Goodfellas might not need too much of an introduction, since it’s one of the most iconic gangster movies of all time, and it proves continually engaging and dazzling in a manner that might well be timeless. It’s about Henry Hill and his experience as a fairly low-level member of the mafia, following his life over many years as it goes through ups (most of them near the film’s start) and downs (many of them near the film’s end).
It’s a Martin Scorsese film, so while many might want to copy it or tap into its magic, that proves easier said than done. Still, a little influence isn’t a bad thing, with some of these shows perhaps taking notes from Goodfellas (at least the ones that aired after 1990). And others might well appeal to fans of Goodfellas in more obscure ways, but that’s okay. Just do an Oasis and roll with it.
10
‘The Sopranos’ (1999–2007)
Created by David Chase
To get the most obvious one out of the way first, yes, here’s The Sopranos, which is noteworthy for being a show that shares so many cast members with the cast of Goodfellas. The Sopranos also aims to be a more grounded look at life in the mafia, humanizing various criminal characters while also making sure you understand they’re not good people. There are some villains, very few heroes, and many people who have qualities both reprehensible and occasionally positive.
Also, The Sopranos is stylish and cinematic in a way that was quite groundbreaking for the time it aired. It’s not as dynamic or bold-looking as a Scorsese crime film, sure, but it still largely looks better than the average crime film, and it did that while being a TV show. It’s pretty much perfect, too, and Goodfellas is a similarly easy thing to throw the word “perfect” at.
9
‘Gomorrah’ (2014–2021)
Created by Roberto Saviano
In 2008, there was a crime film called Gomorrah that Martin Scorsese championed. Then, in 2014, a TV series of the same name started airing, though it shared the name because both the film and TV show were adapted from the same source, and not necessarily related. Indeed, because the latter Gomorrah ran for many seasons, it was able to do a lot more… obviously.
Gomorrah (2008) was a dark gangster movie, and the show is also a dark/gritty watch, being about organized criminals in one very rough neighborhood in Naples, and the conflict that goes on between different members and groups. It’s all quite complex and bloody, but it’s a good show about gang warfare and also succeeds in pulling very few punches, having this sense of “telling it like it is.”
8
‘Wiseguy’ (1987–1990)
Created by Stephen J. Cannell and Frank Lupo
Wiseguy could be mixed up with a couple of things, but shouldn’t be. One is the Brian De Palma movie Wise Guys, which came out in 1986, and the other is the 1985 Nicholas Pileggi book, called Wiseguy, that came out in 1985. That book inspired Goodfellas, which changed its name to something that wasn’t Wiseguy, since, in 1987, the TV series, Wiseguy, started airing, and ultimately wrapped the same year Goodfellas came out. (Oh, and there was also the 2024 documentary called Wise Guy: David Chase and The Sopranos, which interviewed the show’s creator and provided a look back on the show’s production.)
That’s all a bit confusing; lots of wiseness and guys and stuff. But Wiseguy, the show, did work as a solid and maybe even slightly ahead of its time crime show about an undercover agent for the FBI. He gets immersed in the lives of various criminals, and it’s that grounded/street-level approach that is, ironically enough, maybe a little Goodfellas-esque, even if Goodfellas was ultimately based on another Wiseguy.
7
‘Boardwalk Empire’ (2010–2014)
Created by Terence Winter
While Goodfellas went back in time a little, being set from the 1950s until early in the 1980s, it didn’t go back nearly as far as something like Boardwalk Empire. This is a drama about organized crime, but it goes all the way back to the 1920s, covering how gangsters made a fortune during the Prohibition era by providing bootleg liquor after alcohol was outlawed.
It’s got a further tie to Martin Scorsese, since he was an executive producer on the show and directed its very first episode. Boardwalk Empire also plays around with history to some extent, having some fictional characters interact with real people, and Goodfellas does a tiny bit of that in terms of changing the names of some real-life people, and certain details about their lives (reading Wiseguy, the book, and watching Goodfellas make these differences clearer).
6
‘The Wire’ (2002–2008)
Created by David Simon
Movies don’t get much better than Goodfellas, and TV shows don’t get much better than The Wire. This is a sprawling piece of television that starts as a “cops vs. criminals” kind of thing, but gets so much larger in scope with every season. Before long, you also get insight into the docks, political sphere, schooling system, and journalism industry in Baltimore, painting a picture of an entire city.
