What to read, watch, and listen to if you lovedAnimal Kingdom
David Michôd · Film · 2010
If you loved Animal Kingdom, start with Animal Kingdom (Jonathan Lisco, 2016) — a series from the same story. Below: 4 books, 4 series and 2 podcasts, each matched to Animal Kingdom across media.
What hooked you in Animal Kingdom was the devastating friction between absolute criminal loyalty and the corrosive, inevitable unraveling of a dysfunctional family.
Start with the source
Adaptation
Animal Kingdom
Jonathan Lisco · Series · 2016
Books on the same thread
Joyland (Hard Case Crime)
Stephen King · Book · 2013
Explores: Carnivals, First Love, Grief.
Like the young protagonist in Animal Kingdom, you will find a similar coming-of-age intensity here as a young man enters an insular world that challenges his moral compass.
A Time to Kill
John Grisham · Book · 1992
Explores: Racial injustice, Revenge, Morality.
If the high-stakes moral ambiguity of Animal Kingdom kept you watching, this courtroom drama offers a similarly gripping exploration of how inhuman choices shatter the lives of those involved.
SIX OF CROWS
Leigh Bardugo · Book
Shares a thread with Animal Kingdom: moral ambiguity.
This story mirrors the criminal indoctrination found in Animal Kingdom, focusing on a tight-knit group of outcasts where survival depends on navigating a dangerous and unforgiving underworld.
True History of the Kelly Gang
Peter Carey · Book · 2010
Explores: unreliable narrator, class struggle, anti-hero.
This dive into Australian outlaw culture echoes the grit of Animal Kingdom, capturing the same myth-making and class-driven struggle that defines a life lived outside the law.
Series on the same thread
Ozark
Bill Dubuque · Series · 2017
Shares a thread with Animal Kingdom: Neo-Noir.
The suffocating family dysfunction present in Animal Kingdom is masterfully replicated here, as the pressure of criminal associations forces a family to confront their own moral decay.
Ray Donovan
Ann Biderman · Series · 2013
Shares 3 threads with Animal Kingdom: Moral Ambiguity, Dysfunctional Family, Neo-Noir.
You will recognize the complex power dynamics of Animal Kingdom in this story of a fixer whose family secrets and lies threaten to destroy the life he built.
Mr Inbetween
Scott Ryan · Series · 2018
Shares a thread with Animal Kingdom: Moral Ambiguity.
This series captures the authentic Australian noir tone of Animal Kingdom while exploring the impossible struggle of balancing everyday family life with a brutal criminal occupation.
MobLand
Ronan Bennett · Series · 2025
Shares a thread with Animal Kingdom: Moral Ambiguity.
The intense focus on family loyalty and internal betrayal that defined Animal Kingdom is front and center here, as warring factions collide with devastating, high-stakes consequences.
Podcasts on the same thread
Naked City
Podcast
Shares a thread with Animal Kingdom: Australian Crime.
Dive deeper into the real-world criminal underworld that inspired the tone of Animal Kingdom, uncovering the same gritty, investigative reality behind the Australian crime scene.
Criminal
Vox Media Podcast Network · Podcast · 2026
Shares a thread with Animal Kingdom: moral ambiguity.
Much like the complex characters in Animal Kingdom, this podcast explores the moral ambiguity of those caught in the middle, offering a human look at criminal behavior.
Keep exploring
Common questions
Is the Animal Kingdom TV show a direct sequel to the 2010 movie?
The 2016 Animal Kingdom television series is an adaptation of the 2010 film. While both share the core premise of a young man joining his criminal family after his mother dies, the show reimagines the story rather than serving as a direct sequel to the original David Michôd movie.
What is the premise of the 2010 Animal Kingdom movie?
In the 2010 Animal Kingdom, a young man named Joshua is taken in by his extended family following his mother's overdose. He soon discovers his grandmother rules a clan heavily involved in criminal activities and must decide whether to join their lifestyle or accept help from a police officer.
Should I watch the Animal Kingdom movie before starting the TV series?
You do not need to watch the 2010 Animal Kingdom movie to understand the 2016 TV series. Both versions are standalone adaptations that follow the same central plot involving a young man entering his family's criminal world, allowing you to choose either version as your starting point.
Does the Animal Kingdom movie feature the same characters as the TV show?
Both the 2010 Animal Kingdom film and the 2016 television series center on the same narrative framework of a young man living with his criminal grandmother and her clan. However, as separate adaptations, the character development and specific plot paths differ between the movie and the television series.