30 Best Mafia Shows on Netflix: A Comprehensive Guide
If you’re a fan of gripping crime dramas, the world of organized crime, and complex characters, Netflix has a treasure trove of Mafia-themed shows that will keep you on the edge of your seat. From power struggles to family dynamics, these series delve into the dark and intriguing world of mobsters, corruption, and loyalty.
Let’s explore some of the best Mafia shows available to watch.
Best Mafia Shows on Netflix
Peaky Blinders (2013-2022)
Director: David Caffrey, Tim Mielants
Cast: Cillian Murphy, Helen McCrory, Paul Anderson, Sophie Rundle, Finn Cole, Natasha O’Keeffe
IMDb Rating: 8.8/10
Synopsis: Set in post-World War I Birmingham, England, the Peaky Blinders gang, led by the cunning Thomas Shelby, navigates the treacherous world of crime. The series weaves historical events, family struggles, and intense rivalries into a gripping narrative. Expect gunfights, razor-blade caps, and a mesmerizing soundtrack.
Lilyhammer (2012-2014)
Directors: Beate Eriksen, Simen Alsvik, Eduardo Semerjian, Lisa Marie Gamlem
Cast: Steven Van Zandt, Steinar Sagen, Trond Fausa
IMDb Rating: 8.0/10
Synopsis: Frank Tagliano, a New York mobster, enters the witness protection program and chooses the unlikely location of Lillehammer, Norway. His attempt to adapt to the unfamiliar culture leads to hilarious and action-packed situations. If you enjoyed “The Sopranos,” give this one a shot.
Narcos (2015-2017)
Directors: José Padilha, Guillermo Navarro
Cast: Wagner Moura, Pedro Pascal, Boyd Holbrook, Alberto Ammann
IMDb Rating: 8.8/10
Synopsis: “Narcos” takes you to 1980s Colombia, where drug lord Pablo Escobar rises to power. The show provides a gritty portrayal of the drug trade, law enforcement efforts, and the Cali Cartel. It’s a thrilling ride through history, with stunning visuals and intense performances.
Suburra: Blood on Rome (2017-2020)
Creators: Daniele Cesarano, Barbara Petronio
Cast: Alessandro Borghi, Giacomo Ferrara, Eduardo Valdarnini
IMDb Rating: 7.5/10
Synopsis: Set in Rome, this Italian series explores the intertwining lives of politicians, criminals, and Vatican officials. The battle for control over land development leads to violence, betrayal, and power struggles. Expect a mix of political drama, family sagas, and intense action.
The Sopranos: Classic Mafia Drama
IMDb Rating 9.2/10
A landmark in mafia television, “The Sopranos” is a timeless classic that established the benchmark for the genre. Crafted by David Chase, this series chronicles the life of Tony Soprano, a mob boss juggling the demands of his criminal empire with the complexities of family life. With its intricate plotlines and multi-dimensional characters, “The Sopranos” captivated audiences and garnered critical acclaim for its authentic portrayal of the mafia underworld.
At the core of the series lies the character of Tony Soprano, masterfully portrayed by James Gandolfini. Tony grapples with the problematic dynamics of the MMafia while battling personal demons such as anxiety and depression. His duality as a ruthless crime boss and a vulnerable husband and father enriches the narrative, compellingly exploring morality and authority.
Central to “The Sopranos” is familial bonds in the mafia realm. Tony’s relationships with his spouse, children, and extended mob family undergo constant strain as he strives to maintain his dominance. Loyalty, betrayal, and legacy unfold amidst organized crime, underscoring the delicate interplay between kinship and the harsh realities of mob life.
Drama saturates every facet of “The Sopranos,” from the fierce power struggles within the mafia hierarchy to the tender moments shared among relatives. As viewers delve into the clandestine world of Tony Soprano and his cohorts, they are trapped in a tapestry of intrigue, deceit, and peril that keeps them riveted until the series’ unforgettable conclusion.
