10 Great Crime TV Shows Based on Real-Life Gangsters

In the real world, gangsters are despicable. They cause pain and anguish to innocent people, so their downfall is always a reason to celebrate. The same cannot be said of gangsters in movies and TV shows. On the screen, these characters are admirable because directors and showrunners glorify their actions, making them appear brave, sanguine, and wise. On television shows, viewers spend even more time with them, admiring their lifestyles and marveling at their moves.

When telling the stories of real gangsters, showrunners and writers need to be more careful to avoid accusations of historical inaccuracy. Thankfully, a few shows in recent years have carefully juggled facts and dramatization, resulting in sagas that are just as entertaining as they are informative. These shows don’t just celebrate crime, either. They remind everyone that a life of crime does pay, but the check never lasts forever. In the end, empires come crashing down.

10 Boardwalk Empire (2010-2014)

Created by Martin Scorsese and Terence Winter, Boardwalk Empire covers the life of politician and shadow mob boss, Enoch Lewis “Nucky” Johnson. During the early 1920s, Nucky became the most influential person in Atlantic City because crime bosses often relied on him for legislative favors. The show’s format is simple. It uses Nucky as a spine while frequently touching on Prohibition Era mafia figures like Charles “Lucky” Luciano, Al Capone, and Arnold Rothstein.

The Importance of Politics in Organized Crime

In The Godfather: Part III, Lucchessi tells Vincent, “Finance is a gun. Politics is knowing when to pull the trigger.” His words are true, as politics is one of the most important cogs in the organized crime wheel. While most gangster movies and TV shows tend to relegate politicians to cameo roles, Boardwalk Empire explains how these individuals shape the underworlds of their respective cities after having their palms greased.

Overall, the HBO drama has enough to please both crime genre fans and history buffs. Everything about Nucky’s life, from how he controlled the state’s purse strings, to his status as a kingmaker and honorary mob member, is documented. Violence is also prioritized, so much so, that some minor details are altered. For example, the real Nucky died of natural causes, but here, he gets murdered. Stream on Max.

9 Godfather of Harlem (2019-Present)

A prequel to Ridley Scott’s American Gangster, Epix’s Godfather of Harlem tells the story of the infamous Harlem mob boss Ellsworth “Bumpy” Johnson (Forrest Whitaker), who controlled much of New York’s underworld before the emergence of Frank Lucas. The black Don is best remembered for his friendship with Civil Rights Movement leader Malcolm X and his feud with New York’s five mafia families.

A Little-Known Portion of Black History

A standard gangster biopic is likely to prioritize work-related conflicts and triumphs. It’s thus not surprising that the 1997 Bumpy Johnson movie starring Laurence Fishburne only addressed his feud with the Lucchesse, Gambino, Colombo, and Bonanno crime families. Well, Godfather of Harlem, reminds everyone that even though Bumpy often broke that law, this is only half of the story.

The real Bumpy didn’t spend all his days engaging in shootouts. He was an important player in the fight against racism and even offered to provide Malcolm X with a security detail when the activist’s life was in danger. By telling this story, the series clears a few assumptions that had lived on for years because of one-sided narratives by the press. Stream on Hulu.

8 Narcos (2015-2017)

During the ’80s and ’90s, the biggest portion of the world’s cocaine supply came from Colombia. It all began with the rise of Pablo Escobar, whose story Narcos mainly focuses on. The narco-terrorist’s rise and fall is chronicled in the first two seasons of the Netflix series. In the third and final season, the show places the spotlight on The Cali Cartel, known for taking a more corporate approach to the drug trade.

Perfect Casting, and a Balanced Take

For a biographical show to be captivating, the series creator needs to get the right person for the job, and Eric Newman did just that in Narcos. A running joke on the internet states that Wagner Moura is more Escobar than the real Escobar.

