Ozark: 8 crime dramas to watch after season 4 that aren’t Breaking Bad, from Snowfall to Fargo

It’s been a while since the new season of Ozark landed on Netflix – and because it was only seven episodes long, you’ve probably already finished it.

Now you’ve finished Ozark season 4 part 2, you’re probably looking for a new crime drama to watch. Probably one that has a similar sort of feel, too, with morally ambiguous characters making increasingly difficult decisions that take them further and further towards a point of no return.

So, here’s another seven crime dramas you might want to try while you’re adjusting to life without Ozark (and none of them are Breaking Bad because, let’s be honest, you’re already well-aware of that comparison and don’t need it suggested again).

Snowfall

What’s it about? Snowfall is about the crack cocaine epidemic in 1980s LA, and the impact it had on the city and its community. The series follows three plotlines: small-time drug dealer Franklin Saint’s rise as one of the first people to sell cocaine in LA; the Mexican Villanueva drug cartel; and the CIA involvement in introducing crack cocaine to LA.

Why would I like it? It’s got that measured pace and building intensity that all the best slowburn dramas share, and it does a really impressive job evoking its period setting. Damson Idris is particularly impressive as lead Franklin Saint too.

Where can I watch it? Snowfall is available as a boxset on BBC iPlayer in the UK, and is available on FX in the US. The fourth series begins in February 2022.

Save Me

What’s it about? Save Me stars Lennie James as the estranged father of a child who goes missing – the series charts his efforts to find his daughter, lying, begging, and stretching his already strained friendships in his quest. Suranne Jones, Steven Graham, and Ade Edmondson also star.

Why would I like it? Save Me is a visceral drama about characters pushed to – and then far past – their extremes. It’s a ruthlessly well-constructed piece of television, taking the familiar missing child crime drama engine and telling it with such confidence and such skill that it makes the whole thing feel new again

Where can I watch it? Save Me is available on demand on Sky and to stream on Now TV in the UK, and on Peacock in the US.

You Don’t Know Me

What’s it about? You Don’t Know Me follows the defendant in a court case offering his own closing statement – he narrates, frames, and ultimately anchors the crime drama that unfolds over the next four episodes, justifying difficult choices that became harder ones as any good options quickly evaporated.

Why would I like it? Samuel Adewunmi plays the lead, offering one of the best performances in a British drama in 2021. You Don’t Know Me is also a compelling character study, and it’s story of compromises and lies shares some themes with Ozark.

Where can I watch it? You Don’t Know Me is currently available as a boxset on BBC iPlayer in the UK, and will be available on Netflix internationally later in 2022.

The Responder

What’s it about? The Responder is about urgent response police officer Chris Carson: his vulnerabilities, his moral contradictions, his compromises and his anxieties, and his desperate wish to do just one thing right. The five-part drama unfolds over the course of a week, following an increasingly sleep-deprived Chris across consecutive night shifts as he double-crosses a local drug kingpin to try and protect a young homeless woman.

Why would I like it? Much like Ozark, The Responder sees an actor best known for his comedy roles taking on a dramatic part – though admittedly Martin Freeman went into The Responder with a more established dramatic presence than Jason Bateman did Ozark. In any case, The Responder offers Martin Freeman’s best performance in years, and it’s well worth checking this series out.

Where can I watch it? The Responder is currently available as a boxset on BBC iPlayer in the UK, and will be available on AMC in the US later in 2022.

Kevin Can F*** Himself

What’s it about? It’s about a stereotypical sitcom wife, and what her life is like when the laugh track cuts out and she walks off stage – into, it turns out, a crime drama.

Why would I like it? This one might be a bit of a stretch, actually. It’s intercut between the sitcom plotline (modelled on shows like Kevin Can Wait) and the crime drama (which is modelled, quite overtly, on Ozark) – it uses the sitcom frame to put an unusual spin on the crime drama, and while both are well-evoked your enjoyment of it will depend on how much patience you have for the overall experiment. Still, worth checking out if you’re looking for something a little different – Annie Murphy’s performance was one of the best of 2021.

Where can I watch it? Kevin Can F*** Himself is available as a boxset on Amazon Prime in the UK, and airs on AMC in the US.

Fargo

What’s it about? Noah Hawley takes the Coen Brothers’ film about a murder in a small town and builds it into an unconventional crime drama anthology. The series has starred Martin Freeman, Chris Rock, David Thewlis, Ewan McGregor, Ted Danson, Carrie Coon, Jean Smart, and a number of others.

Why would I like it? It’s one of the most acclaimed crime dramas of the past decade, and one of the most distinctive too.

Where can I watch it? The first three series of Fargo are available as a boxset on Netflix UK, though it doesn’t yet have the Chris Rock starring fourth series. It’s available on Hulu in the US.

American Crime Story

What’s it about? American Crime Story is an anthology series looking at different true crimes from recent American history, at once retelling the crime itself and also building it into a wider statement about society and media and changing cultural perceptions. (It is also not as dry as that makes it sound.)

Why would I like it? It’s some of the best true crime drama of recent years – head and shoulders above the rest of the genre because of a genuine commitment to more than just dramatizing a crime with lazy cliches, but really digging into why that crime still matters and what it still means.

Where can I watch it? The first two series of American Crime Story – about OJ Simpson and assassin Andrew Cunanan respectively – are available on Netflix in the UK, while the most recent series (about Bill Clinton’s impeachment) is available on BBC iPlayer.

Kin

What’s it about? Kin is about the Kinsella crime family – loosely inspired by the real-life Kinahan family – an Irish drug cartel who get embroiled in a far wider and far more dangerous gangland war when one of their sons is mistakenly killed in a hit gone wrong.

Why might I like it? Charlie Cox plays Michael Kinsella, a compellingly ambiguous presence. Having recently returned from prison, he’s reluctant to get drawn back into the family business, but circumstances leave him with little choice – Cox is an impressive anchor in a show that feels a little like a cross between Succession and something like Ozark.

Where can I watch it? Kin can be streamed online via Sundance Now, an add-on subscription channel that can be accessed via Amazon Prime Video. A second series of Kin has been commissioned, though it’ll be a little while away yet.