In many ways, "Money Heist" starts out as a traditional heist story: A man only known as The Professor (Álvaro Morte) assembles a team of thieves to break into the Royal Mint of Spain to steal 2.4 billion euros. But the show quickly distinguishes itself with its narrator, Tokyo (Úrsula Corberó), and the team’s Robin Hood mentality. In the wake of the 2008 financial crisis, the banks stole from so many people – so why not steal the money back?
After Netflix picked up the show, its audience skyrocketed. The song “Bella Ciao” quickly became a battle cry and the show’s Salvador Dali masks, worn by the robbers, became iconic as a symbol of rebellion. The entire series, which ran for five seasons, earned a 94% rating on Rotten Tomatoes. The show’s popularity spawned two documentaries and the spinoffs "Money Heist Korea: Joint Economic Arena" and "Berlin." If you’ve already finished all of these, here are the seven best shows like "Money Heist" to add to your must-watch queue.
'Berlin'
In Money Heist, Berlin is a gentleman thief with a true appreciation for all of the fine art he steals. Once inside the mint, however, he reveals two essential secrets: he's dying, and underneath his slick exterior is a steely determination to win — no matter the cost. Now, you can learn more about his back story.
The prequel "Berlin" follows him as a younger man as he acts as the mastermind for a group of young jewel thieves. The show revels in beautiful interiors and beautiful outfits with Paris as a photographic backdrop. Fans of the original "Money Heist" will also delight in seeing familiar faces Raquel Murillo (Itziar Ituño) and Alicia Sierra (Najwa Nimri).
Watch on Netflix
'Kaleidoscope'
A good heist is like a puzzle; it’s fun to try to fit the pieces together and turn pieces to make them fit. That’s the framing that Eric Garcia uses in his show "Kaleidoscope." The pitch is compelling for fans of the genre: Viewers can choose their own adventure, watching the eight episodes in the order of their choosing.
The story itself has elements of "The Count of Monte Cristo," as Leo Pap (Giancarlo Esposito) escapes jail after 17 years, determined to get back at the man who framed him, cybersecurity billionaire Roger Salas (Rufus Sewell). The show also introduces Leo’s crooked lawyer, Ava Mercer (Paz Vega), and his team, including chemist Judy Goodwin (Rosaline Elbay) and Leo’s former cellmate Stan Loomis (Peter Mark Kendall).
Watch on Netflix
'Imposters'
A real scam that we’re told to worry about is the sweetheart scam (which you can see in the Netflix documentary, "The Tinder Swindler"), in which someone pretends to fall in love with a mark and then leans on them for money, only to disappear by the time the cash hits their bank account. But what happens when the mark tracks down the con artist to get even?
That’s the premise of "Imposters," which brings together Ezra (Rob Heaps) and Richard (Parker Young) after both discover grifter Maddie (Inbar Lavi) married them just to steal their cash. The show takes the premise of these men’s heartbreak seriously while also adding moments of dark humor that will make you laugh out loud.
Watch on Netflix
'Inventing Anna'
When bank robbers or con artists target everyday people, it’s easy for those victims to get lost amid the glitz of a good heist story. What makes "Money Heist" compelling is its determination to show the fallout from The Professor conning lead investigator Raquel Murillo (Itziar Ituño) and her family.
"Inventing Anna" has a similar appeal. The show follows Anna Delvey, a supposedly rich German heiress as she scams many wealthy institutions across New York, from banks to hotels. But these wealthy institutions aren’t her only victims. She also uses hotel concierge Neff (Alexis Floyd) and friends Rachel (Katie Lowes) and Kacy (Laverne Cox); when her crimes are revealed, all three of these women are left to pick up the emotional pieces.
Watch on Netflix
'Leverage: Redemption'
"Leverage: Redemption" and its predecessor "Leverage" (2008-2012) share the same Robin Hood mentality as "Money Heist." A team made up of a hitter (Christian Kane), hacker (Alyese Shannon), grifter (Gina Bellman), and thief (Beth Riesgraf) work to fight companies and CEOs who bend the rules in the name of profit. The sequel series, which picks up one year after the Mastermind of the team (Timothy Hutton) has died, explores grief and what it means to build a found family, amidst a backdrop of heists against doctors who drove the opioid crisis to crooked senators.
The team works with lawyer Harry Wilson (Noah Wyle) to take down a new bad guy every week. As for the case of the week, the screenwriters have pulled real stories of corporate ne’er do wells, giving the show a “ripped from the headlines” feel.
Watch on Amazon Freevee
'History’s Greatest Heists with Pierce Brosnan'
Fiction may be plenty of fun, but I always wonder if it would really be possible to pull off some of these heists. The History Channel dives into this question by going through history to recount eight heists and how they happened. In a great bit of casting, Pierce Brosnan hosts the series. It’s a subtle nod to his time as billionaire-playboy-turned-art-thief in "The Thomas Crown Affair," which offers a great soundtrack and a slick heist that doesn’t tip into too much high-tech nonsense.
The mini-series tackles one heist per episode, combining interviews with reporters, lawyers, and experts and reenactments. The final episode features a heist that "Leverage: Redemption" fans will recognize: the Isabella Stuart Gardner Heist in Boston, MA. Tune in to see how the two different forms — fiction and documentary — tackle the same crime.
'Ginny and Georgia'
If you come to "Money Heist" to see morally ambiguous people overcome a system that was never built for them, then the next show to watch is "Ginny and Georgia." This show trades the inside of the Royal Mint for a sleepy Massachusetts town as Georgia Miller (Brianne Howey) grifts, thieves and kills to create a better life for her daughter, Ginny (Antonia Gentry).
As viewers, we get to see the cost, both to Georgia and Ginny, of constantly being on the run and working tirelessly to keep one’s past buried. It also pokes at how hard it can be to fit into a “normal” life — no matter how badly you want to — when all you’ve learned is how to use people to survive.
Watch on Netflix
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