Top 10 Best TV Shows About Gangsters and Criminals

We all love a good crime drama TV show. They always seem to know how to keep you invested with just enough intrigue, mystery, and action in every episode.

Most TV shows usually follow the "good guys vs. bad guys" scenario, but some actually star the villains. These shows explore the complicated world of criminals and show a more relatable side to these characters instead, which makes for a compelling story.

Others have the more common setup of a detective or police officer as the main protagonist but completely focus their attention on the world of crime, which is what interests us here. Let's rank the best TV shows about gangsters and criminals.

The Top Ten

The Sopranos

The Sopranos is an American crime drama television series created by David Chase. The story centers on Tony Soprano, a fictional New Jersey Mafia boss portrayed by James Gandolfini. The series explores the difficulties Tony faces as he tries to balance his family life with managing a criminal organization... read more

The Sopranos first aired on January 10, 1999, and ran for six seasons. This American mob drama TV show, labeled by many critics and fans alike as the greatest TV show of all time, has had a major impact on pop culture and, most importantly, on television in general. It pushed creative and moral boundaries along with audience expectations, influencing many TV shows that came after it.
It wasn't very common for a show to have the "bad guys" as the main protagonists, but The Sopranos changed the game with the amazing performances by the actors, its storytelling, and, most importantly, its legacy. The show follows Tony Soprano as he tries to make his two lives fit together: his family and his other family, the mob.
Breaking Bad

Breaking Bad is an American crime drama television series created and produced by Vince Gilligan. The show originally aired on AMC for five seasons, from January 20, 2008, to September 29, 2013. It stars Bryan Cranston as a chemistry teacher who turns to methamphetamine production after a cancer diagnosis... read more

Breaking Bad first aired on January 20, 2008, and ended on September 29, 2013. It easily became many people's favorite TV show. It was even the highest-rated TV show of all time for a while. The show sees the protagonist Walter White, a chemistry teacher who leads a normal and boring life, turn into a drug kingpin after an event in his life completely changes everything, resulting in one of the most compelling characters of all time.
The show had a major impact on television, so much so that it won many awards. That is because of its incredible character work and its master-class level of storytelling.

Once you start watching Breaking Bad from Season 1, it feels a bit slow, but gradually, as the story progresses, it becomes strongly addictive just like any drug. The way the character of Walter White develops over the seasons, from being a normal chemistry teacher to a drug lord by the end, is remarkable.
The Shield

The Shield first aired on March 12, 2002, and has a total of 7 seasons. This show is a bit different because the main protagonist, Vic Mackey, is a rogue cop. He is in an experimental division of the Los Angeles Police Department called the "Strike Force." Vic is willing to sink to the criminals' level in order to take them on, going as far as breaking the law, thinking that he's bringing some sort of order to a city full of crime.
It is one of the best modern TV dramas in recent years thanks to its incredible cast and sharp writing, full of emotional moments as well as deep, well-written characters.
Peaky Blinders

Peaky Blinders is a television crime drama about a fictional gang operating in Birmingham, England, during the aftermath of World War I. The gang is loosely based on a real urban youth group that was active in Birmingham from the late 19th century into the early 20th century. The series premiered in... read more

Peaky Blinders first aired on September 12, 2013, and ran for six seasons. The show is set in Britain in 1919 in the aftermath of the Great War. It tackles various topics and issues of the time, such as soldiers returning from war, brewing threats of revolution, and criminal gangs fighting for survival in a nation rocked by economic upheaval.
The show centers around one of those gangs, the Peaky Blinders, which existed in real life, although the writers only took inspiration from them. For example, the real Peaky Blinders operated from the 1880s until the 1910s, so the time period between the two is different.
The gang is run by returning war hero Thomas Shelby and his family. Tommy is a stoic, calculating, and ambitious man. He is one man you don't want to cross, which really shows in the acting of Cillian Murphy, the actor who portrays him.
One of the reasons this show is so good is because it is full of rich, interesting, and diverse characters, all with different personalities and interesting backstories.
Dexter

Dexter is an American crime drama television series that originally aired from 2006 to 2013. Its first season is based on Jeff Lindsay's novel Darkly Dreaming Dexter, and the series follows Dexter Morgan, a forensic bloodstain pattern analyst who is also a vigilante serial killer.... read more

