15 TV Shows Like Power

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Created by Courtney A. Kemp and developed alongside executive producer Curtis "50 Cent" Jackson, "Power" is an intense, action-packed, and addictive crime thriller series that aired on Starz for six seasons.

"Power" stars Omari Hardwick as James St. Patrick, a high-level New York City drug dealer who operates under the alias "Ghost." He tries to have it all, appearing publicly above board as a smooth and successful nightclub owner and family man, while resorting to murderous actions to keep his criminal empire on top. But when you're the king, everyone wants to come at you, and Ghost must keep his wits about him to save his skin.

If you can't get enough of the powerful drug drama, we're here to enable your vices. These are 15 TV shows like "Power" that crackle with the same level of kinetic action, violent outbursts, and societal examinations of why so many people turn to a life of crime.

Based on an acclaimed Australian crime film of the same name, "Animal Kingdom" aired on TNT for six seasons, delving into the violent shenanigans of the Cody crime family in Oceanside, California.

Joshua "J" Cody (Finn Cole) moves in with his relatively unknown relatives after his mother dies when he's a teenager. Trouble is, these relatives are wanton criminals, led by J's domineering grandma, Janine "Smurf" Cody (Ellen Barkin, unhinged). To survive this new existence, J must fall in line with his new mafia family, actively participating in their heists and drug runs. But he also matures in this environment, gaining enough confidence to push against the otherwise untouchable Smurf herself.

J does many of these crimes with a quartet of uncles, all Smurf's sons. There's Baz (Scott Speedman), the boots-on-the-ground leader; Pope (Shawn Hatosy), a haunted, unstable figure; Craig (Ben Robson), the party animal; and Deran (Jake Weary), a surprisingly sensitive man trying to distance himself from the family. Brooding, bullets, and blood flies aplenty.

Based on the real-life Black Mafia Family of 1980s Detroit, "BMF" is a Starz show from creator Randy Huggins, also an executive producer on "Power". It's a show about the pursuit of the so-called American Dream, no matter the cost, and no matter the enemies destroyed in the process.

"BMF" centers on a pair of brothers, Demetrius "Big Meech" Flenory (Demetrius Flenory Jr., playing his father) and Terry "Southwest T" Flenory (Da'Vinchi). Fed up with their impoverished lifestyle, the brothers use their skills and contacts to begin amassing a criminal empire of drug pushing and money laundering. Big Meech is a natural leader, Southwest T is great at running the books, and the two lay the tracks for what becomes a national Black mafia family.

But the good times don't last for the Flenory brothers, with all this money, violence, and untrustworthiness leading to a whole lot of problems. Can the two keep their empire afloat without ruining their fraternal relationship? Can they simply stay alive? Check out this slice of understudied history to find out.

The granddaddy of drug dramas, Vince Gilligan's "Breaking Bad" is a television masterpiece, a cornerstone of an acclaimed franchise, and a show that put many of its creative players on the map.

Bryan Cranston plays Walter White, a high school chemistry teacher with a terminal diagnosis of lung cancer. Today, while some of us might turn to a GoFundMe for help with bills, Walter instead uses his particular set of scientific skills to cook the purest crystal meth Albuquerque has ever seen. With the help of local lowlife Jesse Pinkman (Aaron Paul), Walter's power grows in stature over the five-season run, alongside the mortal threats facing him and his family.

"Power" really could be an alternate title for "Breaking Bad," as the show ruthlessly dives into the broken heart of someone who seeks it at all costs. Walter White claims he commits his increasingly reprehensible actions out of moral responsibility to his family, but the truth is as see-through as blue glass.

Ever watched "Power" and wondered what it would be like with ginormous martial arts action sequences every so often? Well, we've got a show for you.

Action auteur Gareth Evans ("The Raid") co-created the series "Gangs of London," one of the best gangster shows. Joe Cole stars as Sean Wallace, a young man struggling to fill the power vacuum of his criminal family after the assassination of his father Finn (Colm Meaney). Alongside his ruthless mother, Marian (Michelle Fairley), and Finn's old associate Ed (Lucian Msamati), Sean hustles and maneuvers to keep his family on top of London's criminal hierarchy. But can undercover cop Elliot Carter (Sope Dirisu) cut them off at the pass?

The intricacies of the criminal systems and familial traumas are entertaining enough to check out "Gangs of London." But the show notches up several levels when it unleashes one of its many set pieces, feats of intricately choreographed carnage you won't believe they can pull off on an AMC+ television series.

Based on the real gangster Ellsworth Raymond "Bumpy" Johnson, "Godfather of Harlem" gives Forest Whitaker ample room to explore a complicated person and his criminal activities. Whitaker plays Bumpy with equal parts fearsome power and moments of reflection; if you're a fan of the Emmy-winning actor, you've got to stream the series as soon as possible.