Throughout the series, Moura brilliantly conveys the drug lord’s temperament and daredevilry. The same can be said of the actors portraying the Cali Cartel members. Besides that, the show doesn’t just put weight on one side of the law enforcement seesaw. The DEA and the Colombian police get to shine just as much as Escobar. Stream it on Netflix.

7 Underbelly (2009-2013)

Underbelly is undoubtedly one of the most underrated gangster shows. Often referred to as “The Australian Sopranos,” the show dives deep into the criminal worlds of Melbourne and Sydney. Each season dwells on different periods and different characters, who all played a part in shaping the organized crime scene in Australia. On top of that, various law enforcement figures are included as recurring characters in the critically acclaimed series.

Well-Researched Stories

As wild as Underbelly‘s plot is, the events are all true. The show is adapted from the non-fiction book Leadbelly: Inside Australia’s Underworld, by investigative journalists John Silvester and Andrew Rule. Whether it’s driver-turned-mob-boss, Carl Williams, or powerful brothel owner, Kate Leigh, the Australian series goes into detail by underlining their motivations, principles, and strategies.

Additionally, the casting is decently done. Most actors speak exactly like the people they portray, creating a general authentic feel. Stream it on Prime Video.

6 The Serpent (2021)

The Serpent is based on the life of Indian fraudster and serial killer, Charles “the Serpent” Sobhraj. The elusive criminal was infamous for targeting Western tourists moving across South Asia’s Hippie Trail in the ’70s. Aided by his good looks, he would easily lure his targets before stealing from them and killing them. Because most of his victims were found wearing bikinis, he also came to be known as the “Bikini Killer.” His story was previously told in the 2015 Bollywood film Main Aur Charles, but this particular Netflix series covers more ground.

So Accurate, That Some Events Had to be Toned Down

The choice of subject can make or break a biographical show, and for The Serpent, it’s the former. The writers never had to exercise their creative liberties to create an interesting story. The real tale is so intense that some things were toned down. In an interview with the Los Angeles Times, the head writer Richard Warlow said, “I had to do what you always do when you’re researching stories, which is do some conflations, light a fire under certain things and also — and I’ve never experienced this before — pedal back on some of the strangeness.”

The costume design and hairstyling teams also did an incredible job, as a side-by-side comparison by History Vs. Hollywood shows that Sonhraj and many other characters look exactly as they did in the real world. Stream it on Netflix.

5 Griselda (2024)

Colombian drug trafficker Griselda Blanco, aka, “The Cocaine Godmother,” is largely credited with creating the pipeline that would allow cocaine to move freely from Colombia to the United States. After growing disgruntled with the patriarchal nature of Medellín’s underworld, she moved to Miami, where she quickly set up a distribution ring that brought in a whopping $80 million a month. Her criminal and familial adventures are precisely covered in Griselda (also created by Narcos showrunner, Eric Newman.

A Never-Ending Sense of Dread

Griselda begins with a quote: “The only man I was ever afraid of was a woman named Griselda Blanco.” Whether Escobar was afraid of Griselda or not is debatable, but she sure was feared by many, and the miniseries captures this amazingly, In one scene, she even forces a man at a party to undress and bark like a dog.

It’s senseless, but that was how the real criminal behaved. Sofía Vergara might not look like the real Griselda, but she radiates confidence and awareness. This isn’t just a narration of history, either. It’s a show with a purpose, and its purpose is to promote female empowerment. On-screen, Griselda doesn’t just fight her rivals, she fights chauvinism and mostly succeeds in doing so. Stream it on Netflix.

4 The Untouchables (1993)

Most audiences are familiar with Brian de Palma’s The Untouchables, but there is also a ’90s television show about the same character. It could be argued that the movie was too good to be remade, but the TV show isn’t as disappointing as could be presumed. Like the film, the series follows Prohibition agent Elliot Ness (Tom Amandes), as he attempts to bring down the infamous Chicago mob boss, Al Capone (William Forsythe). There are 42 episodes in total, hence there is more focus on the little details.

The Most Accurate Capone Portrayal?

