Shows like Narcos
15 picks with a similar feel
What defines Narcos, going by its Boxlist taste profile: A grounded crime series that is serious, dark and rough-edged. Best if you like real life over fantasy. Its strongest markers on Boxlist are themes of culture clash, troubled leads and deep rivalry, plus tags such as conflict, cartel and illegal drugs.
Here are 15 shows with a similar feel, ranked by how closely they match that profile. Treat them as picks to try, not a definitive list.
Based on Narcos (2015).
- 1
Peaky Blinders (2013)
TV8.6
Why it's like Narcos: Also grounded and weighty, with themes of culture clash and troubled leads. Common ground: outlaw, drugs.
- 2
Animal Kingdom (2016)
TV7.7
Why it's like Narcos: Also grounded and weighty, with themes of culture clash and deep rivalry. Common ground: outlaw.
- 3
Snowfall (2017)
TV8.2
Why it's like Narcos: Also weighty and grounded, with themes of troubled leads and deep rivalry. Common ground: drugs.
- 4
Sons of Anarchy (2008)
TV8.4Faster-paced
Why it's like Narcos: Also weighty and dark, with themes of culture clash and deep rivalry. Common ground: outlaw.
- 5
Breaking Bad (2008)
TV8.7Faster-paced
Why it's like Narcos: Shares themes of culture clash and troubled leads. Common ground: cartel, outlaw, drug dealer.
- 6
Surviving Escobar - Alias JJ (2017)
TV7.7
Why it's like Narcos: Also weighty and grounded, with themes of deep rivalry.
- 7
Black Bird (2022)
TV8.1More intricate
Why it's like Narcos: Also grounded and weighty, with themes of troubled leads and deep rivalry. Common ground: drug dealer.
- 8
Gangs of London (2020)
TV8.0Faster-paced
Why it's like Narcos: Also weighty and grounded, with themes of culture clash and troubled leads. Common ground: drug dealer.
- 9
Sneaky Pete (2015)
TV7.7
Why it's like Narcos: Also weighty and grounded, with themes of deep rivalry.
- 10
ZeroZeroZero (2020)
TV7.7
Why it's like Narcos: Also weighty and dark, with themes of deep rivalry. Common ground: cocaine.
- 11
Ozark (2017)
TV8.1
Why it's like Narcos: Also weighty and dark, with themes of deep rivalry. Common ground: drug cartel.
- 12
Tulsa King (2022)
TV8.4
Why it's like Narcos: Also weighty and grounded, with themes of culture clash and deep rivalry.
- 13
Gomorrah (2014)
TV8.0
Why it's like Narcos: Also weighty and dark, with themes of troubled leads and deep rivalry. Common ground: drugs.
- 14
The Wire (2002)
TV8.4More intricate
Why it's like Narcos: Also dark and weighty, with themes of troubled leads and deep rivalry. Common ground: drug dealer.
- 15
The Snitch Cartel: Origins (2021)
TV7.9
Why it's like Narcos: Also weighty and dark, with themes of troubled leads. Common ground: drug cartel, drugs.
Boxlist compares Narcos with every show in its catalogue on ten taste scores (pace, tone, weight, realism and more), story themes, genres and TMDB keywords, and ranks the closest. Every pick has a TMDB rating of 7.2 or more from at least 150 votes, new releases wait until their ratings settle, and only one title per franchise makes the list. It is an approximation of feel, so treat it as a starting point. Ratings are TMDB audience scores out of 10.
Which of these suit you?
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Take the taste testQuestions
- What should I watch if I like Narcos?
- Picks with a similar feel include Peaky Blinders, Animal Kingdom, Snowfall and Sons of Anarchy. Each shares part of Narcos's taste profile, themes or tags; the full list has 15 shows.
- How are these shows like Narcos chosen?
- Boxlist compares Narcos with every show in its catalogue on ten taste scores (pace, tone, weight, realism and more), story themes, genres and TMDB keywords, and ranks the closest. Every pick has a TMDB rating of 7.2 or more from at least 150 votes, new releases wait until their ratings settle, and only one title per franchise makes the list. It is an approximation of feel, so treat it as a starting point.














