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15 Best Shows Like Sons of Anarchy You Can Stream Right Now (2026)
If you tore through all seven seasons of Sons of Anarchy and now feel like SAMCRO left a hole in your watchlist, you’re not alone. The best shows to watch next are Mayans M.C., The Shield, Justified, and Animal Kingdom — all praised for the same morally gray antiheroes, tight-knit criminal families, and violence with real consequences that made Kurt Sutter’s biker saga a modern classic. Below is the full list, with exactly where to stream each one in the US right now.
| Show | Year | Genre | Where to Stream (US) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mayans M.C. | 2018–2023 | Biker crime drama | Hulu |
| The Shield | 2002–2008 | Cop drama / antihero | Hulu |
| Justified | 2010–2015 | Neo-western crime | Hulu |
| Animal Kingdom | 2016–2022 | Family crime saga | Netflix |
| Peaky Blinders | 2013–2022 | Gang warfare | Netflix |
| Banshee | 2013–2016 | Small-town action drama | Max |
| Outsiders | 2016–2017 | Outlaw clan drama | Tubi (free) |
| Narcos | 2015–2017 | Cartel crime epic | Netflix |
| Breaking Bad | 2008–2013 | Antihero crime drama | Netflix |
| Boardwalk Empire | 2010–2014 | Prohibition-era crime | Max |
| Yellowstone | 2018–2024 | Modern western drama | Peacock |
| Sons of Anarchy | 2008–2014 | The original | Hulu |
Why Sons of Anarchy Still Hits So Hard
Nearly a decade after it ended, Sons of Anarchy remains one of the most rewatched shows in the crime-drama genre, and it’s not hard to see why. Kurt Sutter built SAMCRO as a modern retelling of Hamlet, wrapped in leather cuts and gunrunning, where every character believed their code justified the blood on their hands. It wasn’t just about motorcycles — it was about family as both a sanctuary and a trap, and about watching a good man slowly become the thing he swore to destroy. The shows on this list share that same DNA: tight brotherhoods, antiheroes you root for even when you know you shouldn’t, and consequences that actually stick instead of resetting every episode.
Best Shows Like Sons of Anarchy in 2026
1. Mayans M.C. — The Direct Spinoff
Set on the California-Mexico border in the same universe as SAMCRO, Mayans M.C. follows Ezekiel “EZ” Reyes, a former golden boy fresh out of prison and trying to rebuild his life as a lowly prospect in the Mayans charter. Created by Kurt Sutter and Elgin James, it runs for five seasons and deepens the cartel and border-politics side of the world SOA only hinted at, while keeping the same rhythm of loyalty, betrayal, and blood debts that never stay settled.
Why it works if you liked SOA: Same universe, same creator, same moral weight — with a handful of familiar faces from SAMCRO making appearances along the way.
📺 Where to watch: Hulu
2. The Shield — Where Kurt Sutter Started
Before SOA, Sutter was a writer on this LAPD drama about Vic Mackey, a detective who runs his own brand of justice through an elite, corrupt strike team operating almost entirely outside the rules. Over seven seasons, the show builds one of television’s most compelling downward spirals, as Mackey’s choices catch up to him in ways he can never fully outrun.
Why it works if you liked SOA: Mackey is arguably the blueprint for Jax Teller — a leader who convinces himself he’s protecting his people while burning everything around him to do it.
📺 Where to watch: Hulu
3. Justified — Neo-Western Crime Drama
Based on Elmore Leonard’s fiction, Justified follows US Marshal Raylan Givens as he’s reassigned to his Kentucky hometown and collides with an old friend turned criminal, Boyd Crowder. Across six seasons, the show balances shootouts with some of the sharpest, funniest dialogue on television, never losing sight of the tangled history between its two leads.
Why it works if you liked SOA: Same network (FX), same pulpy outlaw energy, with writing that’s arguably even tighter than Sutter’s.
📺 Where to watch: Hulu
4. Animal Kingdom — Family Crime Saga
A dysfunctional Southern California family led by a ruthless matriarch known as Smurf runs a rotating criminal enterprise of heists, drugs, and violence, all held together by fractured, often toxic loyalty. The show spans six seasons and slowly reveals just how deep the family’s damage runs, generation after generation.
Why it works if you liked SOA: It swaps the clubhouse for a beach house, but the core is identical — family loyalty as both a weapon and a trap that’s nearly impossible to escape.
📺 Where to watch: Netflix
5. Peaky Blinders — Gang Warfare, British Flavor
Post-WWI Birmingham, England. The Shelby crime family claws its way from street gang to national power under the ruthless, calculating leadership of Tommy Shelby, a war veteran who treats every relationship as a chess move. It’s one of the best-reviewed crime dramas of the last decade, with six seasons of escalating ambition.
