The Gentleman
CREATOR: Guy Ritchie
CAST: Theo James, Kaya Scodelario & Giancarlo Esposito
Based on the movie of the same title by Guy Ritchie, this action-comedy series centers around Eddie Halstead and his newly inherited estate. Eddie knew the estate was big, but didn’t expect that it was hiding a drug operation, literally right underneath the grounds. Considering the drug trade is the only thing making money for such a place, Eddie needs to learn how to adapt to this new life of crime. The show features Ritchie returning to write and direct with a cast that includes Theo James, Kaya Scodelario, Daniel Ings, Shane Walker, Joely Richardson, Vinnie Jones, and Max Beesley. Watch the trailer of The Gentleman

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The Penguin
CREATOR: Lauren LeFranc
CAST: Colin Farrell, Cristin Milioti & Rhenzy Feliz
Spinning off from 2022’s The Batman, The Penguin follows the criminal lifestyle of Oswald Cobblepot. Prior to Gotham City flooding, he ran a nightclub where all manner of criminal dealings went down. With the city now in chaos more than ever, Cobblepot takes this opportunity to strike out and capitalize on the mean streets. But how long will his empire last with the Batman lurking in the shadows? This spin-off series based on the DC Comics character comes from director Craig Zobel (Compliance, The Hunt) with a cast that includes Colin Farrell, Clancy Brown, Craig Walker, Alex Anagnostidis, Berto Colon, Myles Humphus, and Mark Strong. Watch the trailer of The Penguin

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Griselda
CREATOR: Eric Newman
CAST: Sofía Vergara, Alberto Guerra & Christian Tappán
Based on a true story, this crime TV series follows the career of Griselda Blanco, one of the most prominent players in the Colombian drug trade. Having proven herself in Columbia, she takes her expertise in criminal empires and transfers to Miami. Within Florida, she manages to rise through the ranks and become one of the most prominent crime lords, earning her the title of the Godmother of Cocaine. This biographical crime TV series comes from creator Doug Miro (Narcos, Narcos: Mexico) and director Andrés Baiz (The Sandman), with a cast that includes the talents of Sofía Vergara, Alberto Guerra, Vanessa Ferlito, and Christian Tappan. Watch the trailer of Griselda

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The Brothers Sun
CREATOR: Brad Falchuk
CAST: Michelle Yeoh, Justin Chien & Sam Li
A life of crime is one that seems to fit for Charles Sun. As a Taipei gangster and killer, he’s used to executing people and furthering his cred. However, all of that changes when he learns of his father’s death in Los Angeles. He returns home to his mother and younger brother, as they prepare to do battle against a slew of assassins who want them dead. But will his mother and brother be ready for this assault? This crime comedy loaded with martial arts action comes from creators Brad Falchuk and Amy Wang, with a cast that includes Michelle Yeoh, Justin Chien, Sam Song Li, Joon Lee, and Highdee Kuan. Watch the trailer of The Brothers Sun

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The Gentlemen

CREATOR: Guy Ritchie
Based on Guy Ritchie's 2019 movie of the same title, The Gentlemen continues various characters' brash and wild criminal antics. Eddie Halstead is a man who has just inherited his father’s estate and realized there’s more to the property than meets the eye. Underneath the estate is a weed empire that Mickey Pearson built. With so many drugs at his disposal, Eddie tries his hand at venturing into the world of drug dealing and criminals. But he may have bit off more than he could chew as this new business venture spiraled out of control. Written and directed by Guy Ritchie, this fast-paced crime drama stars Theo James, Kaya Scodelario, Joely Richardson, Vinnie Jones, Daniel Ings, Alexis Rodney, and Giancarlo Esposito. Watch the trailer of The Gentlemen

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Last King of the Cross
CAST: Callan Mulvey, Lincoln Younes & Tim Roth
Based on the best-selling autobiographical book by John Ibrahim, the life of John is depicted in this drama series. He had many experiences working at Sydney's Kings Cross nightclub. Having endured the nightlife, his stories of watching what happens in the city as the sun goes down are told with great detail and allure. Directed by Grant Brown and Kieran Darcy-Smith with scripts by Kieran Darcy-Smith and Morgan O'Neill, this biopic drama series stars Lincoln Younes, Tim Roth, Callan Mulvey, Claude Jabbour, Matt Nable, Justin Rosniak, Felicity Price, Wassim Hawat, and Maria Tran. Watch the trailer of Last King of the Cross

