12 Shows Like House of Guinness You Must See

Created by Steven Knight, ‘House of Guinness‘ chronicles the aftermath of the death of Sir Benjamin Lee Guinness, the Anglo-Irish businessman responsible for making the Guinness brewery massively successful in the mid-1800s. Benjamin Lee had four children: Arthur (Anthony Boyle), Edward (Louis Partridge), Anne (Emily Fairn), and Benjamin (Fionn O’Shea). In his final will, he divides the entirety of his estate between his sons Arthur and Edward, leaving nothing for Anne and Ben. This causes turmoil within the family, something that enemies and competitors of Guinness wish to exploit. As the flames of revolt flare against the old order, the company seeks to establish itself across the pond in the US. Family drama, business rivalry, deceit, and violence all come together in this spectacular period docudrama on Netflix. If you are in search of shows similar to ‘House of Guinness,’ the following list will satiate your craving.

12. Suits (2011-2019)

Created by Aaron Korsh, ‘Suits’ revolves around a fictional law firm in New York City where Harvey Specter (Gabriel Macht), the lawyer with the reputation of never losing a case and being the best closer in town, works under the leadership of managing partner Jessica Pearson (Gina Torres). When Harvey is promoted to senior partner, he is forced to hire an associate to help him with his work. He ends up hiring Mike Ross (Patrick J. Adams), a street-smart young college dropout with a photographic memory who knows everything there is to know about law from books, as he has been helping students cheat exams to make money to support his aged grandmother. Harvey’s gamble on Mike creates an avalanche of trouble for the firm, as the controlling stake in the organization repeatedly comes under question, much like what happens with the succession in the case of the Guinness siblings in ‘House of Guinness.’

11. Six Feet Under (2001-2005)

From the mind of Alan Ball, ‘Six Feet Under’ tells the story of a family that has run a funeral home for generations. It begins with the death of the old director Nathaniel Fisher Sr. (Richard Jenkins), who leaves the business to his sons, Nate (Peter Krause) and David (Michael C. Hall). The family also includes Nathaniel Sr.’s widow, Ruth Fisher (Frances Conroy), and their daughter, Claire Fisher (Lauren Ambrose). As they go through their everyday lives working at this unique venture, the family deals with regular dramas but also takes an almost philosophical interest in death in their everyday conversations. Like ‘House of Guinness,’ the death of the patriarch and the subsequent takeover of the business by siblings play a central part in the show.

10. Dynasty (2017-2022)

‘Dynasty,’ created by Josh Schwartz, Stephanie Savage, and Sallie Patrick, is a reboot of the eponymous soap opera of the 1980s. Set in Atlanta, Georgia, the story centers around the billionaire family that runs the Carrington Atlantic company. When patriarch Blake Carrington (Grant Show) gets involved with a younger employee, his children Fallon (Elizabeth Gillies) and Steven (James Mackay) try to break it off. Meanwhile, the employee Cristal (Nathalie Kelley) has her own troubles, with her shrewd nephew threatening to expose her shady past. Over time, more relatives show up as the drama intensifies. The family drama and turmoil bear a semblance to what goes down with the Guinness family in ‘House of Guinness.’

9. The Inheritance (2023)

Penned by Aschlin Ditta, ‘The Inheritance’ centers around three siblings, Daniel (Robert James-Collier), Sian (Gaynor Faye), and Chloe (Jemima Rooper), who discover that their father, Dennis (Larry Lamb), changed his will prior to his sudden death and has left them nothing. His entire estate has gone to his new wife, Susan (Samantha Bond), whom the children begin to suspect as the cause of death is revealed to be asphyxiation. As detectives begin to look into the death, the mystery surrounding the death solidifies. Similar to ‘House of Guinness,’ the show focuses on an underlying battle of succession following the death of the patriarch.

8. House of Cards (2013-2018)

Based on Michael Dobbs’ eponymous novel and the eponymous 1990 British show, ‘House of Cards’ by Beau Willimon showcases how power moves along the corridors of Washington, DC, following Congressman Frank Underwood (Kevin Spacey), a Democrat from South Carolina, and the House Majority Whip. After his party wins the presidential election, Frank is denied the position of Secretary of State that he was previously promised. This fuels him to embark on a ruthless mission to seize power through pragmatic planning and manipulative plays. He is supported in his efforts by his wife, Claire (Robin Wright), who is every bit as ambitious as he is. The fight to gain the seat of power resonates with what the siblings and their competitors go through in ‘House of Guinness.’

