Your Honor is back with season two, and with a bang. This Bryan Cranston-led series tackles the gray areas of law and crime, and how they're often divided by a thin line. Good people sometimes get involved in crime out of necessity (which seems to be a character right up Cranston's lane) and some people are born into it, having to find goodness on their own.
This show is just another that features a ruthless crime family, but it wouldn't be where it is without others that paved the way. Some are downright iconic, while others are more like hidden gems, waiting to be discovered and binge-watched.
1 'Your Honor' (2020 - 2023)
For those unfamiliar with Your Honor, this show was somewhat of a dark horse when it came out. It was popular, but many viewers weren't compelled to see it right away. It gained more popularity as time went by, and Bryan Cranston's leading role sealed the deal for season two. However, Cranston isn't the only notable performer in the series.
Michael Stuhlbarg and Hope Davis play the Baxters, the most ruthless and fear-inducing family in New Orleans. Cranston plays Judge Desiato who unwittingly becomes involved with them after his son's hit-and-run. Season one is tense and exciting, but season two broke out the real star of the show - Benjamin Flores Jr. who plays Eugene.
2 'The Sopranos' (1999 - 2007)
The Sopranos is one of the few shows rated above 9 on IMDb. It's tied with Game of Thrones with a 9.2, and it's a defining series for numerous reasons. It'd be hard to list praises for this show in just two or three paragraphs - people have done entire dissertations on it. The Sopranos was essential to portraying crime families from different, uncommon angles, thus being touted as the best show of all time.
The Sopranos stars the late James Gandolfini as the crime boss Tony Soprano, who can't seem to get away from personal trauma. Tony is seeing a psychologist (Lorraine Bracco), which is a fact that he hides in fear of seeming weak. Make no mistake - that doesn't stop him from remaining ruthless and cruel when he must be.
3 'Peaky Blinders' (2013 - 2022)
The Shelby family won over viewers when Stephen Knight's Peaky Blinders premiered. The stellar cast including Cillian Murphy, Helen McCrory, Paul Anderson, Joe Cole and Tom Hardy (among many others) fantastically portrayed the characters of the bloodthirsty Birmingham crime gang The Peaky Blinders.
Similarly to The Sopranos, Peaky Blinders shows how Tommy Shelby (Murphy) tackles his wartime trauma and anger, slowly turning it into cruel and violent ambition. His progression from small-time crook to a man feared across the country (and oceans) makes Peaky Blinders one of the best crime dramas of all time. Additionally, the cinematography is masterful.
4 'Animal Kingdom' (2016 - 2022)
Animal Kingdom ended after six seasons, but they were pure adrenaline most of the time. For anyone that hasn't seen it, now is the perfect time to binge it; the action is superb, the tension is palpable, and Smurf Cody (Ellen Barkin and Leila George) is tough not to look at (and occasionally cheer for, okay?).
Although most of the characters in the Cody family are negative, fans can't help but cheer for them in some way. Smurf has three sons - Pope (Shawn Hatosy), Deran (Jake Weary) and Craig (Ben Robson). She taught them how to hustle to survive, growing up in a life of crime and deceit. Although tough, the cracks in the family are apparent and their frustrations and true ambitions soon come to the surface. Start the show for the views, stay for the story.
5 'Gomorrah' (2014 - 2021)
It's tough to list mafia-related shows and not mention Gomorrah - the quintessential Italian show about the intricacies of the Neapolitan crime family Savastano. Genaro Savastano is the default heir to his family's criminal business in Naples, and he can't do it without his friend Ciro Di Marzio.
However, as most crime syndicates tend to have, there's always somebody trying to overrule the leaders and take the reins. The Savastanos have cracks in their midst - and it's usually those they'd least expect. Fans of Fargo season 4 might be happy to see a familiar face - the actor who played Gaetano Fadda, Salvatore Esposito, is the lead in Gomorrah.
6 'Tulsa King' (2022 - )
The freshest addition on this list, Tulsa King, climbed fan favorite lists after its first few episodes. It's one of Taylor Sheridan's best shows, and it brought Sylvester Stallone his first mobster role. Stallone plays Dwight, the capo for the NYC crime family Invernizzi. Dwight gets out of prison 25 years after taking the fall for a crime and basically gets exiled to Tulsa, Oklahoma.
Domenick Lombardozzi plays Chickie Invernizzi, the heir to the criminal throne, and his methods are often extremely violent. However, Dwight's been part of the family for a long time, and he has some aces up his sleeve. Tulsa King can be described with many genres - crime, thriller, action, comedy, drama - it has it all. Fans are excited for season two after an explosive season one finale.
7 'Fargo' (2014 - )
Fargo is a beloved show, but in the midst of its high-quality installments, the show is polarizing for something unexpected - choosing the best season. This (sort of anthology) series depicts various criminal families and their rise to notoriety, from the second season's stupidly evil Gerhardt crime syndicate to the fourth season's Fadda and Cannon crime families that traded sons to ensure peace.
Although poetic justice meets each villainous figure in Fargo, there's no denying they are the epicenter of most of the stories. While people argue which season of Fargo is the best, watching all of them is a visual and cinematic delight.
8 'Gangs of London' (2020 - )
Gangs of London deserves more praise than it's currently getting. It's not only a great live-action adaptation of a video game, but without even knowing that fact, the show is simply fantastic. It's not for the weak-hearted, but for anyone reading about crime family series, fantastically-choreographed violence is likely a minimal issue.
Finn Wallace is on top of the criminal food chain, and Sean (Joe Cole) is to inherit him. Finn has a loyal friend Ed Dumani who's like his adviser; Ed pushes his son Alex (Paapa Essiedu) to make moves, so he may one day be the heir instead of Sean. However, Alex's ambition differs as he finds Sean to be a real friend. Loyalties are tested, and trust is broken and gained; there's substance to the story, and it keeps viewers glued to the TV.
9 'Ozark' (2017 - 2022)
Ozark also features several ruthless crime families, although its primary focus is the making of one. By the end of the show, many people yelled at the screen whenever Wendy Byrde (Laura Linney) did, well, anything. Still, she learned how to cast a net of crime, deceit, and fraud masterfully.
Other crime families involved are the intensely unusual Darlene and Jacob Snell, who ran the Ozarks before the Byrdes arrived. There's also the Mexican crime syndicate Navarro, who may seem the most ruthless, but fare on a level with the rest. Despite so many criminal minds aboard, Ozark is a fantastically thrilling slow burn of a show, with heavy-hitting twists delivered subtly.
10 'Narcos: Mexico' (2018 - 2021)
Narcos: Mexico is actually based on real-life characters. It's the spin-off of the wildly popular Netflix series Narcos, and although it wasn't as big, it was good. Diego Luna plays Felix Gallardo, who creates his own cartel family. He's cousins with the infamous weed farmer Caro Quintero, but his idea spans beyond peddling marijuana.
The biggest crime family in the show is the Arellano Felix. Although they have a massive family tree, the two brothers Benjamin and Ramon, and their sister Enedina are shown running the Tijuana cartel. Although Diego Luna often steals the show, when the Arellano Felixes show up, things are bound to go up in flames.