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The Americans poster

Shows that feel likeThe Americans (2013–2018)

Set during the Cold War period in the 1980s, The Americans is the story of Elizabeth and Philip Jennings, two Soviet KGB officers posing as an American married couple in the suburbs of Washington D.C. and their neighbor, Stan Beeman, an FBI Counterintelligence agent.

If you loved The Americans, the closest series we have are Boardwalk Empire (2010), Narcos: Mexico (2018) and When They See Us (2019). All three share The Americans' gritty and contemplative feel, which is what we rank on before quality.

Seen the big three already? The under-the-radar pick below is Godfather of Harlem (2019).

★ 8.4 IMDb ↗TMDB ↗6 seasons · FXcreated by Joe Weisberggrittycontemplative
11 of 12 streaming nowNetflix · HBO Max · Hulu
Stream it:Hulu ↗

If The Americans hit the spot, these will too

Boardwalk Empire poster
Boardwalk Empire
2010–2014 · 5 seasons · HBO
★ 8.5crime · dramaMax

A meticulous period piece about people rotted by their double lives

The difference: Gangland opera — spectacle where The Americans stays intimate

Atlantic City at the dawn of Prohibition is a place where the rules don't apply. And the man who runs things -- legally and otherwise -- is the town's treasurer, Enoch "Nucky" Thompson, who is equal parts politician and gangster.

Narcos: Mexico poster
Narcos: Mexico
2018–2021 · 3 seasons · Netflix
★ 8.3drama · crimeNetflix

Agents and operatives circling each other through the 1980s

The difference: True-crime sweep — institutions over one strained marriage

See the rise of the Guadalajara Cartel as an American DEA agent learns the danger of targeting narcos in 1980s Mexico.

When They See Us poster
When They See Us
2019 · 1 season · Netflix
★ 8.8dramaNetflix

Gritty where it counts, contemplative underneath

Five teens from Harlem become trapped in a nightmare when they're falsely accused of a brutal attack in Central Park.

American Crime Story poster
American Crime Story
2016–2021 · 3 seasons · FX
★ 8.4crime · dramaHulu

Period-perfect reconstruction of lives under unbearable pressure

The difference: Anthology structure — no years-long slow burn with one family

An anthology series centered around some of history's most famous criminal investigations.

Justified poster
Justified
2010–2015 · 6 seasons · FX
★ 8.6crime · dramaHulu

Gritty crime, and it commits to that

A character drama based on the 2001 Elmore Leonard short story "Fire in the Hole." Leonard's tale centers around U.S. Marshal Raylan Givens of Kentucky, a quiet but strong-willed official of the law. The tale covers his high-stakes job, as well as his strained relationships with his ex-wife and father.

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Banshee
2013–2016 · 4 seasons · Cinemax
★ 8.4crime · dramaMax

A stolen identity that must be performed perfectly every day

The difference: Pulpy and hyper-violent — action beats over quiet tension

Banshee is an American drama television series set in a small town in Pennsylvania Amish country and features an enigmatic ex-con posing as a murdered sheriff who imposes his own brand of justice while also cooking up plans that serve his own interests.

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Power
2014–2020 · 6 seasons · STARZ
★ 8.1crime · dramaHuluStarz

A double life quietly splitting a family down the middle

The difference: Glossy crime soap — melodrama where The Americans holds still

A successful New York entrepreneur lives a double life as the head of a drug empire that serves only the rich and influential, all while wanting to escape the underworld and keep his family safe.

Unbelievable poster
Unbelievable
2019 · 1 season · Netflix
★ 8.3drama · crimeNetflix

Procedure rendered with patience, ache and moral seriousness

The difference: A survivor-centered miniseries — no spies, heavier subject

After a young woman is accused of lying about a rape, two female detectives investigate a spate of eerily similar attacks.

Godfather of Harlem poster
Godfather of Harlem
2019–2025 · 4 seasons · Epix
★ 8.1drama · crimeHulu

An operator holding an empire together as the era shifts under him

The difference: Louder and more stylized — speeches where silence would do

Loosely based on infamous crime boss Bumpy Johnson, who in the early 1960s returned from ten years in prison to find the neighborhood he once ruled in shambles. With the streets controlled by the Italian mob, Bumpy attempts to regain his piece of Harlem.

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Surviving Escobar - Alias JJ
2017 · 1 season · Caracol TV
★ 7.8drama · crime

Living every day knowing that exposure means death

The difference: Prison-set telenovela pacing — grind over slow-burn craft

As the Medellín Cartel crumbles, Pablo Escobar's No. 1 hit man struggles to stay alive and gain respect in the prison hierarchy.

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Mayans M.C.
2018–2023 · 5 seasons · FX
★ 7.5crime · dramaHulu

Loyalty tested between family and the organization that owns you

The difference: Biker-gang melodrama — muscle and feuds over tradecraft

Set in the aftermath of Jax Teller’s death, Ezekiel "EZ" Reyes is fresh out of prison and a prospect in the Mayans M.C. charter on the Cali/Mexi border. Now, EZ must carve out his new identity in a town where he was once the golden boy with the American Dream in his grasp.

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Black Bird
2022 · 1 season · Apple TV
★ 8.1drama · crimeApple TV+

Contemplative drama in both cases

As Jimmy Keene begins a 10-year prison sentence, he gets an incredible offer: If he can elicit a confession from suspected killer Larry Hall, Jimmy will be freed. Completing this mission becomes the challenge of a lifetime.

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The best-reviewed series that share The Americans’ defining feeling.