5 Best TV Shows to Watch If You Like MobLand

Season 2 of “MobLand” is now underway, and the wait between episodes could feel especially long for viewers desperate to discover the next danger threatening Harry (Tom Hardy) and the Harrigan criminal empire. Fortunately, there are plenty of crime dramas that can help fill the gap. We’ve selected gripping series with relatively short episode counts, making them easy to binge in a week or less before the next Paramount+ instalment arrives.

We’ve left out the familiar crime classics that are already part of the conversation — you don’t need us to recommend “The Sopranos” or similar shows. Instead, because “MobLand” is a British production, this list focuses on acclaimed crime series from the U.K. and Ireland, all of which are available to stream in the U.S.

If “MobLand” has you hooked, these shows could become your next television obsession. Several also have new seasons in development, giving you even more reason to catch up now.

“MobLand” has often been compared with this explosive crime thriller, co-created by “The Raid” director Gareth Evans. With Season 4 on the horizon, now is the ideal time to catch up on “Gangs of London,” which begins after the head of the city’s most powerful crime family is assassinated. This is not simply a British take on “The Sopranos”; it is a savage story of rival criminal dynasties battling for control. Loosely inspired by a 2006 PlayStation Portable game of the same name, the series follows the surviving Wallace family, led by Sean (Joe Cole) and his mother Marian (Michelle Fairley), as they investigate the killing. Their search sends shockwaves through London’s underworld, placing fragile alliances and long-standing peace deals at risk.

As the Wallace empire begins to collapse, an undercover officer (Sope Dirisu) infiltrates the family to expose its criminal operations. Before long, however, he becomes drawn to the very world he was meant to bring down. What sets “Gangs of London” apart from other gangster dramas is its relentless, stylised action, with the fifth episode of Season 1 earning particular praise for its spectacular gunfight.

Later seasons place the Wallaces in conflict with fresh underworld enemies, introducing increasingly brutal methods of torture and execution. At first glance, the show may resemble a Guy Ritchie production, but its merciless violence is closer to the world of the “John Wick” films. The upcoming season promises to push that intensity even further.

Family rivalries and succession battles also drive this acclaimed BBC crime drama, which has recently been renewed for a second season. “This City is Ours: A Crime Family Saga” moves the action several hundred miles north to Liverpool, where Sean Bean plays ageing crime boss Ronnie Phelan. When Ronnie prepares to leave the underworld, two potential successors begin competing for his empire: his trusted lieutenant Michael (James Nelson-Joyce) and his son Jamie (Jack McMullen).

Creator Stephen Butchard takes the series in a very different direction from “Gangs of London.” Rather than focusing solely on criminal spectacle, the drama has the grounded social realism of a Ken Loach-directed version of “The Godfather.” Much of the story centres on Michael’s personal life and his desire to escape the business. He hopes to build a future with his girlfriend Diana (Hannah Onslow), start a family and spend more time at fertility clinics than on dangerous assignments. Yet every attempt to walk away only pulls him deeper into the life.

The crime narrative follows some familiar paths, but Butchard’s writing gives the show a distinctive identity by drawing on the culture and character of northwest England. Nelson-Joyce received a BAFTA nomination for his performance, while the series was also recognised in the best drama category. Its forthcoming second season could help build an even larger cult following. American viewers should be warned, however: subtitles may be essential for some of the stronger Scouse accents.

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James Nelson-Joyce also appears in a major supporting role in this 1880s-set drama from “Peaky Blinders” creator Steven Knight. “A Thousand Blows” explores the illegal bare-knuckle boxing scene and the criminal organisations surrounding it in London’s East End. Stephen Graham plays the self-styled “emperor,” while the first season follows his escalating conflict with the Forty Elephants, an all-female crime syndicate led by Erin Doherty’s Mary Carr. Alongside them is Hezekiah Moscow (Malachi Kirby), a newly arrived Jamaican immigrant determined to make his name as a professional boxer.

The main criticism of the opening season is that it tries to carry too many storylines at once, leaving some of them less developed than they deserve. Mary Carr and Hezekiah Moscow were both real figures compelling enough to anchor their own dramas. Even so, “A Thousand Blows” uses their stories to deliver a richly researched and gripping portrait of immigrants and women trying to survive in Victorian London.

By focusing on people often overlooked by history, and on their attempts to gain wealth and influence within a white, male-dominated boxing world, the series exposes the era’s stark power inequalities. It is also among the most exciting dramas Steven Knight has produced. Given how neglected its central figures were in the history books, it is unfortunate that the show itself has not received more attention.

Widely regarded as one of Ireland’s finest television dramas, “Love/Hate” takes viewers deep into Dublin’s criminal underworld. Created by playwright Stuart Carolan, the first season introduces Darren Treacy (Robert Sheehan), who returns from exile in Spain hoping to leave drugs and crime behind and build a new life with Rosie (Ruth Negga). Those plans collapse after his brother is murdered, drawing Darren back into the gang controlling the city, led by Aidan Gillen’s ruthless John Boy.

The first season premiered in 2010, at a time when Ireland was still suffering the effects of one of the worst financial crises in its history. Unemployment continued climbing, reaching a staggering 14% by 2012, while austerity measures placed further pressure on ordinary people. Against that backdrop, John Boy’s claim that crime was the only reliable route to money carried an unsettling plausibility for a country in which hundreds of thousands were struggling to get by.

“Love/Hate” combines familiar gangster-drama conventions with sharp social commentary, while its treatment of religion was groundbreaking for Irish television. Darren’s outspoken atheism places him at odds with his deeply devout associates, adding another layer to the series’ tensions. Add in a superb cast and consistently powerful performances, and it is easy to understand the show’s huge impact in Ireland. Nearly two decades later, it remains just as compelling.

You may recognise “Top Boy: Summerhouse” from the Netflix revival that began in 2019. The original Channel 4 run consisted of two compact seasons, each four episodes long, in the early 2010s. Despite strong reviews, the show was cancelled after Season 2, although plans for a third season eventually gained momentum with the support of Canadian rapper and fan Drake. When “Top Boy” returned on Netflix, the new episodes were labelled Season 1, while the original instalments were later added under the title “Top Boy: Summerhouse.” Confused? You are not alone.

The first two seasons follow the quiet, resourceful Ra’Nell Smith (Malcolm Kamulete), who becomes involved in criminal activity around the Summerhouse housing estate while his mother is in hospital. He encounters local drug dealers Dushane (Ashley Walters) and Sully (Kane Robinson), eventually growing cannabis for them to raise money for his mother’s pregnant friend. After a rival steals Dushane and Sully’s supply, their partnership and growing ambitions take centre stage, with later seasons continuing to place both men at the heart of the story.

“Top Boy: Summerhouse” has often been compared with “The Wire,” but it is a distinct and underappreciated drama. Rather than examining the wider institutions surrounding crime, the series concentrates on life inside the underworld. The Netflix revival expands the scope, but the original run shares the same stark social-realist approach, offering an unvarnished portrait of a community shaped by criminal enterprise.