The 25 Best TV Shows About Gangsters, Ranked
Updated
Andrea M. Ciriaco is a long-time script reader and former entertainment editor who specializes in classic movies and Hollywood history. She was a student film critic at Kent State University for three years and worked at Warner Bros Studio in Burbank and The Safran Company for several years. Based on her vast taste and range of knowledge, many consider Andrea to be a walking IMDb who knows dozens of underrated movies and is a vital assesst to any trivia night. While movies are her expertise, Andrea is also a diehard fan of iconic shows including The Sopranos, Boardwalk Empire, Rod Serling's The Twilight Zone, Will & Grace and South Park. Some of her favorite filmmakers are Walt Disney,John Huston, Fritz Lang, Alfred Hitchcock, John Ford, Mel Brooks, Quentin Tarantino, Martin Scorsese and Howard Hawks.
Gangsters and organized crime continue to be a favorite among movie and television fans thanks to iconic series such as The Sopranos and Peaky Blinders. Whether it's a gang of loyal vigilante bikers like in Sons of Anarchy or the rise and fall of notorious drug kingpin Pablo Escobar from Narcos, the gangster genre has evolved and expanded into various new territories with both fictional and historical tales of real-life mobsters that seem to have something for every television fan.
When it comes to television series, most audiences have a certain taste. Even though some may like traditional mafia shows over a rare niche of organized crime, some series are simply a must-see for anyone who claims to be a serious fan of the gangster genre. From lesser-known shows such as Magic City and Gomorrah to memorable gems like Boardwalk Empire and Godfather of Harlem, these are the 25 best television shows about gangsters, ranked.
25 'Law & Order: Organized Crime' (2021– 2025)
Christopher Meloni reprises his iconic role as NYPD Detective Elliot Stabler in the spin-off series titled Law & Order: Organized Crime. He is now working for the organized crime unit where he encounters an array of gangsters and mafiosos. After suffering a devastating loss, Stabler returns to the job but, after being away for a decade, he soon learns that things have drastically changed in the Big Apple as well as the justice system, forcing him to adjust while coping with his personal issues.
Even though the series focuses on the police's perspective, Law & Order: Organized Crime introduces a variety of gangsters who manage to keep things interesting and unpredictable. The series crosses over with Meloni's former show, Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, which makes it a unique spin-off out of the Law & Order franchise with endless possibilities of perps and suspects.
24 'Wiseguy' (1987–1990)
Ken Wahl stars in the forgotten crime drama Wiseguy as a Brooklyn native and Fordham University graduate, Vinnie Terranova, who becomes an informant for the FBI under the supervision of a veteran agent, Frank McPike (Jonathan Banks). Wiseguy shows the darker side of organized crime with its gritty atmosphere, strong performances, and morally complicated storytelling, making it a landmark gangster series and an important influence on the crime dramas that followed.
The show's long story arcs allowed the series to develop its characters and criminal organizations in a way that was unusual for television at the time. The series was a major hit and has been credited with ushering in the era of lengthy crime dramas that thrived on television during the 1990s and early 2000s. Throughout its four-season run, Wiseguy earned seven Primetime Emmy Award nominations, including Outstanding Drama Series, and in 1990, it won the Golden Globe Award for Best Actor for Wahl's exceptional performance.
23 'Crime Story' (1986–1988)
Crime Story is a vital crime drama that presents organized crime in a gritty, realistic, and uncompromising way and is also recognized as another series that paved the way for modern gangster shows. Dennis Farina stars as Chicago detective Lieutenant Mike Torello, whose job to take down the major players in organized crime leads him to cross paths with his childhood friend, Ray Luca (Anthony Denison), now a made man in the Chicago Outfit.
The series captures the rise of organized crime while focusing on the constant conflict between gangsters and law enforcement, but what makes Crime Story especially compelling is its complex characters, particularly Luca, whose ambition and ruthlessness reveal both the appeal and the destructive consequences of the gangster lifestyle. With its dark atmosphere, strong performances, memorable violence, and serialized storytelling, Crime Story is a crime epic that deserves more recognition for helping pave the way for later gangster dramas.
22 'Brotherhood' (2006–2008)
Brotherhood is a lesser-known gangster drama that boldly combines organized crime with a deeply personal story about family, politics, and betrayal, making it a unique contribution to the genre. Set in Providence, Rhode Island, the series follows an Irish-American gangster, Michael Caffee (Jason Isaacs), who returns home after seven years and tries to pick up where he left off while his brother, Tommy (Jason Clarke), has become a promising local politician on the rise. The premise of the show was inspired by real-life brothers, William M. Bulger, a prominent politician from Massachusetts, and his brother, James "Whitey" Bulger, who was the leader of the Winter Hill Gang.
Brotherhood stands out for its realistic portrayal of organized crime without romanticizing it. The gangsters are complicated, often self-serving people whose decisions have serious consequences for themselves and those around them. The show also explores the blurred line between legitimate politics and criminal activity, showing how power and corruption can operate on both sides. Its exploration of the darkness hiding in the corners of small-town America, strong performances, notably by Clarke and Isaacs, and emphasis on family relationships are just a few reasons why Brotherhood is one of the most underrated gangster television dramas of all time.
