12 Shows Like Black Rabbit You Must See

Created by Zach Baylin and Kate Susman, ‘Black Rabbit’ tells the story of the two Friedkin brothers from New York. The older brother, Jake (Jude Law), owns a restaurant and VIP lounge in Manhattan and has built it up to a partying hotspot in the city. On the other hand, the younger brother, Vince (Jason Bateman), returns home after three years owing huge gambling debts to gangsters. As the responsibility falls on Jake to repay his brother’s debt, his personal and professional life starts to fall apart. However, the two decide to stick together and do whatever they can to survive. The Netflix crime thriller mini-series deals with the shadow of the dark underbelly of New York upon the establishments of prominence, and the extent to which one goes to protect one’s family. If the show has piqued your interest, here is a list of shows similar to ‘Black Rabbit’ for you to binge next.

12. Goliath (2016-2021)

Helmed by David E. Kelley and Jonathan Shapiro, ‘Goliath’ stars Billy Bob Thornton as lawyer Billy McBride. He builds the law firm Cooperman McBride from the ground up with his partner, Donald Cooperman (William Hurt), and then walks away and takes to drinking after he gets a murder suspect released on a technicality, and he goes on to kill the entire family of his alleged victims. Billy moves into an extended-stay hotel and becomes an ambulance chaser, trying to help ordinary people get the justice that they deserve. Similar to the brothers in ‘Black Rabbit,’ Billy takes on the criminals in the city while his relationship with his work-brother gets strained.

11. ZeroZeroZero (2020)

Based on Roberto Saviano’s non-fiction book of the same name, ‘ZeroZeroZero’ is about a shipment of the purest form of cocaine from Monterrey in Mexico to Gioia Tauro in Italy. The sellers, Latino drug lords Enrique and Jacinto Leyra, are not in direct contact with the buyer, ‘Ndrangheta boss Don Minu La Piana. Instead, the entire transaction is handled through the brokers- the Lynwood family from New Orleans, who owns a shipping company. The stakes are high in the transaction, with the Mexicans needing money to maintain their private army, the Italian mob boss needing the drug shipment to maintain control, and the Lynwoods needing the deal to go through smoothly to keep their company afloat, much like what Jake Friedkin hopes for in ‘Black Rabbit.’

10. Dead to Me (2019-2022)

From the mind of Liz Feldman, ‘Dead to Me’ centers around Jen Harding (Christina Applegate), a realtor living in Laguna Beach, California. After recently losing her husband in a car accident, Jen joins a grief support group where she meets Judy Hale (Linda Cardellini). The latter claims that her fiancé died of a heart attack, but it soon becomes apparent that her real purpose is to get close to Jen. With her sunny disposition, Judy manages to break through the walls Jen creates around her and the two become best friends. However, Judy has secrets of her own, and the bond between her and Jen increasingly represents the complicated one between ‘Black Rabbit’ brothers Jake and Vince Friedkin.

9. Broadchurch (2013-2017)

Chris Chibnall’s creation, ‘Broadchurch,’ depicts the aftermath of the death of an 11-year-old boy in a fictional English town on the coast of Dorset. The case is overseen by Detective Inspector Alec Hardy (David Tennant) and Detective Sergeant Ellie Miller (Olivia Colman). The tragedy leaves the boy’s family shaken, as everyone becomes a suspect in the case. While the detectives try to solve the case, other local incidents divide their attention. Much like ‘Black Rabbit,’ the narrative focuses on a family as it tries to claw its way back to normalcy following a terrible accident.

8. Sharp Objects (2018)

Adapted by Marti Noxon from Gillian Flynn’s eponymous debut novel, ‘Sharp Objects’ stars Amy Adams as Camille Preaker, a crime reporter who suffers from alcoholism and was institutionalized for self-harming. After she gets discharged and rejoins work, she travels back to her hometown of Wind Gap, Missouri, to look into the murder of a young girl and the disappearance of another. At her childhood home, Camille faces the criticism of Adora Crellin (Patricia Clarkson), her overbearing socialite mother, and is forced to face her own unresolved issues. Similar to Vince Friedkin in ‘Black Rabbit,’ Camille’s troubles are far from over as she goes back to her roots.

