Motorcycle TV Series

Loved SOA? Find Out the Best TV Shows Similar to Sons of Anarchy

tv-shows-similar-to-sons-of-anarchy

Sons of Anarchy ended almost 10 years ago, but its impact on the TV drama world remains strong. Fans who watched Jax Teller and SAMCRO ride for seven thrilling seasons now look for the perfect show to fill the gap. If you’re one of those riders looking for shows like Sons of Anarchy, you are at the right place.


The TV world is full of TV shows that are similar to SOA. These series offer the same raw nerve, deep bonds of brothers, love, and dark stories about crime and loyalty. Whether you are searching for TV shows like Sons of Anarchy or just looking for what else is out there, this guide will help you find your next binge-watch series.


The charm of SOA was not only about bikes and leather. It was about the heart-pumping drama and the difficult decision gang leaders had to make, and the ways that loyalty could save and destroy a person. If you want to get the same level of thrill and excitement as the SOA offers, keep on reading this article. We have compiled a list of the best TV shows similar to Sons of Anarchy that will have you on the edge of your seat.

1. Why Sons of Anarchy Fans Need New Shows Recommendations

Sons of Anarchy created a world that was real. The show combined crime, family drama, and the biker lifestyle into something really special. Fans became close to the crew at Redwood Originals. They felt the pressure of each choice that Jax made. When it ended, many felt lost.


What made SOA work so well? The show had tough guy codes mixed with raw human emotions. It demonstrated that power can destroy even the toughest noble men. It proved that being a part of a biker club meant everything, either for better or worse.

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2. Mayans M.C. TV Show: The Direct Spin-Off of SOA

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Photo Credit: Prime Video

If you are looking to stay in the same world as Sons of Anarchy, Mayans M.C. is the obvious choice. Kurt Sutter, the same mind behind SOA, made this show. It takes place in the same town, during the same time period, but it tells a fresh story.


Mayans M.C. is about two brothers, EZ and Angel Reyes, who join the Mayans Motorcycle Club. The club was portrayed as a rival club in Sons of Anarchy, and now they get their time to shine. The show retains the dark tone and the hard choices that made SOA great.


What’s nice about this SOA-like show is that it brings back some faces from the old crew. You get to see how the world has moved by. The Mayans ride Harleys with that low-rider style you don’t find anywhere else. The writing is sharp, and the drama hits as hard as it did in the SOA.


Mayans M.C. went on for five seasons until it ended in 2023. If you haven’t watched the show yet, it is a must-watch after you finish watching Sons of Anarchy.

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3. The Shield: The Roots of Sons of Anarchy

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Photo Credit: Hulu

Before Sons of Anarchy, there was The Shield. This show ran from 2002 to 2008. It acted as the bridge between the older police shows and the new breed of gritty crime shows like SOA. It was a big hit and was written and produced by Kurt Sutter, who later gave us Sons of Anarchy.


The Shield is based on a special police unit in Los Angeles. The show is all about a crew of cops that bend the rules to survive. They have their own code. They have bonds that are deeper than the law. In many ways, The Shield was the blueprint of what Sons of Anarchy would become.


If you want to get a good idea of the roots of shows like Sons of Anarchy, watch The Shield. It has the same creator energy, the same gray zones when it comes to morality. It also has the same focus on characters that blur the line between good and bad. The action is tight, the drama is thick, and the ending will remain with you long after you finish watching the show.


Walton Goggins played a massively popular role in the TV show ‘The Shield’. As a result, he got his chance to play the very popular transgender sex worker role of Venus Van Dam in Sons of Anarchy.

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4. Peaky Blinders: Criminals and Family Life

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Photo Credit: Lit City Blues

Peaky Blinders may not be an obvious choice at first. It is set in 1920s England, not modern-day California. But don’t let that fool you, this show gets the same spirit as Sons of Anarchy in ways that matter the most.


The show is about the Shelby family and their criminal gang, the Peaky Blinders. Like SAMCRO, they have strict codes. Like Jax, the lead character, ‘Thomas’, must balance his desire for peace with the need to protect his crew. Like ‘Gemma’ in SOA, there is a fierce female leader who pulls the strings from behind the scenes.


What makes the Peaky Blinders series similar to Sons of Anarchy is the manner in which they blend crime and human struggle. The show examines how violence defines a person. It shows the beauty and toxicity of family bonds. The music, the style, and the mood are all different from SOA, but the soul is the same.


