Apple TV’s Near-Perfect 8-Part Crime Miniseries Is a Must-Watch for 'The Wire' Fans

Published Sep 22, 2026, 7:29 PM EDT

Giovana Gelhoren is a High-Trending Topics Writer at Collider, covering the most-talked-about stars, movies, and TV shows. Before joining Collider, she was a Digital News Writer at People Magazine and served as Associate Editor at SheKnows, where she honed her expertise in celebrity coverage and entertainment journalism.

A proud Latina from Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Giovana graduated from Northwestern University with a degree in Journalism and International Studies. She has interviewed countless celebrities, including Anne Hathaway, Halle Berry, Pamela Anderson, Jamie Lee Curtis, and Brenda Song, and is known for her encyclopedic knowledge of film, TV, and pop culture.

For five seasons, HBO's The Wire redefined crime TV from 2002 to 2007. With a realistic and all-encompassing portrayal of the drug business and the law enforcers who are trying to bust down its biggest players, the series proved that telling a story about the drug industry can thrive without glorifying it, and instead can draw in viewers with how complex and multidimensional its characters and stories are.

Over the years, some other crime shows have fit the same bill, like the fan-favorite series Breaking Bad. Another title to join the list is Apple TV's Dope Thief, which was released on March 14, 2025, and became a one-season miniseries after its sudden cancellation. But despite the series not moving forward beyond Season 1, Dope Thief is a must-watch for crime drama and The Wire fans alike, showing a dark side of the drug business, while entertaining viewers with interesting, character-driven stories.

What Is 'Dope Thief' About?

Dope Thief follows two lifelong friends from Philadelphia who pose as DEA agents to steal money from low-level drug dealers in their neighborhood. Things go south for best friends Manny (Wagner Moura) and Ray (Brian Tyree Henry), however, when they take on a meth lab outside the city that already has an undercover DEA agent investigating it and is the drop spot for a massive cartel. Loaded with stolen cash, they must figure out who set them up and who is after them before warring drug cartels kill them and everyone they care about.

The stakes escalate as different parties start to get involved, and their families refuse to cooperate, pushing Ray and Manny's bond to its breaking point. With the walls closing in on them and everyone they care about, they have to decide if their friendship is worth saving, or if they should save themselves and their loved ones instead. The series also stars Marin Ireland, Kate Mulgrew, Ving Rhames, Liz Carribel Sierra, and Nesta Cooper.

'Dope Thief' Is a Must-Watch Crime Drama

From the synopsis alone, viewers might expect Dope Thief to be a high-octane thriller with intense action and major "gotcha" moments. What they'll find, however, is a series that, much like The Wire, doesn't overdo its setting in a criminal underbelly, and instead uses it as a setting and catalyst for character development. After all, while a drug bust gone wrong is what kick-starts the series, Dope Thief gets more personal as the episodes go on, especially when it comes to Ray’s complicated relationship with his father. By doing so, instead of becoming an action-packed, thrill-a-minute series, Dope Thief is more intimate as it continues, resulting in one of the best performances of Henry's entire career.

Speaking of, no recommendation of the series is complete without pointing out how incredible Henry and Moura, two Oscar-nominated actors, are in their roles, and how Ray and Manny's ever-changing dynamic is what makes the series so watchable. "Ray and Manny's friendship is the backbone of the series, even when Ray takes on the bulk of the heavy lifting in saving their butts," Megan Vick wrote in her review for Collider. "It makes for the strongest moments over the course of the show, whether they are battling Nazi clowns or arguing over the state of their souls after the mess they've gotten themselves in. The desire to save each other not only gives this duo an emotional drive through the plot, but also provides the series with its best comedic moments."

Ultimately, while Dope Thief didn't get a second chance to expand its storytelling with Season 2, the series, which was executive produced by Ridley Scott, is a must-watch in the genre. With two compelling central characters at the heart of the series, and a high-stakes drama that puts them in increasingly dangerous situations, the series is equally compelling as it is heart-racing.