Best tv shows like Sons of Anarchy
Last updated March 2024
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Plot Summary:
An adrenalized drama with darkly comedic undertones that explores a notorious outlaw motorcycle club’s (MC) desire to protect its livelihood while ensuring that their simple, sheltered town of Charming, California remains exactly that, charming. The MC must confront threats from drug dealers, corporate developers, and overzealous law officers. Behind the MC’s familial lifestyle and legally thriving automotive shop is a ruthless and illegal arms business driven by the seduction of money, power, and blood.
IMDB Rating: 8.6
IMDB Votes: 317000
Genere: Crime, Drama, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 45 min
Plot tags: tense, exciting, serious, suspenseful, rough, dramatic, epic, erotic, christian film, atmospheric
Best tv shows and movies like Sons of Anarchy (2008):
Similar in 80%
Mob City (2013)
Plot Summary:
The true story of a decades-long conflict between the Los Angeles Police Department, under the determined leadership of Police Chief William Parker, and ruthless criminal elements led by Mickey Cohen, a one-time boxer who rose to the top of L.A.'s criminal world. The series is a fast-paced crime drama set in Los Angeles during the 1940s and '50s. It's a world of glamorous movie stars, powerful studio heads, returning war heroes, a powerful and corrupt police force and an even more dangerous criminal network determined to make L.A. its West Coast base.
IMDB Rating: 7.4
IMDB Votes: 8000
Genere: Crime, Drama, Mystery, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 60 min
Plot tags: neo noir, tense, serious, realistic, suspenseful, stylized, detective, anime, crime drama, dark drama
Similar in 89%
Beyond the Law (1993)
Plot Summary:
Dan Saxon is an undercover cop who infiltrates a biker gang to nail the scum behind a drug-smuggling operation. In order to maintain the trust of the gang's leader, he must commit ever more dangerous and heinous crimes. Just how far 'beyond the law' will Saxon go?.
IMDB Rating: 6.4
IMDB Votes: 8000
Genere: Crime, Drama, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 108 min
Plot tags: serious, suspenseful, exciting, rough, realistic, neo noir, retro, road movie, detective, bleak
Similar in 78%
Gang Related (2014)
Plot Summary:
Every villain has a noble cause, and every hero has a dark side. Detective Ryan Lopez is a rising star in Los Angeles' elite Gang Task Force. What the world doesn't know is that long before Ryan became a cop, he pledged allegiance to a different band of brothers – a powerful Latino gang called Los Angelicos. When Ryan's best friend and police partner is senselessly killed by a notorious gang member, Ryan teams up with longtime Task Force member Cassius Green who has been at the forefront of the city's war on organized crime. In this war between law enforcement and gangs, the series explores how only people who really know the streets can win the battle on the streets.
IMDB Rating: 7.5
IMDB Votes: 6000
Genere: Action, Crime, Drama, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 46 min
Plot tags: rough, serious, exciting, realistic, suspenseful, crime drama, detective
Similar in 90%
Savage (2019)
Plot Summary:
Inspired by the true stories of New Zealand's street gangs across 30 years, we follow Danny at three defining moments in his life as he grows from a boy into the violent enforcer of a gang.
IMDB Rating: 6.2
IMDB Votes: 2000
Genere: Crime, Drama
Country: New Zealand
Duration: 100 min
Plot tags: tense, serious, realistic, suspenseful, independent film
Similar in 77%
Quarry (2016)
Plot Summary:
The story of Mac Conway, a Marine who returns home to Memphis from Vietnam in 1972 and finds himself shunned by those he loves and demonized by the public. As he struggles to cope with his experiences at war, Conway is drawn into a network of killing and corruption that spans the length of the Mississippi River.
IMDB Rating: 8.0
IMDB Votes: 14000
Genere: Crime, Drama, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 60 min
Plot tags: serious, tense, captivating, realistic, exciting, southern gothic, erotic, neo noir, anime, sensual
Similar in 85%
Gangland Undercover (2015)
Plot Summary:
This drama series is a fictionalized retelling of the story of meth dealer-turned-ATF informant Charles Falco, who spent three years inside one of America's most dangerous motorcycle gangs, the Vagos. Although Falco originally took on the assignment to avoid spending 20 years in prison on drug charges, it eventually evolved into a quest for justice for him. “Gangland Undercover” documents the lives of outlaw bikers, who live in a world in which respect is earned through fear. The series is based on Falco's memoir, “Vagos, Mongols, and Outlaws,” and documented historical research of gang rivalries.
