Charlie Hunnam's R-Rated Sons Of Anarchy-Like Series Deserves The Breaking Bad Treatment

Published Oct 17, 2026, 11:15 PM EDT

Dhruv is a Lead Writer in Screen Rant's New TV division. He has been consistently contributing to the website for over two years and has written thousands of articles covering streaming trends, movie/TV analysis, and pop culture breakdowns.
Before Screen Rant, he was a Senior Writer for The Cinemaholic, covering everything from anime to television, from reality TV to movies.
After high school, he was on his way to become a Civil Engineer. However, he soon realized that writing was his true calling. As a result, he took a leap and never looked back.

Charlie Hunnam is set to lead a promising Prime Video crime thriller. A closer look at the show reveals that it could be his perfect Sons of Anarchy replacement even before the highly anticipated SOA spin-off comes out. And if all goes well for the upcoming series, it could even get the same treatment as Breaking Bad, allowing it to find its place among some of the best crime dramas out there.

The show in question, titled Criminal, is based on comics written by Ed Brubaker and illustrated by Sean Phillips. It has been in production for quite some time and has a stellar cast that includes Charlie Hunnam, Richard Jenkins, Emilia Clarke, and Luke Evans, among others. Apart from its star-studded cast, Criminal also benefits from the fact that the original author, Ed Brubaker, is its co-showrunner.

Its source material has already earned immense acclaim for walking through a dense and generational story of crime and the cyclical nature of violence. With Brubaker directly involved with the Prime Video crime drama, it seems even more likely that the show will retain all the best aspects of the original comics. However, Criminal can only etch its mark in the crime genre if it gets the same long-term treatment as Breaking Bad.

Prime Video’s Criminal Deserves Long-Term Storytelling Commitment Like Breaking Bad

Similar to Vince Gilligan's shows, the original Criminal comics take a slow-burning, long-term storytelling approach where they walk through a multi-generational narrative. Instead of being a singular story about one morally complex character, Criminal weaves a whole web of crime where several families are connected to each other.

In its long runtime, Criminal features everything from blood feuds to shared histories, which cannot be covered in one singular season of the series. Owing to this, Criminal must tread the same path as shows like Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul. To be able to capture the true brilliance of its source material, the Prime Video show will need at least four seasons.

Prime Video's Criminal is set to cover the first volume of the original comics, which includes two chapters: "Coward" and "Lawless." After this, the series will have enough content for at least three more seasons, given how the original comics have another major volume, along with a miniseries and other special extensions.

For now, Prime Video has only ordered one season of the series. However, given how Criminal already seems to have a lot going in its favor, it seems likely that it will return for more installments in the future. Hopefully, the series will get enough seasons to be able to capture the full scope of its source material.

Criminal Can Be As Big As Breaking Bad & Sons Of Anarchy

One of the biggest reasons why Sons of Anarchy and Breaking Bad succeeded is that they got the opportunity to create fully realized ecosystems of crime. Instead of being forced to rush their storylines, both shows also got to show how even the smallest acts of violence can have long-term consequences. The original Criminal comics take a similar approach towards portraying crime and how it spirals down to generations.

If the Prime Video show gets to last long enough, it could gradually establish the same legacy as shows like Breaking Bad and Sons of Anarchy. It already has an incredibly promising cast and gives Charlie Hunnam the opportunity to riff on his strengths as an actor. Even Ed Brubaker's direct involvement with the series is a massive strength.

Breaking Bad and Sons of Anarchy will always remain two of the best additions to the crime genre. However, Prime Video's Criminal, too, has the potential to soon join the ranks.

Criminal

Based on the comic series, Criminal is an action crime series developed by Ed Brubaker and Jordan Harper for Prime Video. This adaptation follows various characters within and adjacent to a bustling criminal underworld and comprises several arcs that occasionally intersect. The series was greenlit by Amazon in 2024.