All the while, The Wire also works as a great character drama, because it follows so many different people and doesn’t shortchange any of them. The whole show does a remarkable job of making you feel like you’re witnessing crime, tragedy, and small moments of hope continually play out inside one large, complex, and multifaceted city. It’s the sort of thing that could only be done within the bounds of a TV show, but then, even among TV shows, there’s very little else quite like it.
The Wire
- Release Date
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2002 – 2008-00-00
- Network
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HBO
5
‘Breaking Bad’ (2008–2013)
Created by Vince Gilligan
Drugs play a fairly large role in Goodfellas, especially in its second half, when Henry Hill becomes increasingly paranoid because of all the drugs he’s using, all the while he’s also become dependent on them as a source of income. Then, there’s Breaking Bad, which is all about drug-making, done by Walter White when he realizes he has little to leave behind money-wise to his family after he dies… and his death is approaching fast, following a cancer diagnosis.
Also, Breaking Bad works as one of the best crime shows in recent memory, and it’s tension-filled and fast-paced in a way that might scratch a similar itch to Goodfellas. The criminals are largely different kinds of people, and the settings of each also differ greatly, but there are some similarities here nonetheless.
4
‘Crime Story’ (1986–1988)
Created by Chuck Adamson and Gustave Reininger
There’s a good deal of praise for the films Michael Mann has made, and it’s understandable that those titles tend to stand out the most. But Mann was also quite heavily involved in the world of television, especially in the 1980s. Miami Vice was the most well-known, as far as Mann TV shows went, but he also played a part in executive producing Crime Story, as well as writing eight episodes and directing one.
This has a bit more grit than Miami Vice, and also has a focus on infiltrating the mafia world, all during the early 1960s. So, it goes back a little while in time, feels gritty, and also provides a no-nonsense look at life in the mob. Maybe some of those things are a stretch, but hey, it’s a tiny bit Goodfellas; perhaps just enough to be included here.
Crime Story
- Release Date
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1986 – 1988-00-00
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-
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Steve Ryan
Det. Nate Grossman
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Paul Butler
Det. Walter Clemmons
3
‘Godfather of Harlem’ (2019–)
Created by Chris Brancato and Paul Eckstein
Here’s a more recent show about gangsters, and one that, as of 2025, is actually still on the air: Godfather of Harlem. It’s got another historical setting, being set in the 1960s like Crime Story, and focusing on the lives of people who really did exist. The main character of the series is Bumpy Johnson, who genuinely was a crime boss who battled the Italian mob at a time when there was a great deal of social unrest and attention being drawn to issues of race.
That all being said, you don’t always get historical accuracy with Godfather of Harlem, as liberties are taken in the interest of telling a cleaner (or perhaps more interesting) story. Still, it’s pretty interesting as a blend of fiction and some reality, much in the same way Boardwalk Empire largely was.
2
‘The Penguin’ (2024)
Developed by Lauren LeFranc
So, The Penguin is obviously tied to a superhero movie, The Batman, being a spin-off for Colin Farrell’s take on Oz Cobb/The Penguin. And that is a little amusing, considering it is mostly a gangster show, yet Martin Scorsese famously had things to say about superhero movies in the past. Maybe he’d feel a little better about The Penguin, or maybe he’s just too busy watching older films and planning new ones he wants to direct instead.
As for those of us who are less busy, The Penguin is pretty good for a miniseries of this nature. It gets a good deal more intense and violent than The Batman movie did, and has some enjoyable story beats that it plays around with, thanks to embracing the whole organized crime on a narrative front wholeheartedly.
The Penguin
- Release Date
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2024 – 2024-00-00
- Showrunner
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Lauren LeFranc
1
‘Oz’ (1997–2003)
Created by Tom Fontana
From Oz Cobb to just Oz, this HBO series is one of the most underrated ever aired/produced by the service, pre-dating The Sopranos by a couple of years and being arguably even more full-on and entirely unlike TV content from the past. Things take place almost entirely inside a horrific maximum-security prison, and the show is not shy about depicting all the terrible things that happen there.
Oz is a show with a high body count, but by no means are the horrible things you’ll witness limited to just murders (if you know, you unfortunately know). Still, it’s a fantastic show, and an undeniably groundbreaking one. So if you like how powerful and uncompromising something like Goodfellas, or other hard-hitting shows about crime can be, then there may be things you’ll appreciate about Oz, even if it’s a prison show. Organized crime and conflict are shown as continuing to take place within the prison’s walls, after all.
Oz
- Release Date
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1997 – 2003-00-00
- Network
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HBO Max