Also Read: 32 Best Hollywood Movies For English Learning on NETFLIX
Ozark
It’s always a pleasant surprise to watch Jason Bateman (Arrested Development) in more somber roles because he’s become a recognized face in funny roles. In the crime drama Ozark, a Netflix original, Bateman plays a family guy named Marty Byrde, a self-employed financial counselor hiding a sinister secret: he and his business partner have been using it to launder money for a Mexican drug cartel.
He offers to build up a more extensive operation for them at the Lake of the Ozarks in Missouri when things go wrong with their operations and his family’s lives are in danger. His entire family is swiftly relocated, and they quickly come into contact with the neighbourhood gangs and even the Kansas City Mafia.
American Vandal
The high school where two horrible crimes have occurred is the setting for this mockumentary-style comedic series. In the first season, several cars in the parking lot have obscene paintings on them.
In the second season, someone tampers with the cafeteria food, causing scores of pupils to experience bowel incontinence. Both seasons are amusing as the riddles are solved, and we discover more about these high kids, their relationships, and their propensity for mischief via the
Breaking Bad
In Breaking Bad, a single character who is involved with methamphetamines is examined from pretty much every perspective imaginable. Bryan Cranston plays the mild-mannered chemistry instructor Walter White in the television series, who turns to making and selling meth to pay for his cancer treatments and ensure that his family will always have money.
The DEA is after him, including his brother-in-law, and Walter’s desire for power pushes him to associate with increasingly hazardous traffickers, cartels, and gangs for multiple seasons. The cast, the New Mexican environment, the narrative, and the photography are all top-notch.
How to Get Away with Murder
How to Get Away with Murder combines complex plots with everyday pleasures. The story’s concept, which centers on a law professor and five students who become involved in a high-profile murder investigation, is ripe for a series of head-spinning turns. But you can consistently bank on the series for increasingly ludicrous plot twists, a purposefully campy tone, a super-sexy ensemble, and, most importantly, a stunning performance by Viola Davis that turns it into something truly exceptional.
Mindhunter
Mindhunter is a disturbing meditation on violent crime that is based on actual reports of the FBI’s Behavioral Science Unit, a now-defunct division of the 1970s credited with developing many modern criminal profiling techniques. Although the majority of the series is centered on the search for Dennis Rader (also known as “BTK”), Mindhunter isn’t a police drama in the traditional sense.
Instead, it takes viewers on a horrifying meet-and-greet with some of the most prolific serial killers of the 20th century and explores why they committed their crimes. Although pretty grim, it presents a nuanced portrayal of criminologist history and is well worth watching for true crime enthusiasts.
The Sinner
Many crime shows are available, yet there are moments when the genre has reached saturation point.
In the anthology series, which focuses on a different case each season, disturbed Detective Harry Ambrose (Bill Pullman) looks into situations where improbable persons have allegedly committed awful crimes. The Sinner never holds back and always puts its well-drawn characters at the center, even though the earlier seasons are the strongest.
Lilyhammer (2012-2014)
Directors: Beate Eriksen, Simen Alsvik, Eduardo Semerjian, Lisa Marie Gamlem
Writers: Anee Bjornstad, Eilif Skodvin
Cast: Steinar Sagen, Trond Fausa, Steven Van Zandt, Tommy Karlsen, Robert Skjaerstad, Marian Saastad Ottesen
IMDb Rating: 8.0/10
While the dialogue was initially stilted and the acting was better than first anticipated after a somewhat rocky start, Lilyhammer quickly grew on us.
It’s all about Frank Tagliano getting to know a new, unfamiliar culture. Still, it does so with enough laughs and enough action seasoned throughout to make for a genuinely entertaining ride. If you like mob-related shows such as The Sopranos or don’t mind subtitles, this is worth checking out.