IMDB Rating: 8.1
IMDB Votes: 4000
Genere: Biography, Crime, Drama, History
Country: Canada, USA
Duration: 42 min
Plot tags: suspenseful, serious, captivating, realistic, suspense, tense, rough
Similar in 78%
City on a Hill (2019)
Plot Summary:
In early 90s Boston, an African-American District Attorney comes in from Brooklyn advocating change and forms an unlikely alliance with a corrupt yet venerated FBI veteran invested in maintaining the status quo. Together they take on a family of armored car robbers from Charlestown in a case that grows to encompass and eventually upend Boston’s city-wide criminal justice system.
IMDB Rating: 7.6
IMDB Votes: 15000
Genere: Crime, Drama, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 60 min
Plot tags: atmospheric, captivating, bleak, exciting, detective, anime, crime drama
Similar in 78%
Love/Hate (2010)
Plot Summary:
Modern-day underworld characters Nidge and John Boy wrestle for control of Dublin's illicit drug trade in this forceful crime drama.
IMDB Rating: 8.5
IMDB Votes: 7000
Genere: Crime, Drama
Country: Ireland
Duration: 51 min
Plot tags: suspenseful, tense, rough, serious, realistic, stylized
Similar in 85%
Banshee Origins (2013)
Plot Summary:
Banshee: Origins is a series of webisodes based on the American drama television series produced by Cinemax called Banshee. The series offers flashbacks in-between the time where Lucas Hood was arrested and when Sheriff Lucas Hood first arrived in Banshee.
IMDB Rating: 8.6
IMDB Votes: 5000
Genere: Drama
Country: USA
Duration:
Plot tags: realistic, suspenseful, rough, serious, tense, captivating, suspense, disturbing
Similar in 76%
Justified (2010)
Plot Summary:
A character drama based on the 2001 Elmore Leonard short story "Fire in the Hole." Leonard's tale centers around U.S. Marshal Raylan Givens of Kentucky, a quiet but strong-willed official of the law. The tale covers his high-stakes job, as well as his strained relationships with his ex-wife and father.
IMDB Rating: 8.6
IMDB Votes: 116000
Genere: Action, Crime, Drama, Mystery, Thriller, Western
Country: USA
Duration: 3400 min
Plot tags: serious, captivating, realistic, neo noir, dramatic, detective, southern gothic, crime drama, neo western, exciting
Similar in 88%
Wentworth (2013)
Plot Summary:
Bea Smith is locked up while awaiting trial for the attempted murder of her husband and must learn how life works in prison. A modern adaptation and sequel of the iconic Prisoner series.
IMDB Rating: 8.6
IMDB Votes: 24000
Genere: Crime, Drama, Thriller
Country: Australia
Duration: 45 min
Plot tags: serious, tense, suspenseful, rough, bleak, erotic, sexy, dark, dramatic, thrilling
Similar in 76%
Your Honor (2020)
Plot Summary:
The son of a respected judge is involved in a hit-and-run that leads to a high-stakes game of lies, deceit and impossible choices. A legal thriller that rips through all strata of New Orleans society.
IMDB Rating: 7.6
IMDB Votes: 64000
Genere: Crime, Drama, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 57 min
Plot tags: thrilling, serious, emotional, realistic, suspenseful
Similar in 80%
Ozark (2017)
Plot Summary:
A financial adviser drags his family from Chicago to the Missouri Ozarks, where he must launder $500 million in five years to appease a drug boss.
IMDB Rating: 8.5
IMDB Votes: 337000
Genere: Crime, Drama, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 60 min
Plot tags: serious, realistic, suspense, suspenseful, spectacular, psychological, thrilling, atmospheric, intellectual, mysterious
Similar in 77%
The Town (2010)
Plot Summary:
Doug MacRay is a longtime thief, who, smarter than the rest of his crew, is looking for his chance to exit the game. When a bank job leads to the group kidnapping an attractive branch manager, he takes on the role of monitoring her – but their burgeoning relationship threatens to unveil the identities of Doug and his crew to the FBI Agent who is on their case.
IMDB Rating: 7.5
IMDB Votes: 410000
Genere: Crime, Drama, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 125 min
Plot tags: suspense, exciting, captivating, serious, crime thriller, clever, neo noir, rough, stylized, action packed
Similar in 77%
Miller's Crossing (1990)
Plot Summary:
Set in 1929, a political boss and his advisor have a parting of the ways when they both fall for the same woman.