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The Continental
CREATOR: Greg Coolidge
CAST: Mel Gibson, Peter Greene, Colin Woodell, Jeremy Bobb
As a spin-off to the John Wick series of movies, The Continental focuses on the line of hotels in a world littered with criminals. The hotels exist as neutral territory where hitmen call truces amid their wars. While a war for criminal dominance rages outside, The Continental attempts to maintain a dapper and sophisticated environment of high class. But can that class remain when the battle of bitter hitmen rages further? Created by Greg Coolidge and Shawn Simmons, this action-packed tale of violence and crime stars Mel Gibson, Colin Woodell, Peter Greene, Nhung Kate, and Katie McGrath. Watch the trailer of The Continental

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Shantaram
CREATOR: Steve Lightfoot
CAST: Charlie Hunnam, Fayssal Bazzi & Sujaya Dasgupta
Based on the novel by Gregory David Roberts, this thrilling drama centers around Lin, a bank robber takes off from Australia to India after he was previously incarcerated. Trying to put that life behind him, he takes on the new role within the slums of Bombay working as a doctor. But he still has his own demons to conquer when trying to handle his drug addiction and being drawn further into an underground world of dangers with shady characters and dirty deals. The show was created by Eric Warren Singer and Steve Lightfoot with a cast that includes Charlie Hunnam, Richard Roxburgh, Radhika Apte, Alexander Siddig, David Field, Fayssal Bazzi, and Luke Pasqualino. Watch the trailer of Shantaram

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Tulsa King
CREATOR: Taylor Sheridan
CAST: Sylvester Stallone, Max Casella & Domenick Lombardozzi
Sylvester Stallone makes the jump from the big screen to the small screen by starring in this crime drama of organized crime. Stallone plays Dwight 'The General' Manfredi, a mafia capo from New York City who has spent the last 25 years in prison. He is finally released but with the caveat that he’ll help establish a new order of the Italian mafia in Kansas City, Missouri. But he may be in for the most dangerous dealings of gangsters in his life. The series comes from the co-creator of Yellowstone and additionally stars Andrew Olson, Andrea Savage, Garrett Hedlund, and Dana Delany. Watch the trailer of Tulsa King

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Tokyo Vice
CREATOR: J.T. Rogers
CAST: Ansel Elgort, Ken Watanabe & Rachel Keller
It is the late 1990s, Jake Adelstein finds himself taking his career as a journalist to Japan where he plans to cover bigger stories in Tokyo. He investigates the Vice Squad and unearths a deep corruption that lurks within the criminal underworld. Based on the memoir Tokyo Vice: An American Reporter on the Police Beat in Japan, this biographical crime drama stars Ansel Elgort, Ken Watanabe, Rachel Keller, Ella Rumpf, Rinko Kikuchi, Hideaki Itō, Show Kasamatsu, and Tomohisa Yamashita. Watch the trailer of Tokyo Vice

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Gangs of London
CREATOR: Gareth Evans
CAST: Jasmine Armando, Orli Shuka & Joe Cole
The city of London becomes a battleground as international gangs fight for control of their territories. This war turns far more chaotic once a major crime leader, Finn Wallace (Colm Meaney), is assassinated. But who killed him? There are too many suspects both internal and external within his crime family, leading a criminal feud that grows more intense between the Albanian Mafia, Kurdish freedom fighters, Pakistani Drug Cartel, Jamaican Yardies, Chinese Triads, Italian 'Ndrangheta, Welsh travellers, and several more dangerous figures. Watch the trailer of Gangs of London

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Giri/Haji
CREATOR: Joe Barton
CAST: Takehiro Hira, Yosuke Kubozuka & Masahiro Motoki
One of the best Netflix Originals to date. Giri/Haji is about detective from Tokyo who searches around London to find his missing brother. His brother has gotten involved with the gangsters of the infamous Yakuza. The creators of HBO's Chernobyl are responsible for this high rated gangster show. Watch the trailer of Giri/Haji

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Reprisal
CREATOR: Josh Corbin
CAST: Abigail Spencer, Rodrigo Santoro & Mena Massoud
Abigail Spencer stars in this neo-noir gangster story as a femme fatale who takes revenge on a gang that had left her for dead. This Hulu crime series premiered in december 2019. Watch the trailer of Reprisal