If you want some really good writing and some deep dives into the power and the loyalty and what it costs to lead a crew, Peaky Blinders is a must-watch TV show.

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5. Prison Break: Good Guys Doing Bad Things

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Photo Credit: Orr vé Dvir - Medium

Prison Break is about Michael Scofield, a man who plans to escape the prison to save his brother. Like Jax in Sons of Anarchy, Michael believes that he can take control of events and protect the people he loves. The show is about what good men will do when pushed to extremes.


Prison Break has high levels of action and genius plot twists. The crew dynamics are strong, and the show raises profound moral questions about justice, loyalty, and sacrifice.


If you want a show with the tension and forward momentum of SOA, but in a different setting, Prison Break is worth your time.

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6. Hell on Wheels: Outlaws of a New Age

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Photo Credit: @MDB trailers

Hell on Wheels is a show set after the Civil War and follows a man named Cullen Bohannon as he builds a railroad and takes old scores. The show has the same outlaw spirit as Sons of Anarchy.


Lime SAMCRO, the railroad crew in Hell on Wheels, has codes and bonds that hold them together. Like Jax in SOA, Cullen attempts to juggle his dark past with his wish to build something better. The show delves into violence, loyalty, and what it means to be a part of a crew.


Hell on Wheels has a total of five seasons. The writing is good, and the period setting adds a freshness to it compared to SOA.

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7. Ozark: A Modern Crime Story

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Photo Credit: TV Insider

Ozark is a more recent show, but it fits perfectly in the list of those TV series similar to the Sons of Anarchy category. It follows Marty Byrde, a man who makes a series of bad choices for the protection of his family. The show is a study in how good people can become criminals.


Like Jax Teller in SOA, Marty believes that he can control things. He thinks his decisions will bring safety and freedom. But every step deeper into crime takes him further away from the life he wants. The show explores ways in which lies compound and how loyalty gets tested.


The tone of Ozark is dark and tense. There are times when the action is pure, but most of the power of the show comes from watching smart people play delay games. If you loved the way SOA made you sick to your stomach over choices that had to be made, Ozark will hit that same nerve.

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8. Banshee: Gritty Actions and Deep Bonds

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Photo Credit: HBO Max

Banshee is a TV show about a criminal who becomes the police chief of a town. It is set in a small Amish town, which gives it a unique flavor amongst shows similar to Sons of Anarchy.


What Banshee does best is to combine real action and actual stakes. The crew feels tight, the bonds feel earned, and the show isn’t afraid to hurt their main characters in ways that last.


Like Sons of Anarchy, Banshee is about a crew attempting to survive in a harsh world. The show has killer fight scenes, good plot twists, and characters you will come to care a lot about. It ran for four seasons, and it ended strong, which is more than can be said for a lot of shows.

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9. Yellowstone: Outlaw Codes and Family

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Photo Credit: TV Series Finale

Yellowstone may appear to be a western ranch show at first glance, but it is all about outlaw codes and tough family ties. The Futton family operates an enormous ranch, and they’ll do anything to maintain it and their people.


Like SAMCRO in SOA, the Dutton ranch family has some rules. They have the ‘Us Vs the World’ attitude. Also, like Gamma in Sons of Anarchy, there are strong women with real power in the group.


Yellowstone has the kind of grand drama that makes you feel things. The stakes are high, the betrayals are brutal, and the family bonds, even the broken ones, are deep. If you were a fan of the way SOA blended crime drama with family saga, Yellowstone delivers the same thing on a large scale.

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10. Gomorrah: Italian Crime At Its Best

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Photo Credit: HBO Max

Gomorrah is an Italian TV show based on a true book on the Naples mafia. It is often compared to ‘The Sopranos’ or ‘The Wire,’ but it also has a certain resemblance to Sons of Anarchy as well.


The raw feeling of Gomorrah is what makes it special. The show doesn’t glamorize anything. It depicts the crime as a brutal reality that breaks lives. The emphasis on crew ties, power plays, and the price of loyalty will seem familiar to anyone who watched SOA.


The show has 5 seasons and an ending that seems earned. If you want to see what organized crime really looks like, or at least how it feels to live inside that world, Gomorrah is a tough but rewarding watch.

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