Fear City: New York vs. the Mafia
Director: Sam Hobkinson
Writers: Sam Hobkinson
Cast: John Joyce, John Alite, Michael Franzese, Jim Kossler, Joe Cantamessa, Lin DeVecchio, John Savresse
IMDb Rating: 7.1 /10
It’s set in one of the most beautifully photographed cities in the world to keep you on the edge of your seat throughout. It’s also historically accurate, though that doesn’t subtract from the action or suspense in any way.
The Mafia was able to rule New York for decades, and also how law enforcement worked tirelessly to bring them down. Fear City is a mob movie that brings this story to life much more intriguingly.
StartUp (2020-)
Writers: Park Hye-Hyeon
Cast: Nam Joo-Hyuk, Kim Seon-Ho, Bae Suzy, Kang Han-na, Kim Do-Wan, Yoo Su-bin, Jasper Cho
IMDb Rating:8.1/10
Startups is a Korean drama about the lives of young entrepreneurs. With planning and programming, hard work, and heart, these oddball entrepreneurs are trying to turn virtual dreams into real-world fortunes.
Discover how investors and techies run headlong into each other in venture capital and game creation. This high-tech drama revolves around disruptive startups and the scrappy founders pushing them forward.
Also Read: Most Anticipated Movies of 2024
Queen Of The South (2016-2021)
Writers: Joshua John Miller, M.A. Fortin
Cast: Peter Gadiot, Alice Braga, Hemky Madera, Veronica Falcon, Nick Sagar, Molly Burnett, Yancey Arias
IMDb Rating: 8.0/10
If you love the spice of Mexican drama, then you will surely get a kick out of this story after learning that her drug-runner boyfriend was brutally murdered in Mexico City.
On the run and desperate for cash, Teresa gets hired as an office worker for Don Epifanio Vargas. At the same time, she embarks on a quest to get her revenge for her boyfriend’s murder.
Top Boy: Summerhouse (2011-)
Writers: Ronan Bennett
Cast: Kano, SHone Romulus, Ashley Walters, Michael Ward, Malcolm Kamulete, Dave, Little Simz
IMDb Rating: 8.4/10
Top Boy depicts the lives of Dushane and Sully as they become the wealthiest boys on their block. To live this lifestyle, Dushane and Sully go into business with a drug lord to create a lucrative partnership.
However, when a rival gang steals his loan, they swear revenge. This gritty eight-part UK drama charts Dushane’s rise to power and inevitable fall.
Drug Lords (2018-)
Director: Mike Welsh, Marc Tiley
Writers: Maximo Pain
Cast: Quinn Dalton, Maximo Pain, Jordan Lawson, Jerry Rector, Justin Van Dijk
IMDb Rating: 6.8/10
From Pablo Escobar to Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán, the most notorious faces behind the most significant drug-related investigations over the past few decades. Follow the true stories of the rise and fall of their empires.
Find out if their reigns at the top were always meant to end in death or life behind bars. They featured interviews with former DEA agents, law enforcement, and cartel members to learn more about criminal kingpins and their empires.
Better Call Saul (2015-2022)
Director: George Vincent Gilligan Jr.
Writers: Peter Gould, Vince Gilligan
Cast: Jonathan Banks, Rhea Seehorn, Bob Odenkirk, Patrick Fabian, Michael McKean, Tony Dalton
IMDb Rating: 8.8/10
Before he becomes Saul Goodman, Walter White’s lawyer enters the criminal world to help with the dire circumstances of his brother-in-law.
Find the trials and tribulations of criminal lawyer Saul Goodman, and follow the evolution of Jimmy McGill into Saul Goodman. It is a prequel to the hit show Breaking Bad, and it unfolds the story of con artist Jimmy McGill, who becomes the smooth-talking lawyer we’ve all come to love on Breaking Bad.
Trailer Park Boys (2001-2018)
Director: Mike Clattenburg
Writers: Mike Clattenburg, Robb Wells
Cast: Mike Smith, John Paul, Robb Wells, John Dunsworth, Tyrone Parsons, Sarah Dunsworth
IMDb Rating: 8.5/10
Life between prison terms is what it’s all about for trailer park supervisor Julian and his pals Ricky and Bubbles. They’re not sophisticated mega-criminals and not the sharpest tools in the shed, but they try their damndest to make an honest buck.
