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The Hooligan is a Polish international crime drama that surrounds drugs, and the hooliganism that follows football stadiums before and after matches. The story follows 17-year-old Kuba who faces the dilemma of joining in his father's footsteps after he is released from prison.
The series focuses on multiple perspectives such as drug use and dealing, a sense of belonging in an environment where crime is rampant, and loyalty. The Hooligan, directed by Lukasz Palkowski, first aired in January 2025, with five episodes.
For viewers who binged on The Hooligan in the last few weeks, the following list is of international shows that portray similar themes of criminal empires.
Disclaimer: The following list is based purely on the author's opinion
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Narcos, Fauda, and six more international crime dramas to watch after The Hooligan
1) Narcos
Created by Chris Brancato and Doug Miro, Narcos is a crime drama comprising a total of three seasons, the main focus of the story is Pablo Escobar, one of the biggest drug cartel lords who smuggled cocaine.
It stars Wagner Moura, Boyd Holbrook, and Pedro Pascal in leading roles. The series explores similar themes as The Hooligan, primarily showcasing drug dealing.
It ran successfully with 30 episodes, and a spin-off series in 2018 on Netflix called Narcos: Mexico that also ran for three seasons. This series is a must-watch for viewers who are fans of crime dramas.
2) Sacred Games - Netflix
Released in 2018, this Indian crime thriller is based on the novel written in 2006 by Vikram Chandra. The story is focused in the city of Mumbai revolving around the police and a crime lord whose story gets uncovered through flashbacks. The main characters are played by Saif Ali Khan, Nawazuddin Siddiqui, and Radhika Apte.
The series explores the gritty environment in Mumbai in the early 90s, as well as an enticing rags-to-riches backstory of Ganesh Gaitonde, played by Siddiqui. With two seasons that have eight episodes each, Sacred Games is the perfect watch for noir-crime aficionados who have recently watched The Hooligan.
3) Money Heist (La Casa de Papel) - Netflix
This Spanish crime drama was released in 2017 and ran for three seasons split into five parts. The series revolves around eight ambitious people recruited by 'The Professor' to carry out hits on two big banks. Money Heist was known for its rendition of the Italian anti-fascist tune, Bella Ciao, which plays several times between episodes.
The series was filmed in Spain, Italy, Thailand, Denmark and Portugal. Throughout the story, the group attempts to carry out big heists on The Royal Mint of Spain and the Bank of Spain. Fans of The Hooligan will love this series for its thrilling, fast-paced story, and the angle of crime with morality.
4) The Valhalla Murders
This Icelandic series, Brot, is a police procedural drama with eight episodes released in December 2019. Launched exclusively on Netflix in America, the story delves loosely into a real incident that took place in the 1940s. Throughout the season, two men who were raised in a state-run home as children come out with stories of abuse.
The perpetrators of the crime are teachers and a stranger within the school, and the viewers follow investigators as they piece together evidence from the past. For fans of dark, mysterious drama, this series is not exactly in line with The Hooligan, however, dark inner workings in systems will draw people in to watch.
5) Ganglands (Braqueurs) -
Braqueurs is a French crime drama created by Hamid Hlioua and Julien Leclercq. The story focuses on Mehdi, a drug lord in Brussels and Antwerp, who gets caught up in the middle of a mistaken robbery. His niece and her girlfriend suddenly find themselves with eight kilos of cocaine, and this starts a turf war between families. It stars Sami Bouajila, Tracy Gotoas, and Salim Kechiouche in lead roles.
After the success of the first season in 2021, Ganglands was renewed for a second season in February 2023 and reached a total of 12 episodes. This series is very similar in themes to The Hooligan and fans will find this a memorable watch.
6) Fauda
Fauda is an Israeli political and psychological thriller series aired in Hebrew and Arabit for Netflix since 2015. Lior Raz and Avi Issacharoff created four seasons so far, with the latest one released in January 2023. It follows the story of a commander from the Israeli Defense Forces, primarily focusing on the Israel-Palestine conflict.
Fauda was created based on Lior Raz and Avi Issacharoff's experiences in the IDF, and the production continued during the 2014 Gaza War in an Arab city in Israel. Like The Hooligan, the series explores a historic geo-political issue through the lens of one individual.
7) The Mechanism
O Mechanismo is a Brazilian political drama based on an ongoing investigative event called Operation Car Wash. The Brazilian government, along with several engineering firms run a corruption scandal in the series, and it is up to detective Marco Ruffo to solve the mess. The show was released in March 2018 and was renewed for a second season on Netflix in May 2019.
The Mechanism stars Selton Mello, Caroline Abras, and Enrique Diaz in lead roles, and has been shot in various locations including Sao Paulo and Rio. For viewers who enjoyed The Hooligan recently, this is a worthwhile watch for its portrayal of corrupt systems.
8) Deadwind - Netflix
A Finnish crime drama, Karppi is a noir TV show released on Netflix in 2018. The story follows Sofia Karppi, played by Pihla Viitala, a widowed detective getting back into the police force while taking care of her children. Shot in Uusima, Finland, the show was renewed twice and has 28 episodes.
Sofia's main beat involves homicides, and the episodes take the viewers through murders that trickle down to a wind power project that is continually thwarted. While the show does not exhibit similar themes to The Hooligan, viewers will appreciate the detective work and crime-solving involved in Deadwind.
Apart from these TV series, some more international titles that are a must-watch after The Hooligan are Kin, Top Boy, Elite, and The Dogs of Berlin.
