10 Shows Like MobLand You Must See

Created by Ronan Bennett, ‘MobLand’ is set in the crime-infested underbelly of London and follows Tom Hardy’s character Harry Da Souza. He is a fixer for the Harrigan crime family, led by Conrad (Pierce Brosnan) and Maeve Harrigan (Helen Mirren). The Harrigans are at war with the Stevensons for control over the streets. Smart yet brutal, Harry works to escalate conflicts threatening the Harrigans’ empire along with Conrad and Maeve’s son, Kevin. The show explores themes of powerful families, loyalty, corruption, and violence. If the Paramount+ original British spy drama has you hooked, here is a curated list of shows similar to ‘Mobland’ for you to explore.

10. Top Boy (2011-2023)

Set in the fictional Summerhouse estate in East London, ‘Top Boy’ follows Dushane Hill (Ashley Walters) and Gerard Sullivan (Kane Robinson), two drug dealers living and working out of the London Borough of Hackney. As the two try their best to make ends meet, a never-ending cycle of crime and violence adds to their threats to survival. Before coming up with MobLand, Ronan Bennett created Top Boy, which showcases the same skillful understanding and portrayal of London’s criminal underworld that has made it a hit with viewers

9. McMafia (2018)

Created by Hossein Amini and James Watkins, ‘McMafia’ follows Alex Godman (James Norton), son of a London-based Russian mafia boss, Dimitri (Aleksey Serebryakov). The latter seeks to leave the life of organized crime, as does his son, who never had any interest in the first place. However, an attempt on the life of a family member draws Alex into the folds of the underworld for the sake of keeping his loved ones safe. Inspired by Misha Glenny’s book ‘McMafia: A Journey Through the Global Criminal Underworld,’ the show explores the lore of mafia families and organized crime in London, which forms the crux of ‘MobLand.’

8. ZeroZeroZero (2019-2020)

Created by Stefano Sollima, Leonardo Fasoli, and Mauricio Katz, ‘ZeroZeroZero’ follows a large shipment of cocaine headed to Gioia Tauro, Italy, from Monterrey, Mexico. The buyer, Don Minu La Piana (Adriano Chiaramida), is an old-time mob boss of the ‘Ndrangheta crime syndicate whose position is threatened by rival families as well as his own ambitious grandson, Stefano (Giuseppe De Domenico). The infighting within the ‘Ndrangheta leads to the shipment being rerouted to Morocco, leading to trouble for all parties involved, including the Mexican gangsters and Lynwoods from New Orleans, who are in charge of shipping. Based on the eponymous non-fiction book by Roberto Saviano, ‘ZeroZeroZero’ takes trouble in the underworld and puts it on international waters.

7. Boardwalk Empire (2010-2014)

Created by Terence Winter, ‘Boardwalk Empire’ follows Enoch ‘Nucky’ Thompson (Steve Buscemi), a corrupt politician who rises to prominence during the Prohibition Era of the 1920s in Atlantic City, New Jersey. The show is based on the non-fiction book ‘Boardwalk Empire: The Birth, High Times, and Corruption of Atlantic City,’ about the real-life criminal kingpin Enoch L. Johnson. The character in the show is seen to have strong connections to many mob families in his city, as well as in New York and Chicago.

The historical figures making appearances in the show include Al Capone (Stephen Graham), Charles ‘Lucky’ Luciano (Vincent Piazza), Meyer Lansky (Anatol Yusef), Johnny Torrio (Greg Antonacci), and Arnold Rothstein (Michael Stuhlbarg). While being a period piece, Boardwalk Empire provides an incisive view of how the mobs and politicians band together to ensure the smooth functioning of organized crime.

6. Sons of Anarchy (2008-2014)

Created by Kurt Sutter, ‘Sons of Anarchy’ follows Jax Teller (Charlie Hunnam), vice-president of an eponymous motorcycle club founded by his late father, John Teller. When Jax discovers a manifesto written by the latter, he learns of the group’s involvement in violence, destruction, drugs, and death, and begins to question every aspect of his life. The struggle of Jax in ‘Sons of Anarchy’ bears a resemblance to what Kevin, the successor of the Harrigan crime, faces in ‘MobLand’ as a young man on the verge of sitting at the head of the table of a prominent crime family.

5. Godfather of Harlem (2019-)

Created by Chris Brancato and Paul Eckstein, ‘Godfather of Harlem’ tells a fictionalized account of the life of crime boss Bumpy Johnson (Forest Whitaker), who ran the streets of Harlem, New York, in the 1960s. The show opens with Bumpy getting out of prison after a decade-long stint to find the streets of his neighborhood being run by the Italian mob. He makes many alliances on the path to prominence, during which he becomes close to the revolutionary civil rights movement leader, Malcolm X. ‘Godfather in Harlem’ showcases the struggle of a Black man finding his place in an underworld at unrest.

4. Animal Kingdom (2016-2022)

Based on the eponymous Australian film by David Michôd, ‘Animal Kingdom’ follows 17-year-old Joshua ‘J’ Cody. He is forced to move in with a distant relative in Oceanside, California, after the death of his mother, but soon discovers that his hosts are operating a criminal organization under the leadership of the matriarch Janine ‘Smurf’ Cody. Similar to Kevin in ‘MobLand,’ Joshua finds his feet in the family business in ‘Animal Kingdom,’ and pulls off heists to make money.

3. Peaky Blinders (2013-2022)

Created by Steven Knight, ‘Peaky Blinders’ follows the fictional eponymous criminal gang led by Thomas Shelby (Cillian Murphy), a veteran of World War I. He returns to Birmingham from the war to expand his territory and protect his family at all costs. However, the task is made difficult by the challenges introduced in the form of other mob leaders, as well as the police empowered by Winston Churchill. Despite being a period piece, ‘Peaky Blinders’ goes into the depths of gang wars in the United Kingdom, comparable to what is brewing in ‘MobLands.’

2. Gangs of London (2020-)

Created by Gareth Evans and Matt Flannery, ‘Gangs of London’ revolves around the power struggle in the city’s underworld following the death of Finn Wallace (Colm Meaney), the head of the most powerful crime family. His wife Maria (Michelle Fairley) and son Sean (Joe Cole) fight to hold on to his legacy, along with his right-hand man Ed Dumani (Lucian Msamati). However, the city gets thrown into chaos, as international dealings with mob bosses such as the Albanian mafia, Kurdish PKK, and the Pakistani drug cartel are affected. Based on a video game of the same name, ‘Gangs of London’ perfectly encapsulates the situation of ‘MobLand’, where the threat to the leading family takes the entire underworld to the brink of war.

1. Gomorrah (2014-2021)

Based on an eponymous book by the creator, Roberto Saviano, ‘Gomorrah’ follows Ciro Di Marzio (Marco D’Amore), a member of the Savastano Camorra clan of Secondigliano in Naples, Italy. The group is headed by Pietro Savastano, whose arrest leads to a war between his rivals and his family, who are themselves divided into the “old guard” and “new guard.” The latter faction is headed by Pietro’s son, Gennaro Savastano. Both he and Ciro soon find themselves at odds with their families.

Many parallels can be drawn between ‘Gomorrah’ and ‘MobLand,’ from threats looming over the Savastanos and the Harrigans to the precarious position it puts the underworlds of their respective cities in. The bond between Ciro and Pietro is also similar to the one shared between Harry and Kevin. Each pair tries to mitigate the situation from blowing up into an all-out war while at the same time trying to ensure that their families come out on top.