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Warrior
CREATOR: Jonathan Tropper
CAST: Andrew Koji, Olivia Cheng, Dianne Doan
In 19th century San Francisco Chinatown, gang war rages. Ah Sahm (Andrew Koji) is an immigrant and martial arts prodigy who comes to San Francisco seeking his sister. In doing so, however, he ends up being thrown into the violent Tong Wars as rival Chinese gangs continue their war for the streets. Ah Sahm ends up becoming a hitman and finds himself getting in too deep into a life of crime. Based on an original concept originally developed by Bruce Lee. Watch the trailer of Warrior

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Mirzapur
CREATOR: Karan Anshuman
CAST: Abhishek Banerjee, Sheeba Chaddha & Shaji Chaudhary
The Mafia Don of Mirzapur, Akhandanand Tripathi, is a millionaire carpet exporter and a ruthless and iron-fisted Indian gangster in this Prime Video exclusive. His song is looking to take over, resulting in chaos and violence. Watch the trailer of Mirzapur

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Godfather of Harlem
CREATOR: Chris Brancato
CAST: Forest Whitaker, Vincent D'Onofrio & Giancarlo Esposito
American Mob Boss and Bookmaker Bumpy Johnson found his beloved Harlem in the hands of the Italian mafia when he returned from prison in the 1960's. He takes them on to regain power over his neighborhood. Watch the trailer of Godfather of Harlem

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Too Old To Die Young
CREATOR: Ed Brubaker, Nicolas Winding Refn
CAST: Miles Teller, Jena Malone & William Baldwin
Danish Director Nicolas Winding Refn, famous for his violent yet arty gangster and action movies like Only God Forgives & Pusher, is making a series for Amazon Video. Too Old to Die Young is a series about the Los Angeles underworld, following the 'existential journeys from being killers to becoming samurais'. RATING: 95/100

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McMafia
CREATOR: Hossein Amini, James Watkins
CAST: James Norton, David Strathairn & Juliet Rylance
A British Gangster tv show produced by the BBC about Alex Godman, the son of a Russian mafia figure in exile. He wants to buildt a legitimate business in London but is forced to settel unfinished business with ghosts from the past. Watch the trailer of McMafia

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Lilyhammer
CREATOR: Eilif Skodvin, Anne Bjørnstad
CAST: Steven Van Zandt, Trond Fausa, Steinar Sagen, Marian Saastad Ottesen
This show truly was innovative, even besides style and content. It was the very first Original series produced by Netflix, and consequently changed the television landscape. Now in 2015 Netflix is coming with 9 new original tv shows, and other channels and online streaming websites are following suit, like Amazon. There is now a place for smaller drama’s because millions of people are reached, the people yearning for quality series. Lilyhammer bring the American/Italian mafia flavor to Norway. In this American/Norwegian co-production its all about New Yorker mafioso Frank Tagliano (Steve van Zandt, known as Silvio from the Soprano’s) who is forced to take refuge in a small village in Norway, due to trouble at the homefront. He almost instantly faces the strict Norwegian bureaucracy and the authorities. It is a crime comedy drama, with terrific black humor and an outstanding performance by van Zandt. Interesting fact is that the first season was watched by one-fifth of the Norwegians. RATING: 81/100

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Snowfall
CREATOR: Eric Amadio, John Singleton
CAST: Damson Idris, Carter Hudson, Isaiah John, Sergio Peris-Mencheta
Perhaps this is FX's respons to the huge success of Netflix's Narcos. Snowfall follows a young dealer struggling for power in a crime cartel, amidst the 1980's crack cocaine epidemic. RATING: 80/100

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The Deuce
CREATOR: George Pelecanos, David Simon
CAST: Mustafa Shakir, James Franco, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Gbenga Akinnagbe
In the 1970's Time Square had a thriving porn industry. And make no mistake about it, the mob was banking it. There are some big names attached to the project, like James Franco, who will play a front for the mob. It's created by David Simon, the man behind 'The Wire' RATING: 80/100

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The Wire
CREATOR: David Simon
CAST: Dominic West, Lance Reddick & Sonja Sohn
Pitching The Wire to non-believers is a tough job. ‘An anti-cop show disguised as a cop show’ doesn’t tingle anyone. “Truthful, complex stories about the American people left behind in a postmodern urban society” may cover the series’ content, but will not invite a lot of people to start viewing the best tv show ever made. The cult status The Wire (slowly) received probably has a lot to do with word-of-mouth, and for good reason. The show is simply ingenious and will leave a lasting impression, leaving the restraint one might have before watching the show far behind. Despite it’s ambition to make a harsh point, it’s complexity and the vast amount of characters, The Wire tells unheard stories in an original and thought provoking way. We are confident we’ll see lots of great and innovative drama shows in the years to come, but none of them is probably going to beat The Wire in all its strength. RATING: 94/100

