Shows Like Peaky Blinders That Fans Of Period Crime Dramas Need To See

Perhaps the most underrated gem on this list is "Ripper Street," a gripping Victorian-era crime noir thriller set in London's East End, starring a mostly lesser-known cast of British talent. Airing on the BBC between 2012 and 2016, it was overshadowed by bigger shows with more famous stars like Benedict Cumberbatch's "Sherlock" and indeed, Cillian Murphy's "Peaky Blinders." Despite its largely below-the-radar run, it still managed to be one of the best period crime dramas in recent memory, a story clearly told by its Rotten Tomatoes scores, with both critics and audiences agreeing. After the series concluded "The Guardian" poured praise upon "Ripper Street," saying it boasted "writing so deft and nimble it takes your breath away."

The series followed Detective Inspector Edmund Reid, the commander of East London's H Division who is still haunted by the death of his daughter, and motivated by his own growing frustration over his inability to catch the serial killer known as Jack The Ripper. A stunning mix of crime thriller and character drama, the series mostly avoided the season-long story arcs common to this kind of series, choosing instead to be a weekly procedural where Reid and his team on the H Division hunt down a number of murderers, burglars, and sexual predators, all while dealing with various problems of the era like a cholera outbreak and workers strikes. Running for five series, it concluded with what "The Guardian" called "the most shattering, emotionally raw ending imaginable."