Whether running scams or being scam artists, they’re rarely on the right side of the law—and never on the right side of good taste.
Breaking Bad (2008-2013)
Director: Johan Renck, Michelle MacLaren, Terry McDonough
Writers: Vince Gilligan
Cast: Aaron Paul, Anna Gunn, Bryan Cranston, Betsy Brandt, Bob Odenkirk, RJ Mitte
IMDb Rating: 9.4/10
A dire medical diagnosis suddenly transforms Walter White’s life. He chose a life of crime, dealing with the production of methamphetamine with his former student, Jesse Pinkman, to provide his family with a stable financial future before he died.
Fresh from his successful stint as a murderous drug kingpin, Cranston returns to television in a series that tracks the transformation of a well-meaning family man into a ruthless player in the dangerous drug underworld.
El Chapo (2017-2018)
Director: Ernesto Contreras
Writers: Carlos Contreras, Silvana Aguirre
Cast: Humberto Busto, Diego Vasquez, Marco de la O, Laura Osma, Alejandro Aguilar, Juan Carlos Cruz
IMDb Rating: 7.8/10
A truthful and profoundly human look at the extraordinary life of El Chapo, from his humble origins on a small, remote farm to heading today’s most feared drug cartel.
All three seasons of this gritty crime drama follow El Chapo, one of the most infamous criminals and drug kingpins worth $1 billion. Although he spent years on the lam before being captured by authorities, his legend grew.
The Mechanism (2018-)
Director: José Padilha
Writers: Elena Suarez, Sofia Maldonado
Cast: Selton Mello, Jonathan Haagensen,Enrique Diaz, Caroline Abras, Lee Taylor, Osvaldo Mil, Otto Jr.
IMDb Rating: 8.3/10
The Mechanism is inspired by Operation Car Wash, the largest corruption scandal in Brazil’s history. This fictional is told through Marcos Novara, a fictionalized version of Lava Jato task force investigator Carlos Alberto Soares. Joining him are Baleia, a Supreme Court judge who oversees the investigation, and Sandra, his lawyer and the one he confides in.
The series follows their missions to uncover the inner workings of corruption that spans over continents.
The Mafia Dolls (2009- )
Director: Luis Alberto Restrepo
Writers: Juan Camilo Ferrand, Andres Lopez. Amparo Grisales, Will Rodriquez, Piero Melotti, Paola Tovar
Cast: Diego Martin Vasquez, Jason Chad Roth,
IMDb Rating: 6.8/10
In Colombia, a group of young women are seduced by money to work as “cartel dolls” and get tangled up in their boyfriend’s criminal networks.
Their lives change quickly when they have to face the consequences of their partner’s actions. The Mafia Dolls are glamorous, powerful, and have men wrapped around their fingers.
Follow the stories of the women who have committed their lives to men in the drug trafficking business.
Dope (2015)
Director: Rick Famuyiwa
Writer: Rick Famuyiwa
Cast: Kimberly Elise, Shameik Moore, Keirsey Clemons, Tony Revolori, Bruce Beatty, Blake Anderson
IMDb Rating: 7.2/10
Los Angeles hip-hop artist Malcolm is surviving life in a tough neighborhood with the help of his best friend and fellow nerd Jib.
On a weekend trip to a college party, they are offered a chance to make some fast cash by joining a drug delivery service – but things don’t go as planned. Dope is a gritty coming-of-age tale with audiences cheering for its wildly original protagonist.
The Day I Met El Chapo (2017)
Director: Carlos Armella
Cast: Sean Penn, Jessiva Maldonado, Kate del Castillo, Marianne Sauvage, Veronica del Castillo, Eric del Castillo
IMDb Rating: 6.9/10
Get fired up for the story you never saw coming. In 2011, in a flurry of tabloid headlines, Mexican actress Kate del Castillo found herself in the middle of an international scandal when she helped arrange a secret meeting between Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman and Sean Penn.