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Breaking Bad
CREATOR: Vince Gilligan
CAST: Bryan Cranston, Anna Gunn, Aaron Paul, Dean Norris
A chemistry teacher has had enough of his boring, frustrating and unreasonable life. After being diagnosed with cancer, he starts cooking crystal meth. Brilliant. RATING: 95/100

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Boardwalk Empire
CREATOR: Terence Winter
CAST: Steve Buscemi, Stephen Graham & Vincent Piazza
Boardwalk Empire is based on the true life of criminal kingpin Enoch Johnson, a man who is described as equal parts politician and gangster. He is played by Steve Buscemi, famous from Reservoir Dogs and Fargo, who gives a very memorable performance, and will be among the coolest gangster characters from television, just behind James Gandolfini’s Italian gangster Tony Soprano. Watch this show! RATING: 86/100

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Peaky Blinders
CREATOR: Steven Knight
CAST: Cillian Murphy, Paul Anderson, Sophie Rundle
BBC made something special, but despite that it looks terrific, and really takes you back to the Birmingham just after World War 1, it is also a bit clumsy and messy at times. Simply put, it does not quite live up to its promise of becoming the ‘Brummy’ version of the American Boardwalk Empire. That being said, I did really enjoy this classic more slow-paced British gangster series, and seeing that it only has six episodes in the first season of the mini-series, you can understand that it did not hit as hard as a Boardwalk Empire. Season 2 is up for release in 2014, and it would not surprise me if the show will really pick up from there. The story and the setting are incredible, so there is a lot there to be developed. Peaky Blinders is about a local Birmingham Irish gang run by the Shelby family (one of the brothers is played by the terrific Cillian Murphy) who were controlling the city with relative ease until a new Chief of police is installed, who is not afraid to fight back. The main attraction luring me in to watch this show was its creator Steven Knight, the writer of Cronenberg’s Eastern Promises (2007) about Russian gangsters. RATING: 88/100

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Narcos
CREATOR: Carlo Bernard, Chris Brancato, Doug Miro
CAST: Pedro Pascal, Matias Varela & Damián Alcázar
The thrilling, unbelievable story about Pablo Escarole and the hunt for his blood. RATING: 89/100

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Dom
CREATOR: Breno Silveira
CAST: Gabriel Leone, Flávio Tolezani & Filipe Bragança
For police officer Victor, fighting crime has been his life mission as he continues to bust up the drug scene in Brazil as narcotics continue to flow about Rio de Janeiro. The war becomes all the tougher to wage, however, when his son, Pedro, not only becomes a drug addict but one of the most wanted men in the country for his crimes. Can a father continue his job when his son’s life is on the line? This crime thriller with commentary on the brutal battle of the opioid epidemic was created by Breno Silveira (One Against All) and stars Gabriel Leone, Flávio Tolezani, and Filipe Bragança. Read more

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Darklands
CAST: Dane Whyte, Thomas Kane Byrne & Luke McQuillan
The dreams of the young Damien Dunne are filled with wrestling, hoping that he’ll one day rise to the lengths of being a MMA fighter. Such stardom can’t be found in his dreary hometown with gritty streets, especially when his family is struggling to survive. A source of income comes in the form of local drug dealing but also creates much tension in a feuding family. Wrestling may be the least stressful part of Damien’s life as he soon finds himself wrapped up in a dangerous world of crime. Read more

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Impuros
CREATOR: Alexandre Fraga
CAST: Raphael Logam, Rui Ricardo Diaz & Cyria Coentro
Evandro intends to become businessman, but it is not long before he turns into a gangster, and builds up a huge empire out of his organization of crime. A Brazilian... Read more

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Mocro Maffia
CREATOR: Achmed Akkabi
CAST: Achmed Akkabi, Mandela Wee Wee & Nasrdin Dchar
Mocro Maffia is a crime story about best friends Romano, Potlood and De Paus. With the three of them, they rise in rank within the criminal world. Before they know it, they own the total coke market... Read more

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O Mecanismo
CREATOR: José Padilha
CAST: Caroline Abras, Selton Mello, Enrique Diaz
A Brazilian show that makes one think of Netflix's gangster hit Narco. A Mecanismo is a crime drama loosely based on the investigation into corruption in both... Read more

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Gangster tales mostly come from the United States, but Peaky Blinders showed us that they don’t have to in order to be good. Below you’ll find a list with the recent essentials.


