10 Best Gritty TV Crime Dramas on Prime Video

Looking for crime shows with antiheroes who are as narcissistic as Walter White? Or shows whose key characters look cool in suits like the members of the Peaky Blinders? What of shows about mobsters who take it easy, like Tony Soprano, but will strangle someone in a second? The bad news is that no other shows can ever match The Sopranos, Breaking Bad, or Peaky Blinders. The good news is that Prime has several options with the same level of grittiness and brilliance.

Unlike Netflix, Prime hasn’t had many original hit crime shows in the vein of Narcos or Ozark. However, the team in charge of licensing has done a great job of securing the rights to some of the most interesting small-screen projects out there. Some are well-known, while others are obscure. No matter which side of the popularity scale they fall on, these shows are guaranteed to make your day.

Here are 10 grtity crime dramas on Prime Video that are a must-watch.

10

‘Magic City’ (2012 – 2013)

Set in the ‘50s, Magic City covers the wins and misfortunes of Ike Evans (Jeffrey Dean Morgan), the owner of Miami’s Miramar Playa Hotel. The swanky establishment is a favorite hangout spot for mobsters and power players in Fidel Castro’s government. Desperate for extra cash inflow, Ike soon finds himself in bed with a ruthless Jewish mafia Don, a move that complicates his life even more.

Attracting the Worst Characters from the 305 and Beyond

Frenzied, stylish, and fun, Magic City is three steps ahead of most crime dramas. From marvelous costumes to pool views and indoor aquariums, there is plenty to make your eyes relax and sink into the moment. Jeffrey Dean Morgan was born for roles like this, and it’s a shame he hasn’t been in more mafia movies and shows. Unlike other series of its kind, this particular one feels as grounded, since much of the activity takes place inside the hotel’s grounds.

9

‘All the Queen’s Men’ (2021 – Present)

Did I stutter? Marilyn “Madam” DeVille (Eva Marcille) from All the Queen’s Men always makes sure to ask everyone this question whenever they ask, as if she is speaking Greek and not English. She is a no-nonsense crime boss who uses a male strip club as a front for her operations and relies on her dancers as her henchmen.

Mess Around and Find Out

A slick crime drama with mind-bending plots, All the Queen’s Men is a dizzying blend of violence, eroticism, and adrenaline-fueled visuals, with a bold, tough-talking female antihero you’ll root for each time she sashays onto the screen. Forget Griselda. You won’t come across a more savagely cruel female crime boss than Madam. From beheading people using ancient guillotines to locking others in cages and throwing them in pools, she always has inventive ways to make her enemies pay. The romance arcs are neatly done, too.

8

‘City on a Hill’ (2019 – 2022)

Though there’s variety in his filmography, it seems like Kevin Bacon has done nothing but play cops. He does so again in City on a Hill, portraying corrupt FBI agent Jackie Rohr (Kevin Bacon), who teams up with idealistic Assistant District Attorney Decourcy Ward (Aldis Hodge) to target a well-organized family of armored vehicle robbers.

Pulling Out the Big Guns

Corruption, justice, and the effects of a rotting law enforcement system are all recurring topics in City on a Hill. Produced and partially written by Ben Affleck, the show tries to be like The Town at times, but in the overall scheme of things, that seems a minor quibble. Without question, this is a marvelous show that ought to have lasted more than three seasons.

7

‘Wiseguy’ (1987 – 1990)

Wiseguy centers on undercover agents of the Organized Crime Bureau (OCB), a fictional FBI division, as they infiltrate mafia circles. The show is partially inspired by the career of Joe Pistone, aka Donnie Brasco, whose story was also told in the ‘90s gangster movie, Donnie Brasco, starring Johnny Depp and Al Pacino.

The Goodfellas Are Going Down

Mounted by the veteran TV producer Frank Lupo (better known for Renegade), Wiseguy remains not only a riveting gangster show, but one of lead actor Ken Wahl’s peak moments (he was nominated for an Emmy for his work here). Also look out for the future Breaking Bad star in the crew — the inimitable Jonathan Banks! Beyond that, the show is noted for popularizing the common industry term “story arc.”

6

‘Crime Story’ (1986 – 1988)

Set in the 1960s, Crime Story centers on two men — Lt. Mike Torello (Dennis Farina) and hardened mobster Ray Luca (Anthony Denison) — who will do everything it takes to destroy each other. After getting “made” in the Chicago Outfit, Luca is now overseeing the organization’s casinos in Vegas. Torello, on the other hand, is the head of a special Organized Crime Strike Force. As each man puts in effort, it becomes clear that they are both barreling towards an inevitably violent clash.

