If The Waterfront Had You on the Edge of Your Seat, Try These 15 Shows Next

If The Waterfront Had You on the Edge of Your Seat, Try These 15 Shows Next

When a show like The Waterfront gets under your skin, it’s not just the story you love—it’s the grit, the tension, and the messy human drama that keeps you watching long past bedtime. Fans of this series know it’s more than crime and politics; it’s about loyalty, betrayal, and the choices that change everything. The good news? You don’t have to wait for another season to get your fix. There are plenty of shows out there that pack the same punch—whether through dark family secrets, power-hungry characters, or criminal empires built on shaky foundations.

1. Boardwalk Empire

Step into Atlantic City during Prohibition, where power isn’t just bought—it’s bootlegged. This series is a masterclass in blending historical fact with drama, offering a rich backdrop of speakeasies, mobsters, and political corruption.

What makes Boardwalk Empire so compelling is its lead, Nucky Thompson, who juggles being both a politician and a gangster. The lavish sets and costumes transport you to the 1920s, but it’s the betrayals and bloody power plays that keep you hooked.

If The Waterfront had you intrigued by the intersection of politics and crime, this show offers a similar thrill—only with fedoras, tommy guns, and a time when alcohol was the most dangerous contraband of all.

2. Peaky Blinders

In post-WWI Birmingham, a family-run gang uses razor blades sewn into their caps as their calling card. This is not just a crime drama—it’s a stylish, gritty exploration of ambition and survival.

The Shelby family, led by the magnetic Thomas Shelby, walks a fine line between legitimacy and criminality. Each season ups the stakes, whether it’s rival gangs, political entanglements, or betrayal from within.

For fans of The Waterfront, the appeal lies in the way this show mixes family loyalty with ruthless business moves. Plus, with its sharp writing and unforgettable soundtrack, Peaky Blinders feels like a modern rock opera disguised as a period piece.

3. The Sopranos

Few shows capture the human side of organized crime like this one. Following mob boss Tony Soprano, the series dives deep into the psychological strain of balancing family life with running a criminal empire.

What sets it apart is the vulnerability beneath the violence. Tony isn’t just dealing with rival gangs and FBI investigations—he’s also navigating therapy sessions, anxiety, and strained relationships with his wife and children.

If you loved how The Waterfront gave its characters depth beyond their crimes, The Sopranos delivers that in spades. It’s raw, often darkly funny, and remains one of the most influential TV dramas of all time.

4. Ray Donovan

Los Angeles is full of secrets, and Ray Donovan is the man Hollywood calls to fix them. From covering up scandals to managing the chaos of A-listers, Ray is a master problem-solver—but his own life is anything but under control.

The show’s strength lies in the constant push and pull between Ray’s professional competence and his personal dysfunction. His troubled family, including his criminal father and volatile brothers, adds layers of tension and heartbreak.

Fans of The Waterfront will find themselves drawn to the gritty family dynamics and moral gray areas. Ray may clean up other people’s messes, but his own are far more compelling to watch.

5. Bloodline

Tropical paradise can be deceiving. In the Florida Keys, the Rayburn family looks perfect on the surface, but a long-buried secret threatens to unravel everything.

The show thrives on slow-burn storytelling, gradually revealing how lies and betrayal corrode even the strongest family bonds. With its sun-soaked setting contrasting against the darkness of its plot, Bloodline proves that trouble doesn’t always look like trouble.

If The Waterfront kept you hooked on complex family dramas with secrets waiting to explode, this series hits the same notes. Just be warned: the unraveling of the Rayburn family is as heartbreaking as it is gripping.

6. Ozark

Money laundering in the Midwest doesn’t sound glamorous—until you see how quickly one family gets pulled into cartel chaos. What starts as a desperate plan to survive becomes a ruthless game of survival and power.

Jason Bateman and Laura Linney shine as a couple forced to make impossible choices, all while trying to protect their children from the mess they’ve created. The stakes climb higher each season, with every deal threatening to be their last.

For The Waterfront fans, the combination of crime, family loyalty, and moral compromise makes Ozark impossible to turn off. It’s proof that even accountants can be terrifying when pushed to the edge.

7. Animal Kingdom

Life under the California sun looks easy—unless you’re part of the Cody family. Led by a manipulative matriarch, this clan of criminals pulls off daring heists while battling the fallout of their own toxic relationships.