This article is about the (mainly British and American) best mafia and gangster tv shows of the 10’s including the new gangster series of 2019/2020. They are far from perfect, and definitely cannot compete with was on the telly before 2010, but they will do.

Before I get there, I will expound on the gangster genre, but first allow me to apologize for using the word ‘cool’ in relation to mobster/gangster tv shows, or in relation to anything else for that matter. Only 24 years old, but I am already hopelessly out of touch with the proper slang, and that makes me, quite frankly, rather happy. But still, I feel the word ‘cool’ really does justice to the qualities a gangster series must possess. Just as with gangster films, even in 2015 with for instance Martin Scorsese’s American white collar crime version of the Italian mafia tale Goodfellas, The Wolf of Wall Street, it is clear that when it comes to the gangster or mafia genre simply making good film or series will not suffice. In the same vein as that horrors need to send shivers down your spine or disturb you immensely, good gangster tv shows ought to ooze coolness.

The best series might be incredible, let’s say, in terms of screenplay, mise-en-scene and acting, but if it ain’t cool it won’t fly – then it’s just a crime drama. Robert de Niro feeling gangster in the seventies 'Taxi Driver' In this sense, even with the best gangster series or films, achieving actual enjoyment requires a bit of a suspension of good taste on the part of the viewer. Because of the very subject matter, the filmmakers play into a rather childish sentiment – remember your own childhood Robert de Niro Taxi Driver (1976) moment? For me, I experienced the admiration for the silent coolness of gangsters and mafiosi when I was 12 and watched this bar fight scene with Chazz Palmenteri in A Bronx Tale (1993). I must confess I am almost embarrassed to share this scene, but I feel the moment Palmentiri says ‘Now yous can’t leave’ is quite exemplary of what I am trying to say about cool gangsters. But still, some filmmakers know just how to evoke this feeling again, even in you are in your fifties. Tarantino, Scorsese and Coppola know just how this works.

But here is where gangster tv shows can really make the difference, and have been making the difference. I’m not claiming that there are no films that have not turned the gangster genre upside down, but the amount of time television series have available for character development and in-depth psychological investigations into the man behind the gangster, give it the tools to take it to the next level. Here I have listed the best new Gangster tv shows of 2017 and for 2018 and of the rest of 10’s. And I will solely focus on tv shows also from the point of view of gangsters, not only of the policemen or detectives.

Unfortunately, my in-depth investigation into the modern gangsters seems to find that unlike last decade’s shows like The Sopranos (HBO 1999-2007), The Wire (HBO 2002-2008), The Shield (FX 2002-2008), the French Braquo (2009 – showing the gangster-like quality of corrupt cops), Sons of Anarchy (FX 2008 -) and of course the ground-breaking AMC’s Breaking Bad (2009-2013), the new shows in 2010’s up to 2018 are rather conservative or exaggerate the required coolness, making it very uncool. These new gangster tv shows make the mistake of being out to immediately impress with tough or suave gangsters without supplying the essential dramatic quality. These tv makers forget that a character is doubly frightening if you can see him as a troubled, scared young boy, but also as a terrifying ruthless mafioso willing to murder his best friends if need be, like Tony Soprano. I was hoping for a show like HBO’s 2014 True Detective. What this show is doing to stretch the detective genre, should also be done for gangster television.What also could be interesting would be a Tarantino Reservoir Dogs (1992) style tv series, or a show in the style and content of a Mean Streets (1973).

Ok, I admit that so far I have been rather negative of tone. I am sorry about that, but it’s difficult to hide my disappointment. There are a few pretty good foreign gangster series, like in Europe, the Dutch show Penoza (2010-) or the Norwegian gangster show Lilyhammer (2012- an unofficial Soprano spin-off). I have not heard of anything about Asian gangster tv shows, anything further than the American noir detective Serangoon Road (2013) set in Singapore (so please let me know if I am missing something, same goes for shows from Latin-America). There have been quite a few decent American gangster tv shows, like Magic City (2012) about Miami mobsters in the 1950’s, but it just doesn’t cut it.