Las Vegas Vice

Michael Mann’s underexposed masterpiece doubles as both a gripping gangster tale and an existential drama. The drama’s virtues include skillful pacing, a salty, labyrinthine script, outstanding lead performances, and dastardly supporting turns. The show is quite the cameo-fest. So look out for Pam Grier, Julia Roberts, Ving Rhames, Kevin Spacey, and The Sopranos star Lorraine Bracco. Most importantly, Crime Story, alongside Wiseguy, is credited with inspiring arc-driven shows at a time when everything was episodic.

5

‘Love/Hate’ (2010 – 2014)

Love/Hate sees the conflicted Darren Treacy (Robert Sheehan) return from exile to rejoin a gang led by Nidge (Tom Vaughan-Lawlor), a gang leader so callous and unorthodox he intimidates even the police. Engineering one devious crime after another, the gang lures cops into an elaborate series of bloody booby traps, but consequences will soon emerge.

Leave/Join

Regarded as one of the greatest Irish shows ever made, Love/Hate has been accused of glamorising gangland violence, but the people at the Irish Film & TV Awards might ask, ‘Who cares?” They showered it with so many trophies that everyone lost count. Showrunner Stuart Carolan packs this slick, fast-paced crime drama with so many gritty plot points and explosive, next-to-impossible scenarios that the only appropriate viewer response is total submission.

4

‘Animal Kingdom’ (2016 – 2022)

When teenager Joshua “J” Cody (Finn Cole) moves in with his relatives in Southern California after his mother’s death, he discovers his new family pulls off heists for a living. Predictably, J soon gets pulled into the crimes, and as that happens, family tensions rise.

A Family That Steals Together, Stays Together

Drenched in the type of wit one finds in shows like The Sopranos and Breaking Bad but tweaked with an especially crazed Baywatch-like seaside dynamic, Animal Kingdom is a pure adrenaline shot. Some intimidating minor characters play into the proceedings, but the series mainly focuses the action around the mostly adversarial bond between family members. For a jolt of pure excitement, venture into this kingdom. You’ll love it more than the 2010 movie it’s based on.

3

‘Power’ (2014 – 2020)

The Power Universe has now grown to be one of the most popular TV franchises, and the daddy of all the great shows was Power, starring Omari Hardwick as James “Ghost” St. Patrick (Omari Hardwick), a New York drug lord who uses his popular nightclub as a front. He rarely has to watch his back, thanks to his ruthless fidus achates, Tommy Egan (Joseph Sikora). Unfortunately, Ghost’s strenuous efforts to gain more wealth and put a bigger stamp on the city’s elite circles may lead to his downfall.

Power Is Never Enough

Gritty, witty, bloody, and wholly original, Power is one of the best shows about the drug trade you may ever see. Family and friendships are the heart of this magnificent crime drama, and key scenes are dressed up with blasts of catchy Hip Hop tunes that grant them a cool, heart-fluttering grandeur. And, does a better opening theme song exist?

2

‘Ray Donovan’ (2013 – 2020)

In Ray Donovan, the titular character (Liev Schreiber) is a professional “fixer” who helps his celebrity clients avoid trouble by arranging payoffs, bribes, threats, and crime-scene clean-ups, among other illegal activities. Things get a little complicated when his menacing dad, Mickey Donovan (Jon Voight), is released from prison.

Made a Mistake? No Problem

This quirky, layered crime drama hit many critics’ best-of lists in the 2010s, and for good reason: Schreiber’s performance is assured, daring, and at times, poignant. Voight also had one of his best roles in years, playing the amoral Mickey with characteristic elderly toughness. Both he and Schreiber received Emmy nominations for their work.

1

‘BMF’ (2021 – Present)

Produced by Curtis “50 Cent” Jackson, BMF tells the true story of brothers Demetrius “Big Meech” Flenory (portrayed by the real gangster’s son Demetrius Flenory Jr.) and Terry “Southwest T” Flenory (Da’Vinchi). The two rose from the harsh streets of Detroit in the ‘80s to create one of the biggest drug trafficking organizations known as the Black Mafia Family.

Like Frank Lucas

In the tense, trim BMF, each of the lead characters plays their character with panache and steely determination. Showrunner Randy Huggins creates just the perfect mood of simmering hostility to make everyone look forward to the next episode. There’s plenty of family drama here, too, so viewers who aren’t particularly keen on the tough guy talk will still be held hostage by the proceedings.

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