Now she reveals what led to the most notorious drug kingpin’s capture and reveals how heavy are the weight of secrets and lies.
El Senor de los Cielos (2013- )
Director: Jose Luis Garcia Agraz
Writers: Luis Zelkowicz, Mariano Calasso
Cast: Fernanda Castillo, Carmen Aub, Lisa Owen, Rafael Amaya, Jesus More, Fernando Banda, Alejandro Lopez
IMDb Rating: 6.9/10
Most powerful drug trafficker of his time in Mexico, “El Señor de los Cielos”, a man who became the head of the Juárez cartel.
El Señor de los Cielos is about the life of Amado Carrillo Fuentes, a former Mexican drug lord. The story begins in 1987 when Amado is still a young man, with no real power and ready to climb to the top of drug trafficking operations in Mexico.
Ganglands (2021- )
Director: Julien Leclercq
Writers: Julien Leclercq, Hamid Hlioua, Salim Kechiouche, Tracy Gotoas, Carlos Scharam, Sofia Lasaffre
Cast: Sami Bouajila, Nabiha Akkari, Dahlia Salem
IMDb Rating: 7.0/10
Ganglands: Behind the scenes, where villains of all stripes roam and days are spent making money the hard way.
A small-time gang that robs marijuana from dealers, a large-scale drug dealer who knows the turf, and loads of bikers complicate Mehdi and Liana’s seemingly simple mission.
These two thieves must find a way out or lose everything dear to them.
Inside the Criminal Mind (2017-)
Writers: Santon Samenow
Cast: Eva Ruzickova, Geoffrey Martin, Antonio Pedro, Olivia Valdmanova, Alfredo Tavares, Anotonio Pedro
IMDb Rating: 5.4/10
This documentary series has a very interesting look that would make viewers crave for more. We delve into the psychology behind criminal minds with specialists uncovering patterns of behavior and motive.
Dr. Stanton Samenow peels away the romanticized layers of well-known criminal cases. He reveals manipulated juries, unconcerned perpetrators, and his own experiences in diagnosing the worst of the worst. Enter the twisted minds of criminals.
Undercover (2019-)
Director: Frank Devos
Writers: Piet Matthys
Cast: Elise Schaap, Manou Kersting, Frank Lammers, Tom Waes, Anna Drijver, Ruth Becquart
IMDb Rating: 7.8/10
A Dutchman leads the criminal organization and prefers to spend his time in a simple chalet. The Belgian and Dutch police join forces to take down the criminal organization.
As the investigation dives deeper, it becomes increasingly complex and not everyone can be trusted. For their own security, extremely cautious Inspector Yoeri Dekker and his team infiltrate the chalet community of Ferry Bouman using fake identities.
Surviving Escobar: Alias JJ (2017-)
Director: Juan Carlos Vasquez, Jorge Sandoval, Luis Alberto, Restrepo
Writers: Gerardo Pinzon, Johnny A, Ortiz
Cast: Natasha Klauss, Juan Pablo Urrego, Juan Pablo Obregonm Amparo Grisales, Tota Vegas, Roberto Mateos
IMDb Rating: 7.9/10
Growing up in the slums of Medellín, Colombia, young John Jairo Jiménez was a violent bully and drug dealer who earned the moniker “Escobar’s Hitman”.
However, after being arrested at the age of 17 and spending time behind bars. When he is released on parole, he vows to change his ways, and in a stern – but well-intentioned – effort to accomplish this, his parole officer refers him to a construction training program.
Whether you’re fascinated by historical accuracy, character-driven plots, or adrenaline-pumping action, these Mafia shows on Netflix have Mafiahing for everyone. So grab your popcorn, settle in, and immerse yourself in the thrilling world of crime families and power struggles.
