10 Dark Family Sagas to Savour After House of Guinness
Time to pull up a stool and wait for things to settle as Netflix’s House of Guinness is taking the streaming world by storm. Like the creamy head on a lovely pint, the show has been topping the streaming charts ever since its release—at least at the time of writing—while racking up a formidable 90% score on Rotten Tomatoes in the process.
If we look back a little, the show is just one in a long line of gripping family sagas that have dominated our screens for the last 25 years—some of which, I believe, have represented the peak of dramatic television in that time. So, if you’ve just downed the first season of HoG and are thirsty for more, here are ten of the very best of them.
We’ve arranged this list in ascending order, with the top being closest in terms of similarity to HoG and the last few more roughly adjacent to it. Read on to discover more and use the guide below to find them on services like AppleTV, Netflix, Prime Video and elsewhere.
When House of Guinness was released, the go-to comparison on everyone’s lips was Jesse Armstrong’s masterful Succession—and if you loved HoG for all the familiar infighting, wealthy brats and cut-throat inheritance squabbles, you’ll probably love it.
The story follows Logan Roy (Brian Cox), the head of a powerful, right-leaning media corporation, and the efforts of his three children to be chosen as the next in line to his throne. Armstrong made his name for his early collaborations with Armando Iannucci, so if you’re a fan of The Thick of It or Iannucci’s more recent Veep (think sharply written satire and colourful profanities), this is definitely one for you.
The other comparison that is impossible to ignore is showrunner Steven Wright’s previous long-running series, Peaky Blinders. If you’re a fan of House of Guinness for its style (all those flat-caps and moustaches, the devilish charm of Anthony Boyle), you’ll definitely be into it.
Over six seasons, each produced by the BBC, Cillian Murphy’s Thomas Shelby became an international style icon. Oh, and the show wasn’t bad either—a slick, period-set crime saga that lovers of Narcos or the Scorsese-produced Boardwalk Empire will lap up. The cast includes a host of British luminaries, including Tom Hardy and Stephen Graham, and with a movie on the way at Netflix, there’s probably never been a better time to get into it!
And speaking of long-running crime sagas, there are plenty of reasons why people still consider The Sopranos not simply the best crime show ever made but arguably the best TV show ever made. Those who like House of Guinness for its sharp writing, dark comedy, and the way it examines the underbelly of that world are in for a treat.
The Sopranos ran for six near-flawless seasons on HBO and made stars of James Gandolfini, Edie Falco and the rest of the cast. Imagine The Godfather mixed with Fargo but set in ‘00s New Jersey—except with a little more existential humour and way more gabagool—and you’ll know what to expect.
Alternatively, if you are particularly into House of Guinness for its period settings and depictions of wealth from that era, you might be more interested in checking out The Crown. This is Peter Morgan’s epic, six-season series on the life and reign of Queen Elizabeth II—beginning with Claire Foy in the lead role in 1947, Olivia Coleman from 1964 to 1990, and finally with Imelda Staunton up until 2005.
Morgan structures the series almost like an anthology, with nearly every episode working as a self-contained story—each focusing on a notable incident or scandal from that time. This will be particularly up your alley if you’re a fan of dramas that explore the more recent history of the royal family, like Spencer or The Queen.
The most recent series on our list is Mobland. This is a crime saga that focuses on the Harrigans, a ruthless and powerful family of Irish mobsters living in England in the present day. This is one that fans of House of Guinness’s Hibernian flavours might particularly appreciate.
It’s certainly true regarding the cast, which contains not just the great Tom Hardy (playing a fixer) but also Navan’s own Pierce Brosnan as the menacing patriarch, Conrad, and Emma Thompson donning an Irish brogue as his wife and confidante, Maeve. Ronan Bennet created the show, so if you liked his previous one, the excellent Day of the Jackal, or are simply a fan of all things Pierce, you’ll definitely want to check this one out.
Moving a little farther afield, if you’re looking for another period-set show with an inheritance angle, the long-running, Kevin Costner-starring, and constantly expanding Yellowstone might be a good shout. The show (which now boasts five seasons and two spinoffs, with more in the works) focuses on the Dutton family, owners of the largest cattle ranch in Montana, and the conflicts that arise not just with neighbouring farmers and natives, but ultimately between themselves.
This is one of the prolific Taylor Sheridan’s many creations, so if you liked his Oscar-nominated Hell or High Water or his more recent series, Landman, you’ll probably be into it.
Sticking with shows on that side of the Atlantic, Bloodline is a family saga that takes place in the hot and humid world of the Florida Keys. Set in the present day, it focuses on a respected family whose lives are turned upside down when an estranged older brother returns home. It could be the one for you if you like House of Guinness for its subtle character development and gradually revealing characters.
Alongside Kyle Chandler and Sissi Spacek, the show also stars the great Ben Mendelsohn in a deliciously layered role (he plays the prodigal son), so if you appreciated what he brought to Andor Season 2 or to movies like Animal Kingdom and Mississippi Grind, you’ll want to check him out in this.
Ozark is in many ways a similar show to Bloodline: a contemporary story set in a very particular part of America, about a normal family whose lives begin to unravel after the arrival of an unseen force. In this case, it’s a Mexican cartel, so if the crime world subplots of House of Guinness drew you in, along with the family drama, this one might be a great shout for you.
Jason Bateman, Julia Garner and Laura Linney lead the excellent cast in a show that fans of True Detective and Mare of Easttown will easily warm to.
Moving a little farther afield, Pachinko is a decades-long saga about a Korean family that begins in 1910, when the country was still under Japanese colonial rule. If you found the political tensions in House of Guinness interesting, this might be of particular interest. Based on Min Jin-hee’s novel, the first two seasons have so far taken us from the early 20th century all the way up to the 1960s—so don’t be concerned about the pace of the storytelling.
Pachinko is also one of the best-looking series to be released in recent years. This is thanks to the location shooting but also Florian Hoffmeister’s cinematography—so, if you liked the DP’s work on the most recent series of True Detective, or on Todd Field’s incredible TÁR, you’ll want to check it out.
We’ll finish on something a little more light-hearted, though no less rooted in the dynamics of a powerful family. We’re talking, of course, about The Righteous Gemstones—a story about a family of wealthy evangelists who rarely, if ever, practice what they preach.
This is the latest show from the brilliant and hilarious Danny McBride. If you’re a fan of his previous work (think Eastbound and Down, Vice Principals), you’re gonna love it.
