Top Boy has released on Netflix, but it wasn't without drama after being canceled by Channel 4 originally in 2013. Luckily, the new version has graced the screens of Netflix and brought with it a thrilling crime series that keeps fans on the edge of their seats as the main characters explore the dangerous street gangs of East London.
While the show is a thrill to watch, it's only ten episodes long, often leaving viewers desperate to fill the gritty crime-filled hole Top Boy has left. Luckily there are a plethora of shows that will perfectly fit that genre and leave most crime fans satisfied. These are the perfect shows to watch if Top Boy has become a new favorite.
8 Love/Hate
Love/Hate is an Irish drama that explores Dublin's drug trade and how two men battle to find their place at the top of the chain. It's a gripping series that will allow the viewer to really sink their teeth into it due to the five available seasons.
Just like Top Boy, Love/Hate never holds back and isn't afraid to tell the story how it truly needs to be told. This means there will be heartbreak, hatred, and a lot of sympathy for those who get tied up in such a dangerous activity.
7 The Wire
Most crime dramas are created for the audience's enjoyment. Sometimes, they fail to accurately portray a life of crime in all of its brutal reality. This is why The Wire is such a fantastic show to explore. It's written by a former police reporter and really feels like it's a story straight out of the police force.
Although not exactly a British show, this American experience is a joy to watch. Throughout its five seasons, it attempts to explore the dangers of crime in the USA without holding anything back.
6 Snowfall
Another drug-based crime drama that is worthy of a watch. Snowfall explores LA in the 80s when drugs were rampant and people were desperate to get the money that was so clearly up for grabs in this illegal venture.
It's got a similar story to Top Boy in the sense of men getting wrapped up in elements of society they never intended as the viewers watch their lives spiral out of their control. Either way, this is a gripping drama filled with all the loved elements of Top Boy.
5 The Black Donnellys
One of the best aspects of Top Boy was the relationships between the main characters. It's something that brings a show from good to great and allows viewers to really get inside their heads. This is something The Black Donnellys does incredibly well and brings a new depth to such a wonderful show.
The Black Donnellys tells the tale of four brothers as they swear to protect each other in any way possible. Thus bringing in crime, deceit, and some powerful scenes that are well worth a watch.
4 Power
Rather than watching people fight their way to the top of the crime ring, Power explores the lives of those at the top and the sacrifices they have to make to stay there. It's a different spin on the typical gangster crime shows and illustrates the balance between home and street being blurred quicker than the main character can handle.
It's a much more gritty and dark show than Top Boy but is the perfect development if that was the element that was most enjoyed. Nevertheless, this show has a high production value, a gripping story, and characters many will love to hate.
3 Peaky Blinders
Peaky Blinders is an incredibly popular tv show that has just released its sixth and final season. Set in Birmingham in the early 1900s, this show follows the Shelbys in their rise to power on the streets. It's vicious, unpredictable, and extremely well crafted.
While it might not be modern-day London, watching a similar story in a different town is undeniably interesting, especially when it has some fantastic actors like Cillian Murphy in it. Either way, this show is worth watching if viewers are fans of period pieces, crime, and good old-fashioned gangster stories.
2 Bodyguard
Hitting the British screens on BBC before being released on to Netflix soon after, Bodyguard is an incredible experience filled with star-studded actors and cinematography that never fails to amaze. All that is topped off by a story that will keep viewers on the edge of their seats, just like Top Boy did.
It stars Richard Madden who plays the bodyguard for the home secretary. After everything goes wrong, he has to get out of some challenging situations that make this show incredibly gripping and fantastically unpredictable. While there may only be one season, this show is well worth it.
1 Luther
Starring legendary Idris Elba who plays a moody London detective, Luther is a rather gory show that borders on the likes of horror with some of the crimes he has to solve. While that may not be for some people, the show itself is filled with dark and gritty crime that brings London into a light many have never seen before.
Compared to Top Boy, Luther is a very interesting take on the crime world of England's capital city. Watching this BBC show provides viewers with an alternative insight into this world, focusing less on the criminals and gangsters and more on solving and stopping them.