
Shows that feel likeBoardwalk Empire (2010–2014)
If you loved Boardwalk Empire, the closest series we have are Godfather of Harlem (2019), Power (2014) and The Americans (2013). All three share Boardwalk Empire's gritty and contemplative feel, which is what we rank on before quality.
Seen the big three already? The under-the-radar pick below is Justified (2010).
If Boardwalk Empire hit the spot, these will too

A crime boss working the seam between politics and the street
The difference: 1960s Harlem swagger — pulpier, and looser with its history

An empire builder telling himself the legitimate life is close
The difference: Modern soap momentum — style and twists over period texture

Period-perfect tension where every relationship is also a strategy
The difference: Cold War espionage — an intimate marriage drama, not empire building

A ruthless climb through the drug trade told at saga length
The difference: Telenovela heightening in place of HBO restraint


A grasping underboss scheming his way into a power vacuum
The difference: One eight-episode Gotham story — comic-book world, real menace

Warring crime families where loyalty is the deadliest currency
The difference: Present-day London — brutality without the historical sweep

New Jersey crime royalty weighed down by their own appetites
The difference: Contemporary and domestic — therapy sessions, not Prohibition

A gangster clawing into respectable power in a lawless postwar age
The difference: Flashier and faster — style over slow-burn political detail

Small-town crime where violence arrives suddenly and hits hard
The difference: Pulpy Cinemax action — momentum first, period craft nowhere

True crime treated with prestige-drama weight and craft
The difference: Anthology seasons — new case, new cast, no slow-built empire

In the mood for more gritty?
all gritty shows →The best-reviewed series that share Boardwalk Empire’s defining feeling.