21 'The Westies' (2026–Present)
The Westies is one of the best recent shows about gangsters and stands out for bringing a gritty, old-school New York crime story to the small screen while giving the characters enough depth to make the violence and power struggles feel meaningful. Set in the 1980s in New York's Hell’s Kitchen, the series follows a local gang, the Westies, led by Eamon Sweeney (J.K. Simmons), who fight for a piece of an upcoming construction job while also dealing with the mounting pressure from the Italian Mafia and the FBI.
Despite being new to the scene, The Westies have several things going for it, notably its intense atmosphere, brutal street-level storytelling, and excellent performances, especially Simmons and Bosch star Titus Welliver, who plays Glenn Keenan, an NYPD detective whose past with Simmons' character leads him to toe the line between the law and the criminal underworld. With its alluring story of political and criminal corruption mixed into an old-school mob drama, The Westies has quickly established itself as a compelling addition to the gangster genre.
20 'Mayor of Kingstown' (2021–Present)
Jeremy Renner stars in Taylor Sheridan's edgy crime drama Mayor of Kingstown as Michael McLusky, whose family has played a crucial part in maintaining the peace in Kingstown, Michigan, by acting as mediators between the law and criminals, becoming a very lucrative business for the now-prominent family. Unlike the majority of other gangster shows, Mayor of Kingstown presents organized crime on a much larger scale and dives deep into the darker side of prisons, gangs, law enforcement, politics, and corruption, making it one of the best modern shows about gangsters to date.
The series also doesn't romanticize gangster life; instead, it shows how crime spreads beyond the streets and affects entire communities, exposing a detrimental domino effect that rarely gets attention in other crime-driven series. With the show's fifth and final season on the horizon, its intense action, unpredictability, and Renner's outstanding performance are just a few things that put Mayor of Kingstown on the map, ultimately cementing its reputation as one of the most powerful contemporary crime dramas about the relationship between organized crime and the institutions surrounding it to date.
19 'Falcone' (2000)
The CBS series, Falcone, is a gangster show that manages to slip through the cracks mainly because it only ran for one season, but despite its short-lived run, it's still a series for any mafioso aficionado to check out. The show is based on the true story and harrowing experience of F.B.I. agent Joseph Pistone (Jason Gedrick), who went undercover and infiltrated the Colombo crime family.
In 1997, Pistone's story made its initial debut on the silver screen in the essential gangster film, Donnie Brasco, starring Johnny Depp and Al Pacino, which was a monumental success. While the film reigns supreme, Falcone adds a bit more detail and insight into Pistone's story, giving audiences a more in-depth view of his time with one of the most powerful crime families in New York City.
18 'Gangs of London' (2020–Present)
Gangs of London is a marginalized gangster series based on the popular 2006 video game and hits the ground running with an immediate conflict. When the head of a powerful London crime family, Finn Wallace (Colm Meaney), is murdered, no one knows who ordered the hit, leading to an intense power struggle between local and international gangs that ultimately brings destruction and mayhem throughout the major city.
Even though the series has earned mixed reviews, with many noting the excessive violence, Gangs of London is celebrated for giving a raw, uncensored depiction of organized crime. It features an array of exceptional performances by the entire cast, which is just the cherry on top of this promising gangster series. With the third season underway, Gangs of London is currently one of the most promising gangster series and has all the potential to rank among the big leagues of similar series.
17 'Mob City' (2013)
Mob City gives viewers a look behind the glitz and glamour of Hollywood during the 1940s and exposes the intense power struggle between a corrupt police force and organized crime, who are each determined to claim the West Coast as their domain. Jon Bernthal stars as a former Marine and Los Angeles detective, Joe Teague, who soon finds himself in the middle of a plot to take down the city's elite gangsters, specifically Mickey Cohen (Jeremy Luke) and Bugsy Siegel (Edward Burns).
The show is based on the book L.A. Noir: The Struggle for the Soul of America's Most Seductive City, written by John Buntin, and gives real-life accounts from former LAPD officers and detectives, adding an authentic touch to this gangster show. Mob City is an absolute must-see for any viewers who are fans of the early days of the mafia and their journey to gaining control of not just the West Coast but practically the entire United States.
16 'Get Shorty' (2017–2019)
Chris O'Dowd stars in Get Shorty as an enforcer, Miles Daly, who works for a murderous crime ring in Nevada. After growing tired of his current situation, Daly decides he wants to change his profession and sets his sights on Hollywood. There, he makes connections while working to find a production crew and raise funding to produce a film, which he quickly learns is easier said than done.
Based on the 1990 novel by Elmore Leonard, Get Shorty is more of a homage to Leonard's work than an actual adaptation and has no connection to the 1995 film version by the same name starring John Travolta. The series is a humorous spin on organized crime, oftentimes poking fun at the traditional tropes of the gangster genre, and is much more in line with Leonard's dark sense of humor.
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