Best Brazilian crime series

New Bandits (2023)

Adrift and desperately needing money to pay for his ailing adoptive father's care, Ubaldo, a bank clerk who's unable to remember his childhood, receives an inheritance that will change his destiny for good. He goes to Cratará, in the heart of the northwest desert, where he'll become the leader of a pack of ruthless bandits, fulfilling the legacy of his biological father - a mythical cangaceiro.

Avenida Brasil (2012)

Brazil Avenue is a dynamic, lifelike, and modern telenovela that reveals how unrelenting ambition and inflicted cruelty can change a young girl’s destiny and lead her to seek revenge.

Elize Matsunaga: Once Upon a Crime (2021)

The crime shocked Brazil: Elize Matsunaga shot and dismembered her rich husband. Featuring her first interview, this docuseries dives deep into the case.

A Brutal Pact: The Murder of Daniella Perez (2022)

In 1992, actress and dancer Daniella Perez was murdered by her co-star, Guilherme de Pádua and his wife, Paula Thomaz, in a cruelly premeditated crime. The untimely death of the 22-year-old, daughter of Brazilian author and producer, International Emmy winner Gloria Perez, shocked the country, gained notoriety and occupied the front pages of national newspapers for years.

A Show From Another World (1981)

Third Brazilian TV show hosted by Coffin Joe. This show directed by José Mojica Marins was a strange mix of an auditorium show and a TV serie. The Stories were largely sent by the audience and adapted by Mojica and Norbert Novotny for TV. The Serie has a good audience ratings, but a short life.

Scars of Beauty (2025)

Two families, two terrible injustices, and one common plan for revenge. A daughter who loses her mother is wrongly imprisoned and murdered in prison. A mother who loses her daughter is the victim of medical malpractice. Both join forces to take revenge on those who destroyed their families.

The Mechanism (2018)

A scandal erupts in Brazil during an investigation of alleged government corruption via oil and construction companies. Loosely inspired by true events.

Capitu (2008)

A melancholy Dom Casmurro, who writes a book to tell his vision of his own story and also to restore, in old age, the moments lived in adolescence alongside the great love of his life, Capitu, a girl who seduced him with her "hangover eyes".

Good Morning, Verônica (2020)

While hunting for a dating-site predator, an underused cop discovers a husband and wife with a horrific secret — and a web of conspiracy hiding it.

The Evandro Case: A Devilish Plot (2021)

The series follows the story of the disappearance of a boy in Paraná state (Brazil) and the investigation of the case.

O Canto da Sereia (2013)

Meet Sereia, a young and beautiful singer whose world of fame and fortune is interlaced with envy and hate. Her murder in the midst of carnival shocks the entire country and the hunt for her killer reveals a new suspect with each new day of investigation. Holding the status of a big-budget thriller, the miniseries brings about mysticism, sensuality and suspense that hooks the viewer until the astonishing end.

John of God: The Crimes of a Spiritual Healer (2021)

Idolized medium João Teixeira de Faria rises to international fame before horrifying abuse is revealed by survivors, prosecutors and the press.

Supermax (2016)

Twelve people are confined together in an abandoned maximum security prison in the middle of the Amazon forest, and end up having to fight for their lives against unknown creatures and supernatural odds.

Sintonia (2019)

Told through three different characters' perspectives, the story of Sintonia explores the interconnection of the music, drug traffic, and religion in São Paulo. In the quest to be somebody, many paths will converge.

DOM (2021)

A father who never stopped fighting against drugs. A son who never stopped using them. Two sides of the same coin. Victor is a cop who has fought all his life to curb cocaine trafficking. His son is a drug addict who has become one of the most wanted burglars in Rio de Janeiro. Will a father’s love be enough to save his son’s life?

PCC, Secret Power (2022)

A piercing four-part docuseries exploring the rise of Brazil’s largest crime organization, Primeiro Comando da Capital – better known as the PCC.The First Command of the Capital (PCC) holds the hegemony of crime in São Paulo, but also an international presence. Narrated by the "brothers", the secret of the PCC's power is revealed in its structure: a masonry of crime, implacable in your ideals.

