Several movies about mobsters, including “The Godfather” and “On the Waterfront,” are considered among the finest pieces of cinema ever produced. But organized crime has made its mark on television too, helping to turn a medium once regarded as creatively and commercially subservient to movies into the preferred outlet for both auteurs and stars.
Widely credited with ushering in the so-called “golden age of television,” HBO Max’s groundbreaking drama told the story of mid-level New Jersey mob boss Tony Soprano (James Gandolfini) and his efforts to rise up the ranks while dealing with panic attacks, a tumultuous home life and an extended clan of violent knuckleheads. Perhaps the most memorable gimmick was the portrayal of Tony’s therapy sessions with Dr. Jennifer Melfi (Lorraine Bracco). The show “lowered the bar on permissible violence, sex and profanity,” at the same time that it “elevated viewers’ taste, cultivating an appetite for complexity, wit and cinematic stylishness,” said Alessandra Stanley at The New York Times. (Prime)
RTÉ’s mob drama, largely unknown outside of Ireland, is a gritty look at the Dublin criminal underworld. Small-time gangster Darren (Robert Sheehan) returns from Spain, where he had been on the lam from a gun charge, and is drawn into the gangland rivalry between his group’s boss, John Boy (Aidan Gillen), and Nidge (Tom Vaughan-Lawlor), a rival for control of the city’s drug operations.
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The series is distinguished by its unflinching portrayal of violence and its willingness to remove plot armor from key characters, often leaving viewers in an unsettling position. Featuring “compact seasons and episodes that don’t leave room for fluff,” the little-known series thrives on a “mix of drama and willingness to keep the stakes perilously high,” said Danielle Bartlett at Collider. (Prime)
‘Peaky Blinders’ (2013-2022)
Peaky Blinders: Series launch trailer - BBC - YouTube
Set in England immediately after the First World War, “Peaky Blinders” is the story of the titular street gang led by Tommy Shelby (Cillian Murphy) and his hatchet man and brother Arthur (Paul Anderson), following their violent quest to expand from Birmingham to the rest of the United Kingdom and beyond. The show’s instant success led to a series of Hollywood A-listers appearing for long arcs in later seasons, including Tom Hardy, Anya Taylor-Joy and Adrien Brody. Being a fan of this “big, dumb and brilliant show,” featuring “big jackets flapping in the wind while an Arctic Monkeys guitar riff roars through the Midlands air,” ultimately gives you a sense of “roaring satisfaction” if you stay with it, said Kevin Clark at The Ringer.(Netflix)
‘Gomorrah’ (2014-2021)
GOMORRAH | Official Full Length Trailer | SundanceTV - YouTube
“Gomorrah” shares a name but little else with the award-winning 2008 Italian crime film. When Naples mob boss Pietro Savastano (Fortunato Cerlino) is arrested, a power struggle erupts between his wife Immacolata (Maria Pia Calzone), their son Gennaro (Salvatore Esposito) and ambitious outsider Ciro Di Marzio (Marco D’Amore).
Perhaps more than any other series, “Gomorrah” offers insight into the bizarre rituals and toxic culture of organized crime, including a season one scene where Ciro is forced to drink Pieto’s urine to prove his loyalty. Ciro and Gennaro are “perfectly cast, perfectly written, dual orbiting spheres of charisma and terror that electrify each scene,” said Shane Ryan at Paste Magazine, in the “best crime show you’ve never seen.” The show was a massive hit in Italy, and a prequel series is set for release early in 2026. (HBO Max)
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A completely unrecognizable Colin Farrell plays Oz Cobb, nicknamed “The Penguin,” as he tries to sweet talk, kill and scheme his way to the top of Gotham’s Falcone crime family. In the premiere of HBO Max’s limited series set in the Batman cinematic universe, Oz impulsively kills Alberto Falcone (Michael Zegen) shortly after the clan’s patriarch, Carmine, is murdered and forces a wrong-place-at-the-wrong-time teenager named Victor Aguilar (Rhenzy Feliz) to help him cover it up, then keeping him on as a protege.
When Alberto’s sister, Sofia (Cristin Milioti), is released from Arkham Asylum, she and Oz have to decide whether they are rivals or allies. Their performances are part of what make the series not “just another comic book spin-off money grab” but rather a “genuinely excellent, stand-alone miniseries,” said Drew Magary at SFGate. (HBO Max)
David Faris is a professor of political science at Roosevelt University and the author of "It's Time to Fight Dirty: How Democrats Can Build a Lasting Majority in American Politics." He's a frequent contributor to Newsweek and Slate, and his work has appeared in The Washington Post, The New Republic and The Nation, among others.
