More so than most television genres, crime series have provided viewers with a dependable supply of first-rate TV shows, from renowned AMC crime series to Netflix-exclusive period dramas.
Constructing intricate narratives around their complex, morally ambiguous main characters, these television shows possess almost Shakespearean levels of depth and nuance, presenting storylines that captured worldwide attention from their first season onward.
More often than not, when people are challenged to think of a crime series, the first show that comes to mind is the HBO classic, The Sopranos. A series that forever changed how audiences regarded televised stories, The Sopranos achieved a newfound level of respect reserved only for literary fiction or Hollywood-produced crime films. Prioritizing vivid characterization above all else, The Sopranos showcased a startling level of realism when it came to traditional Mafia-oriented stories, influencing numerous TV series, movies, books, and video games that followed.
Airing around the same time as The Sopranos, The Wire helped establish HBO as a reliable source of entertainment for mass audiences in the early 2000s. An ambitious crime drama deconstructing Baltimore’s judicial system, The Wire provided an in-depth analysis into how societal institutions play a part in the spread of crime, from the drug dealers peddling their wares on the street to the reporters writing about it in the newspapers. Shifting perspectives with each new season, critical appreciation of The Wire only continues to grow more favorable over time, accounting its respected reputation alongside The Sopranos and Breaking Bad today.
Succeeding The Sopranos and The Wire’s place as the next prestigious show to dominate TV airwaves, Breaking Bad obtained the same favorable standing as the aforementioned series, right down to the multiple Emmy Awards the show garnered at its peak. Constructing its story around the average family man Walter White (Bryan Cranston), Breaking Bad managed to convey realistic growth for each of its main characters, roping viewers in through Walter’s gradual metamorphosis from ordinary high school chemistry teacher into a sociopathic criminal kingpin.
When people think of organized crime, they typically think of fedoras, trench coats, Tommy guns, and souped-up vintage Cadillacs. All of this and more is featured within HBO’s Boardwalk Empire, an historical crime drama set against the American Prohibition movement of the 1920s and ‘30s. Exploring the rise of organized crime in New York and New Jersey prior to World War II, Boardwalk Empire also focuses on one man’s struggle to find his identity, coming to terms with his status as a powerful mob boss in league with notorious figures like Arnold Rothstein (Michael Stuhlbarg), Lucky Luciano (Vincent Piazza), and Al Capone (Stephen Graham).
While Boardwalk Empire does an exceptional job examining Prohibition-era Atlantic City, Peaky Blinders accomplishes a similar feat with their portrayal of interwar England. Set against the industrial backdrop of 1920s Birmingham, Peaky Blinders follows the exploits of the titular criminal faction–a working-class street gang led by Cillian Murphy’s traumatized mobster, Tommy Shelby. Taking advantage of its fascinating historical time period, Peaky Blinders thrived at illustrating new events sweeping across Europe at the start of the 20th century, from the burgeoning rise of fascism, socialism, and communism to the imminent arrival of the New York Mafia in international crime circles.
Most people correctly assumed it would take a show of immense quality to measure the award-winning heights of the Coen brothers’ 1996 crime film, Fargo. Yet the moment FX’s Fargo first aired, it was immediately clear that the series possessed every characteristic that made the original film so successful in the first place. Boasting exceptional writing, exquisite performances, and fittingly quirky characters from one season to the next, Fargo made for a more than fitting spin-off to the Coens’ Oscar-winning dark comedy.
In a twist no one could’ve expected, showrunner Vince Gilligan somehow managed to pilot a spin-off show every bit as engaging as its masterclass work on Breaking Bad. Providing a deft prologue for the opportunistic lawyer Saul Goodman (Bob Odenkirk), Better Call Saul constructed a compelling portrait around its lead character, illustrating Saul’s slow transformation from aspiring public defendant to the ambulance-chasing huckster viewers see in Breaking Bad.
