10 Greatest Neo-Noir TV Shows From The Past Decade

Noir has always been one of the most prominent genres of TV and film, and the last decade has seen some incredible neo-noir come to light. Neo-noir, which references the modern takes on the noir genre, is often tough to get completely right. While some shows are able to tackle neo-noir, they may not do the original genre justice, and others struggle with the moody tone and the dark cinematography, which makes it tough to break through into the genre as a whole. While neo-noir is niche, it’s not impossible to create, and some series have found their way through.

In the last decade, there have been several resurgences of older genres into the mainstream. While westerns have been getting a new life from shows like Yellowstone, noirs have slowly crept back into the mainstream as well, finding their way with hard-boiled detective dramas, shows led by private investigators who work off the beaten path, and series that take the broad concepts of a classic noir, but bend them through a modern lens. With neo-noir weaving its way into the public consciousness, the best shows to come out of the genre in the last decade are all worth the watch.

10

Tokyo Vice

An HBO Max original, Tokyo Vice starred Ansel Elgort, Ken Watanabe, and a large ensemble cast. The series aired from 2022 through 2024, and though it was canceled after just two seasons, the series quickly found an audience after its debut. The series, set in 1999, focuses on an aspiring investigative journalist, Jake Adelstein (Elgort), as he relocates to Tokyo as a foreign journalist. When Hiroto Katagiri (Watanabe), organized crime detective, takes Jake under his wing, the pair dive into the dark, mysterious world of the yakuza, uncovering a difficult, twisted conspiracy. The show’s dark aesthetic makes it classic neo-noir.

Release Date

2022 – 2024-00-00

Directors

Josef Kubota Wladyka, Michael Mann, Alan Poul, Hikari

Writers

Destin Daniel Cretton

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9

Perry Mason

A reimagining of the famous franchise, Perry Mason was another two-season hit for HBO that ultimately found itself canceled far too early. Starring Matthew Rhys as the titular Mason, the series explores Perry Mason’s life before the popular series, looking at his time as a defense attorney during the early 1930s. Perry Mason’s visual style, a dark and broody world of shadows flanked by colorful outdoor shots, as well as the show’s tremendous performances made it an incredible feat. As a work of neo-noir, the series’ specific identity was able to propel it into the stratosphere of the intense genre.

Release Date

2020 – 2023-00-00

Network

HBO

Showrunner

Jack Amiel

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  Audrey Marie Anderson

  Agnes Holcomb

8

The Outsider

A lush miniseries based on Stephen King’s novel of the same name, The Outsider follows an unlikely duo as they look into the deep corners of a child’s murder to uncover supernatural interference. Starring Ben Mendelsohn, Jason Bateman, and Cynthia Erivo, the series follows as Mendelsohn’s detective Ralph Anderson and Erivo’s Holly Gibney investigate the murder of Frankie Peterson. Despite Bateman’s Terry Maitland already under arrest for the murder, the sprawling investigation uncovers intense new twists and turns with each episode. The show’s darkness and incredible performances gave the series a bleak feel, which helped position it as a neo-noir.

7

The Penguin

A crime drama spinoff of 2022’s The Batman, The Penguin was released in 2024 and is set shortly after the events of the film. Watching as Oswald “Oz” Cobb (Colin Farrell) rises to power in Gotham City, his main contender becomes a bigger problem than he expected. As Sofia Gigante (Cristin Milioti), daugher of late crime boss Carmine Falcone and a presumed serial killer who’s recently been released from a mental hospital, works against Oz, the power struggle between the two becomes the show’s main focus. A gritty anti-hero story, The Penguin is the definition of a deep, dark neo-noir.

Release Date

2024 – 2024-00-00

Showrunner

Lauren LeFranc

Directors

Craig Zobel

6

Too Old To Die Young

A Prime Video original, Too Old To Die Young is a rich series that stars Miles Teller as a grieving police officer looking for answers about what’s coming next for him after tragedy. Part of what makes Too Old To Die Young one of the most intriguing neo-noirs of the last decade is its cinematography and production design, pulling in elements of darkness and light throughout the series to create an intense understanding of Martin’s (Teller) circumstances. As he explores an underworld of working-class hitmen, Martin finds himself in an unexpected world that he’s eager, albeit hesitant, to learn about.

Release Date

2019 – 2019-00-00

Network

Amazon Prime Video

Directors

Nicolas Winding Refn

Writers

Nicolas Winding Refn

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5

The Night Of

Another HBO miniseries, The Night Of is based on a British series called Criminal Justice, but is pulled into a far more American lens. Starring Riz Ahmed as Naz Kahn, a Pakistani-American student accused of murder, the series follows as his lawyer John Stone (John Turturro) tries to prove him innocent in more ways than one. While The Night Of doesn’t stray much from the playbook of a traditional crime drama, its outstanding performances and pulpy, in-depth storytelling propels it forward. The series has a dark tension that underscores all of its story choices, and its performances are perfectly nuanced.

Release Date

2016 – 2016-00-00

Network

HBO Max

Directors

James Marsh

4

Mindhunter

Netflix’s Mindhunter is a dark, intense period procedural, watching as a group of FBI agents delve into the world of criminal profiling for the first time. Set in the 70s, Mindhunter stars Jonathan Groff as Holden Ford and Holt McCallany as Bill Trench, accompanied by Anna Torv as Wendy Carr. As Ford and Trench delve into the psyches of incarcerated serial killers, the series watches as the pair find themselves discovering new ways to look at cases that may not have seemed as obvious to them before. A dark and moodily lit series, Mindhunter takes neo-noir to a new level.

Release Date

2017 – 2019

Network

Netflix

Showrunner

Joe Penhall

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3

Mare Of Easttown

Starring Kate Winslet as Mare Sheehan, Mare Of Easttown is another HBO Max miniseries that uses its aesthetic as a part of its story. Watching as Mare unravels a murder that links to a string of other crimes, including one that hits close to home, the series follows a fascinating trajectory. With intense, incredible performances from the cast, specifically from Winslet in the title role, Mare Of Easttown uses its aesthetic to its advantage. The series is moody and bleak, and as Mare moves through her work, her own past consistently comes back to haunt her in a visceral way.

Release Date

2021 – 2021-00-00

Network

HBO

Showrunner

Brad Ingelsby

2

Sugar

Apple TV

A mystery drama starring Collin Farrell as John Sugar, a private investigator in Los Angeles, Sugar is a modern neo-noir that will be returning for a second season this month. Sugar’s first season featured a mystery that saw the titular character searching for a wealthy movie producer’s missing granddaughter, but sent him into a flurry of chaos to get his job done. The show’s stylistic choices and ability to move through a mystery in an effortless, but methodically planned way make it a wonderfully modern take on noir. With more to come for Sugar, the series is still growing strong.

Release Date

April 4, 2024

Network

Apple TV

Showrunner

Mark Protosevich, Sam Catlin

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1

Spider-Noir

A new Prime Video original series, Spider-Noir is based on the Spider-Man Noir character, and has made a tremendous splash in its first season. Set in 1930s New York City, Spider-Noir stars Nicolas Cage as aging private investigator Ben Reilly as he tries to deal with his past life as superhero, the Spider. After a case that pushes him to re-open that chapter of his life comes to light, Reilly has to return to the Spider once again. The series, which is available in both black & white and color versions, is the epitome of neo-noir, creating a moody aesthetic.

Release Date

May 27, 2026

Network

MGM+

Showrunner

Oren Uziel, Steve Lightfoot

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  Lamorne Morris

  Robbie Robertson

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