Dexter first aired on October 1, 2006, and ran for a very respectable eight seasons. The show is based on a series of novels written by Jeff Lindsay. The main protagonist is Dexter Morgan, who works for the police department as a forensic blood splatter analyst. He has a dark secret, however. By day, he solves murders, but at night he commits them. Dexter only murders the guilty, and because of that, he feels his actions are justified.
Michael C. Hall has been praised for his portrayal of Dexter, and the show itself has been praised for how thrilling it is. The only negative thing that can really be mentioned about this show is that many fans were disappointed by the last season, similarly to Game of Thrones. But oh well, not all TV shows have a perfect score.
Sons of Anarchy

Sons of Anarchy is an American crime drama television series created by Kurt Sutter. It aired from 2008 to 2014 and centers on an outlaw motorcycle club operating in the fictional town of Charming, California. The show explores themes of family, loyalty, and power, and it developed a large and devoted... read more

Sons of Anarchy first aired on September 3, 2008, and ran for seven seasons. It is one of FX's most popular and successful TV shows. Created by Kurt Sutter and set in California, this crime drama follows the main charter of a motorcycle club that runs a thriving illegal arms business.
The main character is Jax Teller, the son of one of the club's founding members, John Teller, who was also its first president until his strange death in a motorcycle accident. Jax is in a constant struggle as his loyalty to his club is always tested by his moral compass and his growing unease concerning the group's lawlessness.
The reason this show is so good is because the supporting cast is filled with actors just as skilled as the main three. The show creator also took inspiration from real life, with the Hells Angels being an obvious source of inspiration. More importantly, he took inspiration from Shakespeare's Hamlet to tell his story.
The Wire

The Wire is an American crime drama television series set and produced in Baltimore, Maryland. Created and primarily written by author and former police reporter David Simon, the series was broadcast by HBO in the United States. It originally aired from June 2, 2002, to March 9, 2008.

The Wire first aired on June 2, 2002, and ran for five seasons. The show has great acting, cinematography, and sound design. But what makes it stand above other shows is the writing. Delving into the law enforcement's world of crime and the various institutions and systems of the city of Baltimore, The Wire is still to this day, after more than a decade since first airing, considered one of the grittiest, most realistic, and critically acclaimed crime series of all time, and certainly one of the best HBO TV shows ever made.
Each season tackles a different facet of Baltimore in chronological order: the illegal drug trade, the seaport system, the city government and bureaucracy, the school system, and the print news media.
Boardwalk Empire

Boardwalk Empire first aired on September 19, 2010, ending its run with five seasons. The series is set in Atlantic City, New Jersey, during the Prohibition era of the 1920s. It tells the story of a politician/gangster, Enoch "Nucky" Thompson (played by Steve Buscemi), and how he runs the town both legally and criminally.
Nucky interacts with historical characters in both his personal and political life, including mobsters, politicians, government agents, and the people of his town. The show is fictional, but many of the characters are based on real people. The show definitely has a slower pace, but the exciting twists and turns in the story are worth the wait.
Narcos

Narcos is an American-Colombian crime drama that first aired on August 28, 2015, and ran for three seasons. The show chronicles the rise of the cocaine trade in Colombia and the gripping real-life stories of drug kingpins of the late '80s, such as the infamous Pablo Escobar. It also portrays in detail the actions taken by law enforcement as they battled in the war on drugs.
This is an excellent drama that provides a mature and distinct look at recent history, which to this day remains intensely relevant, while remaining entertaining and staying true to real-life events, despite some moments being changed for the purpose of storytelling and drama.
Oz

The Newcomers

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Hannibal
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Gangsta

The Contenders

Mayans M.C.

Mayans M.C. first aired on September 4, 2018, and as of the making of this list, it's still going. It is a spin-off of the wildly popular FX television series Sons of Anarchy and takes place two and a half years after its predecessor. The show follows the life of Ezekiel "EZ" Reyes, a newly patched member of the Mayans M.C. charter on the California/Mexico border.
This young man had a bright future ahead of him, but after terrible events in his life and being forced to, he ended up joining this motorcycle club in which his brother is already involved. The show is full of emotional family moments and betrayals. The story touches on many different topics in the world of crime, such as cartels and the impact of gang violence.
Money Heist
Gomorrah
Power
Trailer Park Boys
Better Call Saul

Better Call Saul is an American legal crime drama created by Vince Gilligan and Peter Gould. It is both a prequel and a sequel to Breaking Bad, focusing on the backstory of Saul Goodman, whose real name is Jimmy McGill. The show is set primarily in the early to mid-2000s and stars Bob Odenkirk as McGill.... read more
Gangs of London
Undercover
Magic City
Lillyhammer
Narco-Saints
The Deuce
Crime Story
Public Morals
Wiseguy