7 Netflix crime dramas so addictive, you'll want to binge them more than once

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a day ago

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Streamers like Netflix have a way of turning crime dramas into compulsive viewing, with stories that pull us deep into the dark side of human nature and show what happens when people decide the rules don't apply to them.
It's not just the thrill of a heist or the tension of a cover-up that make them so perversely fascinating; it's watching ambition, desperation, and ego collide in slow motion, usually with a body count. It's the way power and avarice can build up and dash an empire. These kinds of stories, when you think about it, offer the entertainment of pure escapism and a front-row seat to chaos. Which, by the way, is more or less what MobLand star Tom Hardy told me when I recently interviewed him about his Paramount+ series, and I asked him why we're so drawn to stories like these:
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'It's sort of wish fulfillment and escapism, isn't it? Watching people doing things that are beyond me doing. And I think there's something of the comic book within them as well, in many aspects. And, there's a parody in a lot of it, too — because, in real life, gangsterin' is pretty horrible and heinous, serious stuff. I think it's just an escape. And there's freedom in it as well … like saying, 'No, I'll do what I want whenever I want.' We like to see whether they get away with it.'
-Tom Hardy, in an April 2025 interview with BGR
That mix of danger and hedonism is what makes these stories so hard to resist. And so, with that in mind, I've rounded up seven Netflix crime dramas that are so addictive, bingeing them just once won't be enough. Believe me, because I've burned through all of these at least twice.
Guy Ritchie's signature swagger gets the perfect delivery vehicle in the form of this Netflix original that feels like a cross between Succession and a blood-soaked pub brawl. Set in the same universe as his 2019 film, the series follows a reluctant heir to a cannabis empire trying to keep the family business from going up in smoke. It's fast-talking, sharply dressed, and full of double-crosses, with loads of dry wit and a rotating cast of psychopaths who'll charm your socks off.
With The Gentlemen, Netflix in my humble opinion has found its most effortlessly cool new crime franchise.
This Swedish thriller is a pulse-pounding ride through the dark intersection of ambition and greed. A tech entrepreneur chasing startup dreams gets entangled in Stockholm's criminal underworld, and suddenly lines start blurring. Snabba Cash isn't just gritty; it's icy and ruthless, with the tension of a fuse that never stops sizzling. Paced like a thriller, it also makes you care deeply about characters whose choices grow more questionable by the minute.
Ricky Gervais raved on X about the series: 'Just finished Season 2 of Snabba Cash. Blown away. One of the best series of all time. The writing, acting, direction, casting, editing, soundtrack, design and titles are all perfect. The Wire meets Wall Street. Stunning.'
Based on the best-selling Danish crime novels, Dept. Q is a slow-burn procedural that follows a disgraced detective and his partner as they reopen long-forgotten cold cases — and also stumble into secrets that powerful people want to keep buried. The cases are haunting, the atmosphere is bleak, and the character work here is as sharp as a coroner's scalpel. And while the show leans into familiar, Slow Horses-style grumpy detective territory, I can't stress this point enough: Dept. Q is one of the best new Netflix shows of 2025.
Oh, and it comes from the writer of The Queen's Gambit, in case you need another reason to watch.
Jason Bateman as a criminal mastermind? Um, yes please. What starts off in Ozark as a simple money-laundering job quickly spirals into a bloody feud with cartels, corrupt politicos, and local crime families. Bateman plays against type as genius accountant Marty Byrde, while Laura Linney's Wendy evolves into his cold-blooded Lady Macbeth of a wife.
What makes Ozark so good isn't just the danger; it's the slow transformation of Marty from a mild-mannered numbers guy into a master manipulator. Like Walter White, he's calm under pressure and scarily good at rationalizing his descent. But Marty doesn't break bad so much as calculate his way there. Watching him balance family life with criminality is like watching someone juggle knives while blindfolded.
This Italian gem is a bit under the radar as far as Netflix crime dramas go, but Suburra is absolutely a must-watch for fans of international thrillers.
Set in the underbelly of Rome (the name itself refers to a poor slum in ancient Rome), this series puts politicians, priests, and street gangs on a violent collision course. It's got the operatic intensity of Max's Gomorrah (which, cards on the table, just so happens to be my favorite crime drama of all time) but with more political intrigue and style that's just a little bit sharper, whereas Gomorrah is much rougher and much more primal. And when you're done, don't forget to check out the follow-up show with a similar title that's also available on Netflix: Suburræterna.
This next beloved Netflix crime drama is basically a walking quote book.
In creator Steven Knight's Peaky Blinders, Cillian Murphy leads a Birmingham crime gang with icy calm and steely charisma, in a show that fuses post-World War I ennui with rock 'n' roll swagger. What started off as a BBC period drama became a global phenomenon, thanks to Knight's superb writing, family drama, and style so slick it should be illegal. Whether you're watching for the gangster power plays or the killer suits, Peaky Blinders delivers.
What's more: Netflix has also a feature film in the works that will serve as a one-off extension of the six-episode series.
This final Netflix crime classic is more about psychological warfare.
Produced by David Fincher, Mindhunter is all about the early days of the FBI's criminal profiling unit. Instead of car chases and shootouts, viewers are treated to chilling interviews with serial killers. It's methodical, cerebral, and utterly terrifying. Mindhunter digs into what makes monsters tick, and what it costs to stare them in the eye. Starring Jonathan Groff and Holt McCallany, the series is so good that if you ask a group of Netflix subscribers which cancelled series they'd most want to see brought back — this one would end up on most people's lists, no question about it.
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