Genre · ranked
The best noir series of all time
25 ranked · updated October 2026
Television noir strips away moral certainty to expose how corruption, ambition, and existential dread fracture communities and families from rural America to urban underworlds. Through relentless psychological depth and stylistic grit, these series prove that darkness often thrives behind everyday domestic facades and compromised institutions.
How this ranking works
Ranked by a Bayesian-weighted score (rating average + rating count) across series classified as Noir.
The Sopranos
David Chase
David Chase examines existential crisis and mob dynamics with groundbreaking psychological depth as New Jersey crime boss Tony Soprano balances family life and panic attacks.
Explores: Moral Ambiguity, Existential Crisis, Family Dynamics.
Breaking Bad
Vince Gilligan
Vince Gilligan crafts an engrossing neo-noir portrait of moral decay as an Albuquerque chemistry teacher descends into the dangerous methamphetamine underworld following a cancer diagnosis.
Explores: Moral Decay, Man Breaking Bad, Consequences of Crime.
Fargo
Noah Hawley
Noah Hawley infuses small-town crime with pitch-black comedy as a ruthless hitman unleashes violent impulses across snow-covered Minnesota through meticulously crafted, parable-titled episodes.
Explores: Small Town Crime, Moral Ambiguity, Ordinary People in Extraordinary Circumstances.
Better Call Saul
Vince Gilligan
This masterclass in character-driven tragedy explores moral ambiguity by charting Jimmy McGill's gradual transformation from an earnest Albuquerque attorney into cynical criminal defender Saul Goodman.
Explores: Moral Ambiguity, Transformation, Redemption.
True Detective
Nic Pizzolatto
Nic Pizzolatto delivers a haunting neo-noir atmosphere steeped in existential dread as two Louisiana detectives unravel a ritualistic murder investigation spanning multiple years.
Explores: Moral Ambiguity, Existentialism, Corruption.
The Shield
Shawn Ryan
Shot with kinetic hand-held cameras, Shawn Ryan's gritty procedural captures ruthless institutional corruption through Vic Mackey's morally compromised Strike Team in Farmington.
Explores: Moral ambiguity, Police corruption, Gang violence.
Justified
Graham Yost
Graham Yost channels Elmore Leonard's sharp dialogue and Appalachian noir ethos into a tense clash of loyalties between federal lawman Raylan Givens and Boyd Crowder.
Explores: Moral Ambiguity, Redemption, Family Loyalty.
Homicide: Life on the Street
Paul Attanasio
Paul Attanasio grounds Baltimore police procedurals in realistic grit, exploring the harrowing psychological impact of murder investigations through Andre Braugher's electric portrayal of Frank Pembleton.
Explores: Moral Ambiguity, Bureaucracy, Psychological Impact of Violence.
Veronica Mars
Rob Thomas
Rob Thomas cleverly reinvents classic detective fiction into teen neo-noir, employing sharp cynicism and class conflict through Kristen Bell's resourceful private investigator in Neptune.
Explores: High School, Class Conflict, Coming of Age.
Peaky Blinders
Steven Knight
Steven Knight renders post-WWI Birmingham with stylish period gloom, anchoring a brutal gangster saga in Thomas Shelby's calculating ambition and lingering psychological trauma.
Explores: Post-WWI Trauma, Ambition, Class Conflict.
Banana Fish
MAPPA delivers an intense crime mystery set against modern New York City, exploring gang violence and emotional vulnerability through Ash Lynx's dangerous investigation.
Explores: Abuse recovery, Gang violence, Found family.
BEASTARS
Studio Orange crafts a suspenseful noir allegory of societal prejudice and instinct, probing high-stakes tension after an herbivore student is murdered at Cherryton Academy.
Explores: Prejudice, Societal Hierarchy, Forbidden Love.
The Penguin
Lauren LeFranc
Lauren LeFranc builds a gritty, atmospheric crime drama that explores cutthroat power struggles in Gotham's flooded underworld as Colin Farrell's Oz Cobb seizes control.
Explores: Power Vacuum, Criminal Underworld, Family Loyalty.
Ozark
Bill Dubuque
Bill Dubuque captures chilling family dysfunction and moral erosion as the Byrde family relocates to the Missouri Ozarks to run cartel money laundering operations.
Explores: Money Laundering, Moral Decay, Family Dysfunction.
Dexter: Resurrection
Clyde Phillips
Clyde Phillips revitalizes the dark psychological drama by thrusting a surviving Dexter Morgan into New York City to confront past sins and search for his son.
Explores: Father-Son Relationship, Redemption, Past Sins.
Snowfall
Eric Amadio
A standout of noir series.
Explores: drug epidemic, urban decay, greed.
Mare of Easttown
Brad Ingelsby
A standout of noir series.
Explores: Grief, Trauma, Family Dysfunction.
My Name
Kim Jin-min
A standout of noir series.
Explores: Undercover Agent, Organized Crime, Betrayal.
Brazil Avenue
João Emanuel Carneiro
A standout of noir series.
Explores: Revenge, Ambition, Social Inequality.
Extracurricular
Gin Han-sai
A standout of noir series.
Explores: Moral Ambiguity, Coming of Age, Social Inequality.
Beyond Evil
Sim Na-yeon
A standout of noir series.
Explores: Moral Ambiguity, Small Town Secrets, Partnership.
The Bridge
Hans Rosenfeldt
A standout of noir series.
Explores: Partnership, Cross-Border Crime, Social Commentary.
Boardwalk Empire
Terence Winter
A standout of noir series.
Explores: Political Corruption, Organized Crime, American Dream.
Mr Inbetween
Scott Ryan
A standout of noir series.
Explores: Moral Ambiguity, Balancing Family and Crime, Working Class Criminal.
The Night Of
Richard Price
A standout of noir series.
Explores: Wrongful Accusation, Criminal Justice System, Moral Ambiguity.
Common questions
Which crime series on this list are set in New Mexico?
Both "Breaking Bad" and its prequel spin-off "Better Call Saul" take place and were filmed in Albuquerque, New Mexico, following criminal transformations centered around characters like Walter White and Jimmy McGill.
Are there any animated noir series on this list?
Yes, the list highlights two animated series: MAPPA's "Banana Fish," which follows a New York gang leader investigating a dangerous drug, and Studio Orange's "BEASTARS," a suspenseful murder mystery set at Cherryton Academy.
Who created the critically acclaimed police drama Homicide: Life on the Street?
"Homicide: Life on the Street" was created for NBC by Paul Attanasio, adapting author David Simon's nonfiction book "Homicide: A Year on the Killing Streets" to chronicle homicide detectives working in Baltimore.