Do you know which former president of USA is a big fan of Boardwalk Empire, it is none other Barack Obama. If you are interested in knowing about the crime families of America whose infamous leaders were Al Capone, Lucky Luciano to name a few, then there is no other show better than Boardwalk Empire. This is one of the best TV shows in the crime genre. Set in the 20th century America, it mainly tells about the story of Enoch L Johnson, a political personality who used to control Atlantic City in New Jersey. During his tenure, he made many friends, enemies, friends who turned enemies and vice-versa.
The whole story is based on prohibition period that was implemented in America from 1920 to 1933. During this period, alcohol was banned in USA and persons like Enoch used to smuggle them through various illegal channels into America which had many buyers. Steve Buscemi plays Enoch and he has done a brilliant job, no doubt. There were many violent and sexual scenes which you could not have imagined in your dreams. Some shows which are similar to Boardwalk Empire in terms of story, violence, characters etc. should not be missed by the fans and below is the list of those series.
- Spartacus (2010-2013)
Spartacus is a British TV show which is inspired by Spartacus, a Thracian gladiator who fought against slavery during 73 BCE. This show has lots of violence and nudity, so this show is recommended for adults only (strictly). If you have watched Russell Crowe’s gladiator, then you will love this show. The show is all about power and greed. Board games, comics, novels and video games based on the series are in circulation. You could see the extent to which the slaves were tortured and exploited by the Romans. The costume section was really good whereas the visual graphics were not up to the mark but the story makes this show a winner and must watch.
- Rome (2005- 2007)
It is an historic TV series with some real life and well known characters included. These characters include Julius Ceaser, Mark Antony, Marcus Brutus to name a few. The famous scene were Julius Ceaser is betrayed and killed by his council men is shown along with the famous dialogue that Ceaser tells to Brutus before he dies ” Et tu Brute”. The main story revolves around 2 fictional soldiers who work for the Roman Empire. These soldiers are Lucius Vorenus (Kevin McKidd) and Titus Pullo (Ray Stevenson). This show was aired in USA, UK and Italy simultaneously. Set in the 1st century, this show is a must watch for the people who love history.
- Vikings (2013- present)
Vikings is a Canadian TV show that airs on History channel. The show is inspired by the real Viking people who lived in the Scandinavian region during the 10th century and the series goes on till the 13th century. The main protagonist of the show is Viking chief Ragnar Lothbrok ( Travis Fimmel) who along with his Viking crew travel to places like England to rob the people there of valuable materials. They travel through seas and oceans for days and months before returning to their home land with costly jewelry and utensils. The show is a must watch for its costumes and the location used along with the action scenes.
- Peaky Blinder (2013 – present)
Peaky Blinders is a British TV show and is inspired from the real thugs who used to scare the London city during 1890s and were known for keeping razor blades in their caps. The main story revolves around Tommy Shelby (Cillian Murphy) and his gang which includes his brothers and a sister. The show is set in the 19th century Birmingham where crime rate is very high along with the London pollution. This show is aired on BBC and has only 6 episodes in each series. It has shown the poor side of London where people live in the most horrible conditions and out of which crime and criminals are born like the peaky blinders. The Peaky Blinder towards the series become very rich and start controlling hotels and horse races where influential people of the city are mostly visible. The constant fight between the city cops and the peaky blinders has been shown in a violent way with guns and bombs.
- Sacred Games (2018 – present)
Scared Games can be called as one of the best Indian TV series ever produced, all thanks to Netflix who always prefer content over anything. The show is set in Mumbai where the cop-gang fight has been going on for years. The protagonist of the show is Sartaj Singh (Saif Ali Khan), a police officer and antagonist is Ganesh Gaitonde ( Nawazuddin Siddiqui), an infamous gangster. Sartaj gets call from Ganesh at midnight, who tells Sartaj to save the Mumbai city within 25 days or thousands would die and only one politician Trivedi will survive, which itself is a big twist set for the fans and Sartaj. The show can be praised for many things like acting, dialogues and the story itself.
