You Should Watch The Best Shows About Gangsters, Capiche?

Gangster shows are the among the most cinematic on TV and streaming, sometimes even having well-known and experienced directors like Guy Ritchie, Martin Scorsese, or even Michael Mann at the helm. Whether you’re interested in true crime gangster TV series or fictional narratives, these are some of the best you’ll see.

10

MobLand

MobLand is a TV series from Guy Ritchie, the acclaimed filmmaker behind Snatch and The Gentlemen, in collaboration with Top Boy creator Ronan Bennett. Interestingly, the main character here is Tom Hardy’s Ray Donovan-type mob fixer named Harry Da Souza, who works for the Harrigan crime family.

Harry is deeply embedded with the Harrigans, whose heads are the ruthless patriarch Conrad Harrigan, played by Pierce Brosnan, and the manipulative matriarch Maeve Harrigan, played by Oscar-winning actress Helen Mirren. After their rival’s son has gone missing, the Harrigans and Stevensons find themselves at the brink of war. The series mixes dark comedy and drama, with each episode delivering new cliffhangers.

9

The Penguin

Before The Batman Part 2, DC kept fans fed with The Penguin TV series, set right after the 2022 movie. Colin Farrell reprises his role of titular villain Oswald ‘Oz’ Cobb, which won him a Golden Globe, Critics Choice, and Saturn Award for his performance. His co-star Cristin Milioti, who plays Sofia Falcone, also won a Critics Choice and Saturn Award for her brilliant portrayal of the role.

Farrell nails the accent, chilling sociopathic personality of Oz, and also the quirky humor of the character. In the show, Oz, together with his sidekick Vic, will pit Gotham’s Falcone and Maroni crime families together in a quest for total power, featuring tons of betrayals and unforgivable moments. You also explore the Penguin’s incredibly dark backstory.

8

Peaky Blinders

Every episode of Peaky Blinders opens with the iconic song Red Right Hand by Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds, and that would be the theme of Tommy Shelby of the real-life-inspired Peaky Blinders gang, masterfully played by Oscar-winning actor Cillian Murphy. And every season introduces a new threat for Shelby and company to take down.

Peaky Blinders is like the Game of Thrones of gangster TV shows, with well-defined villains, an immersive setting of post-WW1 Birmingham, and no Shelby family member or main character being safe. Creator Steven Knight’s gritty writing packs a blend of family drama and suspenseful action. Sam Neill’s Inspector Campbell, Tom Hardy’s Jewish gang leader Alfie Solomons, and Adrien Brody’s Luca Changretta are all highlights.

While the series currently stands at six seasons, there will be a follow-up Peaky Blinders feature film, titled The Immortal Man, and there are talks of a Season 7 as well.

7

Godfather Of Harlem

Godfather of Harlem is from Chris Brancato, a co-creator of Netflix’s Narcos. This show takes you to 1960s New York to tell the story of Black gangster Bumpy Johnson in his quest to reclaim Harlem from the Italian mob, now run by Vincent ‘The Chin’ Gigante, after having just been released from prison. If you’re familiar with Ridley Scott’s film American Gangster, this is the official prequel series.

Oscar-winning actor Forest Whitaker is as fantastic as ever as Bumpy Johnson, and Gigante is played by none other than Daredevil’s Vincent D’Onofrio. You also see the relationship between Malcolm X and Bumpy Johnson, and there are many excellent storylines and character writing, making it one of the most underrated mob series. Malcolm X’s portrayal alone makes the series worth watching.

Season Four’s storyline introduces Frank Lucas, the subject of Ridley Scott’s film, who was originally played by Denzel Washington, and the younger version is now played by Rome Flynn.

6

Power

Power is a thrilling gang series that comes from rapper 50 Cent, who executive produces and stars in the show, in collaboration with showrunner and creator Courtney A. Kemp. The story sees the rise and fall of James St. Patrick, otherwise known as Ghost, a family man, nightclub owner, and a notorious New York drug kingpin.

Ghost is joined by his friend Tommy Egan (a dynamic duo of Omari Hardwick and Joseph Sikora), and pursues an affair with Angela Valdes, an AUSA who was James’ former high school flame and is now hunting Ghost. There are lots of exciting twists and turns, and the song choices are phenomenal, with 50 Cent also creating the intro theme.

