10 Best Movies & TV Shows Like The Power Franchise (2024)

Spoiler Warning: This article contains spoilers for Power and its spin-offs.

Power's excellent storytelling and compelling characters make it one of TV's most distinct crime dramas, but there are plenty of movies and other TV shows that are very similar to Power in their narrative structure, subject matter, and themes. Power centers around protagonist James "Ghost" St. Patrick as he navigates his successful businesses while maintaining ties to organized crime. Due to the success of 2014's Power, Power's spin-off series provides viewers with enough content that expands the franchise's lore, and adds many unique twists and turns that recontextualize characters and story beats from previous series.

Despite the massive success of the Power universe, there are plenty of movies and shows that can compete with the popular crime drama. Despite the similarities, Power's ending still remains one of the best in TV history as it perfectly displayed the series' willingness to take risks and craft engaging storylines for its core audience to discuss for years to come. Whether modern or classic movies or beloved TV shows, audiences who loved Power can find other notable crime stories.

10 White Boy Rick (2018)

White Boy Rick's 1980s crack epidemic setting is very similar to Power's.

White Boy Rick loosely tells the true story of Richard Wershe Jr., the youngest known American drug trafficker-turned FBI informant in the 1980s. Featuring standout performances and thrilling storytelling, White Boy Rick emphasizes the family drama elements of its storytelling, thus setting it apart from many other projects in the crime drama series. As seen in Power, with many of the series' families being embroiled in the drug trade, White Boy Rick's contentious relationship between Wershe Jr. and Wershe Sr. mirrors the relationship between many fathers and sons, notably Ghost and Tariq, among a host of other complicated relationships.

9 ATL (2006)

ATL is partially a coming-of-age story just like Power's Power Book II: Ghost.

ATL follows four friends living in Atlanta, Georgia, who are faced with steadily increasing challenges as they prepare for life after graduating from high school. Like Power, ATL blends crime drama with classic coming-of-age tropes, thus making it a unique entry in the genre. While the exploits of Ghost, Tommy, and Kanan always excite, thus making them among the best characters in the Power universe, the child characters are also great. Perhaps Power Book III: Raising Kanan is the closest to ATL in structure, as it's also a coming-of-age drama that centers around young Black men surviving their harsh environments.

8 Hustle & Flow (2005)

Features many popular Hip-Hop artists in lead and support that enhance the subject's authenticity.

Hustle & Flow centers around a Memphis, Tennessee pimp named Djay who attempts to become a successful mainstream rapper while in the middle of a midlife crisis. Filled with excellent performances from its cast, Hustle & Flow takes a unique approach to depicting the rigors of low-income living, the impact of drugs and violence on poorer communities, and the power of perseverance through its pimp protagonist. With appearances from Ludacris, select members of Three 6 Mafia, and I-20, Hustle & Flow's use of rappers gives the film an undeniable sense of heightened realism, similar to the Power universe.

7 Menace II Society (1993)

Power's bleak storytelling is very similar to Menace II Society's.

Directed by The Hughes Brothers and co-written by Tyger Williams, Menace II Society centers around a young Black man named Caine whose conflicted feelings about his future complicate his ability to leave his harsh environment. Featuring Power star Larenz Tate in his feature-length debut role as the unpredictable O-Dog, Menace II Society's bleak narrative combined with Tate's role as Councilman Rashad Tate, act as the connective tissue between it and the Power universe. Moreover, Menace II Society's overall theme of its protagonist succumbing to a premature demise shares a connection with many of Power's characters, notably Ghost and Kanan.

6 Paid in Full (2002)

Paid in Full is based on the accounts of real-life drug dealers and musicians.