- House of Cards (2013-2018)
The show that made Netflix popular is House of Cards. This is a very serious political stuff that will make you more familiar with way in which USA government functions. The characters and the plot can be related to the real life American politicians in one way or the other. It mainly evolves around 2 persons, Frank Underwood (Kevin spacy) and Claire Underwood (robin wright). The husband-wife duo fight together for the power in white house and on certain occasions they fight against each other. You could see the president killing a civilian with his own hands to remain in power. Former President Barack Obama is a fan of this show too. The last season which aired in 2018 was not up to the mark with no Kevin Spacey in it as he was thrown out of the show after sexual allegations against him were reported. The show which won many awards and nominations is also the first original show from Netflix.
- True Detective (2014 – Present)
True detective is one of those intense shows which will definitely give you goosebumps. This HBO show has received many praises for the story line and the suspense that it creates. 1st season was the best with 2nd one also good but not as good as the 1st. The 3rd season is currently running on HBO and has already received many positive reviews for its thrilling story as well for the acting lead by Mahershala Ali. Every season comes with a different crime story and a different cast. The first season had Matthew Mcconaughey and Woody Harrelson in the main lead who play detectives trying to solve a superstitious case involving a serial killer. Second season had Rachel McAdams and Collin Farrell solving the murder of a corrupt politician.
- The Wire (2002-2008)
This show was aired on HBO from 2002-2008. Every character is equally important in this show. It revolves around the drug sellers and the cops of Baltimore, Maryland in USA. The cops use wiretaps to get evidence against drug lords, that’s why it is named wire. It is an original show from HBO and is one of their all-time top shows. The wire has clearly portrayed the lives of black people living in the Ghettos. Even this show is watched and loved by Barack Obama and his favourite character is Omar who is my favourite too. It is one of the best critically acclaimed shows of all times but has not won an Emmy award which is quite shocking.
- Narcos (2015 -present)
Narcos is a Netflix original series based on the real life drug lord of Columbia, Pablo Escobar. This shown is so authentic with its combination of Spanish and English dialogues. The show mainly revolves around the life of Pablo and 2 DEA agents who have come to Columbia from USA to catch Escobar and thereby stop illegal drug trafficking into USA. It aired on 2015 and by 2017 the 3rd season of Narcos (Columbia) ended and in 2018 came the Narcos Mexico which was even more thrilling to watch. This show has shown many high profile and low profile killings and the drug cartels of Columbia which are worth billions of dollars combined. Pablo became one of the richest man in the world for a brief period through his drug money. Wagner Moura, Brazilian actor plays Pablo Escobar and he has done such a tremendous job which made him receive many awards.
- The Sopranos (1999-2007)
One of the best crime shows of all times. This show talks about the various organized crime families of America and how they function with the support of each other. These mob families were created in the early 20th century and that tradition is still being followed. This series mainly talks about the New Jersey based crime family whose leader is Tony Soprano played by late James Gandolfini. Tony has to deal with family as well as professional problems. He also consults a psychiatrist to deal with his mental problems. The sopranos during its time was the top show on TV with many prominent awards on its table. If you are a serious TV series watcher and want a show that will get you hooked, then this is the show.
- Game of Thrones (2011- present)
The most watched and award winning show in the world is none other than Game of Thrones a.k.a GOT from HBO. Every single episode is worth watching where 7 kingdoms fight for the ultimate throne. Being a spoiler to your GOT fan friend can be very dangerous and is not acceptable. There are 100s of characters who are very important and have a place in every fan’s heart. Some are Jon snow, Daenerys Targaryen, Tyrion Lannister, Cersei, white walkers, dragons and it never ends. One of the unique things (which many fans hate) about this TV series is that an important character dies in every season because of George R.R martin on whose book the series is based. It has everything from high level violence, politics, drama, sex, crime, action, epic fights and of course the dragons. It is one of the costliest shows ever made and 2 simultaneous shoots take place in 2 different location. This show is also the victim of piracy with the most illegal downloaded show on torrent.
- Breaking Bad (2008 – 2013)
Breaking Bad is that show that made me to continue watching other series and to become a fan of English TV shows. The show had altogether a different story that you could not have imagined where a chemistry professor Walter White (Bryan Cranston) uses his chemical knowledge to produce drugs with his ex-student and drug dealer Jesse Pinkman(Aaron Paul) just to become rich. This drug dealing helps Walter to overcome his financial crisis but also brings in many problems from his family members and other drug dealers. It aired on AMC network from 2008 -2013 with 5 seasons running. The show has a Guinness world record for the most critically acclaimed shows of all time. HBO had rejected to air this show and they were sorry for it.
theMovieProject 