What to read, watch, and listen to if you lovedThe Outlaws
Kang Yun-sung · Film · 2017
If you loved The Outlaws, start with The Outlaws (Stephen Merchant, 2021) — a series from the same story. Below: 4 books, 3 series and 2 podcasts, each matched to The Outlaws across media.
What hooked you in The Outlaws was the gritty, high-stakes collision between law enforcement and ruthless criminal syndicates fighting for territorial control.
Start with the source
Adaptation
The Outlaws
Stephen Merchant · Series · 2021
Books on the same thread
The Bad Guys
Aaron Blabey · Book
Explores: Redemption, Unlikely friendships, Subverting tropes.
Like the unconventional alliances formed in The Outlaws, this story features tough characters subverting expectations as they take on dangerous villains in an action-packed, fast-paced narrative.
The Outsiders
S. E. Hinton · Book · 1967
Explores: Social Class, Teenage Angst, Violence.
The Outlaws highlights the friction between rival groups, a dynamic mirrored here as two distinct social factions clash, fueled by deep-seated tension, loyalty, and the reality of violence.
City on Fire
Don Winslow · Book
Explores: loyalty and betrayal, intergenerational conflict, criminal empire.
If you enjoyed the intense turf wars within The Outlaws, you will appreciate this saga, which centers on the brutal power struggles between rival crime families battling for territory.
The Late Show
Michael Connelly · Book · 2017
Shares 2 threads with The Outlaws: Corruption, Police Procedural.
Much like the relentless, hard-hitting police work seen in The Outlaws, this thriller follows a driven detective navigating a dangerous urban landscape to prove her worth and establish order.
Series on the same thread
Bloodhounds
Jason Kim · Series · 2023
Shares 2 threads with The Outlaws: Good vs Evil, Korean Noir.
This series captures the same spirit of good versus evil found in The Outlaws, featuring an underdog fight against a ruthless criminal organization that preys on the vulnerable.
The Untouchables
Quinn Martin · Series · 1959
Shares 3 threads with The Outlaws: Good vs Evil, Corruption, Justice.
If you liked the incorruptible law enforcement battling organized crime in The Outlaws, this classic series provides the same high-stakes conflict between dedicated agents and powerful, entrenched criminal syndicates.
Crime Story
Gustave Reininger · Series · 1986
Shares a thread with The Outlaws: Police procedural.
This show mirrors the obsessive, high-tension cat-and-mouse game between law and crime seen in The Outlaws, focusing on the relentless pursuit of a ruthless gangster by a dedicated cop.
Podcasts on the same thread
The Underworld Podcast
Podcast
Shares a thread with The Outlaws: underworld.
For those fascinated by the criminal underworld dynamics in The Outlaws, this investigative podcast exposes the real-world networks and transnational operations that fuel the violence seen on screen.
Kinahans Downfall
Podcast · 2026
Explores: Organized Crime, Cartels, Criminal Underworld.
This podcast explores the same brutal reality of gangland violence and cartels that drives the conflict in The Outlaws, detailing the cold, calculated hits that define criminal territory wars.
Keep exploring
Common questions
Is The Outlaws based on a true story?
Yes, the 2017 movie The Outlaws is based on a true story. It depicts the arrival of a trio of Chinese gangsters in Chinatown who begin terrorizing civilians and usurping territory, forcing local gangsters to team up with the police to restore order.
What is the order of the The Outlaws titles?
The Outlaws was released as a movie in 2017 directed by Kang Yun-sung, followed by a television adaptation titled The Outlaws in 2021. The movie focuses on the police efforts of Ma Seok-do, while the later television series adapts the source material for the screen.
Should I watch The Outlaws movie before the 2021 show?
The 2017 movie The Outlaws establishes the story of Ma Seok-do and the conflict in Chinatown. Since the 2021 television series is an adaptation of the same source material, watching the movie first provides the original context for the characters and the narrative established by the director.
Is The Outlaws movie about police or gangsters?
The Outlaws focuses on both groups. The plot follows the police, led by Ma Seok-do, as they form an unlikely alliance with local gangsters to combat a group of feral Chinese criminals who have turned the order of Chinatown upside down.