Loosely based on the real-life accounts of drug dealers Azie "AZ" Faison, Rich Porter, and Alpo Martinez, Paid in Full centers around three friends who build a powerful drug empire, only to have it come crumbling down as the stress of dealing drugs weighs heavily on their conscience and friendship. Paid in Full's retelling of real drug dealers and their hand in the entertainment business is similar to Ghost's role as a drug kingpin and nightclub owner in Power's first series. Furthermore, Paid in Full's depiction of drugs and its destructive power over family and friends mirrors Power's similar structure.

5 The Chi (2018 - Present)

Unfortunate events connect the lives of characters from various backgrounds in unexpected ways.

Created by Lena Waithe, The Chi centers around a group of individuals living distinctly different lives who find themselves bound by fate after a series of unfortunate events connects them together. Unlike many other shows in the crime drama genre, The Chi emphasizes the series' children and the impact that their difficult circumstances have on them. As seen in the Power universe with many of its child characters - namely Tariq and Kanan in Power Book III: Raising Kanan, the drugs, violence, and family dysfunction are highlighted through both shows' impressionable protagonists, thus offering a unique perspective on the drama.

4 Godfather of Harlem (2019 - Present)

The intersection between African-American social commentary and the drug trade is present in both shoes.

Godfather of Harlem is loosely based on the real-life account of former notorious Harlem drug kingpin, Bumpy Johnson, and his run-ins with members of the Italian mafia, the FBI, Spanish cartels, and even civil rights leaders like Congressman Adam Clayton Powell Jr. and Malcolm X. While there exists a number of similarities between Godfather of Harlem and Power, their strongest connection is how Godfather of Harlem and Power both weave the socioeconomic issues that plague the Black communities and the hand that some influential Black people play in the degradation of its own community.

3 Snowfall (2017 - 2023)

The LA crack epidemic of the 1980s thrust African-American youngsters into the world of organized crime.

Created by John Singleton, the incredibly quotable Snowfall examines the Los Angeles crack cocaine epidemic of the 1980s and its devastating impact on Black and Brown communities, as well as on America's relationship with the government and its citizens. Rife with spectacular performances and engaging storylines, Snowfall's stylistic approach to handling its oft covered subjects aid significantly in making a truly memorable viewing experience for supporters of the crime drama genre. Snowfall and Power's most notable similarities lie in their handling of drugs' impact on urban communities, and its destruction of Black families in a sincere and heartbreaking way.

2 Get Rich or Die Tryin' (2005)

Get Rich of Die Tryin' is loosely based on Power star 50 Cents' life.

Based on the story of Power star Curtis "50 Cent" Jackson, Get Rich or Die Tryin' sees Jackson survive his harsh environment from the late 1980s to 2000 in a film filled with drama, violence, and inspired performances by its cast. However, underneath the violence and drugs, lies a powerful story about one's potential when they match it with the right work ethic, thus leaving viewers with a positive message. While 50 Cent stars in both projects, Get Rich or Die Tryin' and Power's themes of realizing one's potential in spite of their circumstances draw stronger similarities.

1 Empire (2015 - 2020)

Explores the impact that jealousy and greed can have on a family.

Empire follows the drama that a music mogul faces when forced to choose between his three sons, a successor to his company, while also navigating his ex-wife's scheming ways. Empire is filled with many quality actors and actresses well acquainted with the crime drama genre, thus making it feel like an authentic and lived-in series among many of its contemporaries. From Empire and Power sharing many themes, narratives, writers, and actors, both shows feel similar in virtually every way. However, the strongest link between Empire and Power is the extenuating circumstances of the drama that afflict the families.

As seen throughout Power, the St. Patrick family's patriarch, Ghost, works desperately to separate himself from the shady dealings of organized crime, but he perpetually finds himself drawn back to it for various reasons. Empire functions in a similar capacity after Lucious Lyon's drug-dealing past comes back to haunt him shortly after his ALS diagnosis, thus prompting him to take drastic measures to preserve his musical empire. Power and Empire's emphasis on family binds them together more so than their similarities with drugs and violence, and with Power's universe constantly expanding, the show will go on to inspire other dramas.