Television series

Hap and Leonard

Name: Hap and Leonard
Genre: Drama, Crime, Thriller
Released: 2016
Cast: James Purefoy, Michael K. Williams, Tiffany Mack, Cranston Johnson, Douglas M. Griffin

Crime

A darkly comic swamp noir set in late-1980s East Texas, following two mismatched best friends—a white drifter and a Black Vietnam vet—drawn into a criminal scheme by an ex-wife with dangerous ideas. It's grimy, funny, violent, and deeply human, with the kind of character work that makes pulp feel lived-in. For fans of crime stories with personality and genuine friendship at their core.

TVMaze rating

3.8

If you liked this

True Detective2014

Moody Southern crime drama with two leads of radically different backgrounds forced into partnership. Outstanding performances, a mystery that genuinely matters, and that same humid, dangerous atmosphere you need.

But The second and third seasons drop significantly in quality. The first season's ending divides people. Bleaker in tone overall.

Justified2010

Raylan Givens is a U.S. Marshal in Kentucky working his way through local criminals with charm and .45s. Sharp writing, character-driven plots, and that perfect balance of humour and threat that makes Hap and Leonard tick.

But Takes a season to find its rhythm. Some episodes prioritize side plots over the main story, which can feel meandering.

Banshee2013

A con man assumes a dead sheriff's identity in a small Amish town. Absurdly entertaining, violent, funny, and surprisingly touching. Zero pretension, all propulsion—exactly what Hap and Leonard does with its own premise.

But Leans hard into trashy soap-opera dynamics in later seasons. Some supporting characters are thin. It knows what it is but doesn't always execute cleanly.

Not sure tonight? Get a pick in a minute, starting from Hap and Leonard

The wildcard

Something you would not have found on your own.

Johnny Handsome1989

Both are Joe R. Lansdale adaptations with that same swamp-noir DNA and a fascination with how violence reshapes ordinary people. Same era, same sensibility about the American South.

A criminal undergoes experimental reconstructive surgery and emerges with a new face to start over. It's a revenge film wearing a noir mask, with Mickey Rourke and Ellen Barkin in a morally complicated dance. Walter Hill directed it with pulpy intelligence and real bite.

But 1980s action filmmaking means dated effects and a plot that doesn't hold up to scrutiny. The gender dynamics are uncomfortable by design. Under ninety minutes but feels compressed.

Fargo2014

An anthology crime series set in the snowy Midwest with obsessive detectives, ordinary people in over their heads, and dialogue that crackles. Each season is its own story, so zero commitment. The tone is more deadpan than Hap and Leonard, but the DNA is there.

But Slow to reveal its hand. If you're looking for immediate action, the first two episodes feel like setup. Some seasons work better than others.

Ozark2017

A middle-class accountant gets entangled in cartel money-laundering in the Ozarks and has to improvise constantly. Intense, propulsive, smart about moral compromise, and Jason Bateman and Laura Linney are magnetic together.

But Increasingly bleak with fewer moments of levity. The final season rushed. Trauma accumulates without much release, which can feel punishing after a while.

The Bridge2013

A Swedish detective and a Danish detective team up across a border to hunt a killer. Atmospheric, intelligent, genuinely unsettling. The partnership has real friction and real affection, like Hap and Leonard's bond.

But Subtitles if you watch the original. Slower burn than most crime dramas, heavy on mood. The US remake exists and is less interesting.

Doctor Who2005

A laid-back ex-cop becomes an unusual family man. It sounds slight but it's genuinely warm, funny, and grounded. Characters feel like people you could know. That's the same gift Hap and Leonard has for making you care about screw-ups.

But If you want plot momentum over character study, this will feel static. It's deliberately small-scale and domestic, which isn't everyone's thing.

Rectify2013

A man released after twenty years on death row tries to rebuild his life in his small Georgia hometown. Quiet, meditative, focused on how people actually talk and behave. The lead performance is extraordinary and the show earns every moment of grace it finds.

But Genuinely slow. Some viewers find it tedious rather than contemplative. If you need plot momentum, this will test your patience severely.

Longmire2012

A Wyoming sheriff solves crimes in his county, dealing with tribal jurisdiction, his own grief, and a community he genuinely serves. Character-driven, smart about place and identity, with that same grounded decency beneath the murder investigations.

But Production values are uneven. Some seasons prioritize soap opera over mystery. The Netflix seasons are notably different from the cable originals.

Flesh and Bone2015

Both centre on damaged people forced into proximity by circumstance, and both are interested in how power operates in small closed systems. Same unflinching attention to how people actually survive.

A young ballet dancer enters a prestigious company and immediately realizes she's trapped in a predatory system. Disturbing, hypnotic, visually stunning. Eight episodes that feel like a single taut breath. It's crime drama reframed as art, where the institution is the villain.

But Intensely dark with depictions of sexual assault and psychological abuse. Not cathartic—it ends where it begins. Some find it more punishing than illuminating.

Hell or High Water2016

Same setting, same era of Lansdale's Texas fiction, same interest in how survival and friendship operate in places left behind by the economy. The ranger watching from outside is Hap and Leonard's version of social commentary, just in a different key.

Two brothers rob banks across Texas while a weathered ranger hunts them. It's a Western structured like a heist film, funny and violent and morally ambiguous. Jeff Bridges and Chris Pine are in perfect opposition. Modern filmmaking, classical storytelling, absolutely gripping.

But If you want traditional hero-and-villain clarity, the moral stakes here are genuinely murky. Brief runtime means character moments happen in shorthand. Might feel slight if you need plot complication.