IMDB Rating: 7.7
IMDB Votes: 140000
Genere: Crime, Drama, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 115 min
Plot tags: neo noir, atmospheric, tense, stylized, serious, realistic, suspense, dark, cult classic, clever
Similar in 89%
Banshee (2013)
Plot Summary:
Banshee is an American drama television series set in a small town in Pennsylvania Amish country and features an enigmatic ex-con posing as a murdered sheriff who imposes his own brand of justice while also cooking up plans that serve his own interests.
IMDB Rating: 8.4
IMDB Votes: 120000
Genere: Action, Crime, Drama, Mystery, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 60 min
Plot tags: exciting, sexy, serious, suspenseful, rough, stylized, realistic, erotic, inspirational, brutal
Similar in 83%
The Shield (2002)
Plot Summary:
The story of an inner-city Los Angeles police precinct where some of the cops aren't above breaking the rules or working against their associates to both keep the streets safe and their self-interests intact.
IMDB Rating: 8.7
IMDB Votes: 86000
Genere: Crime, Drama, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 47 min
Plot tags: exciting, tense, rough, suspenseful, realistic, cynical, dramatic, detective, crime drama, serious
Similar in 78%
Mayans M.C. (2018)
Plot Summary:
Set in the aftermath of Jax Teller’s death, Ezekiel "EZ" Reyes is fresh out of prison and a prospect in the Mayans M.C. charter on the Cali/Mexi border. Now, EZ must carve out his new identity in a town where he was once the golden boy with the American Dream in his grasp.
IMDB Rating: 7.6
IMDB Votes: 24000
Genere: Crime, Drama, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 60 min
Plot tags: suspenseful, tense, rough, serious, dark, spectacular, thrilling
Similar in 81%
Gomorrah (2014)
Plot Summary:
Based on Robert Saviano's bestselling book, this gritty Italian crime drama paints a portrait of the brutal Neapolitan crime organisation the Camorra, as seen through the eyes of Ciro Di Marzo, the obedient and self- confident right-hand man of the clan's godfather, Pietro Savastano.
IMDB Rating: 8.6
IMDB Votes: 43000
Genere: Crime, Drama, Thriller
Country: Italy, Germany
Duration: 55 min
Plot tags: serious, tense, captivating, disturbing, realistic, dramatic, hood, crime thriller, bleak, rough
Similar in 76%
The Black Donnellys (2007)
Plot Summary:
Meet the Donnelly brothers: Tommy, Jimmy, Kevin and Sean. There is nothing these four Irish brothers wouldn't do to protect each other, and for them that means lying, cheating, stealing and, occasionally, calling the cops. Narrated by wannabe gangster Joey "Ice Cream," this gritty series bears witness to the Donnelly brothers' sudden involvement in organized crime, focusing on how they go from boys to mobsters, and showing how their new life affects their relationships with friends, family and lovers.
IMDB Rating: 8.1
IMDB Votes: 14000
Genere: Crime, Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 60 min
Plot tags: rough, captivating, realistic, suspenseful, serious, erotic, exciting, dramatic, anime, thrilling
Similar in 76%
Godfather of Harlem (2019)
Plot Summary:
Loosely based on infamous crime boss Bumpy Johnson, who in the early 1960s returned from ten years in prison to find the neighborhood he once ruled in shambles. With the streets controlled by the Italian mob, Bumpy attempts to regain his piece of Harlem.
IMDB Rating: 8.1
IMDB Votes: 20000
Genere: Crime, Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 55 min
Plot tags: tense, suspenseful, captivating, suspense, disturbing, exciting, inspirational, anime, crime thriller
Similar in 85%
The Sopranos (1999)
Plot Summary:
The Sopranos is an American television drama created by David Chase. The series revolves around the New Jersey-based Italian-American mobster Tony Soprano and the difficulties he faces as he tries to balance the conflicting requirements of his home life and the criminal organization he heads. Those difficulties are often highlighted through his ongoing professional relationship with psychiatrist Jennifer Melfi. The show features Tony's family members and Mafia associates in prominent roles and story arcs, most notably his wife Carmela and his cousin and protégé Christopher Moltisanti.
IMDB Rating: 9.2
IMDB Votes: 450000
Genere: Crime, Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 55 min
Plot tags: serious, cynical, captivating, clever, rough, dramatic, psychological, realistic, stylized, neo noir
Similar in 83%
Boardwalk Empire (2010)
Plot Summary:
Boardwalk Empire is a period drama focusing on Enoch "Nucky" Thompson (based on the historical Enoch L. Johnson), a political figure who rose to prominence and controlled Atlantic City, New Jersey, during the Prohibition period of the 1920s and 1930s. Nucky interacts with several historical figures in both his personal and political life, including mobsters, politicians, government agents, and the common folk who look up to him. The federal government also takes an interest in the bootlegging and other illegal activities in the area, sending agents to investigate possible mob connections but also looking at Nucky's lifestyle—expensive and lavish for a county political figure. Primetime Emmy Award-winning screenwriter and producer Terence Winter adapted the show from Boardwalk Empire: The Birth, High Times, and Corruption of Atlantic City, a book by Nelson Johnson about historical criminal kingpin Enoch L. Johnson.
