Mayor of Kingstown season 4 just ended, and with it went the suffocating tension, brutal power plays, and moral compromises that made the show so addictive. If you’re missing that grim world, where justice is negotiable, and survival depends on who holds the leverage, you’re not alone.
If you’re drawn to Taylor Sheridan’s brand of hard-edged storytelling, shows like Yellowstone, Tulsa King, and Lioness may already be on your radar. But once you’ve exhausted that universe, there’s still plenty of dark, uncompromising television that scratches the same itch, from classic crime dramas to shows focused on fixers similar to Mike McLusky.
The Wire (2002 – 2008)
This is a perfect option for a similar exploration of corruption and blurring the lines between criminals and law enforcement. Set in Baltimore, this show focuses on a different institution and the deep systemic corruption within it with every new season, from the futility of the War on Drugs to the flawed education system and compromised print media.
Like Mayor of Kingstown (MOK), this show digs deep into the impossibility of a fair justice system in a place so utterly corrupt and decayed, and the toll it takes on individuals, cops, criminals, and journalists alike.
The Shield (2002 – 2008)
Just like MOK and The Wire, The Shield creates a realistic view of the justice system, blurring the lines between right and wrong.
Unlike the other two, however, the focus here is on a corrupt LAPD unit gone rogue, known as the "Strike Team". Led by Detective Vic Mackey (Michael Chiklis), the unit uses questionable tactics to bring criminals to justice.
But is it really justice when evidence is planted and dirty money taken? The show focuses on the morally gray detective Mackey in an almost documentary-style, following his fallout from his actions.
Ray Donovan (2013 – 2020)
Beyond the same dark tone, Ray Donovan also has another fixer at its center. Like Mike, Ray (Liev Schreiber) is solving high-stakes problems for powerful people, often using violence. The only issues he can't make disappear as swiftly are the ones created by his own family.
There's a stark contrast between the way he manages his glamorous clientele and how incapable he is of controlling his family, when his father's release from prison threatens the life Ray built and has him dealing with the FBI's investigation. Crime and law enforcement clash here, too, but the similarity with MOK lies more in the morally gray protagonists facing their own demons and messy families while on the outside they look in control.
Ozark (2017 – 2022)
Ozark is an equally morally ambiguous show, diving deep into the grim crime underworld. Marty Byrde, the protagonist (Jason Bateman), is as much a mediator in his own show universe as Mike is in his. The main conflict centers on the questionable things Marty has to do to save his family, crossing the line from being an ordinary financial planner to laundering money for drug cartel bosses.
The series explores the corrupting influence crime has on Marty and his wife, Wendy (Laura Linney), as they become more and more entangled in money laundering and clash with powerful crime families in Missouri's Ozarks.
Banshee (2013 – 2016)
Corruption and crime are what bring all these series together, and Banshee is no exception. The atmosphere is as gritty and violent as in MOK, with protagonists navigating crime, systemic corruption and local conflicts in their respective small-town settings.
This series follows an unnamed ex-con (Antony Starr) as he assumes the identity of Sheriff Lucas Hood in the small, Amish-country town of Banshee, Pennsylvania. Under his new identity, he establishes his own violent sense of justice, as his criminal past clashes with his law enforcement present, all while he's hunted by the crime lord known as Rabbit (Ben Cross).
What connects these shows isn’t just crime or corruption — it’s the people forced to navigate broken systems while convincing themselves they’re doing the right thing. Like Mike McLusky, these protagonists live in the grey areas, making impossible choices in worlds where there are no clean exits.