The tension doesn’t just come from the crimes; it comes from the constant power struggles within the family. Each character has their own agenda, making trust a rare commodity.

If The Waterfront kept you glued to the screen with family loyalty tested at every turn, Animal Kingdom raises the stakes with surfboards, stolen cash, and plenty of double-crosses.

8. The Wire

Baltimore becomes a character of its own in this groundbreaking drama. Instead of focusing on just one perspective, the show examines the city through police officers, drug dealers, politicians, teachers, and journalists.

This wide lens gives the series a realism that few shows have matched. Every season peels back another layer of how institutions succeed—or fail—the people they’re meant to serve.

For The Waterfront fans, the appeal lies in the authenticity and the way crime and politics intertwine. It’s not always glamorous, but it’s always powerful, making The Wire one of the greatest TV shows ever made.

9. Goliath

Legal battles can be just as cutthroat as any street fight, and this series proves it. Billy Bob Thornton plays a washed-up lawyer who takes on powerful corporations in cases that seem impossible to win.

The drama comes not only from the courtroom but also from the personal struggles Billy faces along the way. His fight against corruption feels both intimate and larger than life.

Fans of The Waterfront will recognize the same themes of power imbalance, moral compromise, and one man standing up against a system designed to crush him. Goliath is legal drama at its grittiest.

10. Narcos

Cocaine empires, power struggles, and relentless law enforcement—this show doesn’t waste time drawing you into the chaos of Pablo Escobar’s rise and fall.

The storytelling blends action with historical detail, making you feel like you’re watching both a crime thriller and a history lesson. The cat-and-mouse game between Escobar and the DEA is as tense as it gets.

If you loved The Waterfront for its mix of politics, crime, and larger-than-life characters, Narcos delivers all that with a dangerous swagger. It’s a wild ride through one of history’s most infamous criminal empires.

11. City on a Hill

Boston in the 1990s was a city divided by crime, corruption, and racial tension. This show captures that era with an unflinching look at the justice system and the people who try—and often fail—to make it work.

At the heart of the series is the uneasy partnership between a corrupt FBI agent and an idealistic assistant district attorney. Their clashes create as much drama as the criminals they’re chasing.

For The Waterfront fans, the mix of political corruption and gritty street-level storytelling will feel familiar and fresh at the same time.

12. Yellowjackets

A high school girls’ soccer team stranded after a plane crash turns into one of the most chilling survival stories on TV. But the real kicker is how their past trauma bleeds into their adult lives decades later.

This show keeps you guessing by weaving between two timelines, revealing secrets in small, jaw-dropping doses. It’s part survival thriller, part psychological drama, and entirely addictive.

While not a crime show in the traditional sense, the haunting themes of secrets, loyalty, and betrayal will resonate with anyone who loved The Waterfront. It’s creepy, emotional, and impossible to stop thinking about.

13. Mayor of Kingstown

In a town where the prison industry is the biggest business, corruption runs deep. This series follows a family of power brokers who act as the unofficial mediators between criminals, inmates, and law enforcement.

The atmosphere is relentlessly dark, but the storytelling is sharp and uncompromising. Each episode peels back another layer of a community built on broken systems.

Fans of The Waterfront will appreciate the focus on politics, crime, and survival in a setting where morality is a luxury no one can afford.

14. True Detective

Darkness seeps into every frame of this anthology series, where detectives confront both brutal crimes and their own personal demons. Each season tells a new story, but the first and third seasons stand out as must-watch.

The show’s strength lies in its mood—haunting cinematography, complex characters, and philosophical dialogue that makes you think long after the credits roll.

If The Waterfront gripped you with its mix of crime and psychological depth, True Detective offers that same intensity, wrapped in mystery and atmosphere.

15. Succession

Not all battles involve bullets—sometimes they’re fought in boardrooms. This drama about a media empire family is proof that power struggles can be just as vicious without a single crime scene.

The Roy family’s dysfunction is both hilarious and horrifying, as siblings claw their way to the top while undermining each other at every turn. It’s Shakespearean drama disguised as corporate warfare.

For The Waterfront fans, the draw will be the ruthless politics, shifting alliances, and the question of whether family loyalty means anything when billions of dollars are on the line.