Genre · ranked
The best hardboiled series of all time
25 ranked · updated July 2026
These definitive hardboiled series masterfully explore the intersection of moral decay, systemic corruption, and the crushing weight of criminal life. By centering on characters forced to navigate impossible ethical dilemmas, these stories redefine the genre through their unflinching commitment to gritty realism and the brutal consequences of personal ambition.
How this ranking works
Ranked by a Bayesian-weighted score (rating average + rating count) across series classified as Hardboiled.
The Sopranos
David Chase
The Sopranos earns its top spot by perfectly balancing domestic banality with the existential dread inherent in a life of organized crime.
Explores: Moral Ambiguity, Existential Crisis, Family Dynamics.
The Wire
David Simon
The Wire remains unparalleled for its clinical, systemic dissection of urban decay and the self-sustaining bureaucracies that govern modern narcotics investigations.
Explores: Systemic Corruption, Moral Ambiguity, Urban Decay.
Oz
Tom Fontana
Oz secures its legacy through an uncompromising portrayal of prison survival, where tribal gang dynamics dictate the brutal reality of daily incarceration.
Explores: Prison life, Gang violence, Survival.
Banana Fish
Banana Fish brings a unique, visceral intensity to the genre by blending high-stakes gang violence with a harrowing journey toward recovery from systemic abuse.
Explores: Abuse recovery, Gang violence, Found family.
Chicago P.D.
Dick Wolf
Chicago P.D. captures the raw tension of police work, focusing on the moral compromises required when justice is pursued outside of traditional legal boundaries.
Explores: Moral Ambiguity, Justice, Corruption.
The Penguin
Lauren LeFranc
The Penguin excels as a neo-noir character study, depicting the calculated rise of a criminal underdog desperate to exploit a city in total collapse.
Explores: Power Vacuum, Criminal Underworld, Family Loyalty.
Brazil Avenue
João Emanuel Carneiro
Brazil Avenue masterfully utilizes the structure of a revenge drama to highlight the destructive intersection of social inequality and unbridled personal ambition.
Explores: Revenge, Ambition, Social Inequality.
Reacher
Nick Santora
Reacher earns its place by reviving the classic drifter archetype, focusing on a man who delivers blunt, efficient justice across a fractured American landscape.
Explores: Conspiracy, Small Town Secrets, Justice.
El marginal
Sebastián Ortega
El marginal stands out for its high-tension premise, using the trope of the undercover cop to explore the terrifying proximity of law enforcement to criminality.
Explores: Infiltration, False Identity, Kidnapping Investigation.
Mr Inbetween
Scott Ryan
Mr Inbetween is a masterclass in tone, grounding the life of a working-class hitman within the mundane, often darkly comedic struggles of modern fatherhood.
Explores: Moral Ambiguity, Balancing Family and Crime, Working Class Criminal.
Power Book IV: Force
Robert Munic
Power Book IV: Force effectively explores the ruthless mechanics of the drug trade through the eyes of an outsider attempting to dismantle local power structures.
Explores: Drug Trade, Outsider Perspective, Power Struggle.
Mayans M.C.
Kurt Sutter
Mayans M.C. provides a compelling look at the search for identity and brotherhood, set against the volatile backdrop of border crime and prison release.
Explores: Redemption, Brotherhood, Identity Crisis.
Banshee
David Schickler
Banshee defines the rural neo-noir aesthetic by centering on an enigmatic ex-con who assumes a sheriff's identity to impose his own brand of justice.
Explores: Identity Theft, Small Town Corruption, Redemption.
Wentworth
Lara Radulovich
Wentworth offers a brutal, focused examination of power dynamics within the women's prison system, highlighting the difficult transition from freedom to total incarceration.
Explores: Survival, Power dynamics, Incarceration.
Southland
Ann Biderman
Southland is lauded for its raw, authentic depiction of police work, stripping away procedural glamour to reveal the psychological toll of the Los Angeles streets.
Explores: Police corruption, Moral ambiguity, Partnership.
Longmire
John Coveny
A standout of hardboiled series.
Explores: Grief and Loss, Small Town Corruption, Redemption.
91 Days
Taku Kishimoto
A standout of hardboiled series.
Explores: Revenge, Prohibition Era, Organized Crime.
Time
Jimmy McGovern
A standout of hardboiled series.
Explores: Moral Dilemma, Redemption, Incarceration.
Top Boy
Ronan Bennett
A standout of hardboiled series.
Explores: Drug Trade, Gang Culture, Inner-City Life.
Too Old to Die Young
Nicolas Winding Refn
A standout of hardboiled series.
Explores: Moral Decay, Existential Crisis, Double Life.
Quarry
Michael D. Fuller
A standout of hardboiled series.
Explores: Vietnam War aftermath, Moral ambiguity, Corruption.
Stumptown
Jason Richman
A standout of hardboiled series.
Explores: Army Veteran, PTSD, Moral Ambiguity.
Sugar
A standout of hardboiled series.
Explores: Personal demons, Hollywood mystery, Enigmatic protagonist.
Black Rabbit
Zach Baylin
A standout of hardboiled series.
Explores: Brotherhood, Criminal Underworld, Redemption.
NYPD Blue
David Milch
A standout of hardboiled series.
Explores: Internal Affairs, Moral Ambiguity, Partnership.
Common questions
What are some highly-rated crime dramas that focus on prison life?
Several acclaimed series explore the harsh realities of incarceration, including Oz, which features experimental prison units, El marginal, which follows an undercover cop infiltrating a prison, and Wentworth, which provides a gritty look at the survival dynamics within a women's prison facility.
Are there any hardboiled series featuring hitmen or criminals as protagonists?
Yes, several series center on criminal protagonists, such as The Sopranos, which follows a mob boss, Mr Inbetween, which focuses on a working-class hitman juggling family life, and The Penguin, which depicts a gangster attempting to seize power in a collapsed city.
Which crime shows are best for fans of police procedurals and detective stories?
Fans of police-focused narratives should look to The Wire for its systemic look at narcotics, Chicago P.D. for its exploration of moral ambiguity in the field, Reacher for its drifter-detective style, or Southland for a raw, authentic look at the lives of Los Angeles police officers.