Xeque Mate (2024)

A dangerous game, full of traps. A dispute of power, money and desire. On one side of the board, delegate Giovanna Torres, on the other, the wife of a businessman, Maya Manoela. In this game, only one will fall. Who will give Checkmate?Loosely based on the work of Evelin Sousa.

Marielle - The Documentary (2020)

The life and death of city councilor Marielle Franco and driver Anderson Gomes, murdered on the night of 14 March, 2018, in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

Agosto (1993)

The series tells the story of a criminal investigation into the murder of businessman Paulo Gomes de Aguiar at the beginning of August. In the midst of the Vargas government crisis, the murder case is taken by police commissioner Alberto Mattos, an honest and incorruptible man who is not well regarded by his co-workers, as the place is totally turned over to corruption.

City of God: The Fight Rages On (2024)

Twenty years after City of God, Buscapé recounts how conflicts between police, traffickers, and militias impacted the community.

A Mother's Love (2019)

Lurdes is a mother of five who tirelessly seeks for Domenico, a child of hers who was sold by his own father 26 years ago; Thelma is an overprotective mother who finds out she has a terminal illness, and must race against time to make her dreams come true and prepare her son for a life without her presence; Vitória is a successful lawyer who sees the end of her marriage after countless failed attempts to have a baby and decides for adoption, but finds out she is pregnant during the process. In "A Mother's Love", the lives of these women are intertwined while they recognize themselves in the unconditional love provided by motherhood.

Above Justice (2016)

In this realistic and touching series told in an innovative format, seemingly independent plots intertwine to show how justice can sometimes be a personal matter.

Boca do Lixo (1990)

Cláudia Toledo, a former sex symbol and a struggling actress, sees a chance to transform her life when a wealthy businessman proposes to her. What initially seemed like a dream marriage quickly unravels into a deceptive scheme, as Cláudia discovers the union is a sham to maintain appearances. She ends up falling for Tomás, a seductive construction worker, who convinces Cláudia to plot a murder to inherit her husband's fortune.

Nomade 7 (2015)

Involved with drug dealers, a rich guy is brutally murdered, but he mysteriously wakes up the next day at home. Without understanding what happened, he has the mind invaded by a strange voice and goes on to exhibit superhuman abilities.

Decadência (1995)

França e o Labirinto (2023)

Land of Desire (2023)

When her husband is killed in a land grabbing attempt, Aline takes charge of cultivating his land and protecting his family. Facing the powerful Antonio La Selva, responsible for the death of her husband and the largest landowner in the region, Aline is determined to keep possession of her land and invest in its production. However, she didn't expect that she would fall in love with Daniel, son of her rival, who is at odds with his rebellious half-brother, Caio, who, in turn, also falls in love with the girl. In the interior of Brazil, Aline will have to fight two battles: the dispute for her lands and for her heart.

A Próxima Vítima (1995)

A young law student starts to work as a detective, decided to uncover the identity behind a series of murders, as well as who is next.

Merciless (2014)

Eduardo Borges is a young man above all suspicion: handsome, smart, and sensitive. However, his perfect man appearance is simply a mask that covers up his fearsome personality: a dangerous psychopath behind a number of crimes that have caught the police’s attention. A cold, conniving, and callous criminal; a serial killer who kills purely out of pleasure.

A Life Worth Living (2019)

Paloma is a seamstress and mother of three who, after having her exams exchanged with that of a terminally ill patient, believes she has only six months to live. Things are cleared up, but the young woman’s desire for a change in life remains, and she goes after the man who is really on the brink of death, Alberto. Having a passion for literature as their main connection, they build a beautiful friendship that gives new meaning to their lives, restoring in him the pleasure of living and bringing Paloma closer to a love from her past, Ramon, and also to Marcos, the charming son of Alberto, with whom she got involved when she thought she would die.