Are you looking for the best mafia and gangsters tv shows? There are many mafia series and gangster series, and we get more each year. Not all of them are good, and that why we ranked only the top among them here, the ones that deserves to be watched.
One of the genres of fiction that has achieved the most success according to critics and audiences is the mafia and organized crime. The reality with which this type of fiction is constructed causes the plots to be of the most striking and attractive to the viewer, who enjoys seeing how the leaders of different criminal organization do and undo as they wish.
In the cinematographic field, the mafia and gangsters has been one of the subjects that has been better treated, nevertheless, in the small screen we have also been able to enjoy the stories centered on mafiosi and gangsters with their respective codes of honor, sense of loyalty, and wars between bands included. From InQuiror.com we want to remember some of the series that introduced us to the exciting world of the mafia and organized crime.
Best Mafia and Gangsters TV Shows
- 10. The Black Donnellys
- 9. Godfather of Harlem
- 8. Romanzo criminale – La serie
- 7. Magic City
- 6. Sons of Anarchy
- 5. Narcos
- 4. Gomorrah
- 3. Boardwalk Empire
- 2. Peaky Blinders
- 1. The Sopranos
10. The Black Donnellys
The city of New York is presented as a backdrop for the fiction 'The Black Donnellys', a series in which four brothers of Irish origin are immersed in organized crime.
With a single season of thirteen episodes, this series starring Tom Guiry, Michael Stahl-David, Jonathan Tucker, Billy Lush, Olivia Wilde, Patrick Brennan, Kirk Acevedo, among others, and tells the story of this family that is always involved in some problem, until, finally, they end up facing the Italian mafia.
The pilot episode stands out above the rest, which probably led to the loss of audience and its subsequent cancellation. However, although some may think that the series is full of stereotypes about the mafia, 'The Black Donnellys' is an entertaining fiction with a good visual section, whose plot, focused on the world of the mafia, covers all kinds of typical aspects of the genre, such as revenge, deceit and all kinds of evildoers, which will delight lovers of this universe and make it one of the best mafia and gangsters TV shows ever.
9. Godfather of Harlem
Produced by ABC Signature Studios and broadcasted by Epix since 2019, this series, starring Forest Whitaker as the New York City gangster Bumpy Johnson, is set in the early 1960s Harlem neighborhood of New York City and tells a true story of infamous crime boss Bumpy Johnson, who plans to regain control of the streets from the hands of the Italian mob after spending ten years in prison.
The success of 'Godfather of Harlem' is indisputable. It's the newest tv series in the list, but names like Forest Whitaker and Giancarlo Esposito make this one the best gangster series of the recent years, and with those two aces things are never at a very high standard.
8. Romanzo criminale – La serie
Adapted from the well-known novel "Romanzo criminale", this series narrates the experiences of the Banda della Magliana, an association composed of several young delinquents who took control of the drug trade in the city of Rome in the 70s.
Relations with the Mafia, the Camorra and the Italian Secret Services become a fundamental part of the storyline.
Starring Vinicio Marchioni, Mauro Meconi, Edoardo Pesce, Alessandro Roja and Andrea Sartoretti, among others, the series was released in 2008, under the direction of Stefano Sollima, who knew how to show quite correctly the rise of this band of criminals.
Also, 'Romanzo criminale – La serie' stood out for the explicit violence in some of its scenes, as well as for narrating historical events related to the Italian political situation at the time in which fiction is set, becoming a reference of its genre.
7. Magic City
Set in Miami in the 70s, 'Magic City' showed us the story of Ike Evans, a character played by Jeffrey Dean Morgan, owner of Miramar Playa Hotel, one of the most glamorous luxury hotels in the city.
The deal to be able to successfully maintain his business with the Miami mob boss, Ben Diamond, played by Danny Huston, becomes the fundamental premise of the series, especially the problems generated by said Pact, which leads Evans to enter into serious problems and be pressured by his own family and the changes that are coming to Cuba with the arrival of Fidel Castro to power.
Unfortunately for the followers of this TV show, the American premium channel Starz decided to end 'Magic City' after the broadcast of its second season.
6. Sons of Anarchy
In 2008 we met the bikers of 'Sons of Anarchy', a TV series focused on this band that performs its illegal activities in the fictional town of Charming, located in California.
Although it is not deals with a mafia use such as that shown in the others series in this list, the way of acting of Jackson "Jax" Teller (Charlie Hunnam) and the rest of his gang, as well as the traffic business of Weapons and confrontation with other groups, turn this fiction into a series about the world of organized crime.
