Shows like The Wire
15 picks with a similar feel
What defines The Wire, going by its Boxlist taste profile: Unsavoury and smart: a weighty crime series, small-scale rather than epic. Best if you like puzzles over plain sailing. Its strongest markers on Boxlist are themes of troubled leads and deep rivalry, plus tags such as newspaper reporter, newspaper and police detective.
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 The Wire (2002).
- 1
Black Bird (2022)
TV8.1
Why it's like The Wire: Also dark and intricate, with themes of troubled leads and deep rivalry. Common ground: drug dealer.
- 2
Power (2014)
TV7.6
Why it's like The Wire: Also dark and weighty, with themes of troubled leads and deep rivalry. Common ground: gangster.
- 3
Surviving Escobar - Alias JJ (2017)
TV7.7
Why it's like The Wire: Also dark and weighty, with themes of deep rivalry.
- 4
Gomorrah (2014)
TV8.0
Why it's like The Wire: Also dark and weighty, with themes of troubled leads and deep rivalry.
- 5
Sneaky Pete (2015)
TV7.7Slower burn
Why it's like The Wire: Also dark and weighty, with themes of deep rivalry.
- 6
Narcos (2015)
TV7.9Easier to follow
Why it's like The Wire: Also dark and weighty, with themes of troubled leads and deep rivalry. Common ground: drug dealer.
- 7
Snowfall (2017)
TV8.2Easier to follow
Why it's like The Wire: Also dark and weighty, with themes of troubled leads and deep rivalry.
- 8
Peaky Blinders (2013)
TV8.6Easier to follow
Why it's like The Wire: Also weighty and dark, with themes of troubled leads and deep rivalry. Common ground: gangster.
- 9
Gangs of London (2020)
TV8.0Easier to follow
Why it's like The Wire: Also dark and weighty, with themes of troubled leads and deep rivalry. Common ground: drug dealer.
- 10
The Sopranos (1999)
TV8.5Easier to follow
Why it's like The Wire: Also dark and weighty, with themes of troubled leads and deep rivalry. Common ground: drug dealer.
- 11
Mayor of Kingstown (2021)
TV8.0
Why it's like The Wire: Also dark and intricate, with themes of troubled leads. Common ground: drug dealer.
- 12
Boardwalk Empire (2010)
TV7.9Slower burn
Why it's like The Wire: Also dark and weighty, with themes of deep rivalry. Common ground: gangster.
- 13
Broadchurch (2013)
TV7.9
Why it's like The Wire: Also dark and intricate, with themes of deep rivalry. Common ground: police detective.
- 14
Tokyo Vice (2022)
TV7.8Easier to follow
Why it's like The Wire: Also dark and weighty, with themes of deep rivalry. Common ground: gangster.
- 15
The Fall (2013)
TV7.8
Why it's like The Wire: Also dark and intricate, with themes of troubled leads. Common ground: police detective.
Boxlist compares The Wire 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?
Take the taste test and every pick shows how well it matches you.
Take the taste testQuestions
- What should I watch if I like The Wire?
- Picks with a similar feel include Black Bird, Power, Surviving Escobar - Alias JJ and Gomorrah. Each shares part of The Wire's taste profile, themes or tags; the full list has 15 shows.
- How are these shows like The Wire chosen?
- Boxlist compares The Wire 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.