Under the vision of co-creators Chris Brancato and Paul Eckstein, "Godfather of Harlem" also presents a compelling survey of the socioeconomic, racial, and cultural components that led to the volatile events of 1960s Harlem. Other real-life figures are often portrayed in the show, including civil rights leader Malcolm X (Nigél Thatch and Jason Alan Carvell), Congressman Adam Clayton Powell Jr. (Giancarlo Esposito), and crime boss Vincent "The Chin" Gigante (Vincent D'Onofrio). This dollop of history gives the series an uncommon sense of depth among its more superficial genre pleasures, making for quite the binge on the still-developing MGM+ streaming service.

In 2006, Roberto Saviano published a nonfiction crime book called "Gomorrah" about the Camorra criminal enterprise, which has been active since the 18th century. Two years later, Saviano co-wrote the screenplay of the acclaimed film adaptation directed by Matteo Garrone. And in 2014, a television adaptation of the book debuted, ignoring the canon of the film, and arguably presenting the most compelling version of Saviano's research.

Marco D'Amore stars in the series as Ciro "l'Immortale" Di Marzio, an up-and-comer in the Savastano clan. When the clan's leader, Pietro Savastano (Fortunato Cerlino), is arrested, Ciro senses a power vacuum and jumps at the chance to fill it. But to climb to the top, he must persevere over both his criminal rivals and Pietro's son, Genny (Salvatore Esposito), who is eager to be seen less as a spoiled nepo baby and more as a worthy successor.

"Gomorrah" might be slower-paced than some of the more slam-bang shows on this list, but it needs the time for its thoroughness, and it will thoroughly invigorate you.

A spinoff of the well-known FX series "Sons of Anarchy," "Mayans M.C." gets the recommendation here in part because of its focus on an underrepresented subculture (though if you haven't seen "Sons of Anarchy," consider this a two-for-one).

Created by "Sons" maestro Kurt Sutter and muckraking filmmaker Elgin James, "Mayans M.C." follows the Mayans Motorcycle Club, which is both a collection of biking enthusiasts and a powerful criminal outfit. J. D. Pardo leads the five-season FX series as Ezekiel "EZ" Reyes, a brilliant young man caught in the snares of pervasive cartel violence. So he uses his ever-growing power in the Mayans M.C. to exact his particular forms of payback. But some of EZ's greatest conflicts come from members of his own gang and family, including his brother Angel (Clayton Cardenas) and his ex-girlfriend Emily (Sarah Bolger), who is now married to the leader of the Mayans' rival cartel, Miguel Galindo (Danny Pino).

"Mayans M.C." is intense, violent, and charged with kinetic energy. It's also kind of a compelling soap opera, just one stuffed with guns, drugs, and gasoline.

One of the most iconic 21st-century crime shows, Netflix's "Narcos" dove into the life and times of iconic cartel leader and drug kingpin Pablo Escobar with detail, verve, and shocking spurts of violence.

Wagner Moura played Escobar over the show's first two seasons, imbuing the man from his rise in the 1970s through his (spoiler alert, if you can spoil "history") fatal fall in the 1990s. As guided by series creators Chris Brancato (who also co-created "Godfather of Harlem"), Carlo Bernard, and Doug Miro, Escobar makes for an endlessly punchy case for the difficulties of a life of crime. Even when he's on top, through horrifying methods, he always has a head on a swivel, looking for the next person to come at the king.

And then, someone does, successfully, and "Narcos' final season follows DEA Agent Javier Peña (Pedro Pascal) on a new mission to take down the Cali Cartel, as led by Gilberto Rodríguez Orejuela (Damián Alcázar). One final warning: don't expect to watch "Narcos" gradually. Once you sit down, you're gonna be up all night red-eyeing one of Netflix's greatest (and sadly most forgotten) shows.

After breaking through as a comedic performer on "Arrested Development," Jason Bateman earned his flowers as a dramatic actor and director in Netflix's "Ozark."

The downbeat crime drama stars Bateman as Marty Byrde, an experienced cartel money launderer who moves his family (including the always perfect Laura Linney as his wife) to the Lake of the Ozarks to placate his volatile clients. While in Missouri, Marty and his family get caught up in even more criminal shenanigans, especially when they cross paths with the local, grimy Langmore crime family (which includes Julia Garner in her breakthrough role).

"Ozark" plays like the minor key remix of "Power," a relentlessly moody and dour descent into Hell greased up by the omnipresence of drugs, money, and criminal influence. It's the kind of show for people who thought "Breaking Bad" had too much of a sense of humor. It's for sickos only (complimentary).

So you've watched all six seasons of "Power" and want some more. Well, why not check out the three spinoff series available to you right now?

"Power Book II: Ghost," also created by Courtney A. Kemp, is an immediate sequel to the original series. Michael Rainey Jr. reprises his role as Tariq St. Patrick (pictured above), growing up and desperate to maintain status while distancing himself from his father. But when he gets into it with the Tejada crime family (led by Lovell Adams-Gray), everything turns upside down.

"Power Book III: Raising Kanan," created by "Power" producer Sascha Penn, is a prequel series that stars Mekai Curtis as Kanan Stark, played by Curtis "50 Cent" Jackson in the original series. The 1990s-set series shows the rise of young Kanan under the tutelage of his drug lord mother, Raq (Patina Miller). Other notable members of the ensemble cast include Omar Epps as an NYPD detective and rapper Joey Bada$$ as Raq's rival.