Why it works if you liked SOA: Trade the Harleys for razor blades in flat caps — the family-first code, the slow-burn tragedy, and the sense that no one gets out clean hit the same notes.
📺 Where to watch: Netflix
6. Banshee — Small-Town Violence and Secrets
An ex-con assumes the identity of a small Pennsylvania town’s new sheriff to settle old scores, unleashing chaos in a place that already had plenty of secrets of its own. Across four seasons, it delivers some of the most brutally choreographed fight scenes on television, paired with a protagonist whose entire life is a ticking time bomb.
Why it works if you liked SOA: Stylized, unflinching violence and a lead character living a lie that’s bound to catch up with him — pure pulp with real teeth.
📺 Where to watch: Max
7. Outsiders — Appalachian Outlaw Clan
An isolated Appalachian clan that’s lived outside the law for generations clashes with a coal company trying to take their mountain by force. Though it only ran for two seasons, Outsiders built a devoted cult following for its raw, almost mythic take on family and territory.
Why it works if you liked SOA: Same “family vs. the world” structure, just traded motorcycles for mountain shotguns — and best of all, it’s completely free to stream.
📺 Where to watch: Tubi (free)
8. Narcos — Cartel Crime Epic
The true story of Pablo Escobar’s rise and the DEA agents hunting him, told with the same unflinching approach to violence and moral compromise that defined SOA. The show’s later seasons expand into the Cali Cartel, widening the scope without losing its intensity.
Why it works if you liked SOA: Bigger scale, same theme — an outlaw empire built on loyalty that ultimately consumes everyone inside it.
📺 Where to watch: Netflix
9. Breaking Bad — Antihero Crime Drama
A high school chemistry teacher turned meth kingpin, slowly consumed by the power and violence of the empire he builds to provide for his family. It’s widely considered one of the greatest television dramas ever made, and its central question — how far will a good man go — echoes throughout SOA.
Why it works if you liked SOA: If you were drawn to Jax’s slow transformation from idealist to monster, Walter White’s arc is the genre’s gold standard.
📺 Where to watch: Netflix
10. Boardwalk Empire — Prohibition-Era Crime
Atlantic City during Prohibition, built and controlled by political boss and bootlegger Nucky Thompson, who balances power between corrupt officials, rival gangsters, and his own conscience. The show’s five seasons trace the birth of organized crime in America with the same operatic scale Sutter brought to SAMCRO.
Why it works if you liked SOA: Organized crime as a family business, dressed in 1920s tailoring instead of leather cuts, with just as much betrayal underneath.
📺 Where to watch: Max
11. Yellowstone — Modern Western Drama
The Dutton family fights to protect their sprawling Montana ranch from developers, rival tribes, and their own internal rot, using whatever means necessary — legal or not. Across five seasons, it became one of the most-watched dramas on American television, driven by the same clan-versus-outsiders tension that fueled SAMCRO.
Why it works if you liked SOA: A family empire, a code of honor, and violence used to protect what’s “theirs” — just under big sky instead of clubhouse neon.
📺 Where to watch: Peacock.
12. Sons of Anarchy — The Rewatch Option
If it’s been a while, the original is always worth another ride. Knowing where every choice leads only makes the tragedy hit harder the second time through, and small details you missed the first time suddenly carry real weight.
📺 Where to watch: Hulu
Where to Watch Shows Like Sons of Anarchy in the US
- Hulu is the biggest hub here — it holds SOA itself plus Mayans M.C., The Shield, and Justified, all FX originals under the Disney umbrella.
- Netflix covers Animal Kingdom, Peaky Blinders, Narcos, and Breaking Bad.
- Max carries the HBO/Cinemax titles: Banshee and Boardwalk Empire.
- Peacock is the exclusive streaming home for Yellowstone.
- Tubi offers Outsiders completely free, ad-supported.
Frequently Asked Questions
What show is most similar to Sons of Anarchy?
Mayans M.C. is the closest match — it’s set in the same universe, created by Kurt Sutter, and follows the same outlaw-club structure with returning characters from the original series.
Is there a Sons of Anarchy spinoff?
Yes. Mayans M.C. ran for five seasons (2018–2023) and follows the Mayans Motorcycle Club introduced in SOA, centered on new prospect EZ Reyes as he navigates a club he was once forbidden to join.
Where can I watch Sons of Anarchy in the US?
All seven seasons of Sons of Anarchy stream on Hulu.
What should I watch after Mayans M.C.?
Fans who finish Mayans M.C. often move to The Shield or Justified for more FX-produced crime drama, or Animal Kingdom for a family-crime angle with a very different setting.
