Nearly a decade since it ended, fans are still looking for shows like Sons of Anarchy to satisfy their craze for outlaw stories. The series followed the gang of bikers and their various, deadly, criminal and thrilling adventures. Sons of Anarchy had a Shakespearean feel at times with the various betrayals and dramatic reveals while also being a gritty crime story. It is a difficult balance to strike yet there are a number of shows like Sons of Anarchy that are sure to please fans.
While the spinoff series Mayans MC has offered a return to the franchise that so many fans love, they can also look outside the franchise for other similar shows. They may not have direct connections to Sons of Anarchy or even the world of motorcycle, but the crime stories, antihero characters, and twist-filled storytelling capture what people liked about Sons of Anarchy. While SOA has the biker drama market more or less cornered, the whels aren't the only reason viewers fell in love with the show — and there are plenty of other gritty dramas the hit the same notes.
15 Justified (2010-2015)
- Streaming on Hulu
Airing on Sons’ own network, FX, Justified is a neo-western series adapted from the works of Elmore Leonard — particularly the short story “Fire in the Hole.” The show’s crime and western stories perfectly capture the pulpy vibes of Leonard’s work, while the cast is spectacular. Timothy Olyphant is as charming as ever in the role of Deputy U.S. Marshal Raylan Givens and he has a terrific repartee with Walton Goggins, who plays the villainous Boyd Crowder. The outlaw vibes of the show shared by Sons of Anarchy will hopefully be recaptured in the Justified sequel series, Justified: City Primeval.
14 The Punisher (2017-2019)
- Streaming on Disney+
One of the main appeals of Sons of Anarchy is its brutal violence. It’s an action-packed show that isn’t afraid to make its audience squeamish with hard-hitting fight scenes and shootouts. A similarly action-packed show with a similar boldness is Netflix’s The Punisher, the most faithful on-screen adaptation yet of the titular vengeful Marvel Comics vigilante. Jon Bernthal is the perfect actor to bring Frank Castle to life, and anchors the series with real passion and emotional anguish. Certainly, fans are thrilled to learn Bernthal will return as The Punisher in Daredevil: Born Again.
13 Hand Of God (2014-2017)
- Streaming on Prime Video
After Ron Perlman ended his stint playing Clay on Sons of Anarchy, he took the lead role in Hand of God, one of Amazon Prime’s first original series. Hand of God only lasted for two seasons, so it’s an easy binge. Perlman plays a character who is perhaps even more flawed than Clay: a judge who likes the bend the rules and find loopholes in the law, cheats on his wife with a call-girl, and becomes convinced he can hear the voice of God after his son’s suicide attempt.
12 Boardwalk Empire (2010-2014)
- Streaming on Max
Both Sons of Anarchy and Boardwalk Empire are intimate studies of a criminal organization. In Sons, it’s a biker gang in contemporary California. In Boardwalk Empire, it’s a band of bootleggers operating during the Prohibition era. Created by The Sopranos writer Terence Winter and exec-produced by Martin Scorsese (who also directed the pilot), HBO’s Boardwalk Empire is one of the most riveting (and underrated) crime series in TV history. The star-studded cast includes recognizable faces from the big screen, like Steve Buscemi, Kelly Macdonald, and Bobby Cannavale.
11 Ozark (2017-2022)
- Streaming on Netflix
Part of the fun of watching Sons of Anarchy is the multi-episode storylines in which the criminal characters are never out of the woods. Each action has consequences, and those consequences lead to further consequences, and everyone’s screwed. The same goes for the Byrde family at the center of Netflix’s Ozark, which stars Jason Bateman as a money-laundering accountant who takes his family on the run when his business partner crosses the wrong people. Ozark ended in season 4 and kept viewers on the edge of their seats the entire time.
10 The Sopranos (1999-2006)
- Streaming on Max
Many fans loved that Sons of Anarchy was the complicated family dynamic and the inner workings and politics of a criminal organization. These fans can find similar stories in David Chase’s mob drama The Sopranos. It has all the illegal activities, contraband deals, FBI stings, internal betrayals, business meetings, and turf wars as Sons, swapping a California motorcycle gang for a New Jersey mafia family. Sons of Anarchy is a lot less surreal than The Sopranos, as the latter show features as many dream sequences. However, as one of the most acclaimed series of all time, it is certainly worth checking out.
9 Peaky Blinders (2013-2022)
- Streaming on Netflix
A large part of the conflict in Sons of Anarchy came from the gang mentality and the clashes between members of a crime syndicate. It was also a very violent, very compelling, and very addictive drama series. Steven Knight’s Peaky Blinders has all of that. It’s the story of a Birmingham gang in the early 20th century as they struggle to stay together following the outbreak and conclusion of the First World War. Just like recognizable faces like Charlie Hunnam and Ron Perlman starred in Sons, movie stars like Cillian Murphy and Tom Hardy can be found in the cast of Peaky Blinders.
