Gangster TV showsseem to never get old, but it was at the turn of the 21st century when gangster TV started to elevate in quality, and of course, with great gangster TV shows came great gangster characters. Since 1999 and the premiere ofThe Sopranos,gangster TV shows have existedin a space that only movies thought to occupy.Prestige TV was basically built on the backs of the early gangster TV shows, and whatGoodfellas,The Godfather, andAmerican History Xthought they had a stranglehold on actually worked just as well on television.
Gangster TV shows capture the imagination more than many genres for a lot of reasons. They are action-packed, but are often not so focused on action that we lose the plot. They have funny and ridiculous characters, but they’re also formidable and frightening, and seem like they could be from the real world. Most of all, they’re a bizarro reflection of the American Dream.Capitalism and coming up from nothing are central to the gangster story myth, tenets also central to the American story. And within these gangster TV shows are some of the greatest gangster characters ever.
Jackson “Jax” Teller (Charlie Hunnam) is first the Vice President, and later the President, of the Sons of Anarchy Motorcycle Club Redwood Original, an outlaw gang that specializes in gunrunning in the western United States. As a gangster, Jax is an intelligent, capable, and dangerous individual when he needs to be, but the series is built on his wish to one day make the gang legitimate.
Jax is the quintessential anti-hero and rebel, who lives by his own rules, even bucking the already rebellious rules of his own motorcycle gang when they don’t suit him. He’s more than capable of leading SAMCRO to prosperity, but that goes against his desire to eventually exit the criminal life.
Forest Whitaker stars as Ellsworth Raymond “Bumpy” Johnson inGodfather of Harlem, an Epix crime drama set in New York City in the 1960s. Bumpy Johnson, a real figure from history, returns from prison after 10 years to discover the old neighborhood he used to rule in shambles. The Italian mob has taken over his streets, and so Bumpy goes to war with the Genovese crime family.
He also crosses paths with Malcolm X (Nigél Thatch) and the Nation of Islam, bringing himself into the political spotlight as well. Bumpy is a character who would be at home inThe Godfather, and Whitaker’s portrayal is far from one-note. He wants his empire back, but he’s also adjusting to life outside of prison and reconnecting with his family and his roots.
Wagner Moura’s Pablo Escobar inNarcosis the king of gangsters. At one point in the show, he’s burning up rolls of money to keep warm. That’s how much cash his Colombian drug empire made.Narcoswas part of awave of Netflix TV originalsthat proved the streamer was going to be a bigger player in the prestige television arena, and Moura led the show with his mesmerizing performance.
Not only does Moura look a lot like Escobar, particularly with his makeup and costuming, he inhabits the character. Escobar positioned himself as a Robin Hood type, going up against the corrupt government, but in reality, he was just as corrupt, and even more vicious, and Moura plays both sides of the coin perfectly.
The Penguinwas the surprise hit of 2024. No one knew what to expect from a gangster TV show starring Colin Farrell cloaked in prosthetics and playing a character who, in every previous iteration, has been an exceptionally loathsome individual. But everything came together perfectly inThe Penguin, particularly with the help of Cristin Milioti as Sifia Falcone.
The daughter of Carmine Falcone (Mark Strong), Sofia was wrongfully imprisoned and accused of horrific murders. Her time in Arkham turned her into the monster everyone thought she was, and her quest for revenge is moving. Milioti plays the rage and insanity of Sofia perfectly, making it clear why people listen to her despite only recently coming on the scene.
There are a lot ofpowerful gangsters and drug lords inThe Wire, but Marlo Stanfield takes the crown as the best of them. Wise beyond his years, Marlo quickly steps in to fill the vacuum left when Avon Barksdale (Wood Harris) went to jail. Unlike the other gangsters in Baltimore, Marlo has no intentions of sharing with others; he wants as much of the city as he can take.