IMDB Rating: 8.6
IMDB Votes: 200000
Genere: Crime, Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 55 min
Plot tags: serious, costume drama, atmospheric, captivating, suspenseful, tense, rough, clever, realistic, stylized
Similar in 76%
Ray Donovan (2013)
Plot Summary:
Set in the sprawling mecca of the rich and famous, Ray Donovan does the dirty work for LA's top power players, and makes their problems disappear. His father's unexpected release from prison sets off a chain of events that shakes the Donovan family to its core.
IMDB Rating: 8.3
IMDB Votes: 92000
Genere: Crime, Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 60 min
Plot tags: serious, captivating, clever, tense, stylized, realistic, crime drama, erotic, neo noir, dramatic
Similar in 82%
Brotherhood (2006)
Plot Summary:
A working-class Irish family rules a city built on loyalty and corruption. The Caffee brothers, Tommy, a rising politician desperate for reelection, and Michael, a hardened criminal returning from seven years on the run and eager to reclaim his turf, fight for survival on opposite sides of the law. In their ruthless quest for power, the entire Caffee family is driven to lies, betrayal and infidelity -- threatening to tear them and the city of Providence, RI apart.
IMDB Rating: 7.7
IMDB Votes: 8000
Genere: Crime, Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 60 min
Plot tags: realistic, atmospheric, serious, suspenseful, political, dramatic, captivating, erotic, dark drama, clever
Similar in 90%
The Wire (2002)
Plot Summary:
Told from the points of view of both the Baltimore homicide and narcotics detectives and their targets, the series captures a universe in which the national war on drugs has become a permanent, self-sustaining bureaucracy, and distinctions between good and evil are routinely obliterated.
IMDB Rating: 9.3
IMDB Votes: 367000
Genere: Crime, Drama, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 59 min
Plot tags: clever, tense, cynical, detective, serious, rough, captivating, dramatic, suspenseful, exciting
Similar in 80%
Animal Kingdom (2016)
Plot Summary:
The series centers on 17-year-old Joshua "J" Cody, who moves in with his freewheeling relatives in their Southern California beach town after his mother dies of a heroin overdose. Headed by boot-tough matriarch Janine "Smurf" Cody and her right-hand Baz, who runs the business and calls the shots, the clan also consists of Pope, the oldest and most dangerous of the Cody boys; Craig, the tough and fearless middle son; and Deran, the troubled, suspicious "baby" of the family.
IMDB Rating: 8.2
IMDB Votes: 43000
Genere: Crime, Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 60 min
Plot tags: exciting, tense, captivating, erotic, sexy, anime, sensual, crime thriller
Similar in 89%
True Detective (2014)
Plot Summary:
An American anthology police detective series utilizing multiple timelines in which investigations seem to unearth personal and professional secrets of those involved, both within or outside the law.
IMDB Rating: 8.9
IMDB Votes: 618000
Genere: Crime, Drama, Mystery, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 55 min
Plot tags: neo noir, serious, atmospheric, anthology, gloomy, realistic, southern gothic, clever, stylized, captivating
Similar in 77%
Breaking Bad (2008)
Plot Summary:
When Walter White, a New Mexico chemistry teacher, is diagnosed with Stage III cancer and given a prognosis of only two years left to live, he becomes filled with a sense of fearlessness and an unrelenting desire to secure his family's financial future at any cost as he enters the dangerous world of drugs and crime.
IMDB Rating: 9.5
IMDB Votes: 21000000
Genere: Crime, Drama, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 3030 min
Plot tags: serious, captivating, tense, psychological, rough, cynical, neo noir, clever, dramatic, bleak
Similar in 79%
Peaky Blinders (2013)
Plot Summary:
A gangster family epic set in 1919 Birmingham, England and centered on a gang who sew razor blades in the peaks of their caps, and their fierce boss Tommy Shelby, who means to move up in the world.
IMDB Rating: 8.8
IMDB Votes: 621000
Genere: Crime, Drama
Country: UK
Duration: 2109 min
Plot tags: serious, atmospheric, tense, stylized, captivating, clever, suspenseful, rough, historical drama, realistic