7. McMafia (2018)

Adapted from Misha Glenny’s book ‘McMafia: A Journey Through the Global Criminal Underworld,’ ‘McMafia’ by Hossein Amini and James Watkins is about aging Russian mafia boss Dimitri Godman (Aleksey Serebryakov), who conducts his business out of London. He wishes for his son, Alex (James Norton), to take over the family business after him, but the young man is unwilling to do so. However, the equation changes when a member of the family is killed in an attack. As in ‘House of Guinness,’ the transition of power to the new generation is anything but peaceful in ‘McMafia.’

6. Bloodline (2015-2017)

Created by Todd A. Kessler, Glenn Kessler, and Daniel Zelman, ‘Bloodline’ revolves around the influential Rayburn family living in Islamorada, Florida. Robert (Sam Shepard) and Sally Rayburn (Sissy Spacek) have been running a seaside inn for decades, and all of their children, except their eldest son, are well established in the community. John (Kyle Chandler) works as a detective with the local sheriff’s office, Kevin (Norbert Leo Butz) owns a marina, and Meg (Linda Cardellini) is an attorney. The eldest son and the family’s black sheep, Danny (Ben Mendelsohn), returns home on the 45th anniversary of his parents’ inn and announces his intention of moving back in. This upsets his siblings and threatens their well-balanced dynamic. Much like ‘House of Guinness,’ newfound animosity among siblings takes center stage in the series.

5. Boardwalk Empire (2010-2014)

Adapted from Nelson Johnson’s non-fiction book, ‘Boardwalk Empire: The Birth, High Times, and Corruption of Atlantic City,’ ‘Boardwalk Empire’ by Terence Winter stars Steve Buscemi as Enoch “Nucky” Thompson, a character loosely based on historical political boss Enoch L. Johnson. During the Prohibition Era of the 1920s and 1930s, Enoch amasses great power and takes control of Atlantic City. His sphere of influence includes mobsters, politicians, government agents, and the common people. Over time, the federal government takes an interest in his life and sends agents to investigate. Similar to ‘House of Guinness,’ the show deals with a turbulent historical period and the effect of individuals on society at large.

4. The Gentlemen (2024-)

Created by Guy Ritchie as a spin-off to his eponymous 2019 film, ‘The Gentleman’ follows Eddie Horniman (Theo James), an army veteran who returns home to inherit the estate of his father, the Duke of Halstead. He soon figures out that his father owes a drug dealer £8 million. With his back getting slammed against the wall, Eddie is rescued by Susie Glass, who informs him of the massive cannabis operation in the basement of his house and promises to pay him a massive share of the profits each month for being the establishment’s landowner. The series presents succession and power plays when massive fortunes are involved, much like ‘House of Guinness.’

3. Empire (2015-2020)

Created by Lee Daniels and Danny Strong, ‘Empire’ centers around hip-hop mogul Lucious Lyon (Terrence Howard), who gets diagnosed with ALS. A former drug dealer, Lucious has a significant estate to take care of following his ultimate demise. He thus decides to train his three sons to take over the family business, and keeps pitting them against each other to establish one of them as the leader of the group. However, his plans get complicated when his former wife, Cookie Lyon (Taraji P. Henson), gets released from prison after 17 years and tries to wrestle control of the inheritance. Family drama takes center stage amid shady dealings in the show, similar to ‘House of Guinness.’

2. Succession (2018-2023)

The Jesse Armstrong creation, ‘Succession,’ revolves around the family that owns the global media conglomerate, Waystar RoyCo. When the health of Logan Roy (Brian Cox), the New York City-based family patriarch, begins to decline, his four children start to vie for control over the business. Among them are the estranged son, Connor (Alan Ruck), the ambitious son, Kendall (Jeremy Strong), the irreverent Roman (Kieran Culkin), and the politically savvy daughter, Shiv (Sarah Snook). The power plays that these four and the people around them engage in anticipation of the absence of Logan are reminiscent of the turmoil in ‘House of Guinness.’

1. Peaky Blinders (2013-2022)

Loosely based on a historical urban youth gang of the same name, ‘Peaky Blinders’ is set in Birmingham after World War I. After serving in the Great War, Thomas Shelby (Cillian Murphy) and his brothers take control of the city as the titular gang members. Over time, Thomas establishes a business empire and sets his sights beyond the city border. The gang faces many oppositions, from law enforcement to rival outfits, but they face them bravely together. The series is created by Steven Knight, who is also behind the creation of ‘House of Guinness.’ Both period dramas thus have a similar style, as well as parallels in the unrest and turmoil seen unfolding in the UK.