As audiences wait to see what happens next to Harry de Souza inMobLandseason 2, here are other great crime dramas worth delving into. Paramount+‘sMobLandwas created by Ronan Bennett and developed by Guy Ritchie, focusing on the struggles of the Harrigan crime family.Tom Hardy portrays de Souza, the Harrigans’ most trusted fixer among their ranks.
However, the Harrigans' reign is soon turned upside down when the heir of one of their rivals is murdered, leading to an escalating crime war brewing.MobLandsoon reveals the fractures within the Harrigans' ranks, as dark truths about its leading figures come to light. AfterMobLandended on a shocking cliffhanger, the series was renewed for season 2.
9Happy Valley
Streaming on Prime Video
Airing from 2014 to 2023 across three seasons,Happy Valleyis led by Sarah Lancashire’s traumatized Yorkshire police sergeant Catherine Cawood. When the release of convicted criminal Tommy Lee Royce (James Norton), who had assaulted Catherine’s daughter before her suicide, her life is thrown into disarray.
AcrossHappy Valley’s three seasons, the two characters have many complicated battles with one another, not just over criminal activity but through the ties that forever tied them together. As such, many who became enraptured by the high-stakes personal battles within the Harrigan family may similarly be satisfied by the interpersonal conflicts.
8Love/Hate
Streaming on Prime Video and PlutoTV
Releasing between 2010 and 2014,Love/Hateexplored the rivalries that shook the Dublin criminal underworld. When Darren (Robert Sheehan) returns to Ireland after several years on the run in Spain, a tragic shooting throws him back into a life of crime. As he tries to discover his brother’s killer, Darren descends further into the criminal underworld.
LikeMobLand, Love/Hateis a family affair, as Darren’s return to his life of crime is partially motivated by his brother’s loss, though the mystery of who the killer was is a further hook for viewers. Furthermore, stars Sheehan, Killian Scott, and Barry Keoghan, who would later receive recognition, also provide strong and engaging performances.
7This City Is Ours
Available on Prime Video
StarringGame of Thrones’Sean Bean,This City Is Ourspremiered in 2025 and explored the fragile bonds that kept the Liverpool criminal underworld in line. However, when Bean’s crime-boss Ronnie Phelan decides to step away from his position, his loved ones turn on one another in a battle of succession.
While a newer addition to the genre,This City Is Ourshas left a strong impression on critics and audiences alike. Much likeMobLand,the battles exist beyond rival gangs vying to take over Phelan’s empire, as the conflict between potential successors Michael (James Nelson-Joyce) and Jamie (Jack McMullen) take priority.
6McMafia
Available on AMC+
Releasing in 2018,McMafiais inspired by Misha Glenny’sMcMafia: A Journey Through The Global Criminal Underworld. Starring the previously mentioned Norton as financier Alex Gordon, who is dragged into a battle between his father’s criminal business and rival enterprises. Despite his reluctance, Alex finds himself taking initiative in the criminal underworld to secure his place.
Much like howMobLanddepicted Paddy Considine’s Kevin as a complicated figure who doesn’t match his more cutthroat relatives, Alex is a reluctant protagonist pushed into this life. As such, his arc surrounds his attempts to maintain his family’s legacy without crossing his own lines. This makesMcMafia’snarrative incredibly engaging, as viewers are left wondering what is right.
5Top Boy
Streaming on Netflix
Also created by Ronan Bennett,Top Boyleaves behind the major players of the criminal underworld and focuses on a personal struggle on Hackney’s Summerhouse housing estates.Dushane (Ashley Walters) and Sully (Kane Robinson)hold power over the estate through their drug-dealing operations. However, new gangs and police snitches complicate their operations.
Gritty, gripping, and unrelenting,Top Boynot only earned acclaim across its original run, but the series' revival by Netflix was highlighted as an improvement on the original series. With Netflix’s involvement,Top Boy’s scope expanded beyond the Summerhouse estate. As such, later seasons began to further flesh out its intriguing criminal underworld.
4Line of Duty
Streaming on Hulu and Britbox
UnlikeMobLand,Line of Dutyturns its lens to the other side of the law, focusing on AC-12. While the police may be seeking out criminals, it is the job of the Anti-Corruption Unit 12 to apprehend"bent coppers",officers who have used their position to violate the law for their own means.Line of Dutyran for six seasons across 36 episodes.
Line of Dutyis a perfect match forMobLandviewers due to the strength of its cast. Like howMobLandportrays its criminals as not inherently evil,Line of Dutyshows how the law and those who uphold it can be corrupted, no matter their intentions. This makes it a perfect companion piece toMobLand’s morality explorations.
3The Gentlemen
Spanning out of Guy Richie’s 2019 feature film of the same name,The Gentlemenfollows Theo James and Kaya Scodelario’s Eddie Horniman and Susie Glass, who find themselves inheriting their family’s murkier business dealings. Across the first season, the pair is forced to reckon with escalating tensions in the criminal underworld, thanks to absurd dealings gone wrong.
While Richie may have worked on bothMobLandandThe Gentlemen, the latter iscloser to the director’s more comedic stylings.MobLandgrapples with the ways crime has shaped its cast’s broken lives, whileThe Gentlemenhas a more humorous approach, portraying things in a more optimistic light. Nevertheless, both series fully embrace the subgenre Richie helped establish.
2Gangs of London
Streaming on Netflix and AMC+
Beginning in 2020,Gangs of Londonfocuses on a power struggle between powerful international gangs to shape the city’s future. When Finn Wallace (Colm Meaney) is assassinated, the city is thrown into chaos, as various parties seek to claim his empire for themselves. As the syndicates fight, the authorities hope an undercover operation can bring the underworld to its knees.
LikeMobLand,Gangs of Londonis an unforgiving and brutal seriesthat shows the darker ripples that a life of crime can have on those who partake. Even undercover cop Elliot Finch (Sope Dirisu) is forced to reckon with what he must do to survive. As such,Gangs of Londonoffers a character-driven glimpse into the personal costs.
1Peaky Blinders
Created by Steven Knight,Peaky Blinderstells the story of Tommy Shelby (Cillian Murphy), a soldier who returns from the First World War to establish his own Birmingham-based criminal empire. Across its six-season run, Shelby’s operations expand from a small gang into a global empire. Even Tommy finds himself dealing with the political class when he becomes an MP.
Tom Hardy recurs as Jewish gang leader Alfie Solomons inPeaky Blinders.
As Tommy begins to expand the Blinder’s influence, their operations bring him into contact with key players throughout the historical period. Alongside rival gangs, Tommy brushes elbows with the figureheads of various movements as the world descends into the darkness of World War II. Because of this,Peaky Blinderscan be a decent introduction to the setting’s history.
Alongside a unique historical setting and striking cinematography,Peaky Blinders’character writing also earned it widespread acclaim. Tommy Shelby is a complex figure who not only grapples with rival syndicates and the law, but his personal demons. With aPeaky Blinderssequel movie in development, now is a perfect time to dive in while waiting forMobLand’sreturn.