After seven seasons and 92 episodes, 'Sons of Anarchy' said goodbye to its fans in 2014. At the end of last year they announced the start-up of a new project, 'Mayans MC', its spin-off, although it will be very different from the mother series and its tone and narration will be unique.
5. Narcos
Created by Chris Brancato, Eric Newman, and Carlo Bernard, 'Narcos' managed to win support from viewers since the premiere of their first season on Netflix.
Starring Wagner Moura, the series shows the work done by the US DEA together with the Colombian police and authorities to hunt down and stop drug trafficker Pablo Escobar and the Medellín cartel, one of the most dangerous criminal organizations in the world.
Set in the 80s, the story is told from the point of view of Steve Murphy (Boyd Holbrook), a special agent of the DEA, sent from the United States to Colombia to stop the rise of drug trafficking in the country.
Murphy will have Peña as agent (Pedro Pascal), who together will form the perfect team to end cocaine trafficking.
'Narcos' is considered as one of the best mafia and gangsters TV shows of all time. The evident success of this series has caused it to spans three seasons and the release of a new Netflix original series, titled 'Narcos: Mexico' that serves as a companion series.
4. Gomorrah
The Neapolitan mafia had its representation through the crime drama television series 'Gomorrah', a fiction based on the homonymous novel by Roberto Saviano.
Produced by Sky with Cattleya and Fandango and the collaboration of LA7 and Beta Film, the series has a wide cast in which we find Marco D'Amore, Fortunato Cerlino, Maria Pia Calzone, Salvatore Esposito, Marco Palvetti, Domenico Balsamo, Enzo Sacchettino, Elena Starace, Pina Turco and Antonio Milo.
Specifically, 'Gomorrah'focuses on the rivalry between two clans, the Savestano and the Conte, which compete to take control of illegal drug trafficking in the Neapolitan district of Scampia.
In Italy, their country of origin, the series was highly successful as it was endorsed by the public and applauded by the critics, who highlighted the reality with which they dealt with the criminal activities of the protagonists.
3. Boardwalk Empire
Set in the city of Atlantic City during the 20s, coinciding with a decade in which the United States experienced very important political and social changes motivated by consumerism and the end of World War I, the history of 'Boardwalk Empire' is based on real events and inspired from the homonymous work of Nelson Johnson.
Specifically, the series focuses on Enoch Thompson (Steve Buscemi), a politician who became the most influential personality of the city surrounded by gangsters and mafia who were engaged in the smuggling of alcoholic beverages, whose consumption was prohibited during the Prohibition.
Enoch Thompson is immersed in problems when a tip-off about his illicit business causes the authorities to keep tracking him very closely.
Released in 2010, this American TV show, broadcast on HBO, was on the air for five seasons, saying goodbye to its fans in 2014, and it's one of the greatest historical drama TV shows ever.
2. Peaky Blinders
premiered in the year 2013, 'Peaky Blinders' is a British historical drama broadcasted by the channel BBC Two. This TV show focuses on the story of a family of gangsters residing in Birmingham during the England of 1919, just after the First World War.
starring Cillian Murphy in the role of Tommy Shelby, 'Peaky Blinders' tells the adventures of this ambitious and dangerous head of a criminal gang. Chief Inspector Chester Campbell, played by the interpreter Sam Neill, is in charge of trying to disorganize the band and thus cleanse the city of criminals.
'Peaky Blinders' has been nominated several times for the Bafta Awards and has the support of its followers, who praises the evolution of the story, improving over the course of each season.
1. The Sopranos
One of the best-known fictions whose theme focuses on the world of the mafia and organized crime is, without a doubt, 'The Sopranos'.
Acclaimed by many, this series, which saw the light in 1999, has already become a classic of television with its 86 episodes spread over six seasons.
Starring James Gandolfini, Edie Falco and Lorraine Bracco, among others, 'The Sopranos' showed us the vicissitudes, through confessions to his therapist, of Tony Falcano, a busy family father and head of an organized crime gang based in the city of New Jersey.
Created by David Chase, its success is undeniable thanks, in part, to the great audience that grew quickly in its day, as well as the 21 Emmy Awards and 5 Golden Globes with which it was awarded and became the best mafia and gangsters TV show of all time and among the top best TV Shows ever. It is a TV show that has known how to age and preserve its essence over time.
