Mafia: Most Wanted dives into the shadowy empire of the Commisso crime family.
If you've ever wondered how a family from a small town in Calabria, Italy, could stretch its reach all the way to Canada and beyond, this series answers it in gritty detail.
The Commissos were not just another name in the Mafia underworld, but they became one of the most powerful clans in the 'Ndrangheta, a group that built an empire on drugs, money, and fear. And yes, the Netflix show breaks it all down.
From Siderno roots to Canadian power players
The story of the Commissos, as seen on Mafia: Most Wanted, starts off in Siderno, which is a coastal town in southern Italy where Mafia culture was casually stitched into everyday life.
The roots of this mafia family go all the way back to Girolamo Commisso, whose murder in 1948 due to Mafia rivalries in the region set three of his sons - Rocco Remo, Cosimo, and Michele on a path that would eventually cement and solidify their names into organized mafia crime history.

By the 1960s, the brothers had moved to Toronto, but they never left behind the vow to avenge the death of their father. Many families like theirs moved abroad, especially to Toronto, Canada, where Siderno immigrants had already built a tight-knit community. This gave the brothers both a new start and a new battlefield, away from Italian authorities but close enough to stay connected with Mafia business.
The loyalty and vengeance they carried with them soon turned out to be the fuel for what came next.
By the 1970s, the Commissos had already grown into serious contenders in Canada's criminal world. They were part of what came to be known as the Siderno Group, i.e., a network of Calabrian Mafia families operating in Canada, Australia, and Italy.
Drugs were their goldmine. Cocaine shipments came through international pipelines, linking South America, Europe, and Toronto, with Commissos acting as middlemen who controlled the flow.
The family's story was never without blood. In Italy, they clashed with rival clans, and in Toronto, their name appeared in everything from extortion to counterfeit money schemes.
Even court cases from the 1980s painted Cosimo Commisso as ruthless, with informants describing him as "homicidal" rather than simply tough. Despite arrests, prison sentences, and power struggles, the family never truly disappeared. In fact, their Canadian presence only solidified their reputation as global players.
How Mafia: Most Wanted captures their rise and rule
What makes Mafia: Most Wanted so addictive is how it brings the Commissos' story to life with the kind of detail you rarely see outside courtroom files. The Netflix series doesn't just rattle off crimes, but it shows the human side of power, betrayal, and family ties gone dark.
Watching it, you understand how one clan could rival the infamous Sicilian Mafia and command respect on two continents.
The Commissos' influence stretched far beyond local turf wars. Their network controlled gambling, money laundering, and international drug trafficking. Project Sindicato, which was a sweeping police operation in both Canada and Italy, revealed just how much wealth they had piled up.
Luxury cars, sprawling mansions, and mountains of cash were all seized, proving that the clan's business had blurred the lines between the underworld and everyday high society.
And yet, what sticks with you as you watch is not just the money or violence, but the way the family became part of Mafia folklore. From the Siderno Group's earliest days in Toronto to the courtroom dramas that tried and sometimes failed to pin them down, the Commissos express what Mafia: Most Wanted is all about, i.e., a deep dive into the mafia figures who shaped organized crime.
The show leaves you both horrified and fascinated, because it's not just a history lesson, it's a story about ambition, blood ties, and the price of power.
The Commisso crime family's story on Mafia: Most Wanted is as much about legacy as it is about crime. From avenging their father's death in Siderno to building an international empire that reached Canada, their story is brutal yet captivating to understand at the same time.
Mafia: Most Wanted on Netflix doesn't just look back at their crimes, but it helps us understand why the Commissos soon became a name and a family who were feared globally. It's history, drama, and true crime all put together, and it is impossible to look away.
Stay tuned to SoapCentral for more.
Also read:
Is Netflix’s Mafia: Most Wanted based on a real crime family?
"Mafia: Most Wanted – Who is Remo Commisso and what are his crimes?