By
Dhruv Sharma
Published 23 minutes ago
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.
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Both Breaking Bad and Ozark were such incredible crime thrillers that it was hard not to feel a massive void in the genre after they ended. Fortunately, Prime Video's upcoming comic book adaptation has the potential to be their perfect TV replacement.
While Breaking Bad is still touted as one of the greatest TV shows ever made, Ozark is remembered as an enthralling crime thriller that never left a dull moment in its four-season runtime. The two shows played a crucial role in shaping modern crime thrillers and their influence still lingers. Many new additions to the genre even try to emulate their portrayals of anti-heroes and morally skewed characters.
However, since Breaking Bad and Ozark created solid legacies for themselves, they can never be truly replaced. However, Prime Video's upcoming adaptation of a brilliant comic book series can perfectly fill the void they left behind in the crime thriller genre.
Like Breaking Bad & Ozark, Prime Video’s Criminal Adaptation Will Capture The Slow Decay Of Morality
Brian Cranston as Walter White in his underpants in Breaking Bad
Breaking Bad and Ozark still cast a long shadow on the crime thriller genre, but soon, Prime Video's Criminal will likely join the ranks with them. Based on Ed Brubaker highly acclaimed comic of the same name, Criminal will walk through the slow, inevitable moral decay of several individuals who end up in the criminal world by fate or by one bad decision snowballing into chaos.
Similar to Ozark and Breaking Bad, Ed Brubaker's Criminal rotates between many different morally complex characters who are all trapped in the same corrupt black hole. They struggle to escape the consequences of their past actions, and the ripples created by their criminal endeavors linger for generations.
The first season of Prime Video's Criminal will specifically focus on the "Coward" and "Lawless" story arcs from the comic, highlighting the familial hate and generational crime that haunts many characters before gradually destroying them. Apart from merely featuring similar story beats as Breaking Bad and Ozark, Criminal will also likely have the same prestige feel because it seems to have a lot going on in its favor.
Criminal's Solid Cast & Showrunner Set It Up To Recreate Ozark & Breaking Bad’s Success
Charlie Hunnam as Jax Teller with shorter hair wearing a black hoodie in Sons of Anarchy
Criminal's opening season will be led by Charlie Hunnam, who will portray a cautious thief named Leo Patterson. Other A-listers, like Emilia Clarke, Luke Evans, and Oscar-nominated Richard Jenkins, are also a part of the series' roster. Interestingly, the original comic's creator, Ed Brubaker is also serving as the series' co-showrunner, which ensures the show will be as compelling as the source material.
While the show's first four episodes are being directed by Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck of Half Nelson and Captain Marvel fame, the remaining are being helmed by Dee Rees (known for Mudbound). With so many talented individuals and creative powerhouses behind the crime thriller, it is fair to say that it could become Prime Video's prefect response to Breaking Bad and Ozark.
Criminal
TV-MA
Action
Crime
Network
Prime Video
Showrunner
Ed Brubaker, Jordan Harper
Writers
Ed Brubaker
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.
Genres Action, Crime Creator(s) Ed Brubaker, Jordan Harper, Sean Phillips Producers Jordan Harper, Sarah Carbiener Seasons 1 Where To Watch Prime Video Powered by
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Criminal
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