”Every damn thing we show actually happened,” insists executive producer Christopher Crowe told Entertainment Weekly when the show was airing. ”When they shoot Deanie O’Banion’s character’s hand in the flower shop, that literally happened that way.” He is arguably right, since this show has never been criticized for inaccuracy the way other Capone screen stories are.

Those who value fact over fiction will, therefore, be pleased with the show. The show also goes deeper into Capone’s personal life, showing how complicated his relationship with his associates and friends was. By the time the credits in the finale roll, one feels like they’ve just finished reading a well-researched book.

3 Narco-Saints (2021)

Narco-Saints reminds us that there is always an opportunity hidden somewhere, and those keen enough to spot it reap huge rewards… until things go south. That’s how Korean mechanic In-gu’s fate played out. Fed up with the pennies he was making in his home country, he moved to the little-known South Korean nation of Suriname to take advantage of the untapped fishing industry. In-gu would soon find himself at the mercy of the country’s biggest drug trafficker, Cho Bong-haeng,

A Little Spice… All for the Better

The real Cho Bong-haeng was a mysterious figure. Little is even known about his current whereabouts. Understandably, Narco-Saints creator Yoon Jong-bin exercised creative liberties while making the show. Here, the drug trafficker also doubles as a cult leader. The theme of religion is, therefore, dissected together with that of crime.

The inclusion of a villain who is both hypocritical and malicious boosts the show’s quality and raises the stakes. Besides that, the setting creates a distinctiveness that is lacking in other similar shows. Suriname hardly ever appears in other screen projects, so viewer curiosity remains high throughout the proceedings. Stream it on Netflix.

2 BMF (2021-Present)

Produced by Curtis “50 Cent” Jackson, BMF tells the story of brothers Demetrius “Big Meech” Flenory and Terry “Southwest T” Flenory, who rose from South Detroit’s harsh streets to form one of the biggest crime families in America. By the 2000s, the “Black Mafia Family” had established a cocaine distribution ring all across America and had direct links to powerful Mexican cartels. The organization also entered the music business and formed a promotion company to launder drug money.

One-Sided Story, but Still Fascinating

Getting the blessings of the figures that are to be portrayed in a movie or TV show is considered courteous, but such a move normally results in one-sided stories. BMF suffers from the same problem, but unlike many other similar offerings, it’s engrossing, thanks to great performances, a detailed plot that addresses gangster capitalism, and a fair portrayal of black culture.

The decision to hire Demetrius Flenory Jr to portray his father, Demetrius “Meech” Flenory, seems wise as he not only resembles the gangster but also understands this particular world better than anyone else. Furthermore, the show baits viewers by packing in plenty of stars in its supporting cast. The likes of Snoop Dogg, Neyo, 2 Chainz, Eminem, Lil Baby, and Saweetie, all have minor roles. Stream it on Starz.

1 El Chapo (2017-2018)

Everyone knows El Chapo, but few are familiar with his rise-and-fall story. Thankfully, El Chapo provides all the details that a curious person would wish to know. The series takes viewers on a thorough journey, starting from Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman’s early days as a low-ranking member of the Guadalajara Cartel to his peak days as the boss of the Sinaloa Cartel. The show also acknowledges the figures that either built or put a dent in the drug trade in Mexico.

The Link Between Corruption and the Drug Trade

El Chapo excels by highlighting the link between corruption and the drug trade. Whether it’s politicians or special forces members, everyone gets offered money. Almost everyone takes it because the average income is low while the cost of living is high. One doesn’t just wake up and become the biggest drug trafficker in the world, so the show dedicates plenty of time to the “how.”

Full episodes are dedicated to simple activities such as the character-building tunnels that would eventually prove useful in trafficking and escapes, or creating concrete relationships with people. Actor Marco De La O is also very believable as the titular character. He not only looks like the trafficker, but also talks like him and walks like him, proving that he spent a lot of time studying him. Stream it on Netflix.