg by night.
Alongside him is his troubled-but-gold-hearted partner Jesse Pinkman (played by Aaron Paul), and they get into all sorts of trouble with the Mexican cartel and the DEA. Vince Gilligan’s five-season series was hailed by critics for its writing, direction, and performances.
Related:The Best Breaking Bad Scenes, Ranked
1. Peaky Blinders (2013)
Of course,Peaky Blindershad to be number one on this list.
Despite his appearances in Christopher Nolan’s cinemaverse as well as the cult classic zombie flick28 Days Later, Cillian Murphy’s truest claim to stardom is as the eerily calm gang leader Thomas Shelby.
Beneath Tommy’s measured composure is a swarm of rage, violence, trauma, and addiction. Fighting beside him are his brothers Arthur (played by Paul Anderson) and John (played by Joe Cole), plus his legendary aunt Polly Gray (played by the late Helen McCrory).
Related:The Greatest TV Characters Who Struggle With Addiction