“Hey guys! Can I come in?”. Few other TV gangsters and actors can make such a friendly line sound so menacing, butjust about everything that comes out of Lalo Salamanca’s (Tony Dalton) mouth is kind in the words he uses, but utterly evil in how they sound. No one seems to enjoy the criminal life more than Lalo. He’s the most ruthless parts of the Salamancas without their impulsivity.
From his first moment on screen, telling Gustavo Fring (Giancarlo Esposito) how much he loves his chicken, you know that this is a different sort of gangster. Lalo won’t be so easily handled like Tuco (Raymond Cruz) or Hector (Mark Margolis). He’s smart, formidable, and perhaps even loved by some. He’s a true gangster, not a wild animal like the other Salamancas.
Boardwalk Empire
Cast
Based on Atlantic City in the 1920s and 1930s, Boardwalk Empire follows political heavyweight “Nucky” Thompson as he battles mobsters, politicians, government agents, and the common folk who look to take him on. Now, with the federal government cracking down on bootlegging and other illegal activities, and everyone looking to take over control of the city, Nucky’s lavish lifestyle is in danger of collapsing.
Nucky Thompson (Steve Buscemi) is an old-school type of gangster, the kind who was untouchable because he was more politician than hood, and yet as a politician, he committed more crimes than most common criminals.Boardwalk Empireis set in Atlantic City in the 1920s and 1930s, when Prohibition began in the United States. Nucky runs the town and the liquor, giving him untold wealth and power.
Unlike other characters inBoardwalk Empire, Nucky is only loosely based on a real-life figure, Enoch Lewis “Nucky” Johnson, an Atlantic City crime boss.
Nucky is violent and Machiavellian, and one of the most dangerous figures in a series populated by other real-life mobsters like Al Capone (Stephen Graham) and Arnold Rothstein (Michael Stuhlbarg). Unlike a lot of gangsters on TV, Nucky does seem to have a legitimate caring and charitable side, and while he enjoys the riches and strength of his position,he often treats those close to him with genuine respect and even love.
Thesmartest character in the crime drama seriesAnimal Kingdom, Janine “Smurf” Cody (Ellen Barkin), is the matriarch of the Cody clan, and runs her family with a firm, and sometimes psychotic, grip. She is not above lying, backstabbing, and poking at insecurities to get what she wants and, though Smurf claims to be doing everything for her family, she’s mostly concerned about her own well-being.
Barkin is electric in the role, elevating every scene she appears in, and the way she jumps from sweet grandmother to snarling gangster in a second is frightening. Smurf is all the Cody boys wrapped into one, and that result is one of the most fascinating gangsters on television.
Watching Thomas “Tommy” Shelby (Cillian Murphy) climb from being a low-level gangster betting on a few horse races to working with Winston Churchill to flush out fascists is not just a treat; it’s also a great example of how high crime can rise if it’s allowed. Tommy, a survivor of World War I, lives his life like he’s already dead, and the risks he takes with that assumption make for great TV.
Tommy is a calculating devil who always seems to come on top, and the few times he fails, his rage is something to behold.
Tommy is a calculating devil who always seems to come on top, and the few times he fails, his rage is something to behold. Whether he’s dealing with his intractable family or threatening the Russian aristocracy,Tommy never feels like he’s out of place in any room.
It doesn’t get better than Tony Soprano. Arguablythe greatest TV character ever is also, of course, the greatest gangster TV character ever. Tony Soprano, the head of the Soprano crime family, “This other pygmy thing over in New Jersey”, as Phil Leotardo says, is a violent criminal organization with the bosses, capos, and soldiers one would expect from a gangster TV show.
Tony is the modernTV show gangster. He pretends he cares about history, but only so much as it makes him look good in front of the other bosses. He pretends to care about family, until another woman catches his eye. He pretends what he does is a proud example of a man looking after those who need protection, but at the end of the day, Tony Soprano only cares about one person, and the gangster lifestyle is designed for that selfish aim.