7. McMafia (2018)

Developed by Hossein Amini and James Watkins based on Misha Glenny’s book ‘McMafia: A Journey Through the Global Criminal Underworld,’ ‘McMafia’ follows Alex Godman (James Norton), heir to the Russian mafia boss Dimitri (Aleksey Serebryakov). Operating his business out of London, the latter considers retirement, but Alex is far from willing to join the family business. Things take a drastic turn when a family member is killed in an attack, forcing Alex to take the reins to ensure the family’s safety. As with Jake Friedkin in ‘Black Rabbit,’ blood runs thicker for Alex as well, as they both get involved with the underworld despite their desire to stay away for the sake of taking care of their family members.

6. The Family Business (2018-)

‘The Family Business’ by Carl Weber is adapted for television based on his own book series of the same name. It is set around an exotic car dealership, Duncan Motors, in New York City, owned by the Duncan family from Jamaica, Queens. The business is headed by the patriarch, Lavernius “L.C.” Duncan (Ernie Hudson), who is looking to retire from work. However, his greatest concern is not the car business, but his dealings with the underworld at night that have made the family their fortune. Much like ‘Black Rabbit,’ the story follows the involvement of a legitimate business with criminal enterprises that threaten to collapse the facade at any moment.

5. The Waterfront (2025)

From the mind of Kevin Williamson, ‘The Waterfront’ revolves around the Buckley family of Havenport, North Carolina. As the family fishing business begins to collapse, patriarch Harlan Buckley (Holt McCallany) starts considering smuggling drugs in their boats to keep finances afloat. Things have not been going well for the individual family members as well, with Harlan surviving cardiac arrest twice, and his daughter Bree (Melissa Benoist) recovering from addiction and losing custody of her son. Together with Harlan’s wife, Belle (Maria Bello), and son Cane (Jake Weary), they dip their toes in the waters of the underworld, much like Vince Friedkin does for his finances in ‘Black Rabbit.’

4. Spotless (2015)

Developed by Ed McCardie and Corinne Marrinan, ‘Spotless’ is set around crime scene cleaner Jean Bastière (Marc-André Grondin), who has been living a peaceful life with his wife and children in London for 15 years. Things turn south when his estranged brother Martin (Denis Ménochet) turns up at his door with the body of a woman in a van. Unable to turn his back on him, Jean helps Martin dispose of it, but the consequences of his actions completely upend his life. Jean shouldering responsibility and danger for Martin is what Jake does for Vince in ‘Black Rabbit.’

3. Animal Kingdom (2016-2022)

Drawing from the real-life Pettingill crime family in Australia, as well as a 2010 film of the same name, ‘Animal Kingdom’ follows Joshua Cody (Finn Cole), who loses his mother at the age of 17 and goes to live with his grandmother Janine “Smurf” Cody (Ellen Barkin) and her sons in Oceanside, California. Joshua soon realizes that the family runs a criminal enterprise and has been associated with armed robberies, among other crimes. However, to stay out of trouble, he keeps his silence about the shady activities. Similar to ‘Black Rabbit,’ the show created by Jonathan Lisco showcases family members getting involved in illegal deeds as a unit.

2. Ozark (2017-2022)

Helmed by Bill Dubuque and Mark Williams, ‘Ozark’ centers around Chicago-based financial advisor Marty Byrde (Jason Bateman), who runs a money laundering operation for a Mexican drug cartel. When one of his schemes goes off the rails, he offers to make amends by setting up a bigger operation in the Ozarks region of central Missouri. Accordingly, he moves with his family to Osage Beach, a summer resort community in the area, and gets to work. However, word about his operations soon spreads in the local underworld, putting the safety of the Byrde family in question once again. Just like ‘Black Rabbit,’ Marty gets deeper down the criminal rabbit hole for the sake of protecting his family.

1. Bloodline (2015-2017)

Created by Todd A. Kessler, Glenn Kessler, and Daniel Zelman, ‘Bloodline’ chronicles the lives of the Rayburn family of Islamorada, Florida. Considered to be a pillar of the local community, when Robert (Sam Shepard) and Sally (Sissy Spacek) celebrate the 45th anniversary of their seaside inn, their estranged eldest son, Danny (Ben Mendelsohn), returns home. Danny is considered the black sheep of the family, as his three younger siblings are all well settled within the community. However, his presence in the area threatens to unearth the darness that the family has kept hidden beneath their spotless facade. A number of parallels can be drawn between ‘Black Rabbit’ and ‘Bloodline,’ with both the Friedkin and the Rayburn families running a business in the hospitality sector, as well as getting involved with shady people while presenting a clean face to society.