And finally, "Power Book IV: Force," from creator Robert Munic, features Joseph Sikora reprising his role as Tommy Egan, a drug pusher who decides to start a new life in the Windy City of Chicago.

Based on the novel by Arturo Pérez-Reverte, "Queen of the South" stars Alice Braga as Teresa Mendoza, a Mexican immigrant to the United States who undergoes a rags-to-riches story under the most intense of circumstances.

Teresa falls in love with a drug cartel member who gets murdered, forcing her to flee to the U.S. While there, she joins the criminal organization led by Doña Camila Vargas (Veronica Falcón), who happens to be the estranged wife of a cartel boss (Joaquim de Almeida) eager to find and eliminate Teresa. Soon, Teresa proves herself as a drug lord worth paying attention to, and her power and influence — and list of enemies — all increase as the five-season series goes on.

"Queen of the South" is a knotted and multi-layered drug soap, a show that presents slam-bang action sequences and drug complications among a litany of familial double-crosses and revelations. It's an underseen triumph for the USA Network, atypical of their usual "Blue Sky" fare.

Many of these shows, "Power" especially, owe much of their creative juice to the work of John Singleton, whose movies like "Boyz n the Hood" and "Baby Boy" codified the playbook of hood crime dramas followed by works to this day. Therefore, it is your civic duty to watch the hood crime drama show co-created by Singleton, FX's "Snowfall."

Alongside co-creators Eric Amadio and Dave Andron, Singleton's work takes place in 1980s South Central Los Angeles as the crack cocaine epidemic rages on, President Ronald Reagan stokes the fire of aggressive conservative values, and the CIA allegedly becomes involved in the Nicaraguan drug trafficking to combat the global threat of communism.

Centered amidst all of this chaos is Franklin Saint (Damson Idris in his breakthrough role), a young man who climbs his way to the top of the crack empire as head of The Family. The show is a thrilling, stylized, and gnarly look at one of American history's most upsetting time periods.

With a cosign from Drake, "Top Boy" crossed the Atlantic to capture American hearts and minds on Netflix, not losing one ounce of its uniquely British sensibility.

Created by "The Day of the Jackal" writer Ronan Bennett, "Top Boy" stars actor/rappers Ashley "Asher D" Walters and Kane "Kano" Robinson (pictured above) as drug dealers Dushane and Sully, respectively. The two peddle their wares and engage in all matters of unsavory business through the inner boroughs of London, with violence, betrayal, and money around every corner.

Fans of Drake, and contemporary hip-hop culture in general, will find the aesthetics and pacing of "Top Boy" immediately appealing. It's a chilly, cerebral-feeling show, with a score co-composed by ambient mastermind Brian Eno and a sense of blood-soaked melancholy lurking throughout the margins of the five seasons. "Top Boy" balances its bursts of aggression with quiet digressions and character-driven revelations, adding up to a crime show that will linger in your guts long after its conclusion.

One of the most acclaimed television shows of all time, "The Wire" is as much a crime show as an anthropological study. It's thorough, sprawling, powerful television, as much about the human condition as it is the selling and protection of drugs.

Created by gritty TV auteur David Simon ("Homicide: Life on the Streets"), "The Wire" ran for five seasons on HBO, with each season focusing on a different institutional rot at the heart of the American city (here represented by Baltimore).

Season 1 introduces the drug trade, led by kingpin Avon Barksdale (Wood Harris) and his cooler-headed partner, Stringer Bell (Idris Elba, pictured above). Avon's empire is threatened not just by other criminals (especially the enigmatic Omar Little, played by Michael K. Williams), but by the morally gray police department on their tail, led by troubled Detective Jimmy McNulty (Dominic West).

As this drama evolves and explodes, Simon adds more to the mix, including politics on the port, the grinding bureaucracy of local government, the education system, and print media. It all adds up to one of the richest texts you'll ever experience, no matter the medium.

Another drama set during the American crack epidemic, this time in New York City, "Wu-Tang: An American Saga" isn't just an entertaining look at the origins of one of the great hip-hop acts. It's an examination of systemic racism and urban rot, and how to escape the clutches of crime into something more.

Co-created by Alex Tse and Wu-Tang Clan mastermind The RZA, the Hulu series stars Ashton Sanders as Bobby Diggs (pictured above), the young man who'd go on to be known as The RZA. Bobby sees a crossroads, one path represented by his drug-pushing brother, Mitchell, aka "Divine" (Julian Elijah Martinez), and one path represented by a boundless explosion of creativity and storytelling.

It's fun and curious to watch some of hip-hop's greatest figures pop up in the three-season series, with Wu-Tang members like Raekwon, Ghostface Killah, and Inspectah Deck all showing up (played by Shameik Moore, Siddiq Saunderson, and Joey Bada$$, respectively). But "Wu-Tang: An American Saga" isn't just a curiosity. It's an effective piece of storytelling that dives into the quest for power as an escape plan.