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Rivers of Fate is Netflix’s latest Brazilian crime thriller, released on August 20, 2025, as a four-episode limited miniseries. Based on the novel, Pssica, by celebrated Brazilian author Edyr Augusto, the series explicitly dramatizes the crime on the rivers of the northern part of the country. The adaptation is helmed by Bráulio Mantovani (Oscar-nominated for City of God), along with writers Fernando Garrido and Stephanie Degreas, and directed by Fernando Meirelles (City of God, The Two Popes) and Quico Meirelles.
The narrative of Rivers of Fate is set in the secluded and rocky terrain of Par, Brazil, with a plot featuring human trafficking, organized crime, and vengeance, against the backdrop of the Amazonian waterways. Central to the storyline are three inter-twining characters. Janalice (Domithila Cattete) is a teen girl who is kidnapped by a s*x trafficking gang. Preá (Lucas Galvino) is a river pirate unwillingly put in charge of a group of smugglers and violent thugs. The third important character, Mariangel (Marleyda Soto), is a mother who is on a quest for justice following the cruel killing of her family.
Their stories intersect in a world of corruption and brutality, where survival tends to be bought at the cost of morality. Rivers of Fate is also based on local folklore “pssica,” a curse that is believed to lurk on those who perpetrate atrocities.
Upon release, Rivers of Fate has been praised and became one of the Top 10 movies on Netflix in many countries, as well as received an 80% rating on Rotten Tomatoes. Critics have called it “nail-biting” and “outstanding”. It has been compared to hit anthologies such as American Horror Story and Black Mirror. Nevertheless, the almost uninterrupted display of cruelty and pain has proved divisive, too, with critics at Ready Steady Cut citing it as being “draining” and over-relying on shock value.
In the meantime, should the raw tensions and the emotional stakes in Rivers of Fate not have been quite enough, here are five more crime dramas that are bound to give you an equally memorable time.
5 crime dramas similar to Rivers of Fate
1. Luther
Luther is a British psychological crime thriller television series that stars Idris Elba as Detective Chief Inspector (DCI) John Luther. He is an exceptional but disturbed detective in the Serious Crime Unit in London, later in the Serious and Serial unit. He is a man with unrivalled talent to crack the unsolvable cases that usually involve serial killers. Nevertheless, his extreme commitment to the work often places him in clashes with his superiors and takes a heavy toll on his personal life.
Luther has 5 seasons and a total of 20 episodes with durations that span between 40-60 minutes. A feature-length follow-up entitled Luther: The Fallen Sun was released in 2023 and can be streamed on Netflix.
If you enjoyed watching Rivers of Fate, this can be your next go-to.
2. River
River is a British crime drama mini-series which stars Stellan Skarsgard as Detective Inspector John River. He is a phenomenally bright but psychologically vulnerable police detective in London who is plagued by the presence or “manifests” of victims of murder, including his just murdered partner, DS Jackie “Stevie” Stevenson. The series explores River and his struggles with grief, guilt, and mental instability as he works on complicated murder cases at the same time as seeking to solve the truth behind the death of his partner.
The show is a one-season program of 6 episodes lasting approximately one hour. The original broadcast of River was in October 2015 through BBC One and can be watched outside the UK on Netflix.
If Rivers of Fate left you craving more gritty crime stories, these shows should be on your list.
3. Broadchurch
Broadchurch is a British crime drama television series created by Chris Chibnall. The plot unfolded as the murder of an 11-year-old, Danny Latimer, which caused a catastrophic investigation that greatly impacted the close-knit communities. The incident causes immense media coverage, provoking suspicion, loss, and strife among the citizens of the town as everyone seems to be unraveling their secrets and fractured relationships.
Broadchurch was aired over three seasons between 2013 and 2017, totalling 24 episodes. The first season is specifically about the murder of Danny Latimer and how the crime was handled in the town. The second season keeps chasing after the pursuit of justice, but introduces a second cold case storyline. The third and last season revolves around a new case of the r*pe of a local woman as the Latimer family struggles to deal with their loss.
If you’re looking for more high-stakes crime tales after Rivers of Fate, then this recommendation is perfect. Broadchurch is available on Netflix.
4. The Gold
The Gold is a British crime drama that dramatizes events that took place around the 1983 Brink-mat robbery, not only one of the biggest robberies in history, but also one of the greatest "lost" distributions of wealth in history. On November 26, 1983, six armed men burst into the Brink’s-Mat security depot close to Heathrow Airport, hoping to find a small fortune in cash, but they instead accidentally found gold bullion, diamonds, and cash amounting to 26 million pounds. The series not only looks at the robbery itself but also the ensuing aftermath of the story, which entailed what would be an elaborate international laundering system, widespread crime, scandal, and murder.
The Gold has already been aired on BBC One and BBC iPlayer; the first season of the show included six episodes. It was a success and, as such, a second season was aired in June 2025.
If Rivers of Fate drew you in, these gripping stories will keep the adrenaline flowing.
5. In the Mud
Set in an Argentine women’s prison known as La Quebrada, In the Mud is a dark, tense Latin crime series. The narrative focuses on Gladys La Borges Guerra and a fascinating group of female inmates who are united by the experience of nearly dying on the way to prison. As they encounter the challenges of the harsh prison life, they incur the corruption, turf wars, human trafficking, and abuse of power within this violent prison system, and end up creating a sisterhood to survive the struggles on a day-to-day basis.
In the Mud first aired on Netflix on August 14, 2025, and has a total of 8 episodes lasting approximately an hour. It is written and created by Sebastián Ortega and stars Ana Garibaldi, Valentina Zenere, and Rita Cortese.
If Rivers of Fate has you wanting more, this binge-worthy show delivers the same edge-of-your-seat thrills.
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Every single one of these shows dives into the cocktail of crime, desperation, and all the tangled feelings that come with living in a world where violence is normal. You’ve got everything from mind-bending thrillers to those ripped from the headlines detective stories. That means after you finish Rivers of Fate, you’re not going to be left hanging. So, if you’re after raw characters or the kind of twisty mysteries, these shows totally deliver.
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