Racking up 2.2 million views global viewers for its debut episode, the new Paramount+ crime drama MobLand is a bonafide hit, becoming the most-watched original series premiere in the streamer’s history. And it’s hardly surprising given the talent involved, with Guy Ritchie directing the likes of Tom Hardy, Pierce Brosnan and Helen Mirren.
Starring a would-be Bond, an ex-Bond and a should’ve-been M, the show sees Hardy as Harry Da Souza, a fixer for London crime family The Harrigans, headed up by patriarch Conrad (Brosnan) alongside his wife Maeve (Mirren). The cast also features House of the Dragon’s Paddy Considine, and Joanne Froggatt, soon to be bidding goodbye to Downton Abbey. Ritchie helms the opening pair of episodes with all the country gent crime lord stylings we’ve come to expect from The Gentlemen creator.
Like many, the opening episode of one of the best Paramount+ shows had us gripped, but with a week long wait between installments, you may be looking for another show to binge in the meantime, and that’s where we come in with our pick of three similar shows you can binge on one of the best streaming services, and all with great Rotten Tomatoes scores.
Tulsa King
RT Score: 89%
Seasons: 2
Creator: Taylor Sheridan
Where to watch: Paramount Plus (US, UK, AU)
Sylvester Stallone as a down on his luck mob boss? Count us in.
Tulsa King sees Stallone’s New York Mafia captain Dwight “The General” Manfredi, released from prison after a long twenty-five years and immediately sent to Tulsa, Oklahoma to establish new criminal operations on behalf of his boss. Needless to say, things don't go smoothly and with no contacts and no allies, Dwight is left to fend for himself, slowly building a new firm that includes Jay Will’s taxi driver Tyson, Martin Starr’s small time marijuana dealer Bodhi and Max Casella’s Manny, who joins Dwight after unsuccessfully trying to carry out a hit on him.
Fans of MobLand will find plenty to enjoy in the mob shenanigans of this crime drama, with warring factions and double crosses aplenty. And, like the new hit show, there’s strong pedigree behind the camera too, with Tulsa King being created by Yellowstone honcho Taylor Sheridan.
Ray Donovan
RT Score: 72%
Seasons: 7
Creator: Ann Biderman
Where to watch: Paramount Plus (US, UK, AU)
With Liev Schreiber in the title role, Ray Donovan follows the professional fixer as he makes problems disappear for the rich and famous.
The fact that said problems are usually a result of illegal activity is par for the course, with Donovan easily turning his hand to everything from bribery and threats to crime scene cleanup. But while he may be a pro at fixing the problems of others, those created by his own family, including wife Abby (Paula Malcomson) and brother Terry (Eddie Marsan) are a tougher challenge.
If the hook of an expert fixer struggling with a work/life balance sounds familiar to MobLand fans, that’s because Paramount Plus’ new drama was originally conceived as a prequel to Schreiber’s show entitled The Donovans, with Hardy’s Harry presumably inspiring a young Ray in to a similar line of work. The two are now unrelated, but those enjoying watching Harry get The Harrigans out of a sticky situation while also trying to maintain his home life should find plenty to enjoy in the classic show.
Dexter
RT Score: 71%
Seasons: 8
Creators: Jeff Lindsay & James Manos Jr.
Where to watch: Paramount Plus (US, UK, AU)
Based on Jeff Lindsay’s hit book series, Dexter sees Michael C. Hall play the titular forensic technician who happens to moonlight as a vigilante serial killer.
Orphaned at a young age after witnessing his mother’s brutal murder, Dexter Morgan is adopted by Miami PD officer Harry (James Remar), who helps him channel the violent tendencies the incident has left him with into something more useful, namely the ability to murder the most heinous criminals that the criminal justice system lets slip through the cracks. Throughout, Dexter grapples with various foes, notably John Lithgow’s Arthur Mitchell, The Trinity Killer.
MobLand fans might be particularly interested in a later season arc that sees Dexter go up against Ray Stevenson’s mob boss Isaak Sirko, but there’s plenty to enjoy for anyone interested in dark crime drama with a pitch black comedic streak. If the eight seasons aren’t enough, Paramount Plus is also the home to sequel series’ Dexter: New Blood and the upcoming Dexter: Resurection, as well as prequel series Dexter: original Sin.
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