With all the advances in streaming services, audiences are less likely to go out to the movies for R-rated entertainment, and now fans can get hard-boiled stories in any number of TV series on multiple networks.
In previous decades, TV fans typically only saw stories with mature subject matter on premium network channels like HBO or Showtime, but with content warnings and restrictions changing over the years, foul-mouthed and blood-drenched stories have even found their way to basic cable channels.
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Critics and fans have been taking note of the rise of the antihero, with shows like Breaking Bad earning awards for its engaging storylines, despite the show highlighting some truly deplorable characters.
Check out our picks for some of the most intense, brutal, and gut-wrenching shows that have aired in the past ten years that show how much audiences love a gritty story. Let us know in the comments your favorite picks!
Breaking Bad (2008-2013)
Let’s get this one out of the way. Breaking Bad was gritty in its own category, taking the very trope of a family man and distorting it so heavily that it introduced to us a new kind of fairytale: the kingdom of Walter White. The very definition of a hero’s journey, we were introduced to White with cancer, but discovering that his intellect holds more potential than he thought possible. Characters like Jesse, Hank, Skyler, Gus and Hector each had their own identifiers and personalities, and interactions on-screen felt completely realistic and believable.
From its heavy influence of drugs, crime, death, guns, etc., Breaking Bad cracked wide open the concept of grit on cable television and it told a story unlike any other. All hail Vince Gilligan.
[H/T YouTube/Dan Lysiak]
The Wire (2002-2008)
Another modern masterpiece, The Wire examined street crime in the modern world. Telling the story through the eyes of the police, the drug dealers and the drug users, The Wire brought insight into poverty, corruption, addiction and so, so much more. We lived and died with Jimmy, Stringer, Bunk, Bubbles and many others.
Plus, actors like Idris Elba skyrocketed to prominence from this show, and we’re forever thankful for that.
[H/T YouTube/Molly Caldwell]
Luther (2010-present)
Speaking of Elba, this BBC-built character drama put him in a starring role as a detective on the verge of a murder conviction. But the show itself thrusts us back into just what got Elba’s Luther to this spot in the first place. Love affairs with murderers, twisted cases to solve and a phenomenal supporting cast lifted this drama up to the ranks of the BBC’s most prominent shows. It’s that good.
[H/T YouTube/BBC]
Homeland (2011-present)
While the true grit of this Showtime series comes from its first few seasons, one cannot deny the heaviness of its source material. Homeland began as the story of a prisoner of war returning home to a warless country. The problem? He was brainwashed by a terrorist cell and his allegiance was called into question.
Sex, drinking, mental health, terrorism, you name it, Homeland had it all. Oh, and it had a star-studded cast that included Claire Danes, Mandy Patinkin and Morena Baccarin. The show’s later seasons (it’s still on) sort of fell off, but the show itself did a heel turn and is still one hell of a ride.
[H/T YouTube/Showtime]
The Walking Dead (2010-present)
Based on the comic series of the same name, the television show is a loose interpretation of the black-and-white pages that preceded it, but it has done a damn good job at transitioning to network television.
The darkness and grit of The Walking Dead is evident in its first few moments. A grey and brown coating covers the camera, blood splatters every crevice and a world of zombies surrounds a base-level character drama. Sure, fan-favorite characters die off in droves every season, but there’s something in TWD that keeps viewers coming back for more.
[H/T YouTube/amc]
Sons of Anarchy (2008-2014)
This crime drama tells the tale of an outlaw motorcycle club called, well, the Sons of Anarchy. While the show is told from parallel viewpoints, viewers mostly follow the exploits of Jackson “Jax” Teller (Charlie Hunnam) and his journey from skeptic to group leader.
This gun-running, foul-mouthed drama captivated viewers with its steady drama, hectic suspense and phenomenal writing. Oh, and a prequel looks like it’s on its way.
[H/T YouTube/Sons of Anarchy on Fx]
Marvel’s Daredevil (2015-present)
Who would have thought that a superhero show would make this list? Marvel’s Daredevil, led by actor Charlie Cox, is a brisk and faithful take on The Man Without Fear. This Netflix show examines the underground of Hell’s Kitchen in New York City. The gun runs, the drugs, the money and the villainy.
In just the show’s first season we are introduced to one of the most terrifying television villains ever put to screen, Vincent D’Onofrio’s Kingpin. As Cox’s Daredevil works to clean the mean streets, he’s met with plenty of resistance that only serves to drum up his own tattered past.
[H/T YouTube/Netflix US & Canada]
Boardwalk Empire (2010-2014)
The beauty of Boardwalk Empire lies in its ability to tell a gripping, modern story in a period piece drama about Atlantic City during Prohibition. With a stunning cast led by Steve Buscemi, this series opened viewers’ eyes to the grit of the underground crime scene.
Mob deaths, gambling and plenty of alcohol were secondhand to the character drama present in this series, and up until the very last episode, we were absolutely captivated by it.
[H/T YouTube/HBO]
House of Cards (2013-present)
And last, but not least: House of Cards. This Kevin Spacey and Robin Wright led drama looks at political corruption, the press and plenty more in an entirely new light. With its stellar writing, unbelievable character acting and a fan following unlike any political drama before it (except for maybe The West Wing), House of Cards always gives us something new and incredibly dark and dreary to look forward.
[H/T YouTube/Netflix US & Canada]
