Summary
The mix of fear and allure that draws audiences to crime drama is also part of why movies andTV shows about gangstersare so popular. It’s a tradition that started with classic films likeChinatownandThe Godfather, and the concept was adopted by subscription and streaming services generations later.
Virtually all of the TV shows about gangsters are based on real-life events and the people involved, and they’re often combined with other genres like period pieces, thrillers, or action movies. That’s what makes TV shows about gangsters an entertaining and immersive experience.
6The Sopranos
The Second Golden Age Of Television
This critically acclaimed show about gangsters was so good, and so universally loved, that it’s credited with breathing new life into the whole TV industry, spurring the rise of “prestige” television, and its effects still reverberate in the present. A prequel movie,The Many Saints of Newark,was released in 2021 and starred Micheal Gandolfini, the son ofThe Sopranosstar James Gandolfini, as a young version of Tony Soprano in 1970s New Jersey. The show’s depictions of mob life were so genuine thatreal-life Mafiosos were convinced that the writers had a “made guy” feeding them information.
Although the show bears the title of the main character’s family, Tony Soprano is a criminal in the serviceof the DiMeo family, and over six seasons, viewers see him rise from a middle-management boss to the main capo. The twist is that most of his story comes out in his weekly therapy sessions as he tries to deal with the stress, guilt, and moral conflicts of being a gangster.
5The Penguin
Spinoff-Sequel To Matt Reeves' The Batman
The popularity of Matt Reeves’TheBatmanmovie, starring Robert Pattison as the titular character, prompted the production ofThe Penguin, which is intended to act as both a sequel to and a spinoff of the film. Colin Farrell returns to the role, which was also critically acclaimed in the film, as a thug for the Maroni crime family, and the series chronicles his rise to power in the criminal underworld of Gotham City.
The recent trend in theBatmanfranchise is less about superheroes and more about gangsters, andThe Penguinhas the same tone and aesthetic as the movie on which it is based. The realistic, gritty tone resonates more with audiences these days than the bright and happy superhero movies of a few years ago, and this show is the perfect combination of comic book lore and gangster story.
4Breaking Bad
Neo-Western Black Comedy Gangsters
It’s is not only one of the best and most popular shows about living a life of crime, it might be the best television series of all time. Every season ofBreaking Badis beloved by viewers and critics alike, and it’s become a cultural zeitgeist with quotes like “I am the one who knocks"and smash-hit spinoff shows likeBetter Call Saul.
Walter White doesn’t start as a gangster; the pilot episode emphasizes his humble roots as a high-school chemistry teacher dealing with a tragic but common problem. When he finds out his lung cancer is likely terminal, he cooks up a plan (pun intended) with a former student to start a meth lab and make some real money. Throughout the first few seasons,Walter becomes one ofthe most dangerous gangsters alive, and his metamorphosis from an everyday guy to a ruthless drug lord is chilling.
3Peaky Blinders
British Period Crime Drama
Peaky Blindersis a choice series for those looking for a gangster movie that explores the mob outside of an American aesthetic. Not only is this a popular crime thriller, it’s a period drama that takes place in England in the years following the first World War. Tommy Shelby, played by Cillian Murphy, heads up the gang that gives the show its name, and each season tells another story about expanding their crime empire beyond their base in Birmingham.
The story includes some real historical figures that improve the immersive effect, such as a young Winston Churchill as the law enforcement figure who orders Major Chester Campbell to clear out some local organized crime with connections to the IRA. The popularity of the show has also prompted a full-length movie sequel entitledThe Immortal Manwhich Netflix is producing.
2Narcos
The King Of Cocaine
The name Pablo Escobaris well-known enoughthat he could be a celebrity, but the true story of how he became involved in the cocaine trade and came to the attention of US authorities, namely the CIA, is much more complicated. He became the head of a crime syndicate in the city of Medellín, Columbia, and in a few years, he was one of the wealthiest and most notorious gangsters on the planet.
Narcostells the story of how Escobar began as a simple drug mule and took advantage of the American appetite for cocaine to become not only a powerful gangster but a politician and popular public figure. This dramatized but mostly-true story prompted regular news stories back in the 1980s, and inspired both this series and a second series,Narcos: Mexico, which launched in 2018.
1Boardwalk Empire
American Historical Drama
The 1920s were a time when gangsters used the power of Prohibition money to influence every level of government along with controlling crime on the street.Boardwalk Empireis a period drama about that era and takes place along the American East Coast in places like New Jersey and Atlantic City.
The pilot episode was famously directed by Martin Scorsese and cost almost 20 million dollars, which is expensive even for a network like HBO, sothis series was a big investmentfrom the start. The show introduces several real people as characters, and is as much about them and their world, even when it focuses on the corrupt and lavish lifestyle of the main character, “Nucky” Thompson. It’s a show about gangsters that’s more grounded in reality than others, for those interested in history as opposed to just drama.