8 Hell On Wheels (2011-2015)
- Streaming on AMC+
AMC’s Hell on Wheels is a TV drama built around the western genre. But unlike the more heroic westerns of John Wayne, Hell on Wheels is dark, violent, and gritty. Tonally, it’s very much in line with Sons of Anarchy, even if it takes place in a different historical period. One of the most interesting angles in Sons of Anarchy is the fact that the characters have shaky morals. Similarly, Hell on Wheels is less concerned about making its protagonist a likable hero and more interested in challenging the audience to follow him.
7 Narcos (2015-2017)
- Streaming on Netflix
Not every storyline in Sons of Anarchy revolved around the drug trade – sometimes they were selling guns instead – but more vaguely, it was a show about a criminal gang that made its money in an illegal trade. Narcos is an almost documentary-like examination of the Colombian drug trade, telling the true-to-life story of the Escobar enterprise and the DEA’s struggle to bring it down. Just like the titular biker gang in Sons, Escobar’s cartel got away with its crimes by giving back to the community, and being revered rather than feared. In this sense, Narcos is basically real-life Sons of Anarchy.
6 The Bastard Executioner (2015)
- Streaming on Hulu
Shortly after Sons of Anarchy ended, creator Kurt Sutter was given another series order by FX. His follow-up was an action-packed historical series called The Bastard Executioner. This show might seem vastly different from Sons of Anarchy, but it has the same hard-edged characters, graphic violence, and fast-paced storytelling — all of the hallmarks of Sutter’s work — to make it the perfect show for any fan of Sons. The series’ hook is the moral complexity of its lead character’s job. It only lasted one season due to low ratings, but remains a must-watch for fans of Sutter's work.
5 Prison Break (2005-2017)
- Streaming on Hulu
While there are plenty of betrayals on Sons of Anarchy, it is ultimately a story about brotherhood between some ruthless characters. The same can be said of the five seasons of Prison Break. It presented one of the most thrilling premises for a series ever as it follows Michael Schofield who purposely gets himself incarcerated in order to break his brother out of prison. The show loses the plot a little bit after the second season, as it jumps across the globe and the characters are pursued by a mysterious organization called “the Company,” but it’s always an action-packed thrill-ride.
4 The Wire (2002-2008)
- Streaming on Max
Though The Wire never won any Emmys, it is still regarded by many fans and critics as one of the best shows of all time. The series takes a look at the war on drugs on the streets of Baltimore with the police conducting intricate and patient operations to take down the cities drug lords. While Sons of Anarchy can be somewhat theatrical and melodramatic, The Wire is a much more grounded crime story. However, they share the same examination of moral ambiguity with characters like Jimmy McNulty and Omar Little matching Sons of Anarchy's flawed heroes and antiheroes.
3 The Shield (2002-2008)
- Streaming on Hulu
Sons of Anarchy creator Kurt Sutter actually cut his teeth in the television game as a writer on Shawn Ryan’s own FX crime series The Shield. It’s a cop drama, but far from the typical procedural shows of the genre. Instead of telling the story of the cops who work valiantly in the pursuit of justice, The Shield tells the story of a dirty cop who works illicitly in the pursuit of money. If Sons is FX’s answer to HBO’s The Sopranos, then The Shield is FX’s answer to The Wire. The Shield is just as bleak in its portrayal of police corruption as The Wire, but it’s much easier to follow, much more action-packed, and much pulpier in its dialogue.
2 Breaking Bad (2008-2012)
- Streaming on Netflix
Sons of Anarchy is part of a larger movement on the small screen that is being referred to as the “Golden Age of Television.” These are cinematic shows that transcend the confines of TV and feel more like really long movies that have been cut into smaller segments and broadcast on a TV network. The peak of this “Golden Age of Television” is unquestionably Breaking Bad. It set the template: a flawed leading man with a protégé and a troubled marriage, the rise and fall of a criminal enterprise, and a bunch of secrets being kept between a family — and it’s all punctuated by fantastic acting, especially from Bryan Cranston.
1 Better Call Saul (2015-2022)
Better Call Saul continued the Breaking Bad franchise surprisingly well with this spinoff that explores how Jimmy McGill became the seedy lawyer known as Saul Goodman. Though Jimmy is far from the tough-guy protagonist of Jax in Sons of Anarchy, the dangerous worlds filled with nefarious character they both occupy are very similar. Like Breaking Bad, Better Call Saul's sharp writing, violent plot twists, and complex central characters strike a similar chord that Sons of Anarchy fans will recognize.