We discuss 10 TV Shows like Boardwalk Empire you must watch. Add these well-recommended series to your watch list.
Even more than ten years after it started airing, Boardwalk Empire (created by Terence Winter) is still very much relevant and is still found by many of today’s TV-watching audiences.
If you have been watching the “adventures” of Steve Buscemi’s Nucky Thompson, and want more like that, here are ten similar series to Boardwalk Empire.
10 TV Shows like Boardwalk Empire
The Sopranos (1999)
Perhaps one of the most influential TV series of all time, The Sopranos revolutionized the medium in the early 2000s and was the predecessor to Boardwalk Empire. It’s likely that the latter would have never happened without The Sopranos, which means that if you are looking for something to watch after Terence Winter’s series, this is definitely where you should start.
It follows the titled Italian-American mob family, set in New Jersey, as they try to navigate how to operate a family and a criminal organization at the same time.
The Shield (2002)
The Shield is a seven-season fictional crime drama series that depicts the activities of a clandestine division of the Los Angeles Police Department working to reduce the high levels of crime in a specific district of the city at any cost.
But their questionable methods will soon haunt them, leading to complicated plot threads and plenty of moral ambiguity in the story, similar to other crime drama series like Boardwalk Empire.
Deadwood (2004)
Timothy Olyphant stars as Sheriff Seth Bullock, along with Ian McShane as saloon owner Al Swearengen in this South Dakota-based series. They are two people with vastly different points of view living in the same town of Deadwood and who will be constantly clashing heads throughout the three seasons of the series.
The Wire (2005)
Along with The Sopranos, The Wire is considered by many the best television series of all time. Set in Baltimore, it depicts the war on drugs from a wide variety of points of view, from the police, gang members, politicians, civilians, and more.
Created by David Simon, it ran for five seasons and has aged extremely well, adding more and more fans every year. It should not be missed, and if you are looking for a similar series to Boardwalk Empire, this is definitely a good one to go to.
Rome (2005)
Rome is a two-season series from 2005 that was cut short after two seasons but has stood the test of time. It depicts the violent transformation of the Roman Republic into the Roman Empire; because of production costs, it had to be compressed from five seasons down to two, yet it still managed to bring in a lot of fans, and the talent involved was able to move on to great things, thanks in part to what they did here.
Dexter (2006)
Another iconic series for many TV fanatics, Dexter follows the life of Michael C. Hall’s title character, a forensic technician who solves crimes by day and commits them by night. If you are looking for edgy crime dramas, Dexter is definitely one to add to your must-watch list.
Sons of Anarchy (2008)
Themes of loyalty, brotherhood, love, and redemption are explored in depth in this seven-season epic tale of outlaw motorbike riders, with Charlie Hunnam leading the pack. Despite the “bad guy” feels that it exudes, the series is highly praised for its depth of writing and how it addresses questions about humanity.
Peaky Blinders (2013)
In a way, Steven Knight’s Peaky Blinders is a British The Sopranos, so if you’ve already seen that and are looking for something else to watch similar to Boardwalk Empire and The Sopranos, this is a very good choice.
The series ran for six seasons and is supposed to fully wrap its storyline with a movie that’s been announced but undated. It is set right after World War I in Birmingham, where the Shelby family runs a criminal organization known as the Peaky Blinders.
The show also features an impressive cast as well as a stellar list of guest stars.
Fargo (2014)
Noah Hawley’s Fargo is both the pure definition of an anthology series and the perfect example of how to reinvent a film into a TV series in a way that honors what came before and builds upon it.
Each season is focused on a different crime or series of crimes, set in a different era and location, with very little connection to anything that came before it or that will come after. Because of its self-contained nature, each season can attract top-tier talent that can dive deep into a character for a limited number of episodes and be done with it immediately.
Ozark (2017)
Besides including similar series to Boardwalk Empire, this list almost seems to be about crime series set within the family. And we can’t miss Netflix’s Ozark, perhaps one of the streamer’s most popular series and one of its best.
Jason Bateman stars as a financial advisor who must calm things down with a drug lord, for which he’s forced to move his family to Missouri. As the plot thickens, so does the family’s involvement with the side business that is actually paying for rent.
Do you have any other recommendations for TV Shows like Boardwalk Empire? Let us know in the comments below.