Power has three spin-offs following the different characters that were set up in the original: Power Book 2: Ghost, Power Book 3: Raising Kanan, and Power Book 4: Force, and they are all just as excellent.

5

Sons Of Anarchy

A TV series about biker gangs is Kurt Sutter’s Sons of Anarchy, starring Charlie Hunnam as the iconic Jax Teller, Katey Sagal as his mother, Gemma, and Ron Perlman as Clay Morrow, the leader of the Sons after the death of Jax’s father. As much as the show is about their criminal endeavors, it’s also about Jax’s family life and his efforts at trying to reform the MC.

Every season, the Sons of Anarchy have a new main enemy to deal with, as well as the law, which includes Taylor Sheridan’s Sheriff Hale (now the creator of the Yellowstone franchise). SAMCRO’s key members all have excellent chemistry and storylines, featuring many sad fates. Author Stephen King even makes an appearance.

Be sure to also check out the sequel series from Kurt Sutter and Elgin James, Mayans M.C., centered on brothers EZ and Angel Reyes.

4

Fargo

Fargo is an Emmy-winning anthology series based on the Oscar-winning 1996 film by the Coen Brothers, who also serve as executive producers. Like the movie, the series begins by stating that the events playing out are a true story, and every season past the first follows different crime families in the territories of Minnesota, South Dakota, and Fargo, North Dakota. Every season is also star-studded.

Season One stars Billy Bob Thornton and Martin Freeman. Season Two is a prequel that follows the Gerhardt crime family, led by Jean Smart. Season Three has Ewan McGregor playing the dual role of brothers. Season 4 pits two rival Kansas City crime syndicates in the 1950s. The fifth season follows the criminal militia led by Jon Hamm’s corrupt right-wing Sheriff Roy Tillman.

3

Tokyo Vice

Tokyo Vice comes from crime thriller veteran Michael Mann and is a fictionalized retelling of real-life American journalist Jake Adelstein’s story of taking on the Yakuza through his reporting at a Japanese paper. Adelstein is portrayed by Baby Driver’s Ansel Elgort, who gives his best dramatic performance yet, even learning Japanese for the role.

While you have the questionable journalism tactics of Jake Adelstein and the police side of things, you also get to see the Yakuza’s inner workings and feuds through the character Sato, one of the series’ best characters, played by actor Show Kasamatsu. There’s also Godzilla’s Ken Watanabe as Detective Katagiri, Fargo and Legion’s Rachel Keller as Samantha, and Babel and Pacific Rim’s Rinko Kikuchi as Eimi.

2

Boardwalk Empire

Boardwalk Empire is executive produced by the master of cinema and gangster epics himself, Martin Scorsese, and he even directed the pilot episode for which he won an Emmy. It follows the criminal activities of Steve Buscemi’s Enoch ‘Nucky’ Thompson during Prohibition in Atlantic City, New Jersey, a character based on the real-life figure Enoch ‘Nucky’ L. Johnson.

The production design, cast, and storytelling make this one of the best gangster epics told as a TV series. The best side characters that can even outshine Buscemi’s character include Michael Kenneth Williams’ Chalky White, Stephen Graham’s menacing Al Capone, Michael Shannon’s Nelson Van Alden, Michael Stuhlbarg’s Arnold Rothstein, and Glenn Fleshler’s third-person-speaking George Remus.

1

The Sopranos

The godfather of all gangster shows is The Sopranos. Created by David Chase in 1999, this show helped make HBO the esteemed brand it is today and gave some of the most memorable TV episodes. The Sopranos was brilliant at being a modern-day look into the Italian mob in New Jersey, while also shining a light on mental health and seeking therapy.

James Gandolfini is superb as Tony Soprano, a crime boss whose family life and criminal life cause him severe panic attacks and depression. Even though a gangster, Tony felt like America’s dad, and his family, along with supporting characters like Christopher Moltisanti, Paulie, Silvio, Bobby, Janice, and Dr. Jennifer Melfi became some of the best characters created for television.