Each pick comes with its own flavour of danger, strategy, and moral ambiguity, much like 'Narcos,' but with twists you didn't see coming. Forget the mainstream hits everyone's chatting about; these are the gems waiting to be discovered, offering a fresh take on the crime genre that's as compelling as it is complex.
1. "The Last Narc" (2020)
This is a haunting documentary series that delves into the dangerous and complex world of narco-trafficking. It involves the 1985 kidnapping and murder of DEA Agent Enrique "Kiki" Camarena, which unravels layers of conspiracy and corruption within the narcotics underworld and the alleged involvement of the CIA.
2. "El Chapo" (2017)
The series depicts a dramatized view on the life of Joaquín "El Chapo" Guzmán: a record-breaking narcotrafficker starting from his young days in the Guadalajara Cartel in the 1980s, then through to his ultimate rise to power over the cartel in the 1990s — the Sinaloa Cartel — and, finally, to his downfall.
3. "Kingpin" (2018)
A docuseries that peeps into the lives and crimes of the history's most notorious drug kingpins: El Chapo, Pablo Escobar, and the Cali Cartel. Their stories rise to the powers of their operations and the wide-ranging attempts to make them pay by the law enforcement.
4. "ZeroZeroZero" (2020)
An intense drama that follows a shipment of cocaine from Mexico to Italy, chronicling the buyers, sellers, brokers, and the journey itself, revealing the complex and brutal reality of the international drug trade.
5. "Gomorrah" (2014)
Set in the suburbs of Naples, the series focuses on the internal power struggles, rivalries, and daily life within the Camorra, a ruthless Neapolitan crime syndicate, seen through the eyes of a prominent family and their associates.
6. "McMafia" (2018)
A British-born son of a Russian mafia exiled in London is drawn into the world of organized crime, where he navigates a complex web of international criminals and money launderers, gradually losing his morality.
7. "The Business of Drugs" (2020)
This documentary series analyzes the economics of illegal drugs, exploring how drugs are produced, trafficked, and consumed while examining their social and political impacts.
8. "Undercover" (2019)
Inspired by real events, two undercover agents infiltrate a drug kingpin's operation in Belgium, finding themselves in moral quandaries as they get closer to their target.
9. "Dope" (2017)
A docuseries that provides a raw, ground-level view of the drug trade, showcasing the perspectives of dealers, users, and law enforcement in different cities, highlighting the dangerous and often tragic realities of the narcotics industry.
10. "Snowfall" (2017)
Set in 1983 Los Angeles, the series depicts the early days of the crack cocaine epidemic and its impact on the culture of the city, told through the lives of several characters, including a young drug dealer, a CIA operative, a wrestler, and a Mexican crime boss's niece.
11. "The Mire" (also known as "Rojst", 2018)
In a Polish town in the 1980s, two journalists uncover a web of corruption, secrets, and murder that spans decades, as they investigate a series of crimes in the local swamp known as 'The Mire.'
12. "Sacred Games" (2018)
A gripping Indian series that intertwines politics, crime, and religion, focusing on a Mumbai police officer who receives a cryptic phone call from a gangster who warns him of an impending disaster, setting off a chain of events linked to the city's dark underworld.
13. "Bad Blood" (2017)
A dramatized account of the Rizzuto crime family in Montreal, the series explores the rise and fall of the family's patriarch, Vito Rizzuto, and the violent power struggles within the Canadian mafia.
14. "Cocaine Coast" (also known as "Fariña", 2018)
Set in the 1980s in Galicia, Spain, this series depicts the transformation of a young fisherman into a prosperous cocaine trafficker, illustrating the impact of drug trade on the local community and the complex network of European drug trafficking.
15. "Drug Lords" (2018)
This docuseries profiles some of the world's most notorious drug lords and the law enforcement efforts to bring them down, featuring interviews with people involved on both sides of the law.
16. "El Marginal" (2016)
An ex-cop goes undercover in a rough Argentine prison to infiltrate a gang and find information about a kidnapping, facing brutal conditions and a struggle for power within the jail.
17. "The Drug King" (2018)
Based on true events, this Korean film tells the story of a petty smuggler in Busan who rises to become a powerful drug lord in the 1970s, eventually facing the consequences of his actions as he gets involved in political corruption and power struggles.
18. "Narcoworld: Dope Stories" (2019)
A documentary series that takes viewers into the heart of the global drug trade, showcasing different aspects of the narcotics business in various cities around the world, including the perspectives of both the criminals and law enforcement.
19. "Surviving Escobar" (also known as "Alias J.J.", 2017)
Based on the life of John Jairo Velásquez, Pablo Escobar's top hitman, the series chronicles his life after Escobar's death as he tries to survive both in prison and in the Colombian criminal underworld.
20. "The Inmate" (also known as "El Recluso", 2018)
A former U.S. Marine goes undercover in a high-security Mexican prison to infiltrate a gang and find the location of an American judge's kidnapped daughter, uncovering corruption and facing extreme danger.