Con artists have long been a topic that viewers find fascinating, both on television and on the big screen. Perhaps it taps into many viewers' fantasy of being a bandit on the run or maybe it's the idea of being one step ahead of everyone. Regardless of what makes the genre popular, at its best, a clever and well-done story about a con artist will have viewers questioning every stranger that approaches them on the street.
Whether it's hustling people out of hundreds of dollars of hard-earned cash or stealing millions of dollars from a bank or similar institution without so much as raising your voice, watching people cleverly get away with crimes is simply fun to watch. Not all of these hustler shows are created equal: the hustler must be clever and smooth, and those being hustled need to react how the viewer would, showcasing just how vulnerable the average person is to someone that speaks eloquently and seems to know what they're doing.
10 Lupin - Available On Netflix
With a Tomato score that amounts to a whopping 98% Fresh, Lupin is one of the hottest new shows on TV this year. The Netflix original stars Omar Sy in the lead role as a clever con artist out on a mission to right a transgression committed against his father by a wealthy and powerful family.
The show is one clever turn after another and does an excellent job at keeping the audience guessing, just as viewers begin to put the pieces of the puzzle together, Lupin adds more pieces to the puzzle and forces the viewer to admit they never really knew what was happening.
9 Sneaky Pete - Available On Amazon Prime Video
When the Amazon Prime series first debuted back in 2017, many viewers tuned in to see the first big project from Byran Cranston since his days as Walter White in Breaking Bad. However, it was Giovanni Ribisi's role that kept viewers coming back for two more seasons.
After a con man is released from jail, he has to hide from debtors on the outside and so he assumes his cellmate's identity in an attempt to hide and start a new life. Of course, his old life continues to haunt him and he must rely on his own resourcefulness and smooth talk to keep himself alive.
8 Hustle - Available On Amazon Prime Video
This British crime drama stars a group of con artists in a string of elaborate schemes. The group dynamic of the con artists is one of the things that makes this show so great, with the show feeling almost like a traditional heist movie at times, and each member of the group having a different specialty that helps them to complete their schemes.
The cons themselves make the group out to be more of Robin Hood-type characters, as opposed to petty thieves, giving the show extra room to include social commentary, which is included smoothly with the other themes of class struggle against the elite.
7 Leverage - Available On AMC+
Another show about con artists with a highly favorable Rotten Tomatoes Tomato score, 92% in this case, the TNT show features a similar dynamic as Hustle, with a group of con artists taking advantage of criminals in order to help clients that can't go through strictly legal means of getting help.
Once again, viewers are treated to a charming team of professionals, each with their own specialty, as they rip off banks and large corporations. The show itself can feel like a con, as viewers can be left in the dust if they're not paying close attention to the show's many misdirections.
6 White Collar - Available On Hulu
After a career criminal is finally caught by the FBI, he manages to escape a maximum-security prison, only to get caught again. Rather than throw him back into a jail cell that he would likely escape from anyways, Neal decides to aid the FBI in catching long-elusive criminals in exchange for freedom.
Intelligent and exciting, the show manages to keep viewers on their toes, as it's unclear who can be trusted in a world full of liars and cheats. The chemistry between the two main characters is what makes this show truly shine amongst other crime dramas.
5 Imposters - Available To Buy On AppleTV
This Netflix original flew under many people's radar and only managed to release 2 seasons before Netflix decided not to fund the next season of the show. Despite the show's brief run, it was an extremely refreshing take on the crime-drama genre that has grown so popular in the last few decades.
Rather than focus exclusively on the crime itself, the show instead focuses on each character's turmoil, as they battle with demons from their past while still trying to move forward and away from a life they once knew. Ibar Lavi is fantastic in the lead role as a woman going from victim to victim, scamming them out of all their possessions and sanity.
4 The Mentalist - Available On Amazon Prime Video
Unique amongst police procedural shows and amongst shows about con artists, The Mentalist stars a man working for California Burea of Investigation helping them solve crimes, especially murder and other high profile cases. His skill set comes from years of being a fake psychic, which allowed him to read people and thus solve crimes by identifying inconsistencies and suspects.
However, an ulterior motive is revealed, as the main character, Patrick, is actually on a long mission to enact revenge on the man who murdered his wife and daughter. Plenty clever, the show is an easy and entertaining watch.
3 The Catch - Available To Buy On Amazon Prime Video
A private investigator uses her detective skills to take on fairly run-of-the-mill cases. Just like The Mentalist, the show's protagonist, Alice, is revealed to have an ulterior motive, as her fiance defrauded her and fled.
Unusual compared to other shows on the list, this one makes the con artist out to be the antagonist, as Alice is desperately trying to find her ex-fiance before he can ruin her own life further or do the same to anyone else. The show also takes a slightly lighter approach, making it more into a comedy-drama rather than a thriller, and a more relaxing watch than most crime dramas.
2 Good Behavior - Available On Hulu
Another in a long line of shows that was canceled after 2 seasons, Good Behavior was another original take on the con-artist story, focusing on a mother desperately trying to clean up her act in order to regain custody of her daughter. Early in the show's run, the main character of Letty fails to stop a contract killing and gets involved with the killer.
All this happens while Letty is trying her best to stay on good terms with her parole officer in order to stay out of prison. The show is emotional and heartbreaking without sacrificing any excitement or tension.
1 Better Call Saul
One of the most critically acclaimed shows ever, there is little to be said that hasn't already been discussed about Vince Gilligan's brilliant Breaking Bad spin-off. The show follows Jimmy Mcgill, who is trying to lead a life of scamming behind while struggling with the fact that it just might be the thing he's best at.
Using his law degree and his smooth-talking skills to both get ahead and slow others down, Jimmy is just as easy to love as he is to hate. Filled with brilliant side characters and dozens of intricately woven storylines, the show is well worth the hype.
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