There is something fascinating about drug cartels and mafia…shows. We don’t mean the drugs manufactured and peddled but rather the plotlines and characters involved. Gone is the era of ‘cop vs drug lord’ plotlines. Series like Narcos, Breaking Bad, and Weeds brought in a fresh perspective of looking at organized crime and the characters connected to it. Here is our list of the must-see top 7 web series on the drug mafia.
Best Drug Cartel Shows
1. Breaking Bad
Let us start with the cult classic of all! Breaking Bad! Walter White… nay, Heisenberg, does whatever it takes to keep his family comfortable. Diagnosed with lung cancer, the high school chemistry teacher joins hands with his former student and meth peddler Jesse Pinkman for what seems like a short stint to make cash. What follows are events and characters that would change Walter’s life forever!
This series ran from 2008 to 2013, winning multiple awards.
What is the Name of Jason Bateman’s Character in Ozark?
- A. Marty Ozark
- B. Mary Bird
- C. Martie Bird
- D. Marty Byrde
2. Peaky Blinders
Based loosely upon the real-life mafia and family of Thomas Gilbert, the show Peaky Blinders follows the life of the fictional Tommy Shelby and the Shelby crime family based in Birmingham, England. Peaky Blinders deals heavily with drugs, alcohol, and gambling and how an entire family’s empire is built by harnessing them.
The series ran from 2013 to 2022 and is set to be followed by a spin-off film.
3. Ozark
Ranking as everyone’s current favorite, Ozark takes a less-traveled approach toward drug cartel show-making. It focuses on the money laundering aspect of drug mafias. Narrated in a crime thriller fashion, Ozark follows Marty Byrde’s life as he launders money through his business for a Mexican drug cartel.
The show started in 2017 and is currently in its fourth season.
4. Weeds
Not based on any drug cartels in particular but on a woman manufacturing and selling Marijuana, Weeds became one of the first female-centric drug series to air on television.
This show aired from 2005 to 2012.
5. Orange Is the New Black
This may seem out of the ordinary in this list, but Orange Is the New Black (OITNB) showed a lot about the drug trade happening within our prison system. The show’s portrayal of the hierarchies in the prison drug trade surely reflected the mafia-like world within.
OITNB ran from 2013 to 2019 on Netflix. It was created by Jenji Kohan, who also created ‘Weeds,’ and is based on Piper Kerman’s memoir Orange Is the New Black: My Year in a Women’s Prison.
6. Queen of the South
Another female-centric drug cartel series that recently caused waves in OTT platforms is Queen of the South. It focuses on the revenge and subsequent ambition of Teresa Mendoza after her boyfriend’s murder by a cartel leader. From 2016 to 2021, the series had a great twist on typical drug lord television shows.
7. Narcos Mexico
If you are a fan of Narcos, then Narcos: Mexico will be on your binge list. Airing since 2018, this series follows the rise of the Mexican drug trade in the US. The real-life drug cartel influences its story: the Guadalajara Cartel.