Skip to content
MovieCove
Kingpin

Kingpin

2018Ended1 season4 episodes~83 min/epTV-14Midcredits score: 86th percentile of all shows

The journeys of some of the most well-known names in the world of crime, and a look at how they began as unknown thugs and transformed into globally notorious kings of crime.

Your rating, lists and review

Where to watch

Where can I watch Kingpin?

As of October 24, 2026, MovieCove lists Kingpin streaming on A&E Crime Central via Apple TV, Disney+, HISTORY Vault via Apple TV and Hulu and to rent or buy on Apple TV.

Rent / Buy

Buy

Highlights

What stands out about Kingpin?

Kingpin earns 2 badges, led by Hidden Gem and Crowd Pleaser.

Reception

Is Kingpin worth watching?

Kingpin's Midcredits score is the 86th percentile of all shows, from 171 ratings across 2 sources. 85% liked it (rated it 7 or higher out of 10).

Midcredits score

How well it was received

86th percentile

Better received than 86% of shows

81st percentile among Documentary85th percentile among 2010s
Acclaim (how much people like it)85th
Approval (how many liked it)83rd

Acclaim

Crowd Pleaser: Rating-distribution shape vs the catalog

How much people like it

79 /100

85th percentile of all shows

77th percentile among Documentary84th percentile among 2010s

Rating distribution

Most people land high, with a thin tail of low scores from those it didn't reach.

Approval

How many liked it

85% liked it

83rd percentile of all shows

79th percentile among Documentary82nd percentile among 2010s
85% rated it 7–1015% rated it 1–6

Reach

Hidden Gem: Loved by those who saw it, seen by few

How many have seen it

20th percentile

170 ratings across platforms

39th percentile among Documentary27th percentile among 2010s
TMDB popularity, last 37 days to Oct 26Down 23% in 30 days

Episodes

1 season

Season 1 · 2018 · 4 episodes

  • S1E1

    Whitey Bulger

    Mar 11, 201880 min
  • S1E2

    El Chapo

    Mar 18, 201880 min
  • S1E3

    Pablo Escobar

    Mar 25, 201880 min
  • S1E4

    John Gotti

    Apr 1, 201880 minFinale

Watch experience

What is Kingpin like to watch?

Conclusions only — categories and positions, no plot detail.

Earnest, serious and charged — a slow-burn watch that leaves you thinking.

ToneFeelDemandexact position · filled zone: the category

What it asks of you

What it feels like

Moods
TenseMelancholic
Heaviest: throughout
Register
Solemn: Grave and dignified; treats its subject with weight and respect.Brooding: Heavy, inward, weather-beaten.
Told as
Anthology episodes · 6% of showsAnthology seasons · 2% of shows
ToneThe documentary presents the criminals' stories with seriousness and factual detachment, treating the subject matter with gravity.
The rideThe series sustains a somber, tense register from episode to episode, with intermittent bursts of violence and moral comeuppance.
StructureAs an episode anthology, each episode tells its own story chronologically; there is no overarching narrative structure.
Episode formatEach episode profiles a separate crime figure, functioning as a self-contained documentary story.
Season formatThe single season is a collection of distinct criminal biographies with no continuing narrative.

How it leaves you

what you carry away
Thought-provokingUnsettling
Why it leaves you this wayThe detailed, unvarnished depiction of these criminals' lives leaves one reflecting on the nature of crime and power, with a lingering unease.
How it ends · evidence
Ambiguous ending

Story archetype

where it sits among all shows
Monster — 18% of shows. A threat menaces the hero's world and must be defeated.Rags — 3% of shows. A rise from lowliness to fortune, status, or recognition.Quest — 6% of shows. A journey toward a defined objective, with companions and obstacles.Voyage — 2% of shows. Into a strange world and back again, changed.Comedy — 12% of shows. Confusion and cross-purposes resolved into harmony.Tragedy — 4% of shows. A flaw or fixation drives the protagonist to ruin.Rebirth — 7% of shows. A stalled or darkened life reopened and renewed.Mystery — 8% of shows. A question drives the story — who did it, what happened, what is real — until it is answered.No archetype — 40% of showsPredator — 7% of shows. A creature or killer hunts the protagonists (Jaws, Alien).Tyrant — 3% of shows. A human villain holds power over the hero's world (Die Hard).Invasion — 2% of shows. An external force attacks the home or world (Independence Day).Oppressive state — 3% of shows. A government, its agencies or a secret faction inside them is the monster (V for Vendetta).Corporate villainy — 1% of shows. A company or its bosses are the monster (Erin Brockovich).Institutional injustice — 1% of shows. A court, prison, police force, school or church is itself the enemy (Spotlight).Class system — under 1% of shows. The gap between rich and poor, or a rigid hierarchy, is the monster (Parasite).Technology turns — under 1% of shows. Technology people rely on becomes the threat (The Terminator).Inner demon — 1% of shows. The monster is within — addiction, illness, a dark double.Underdog triumph — 2% of shows. Rise through competition or contest (Rocky).Social ascent — 1% of shows. A climb in class or status (Pretty Woman).Fame and fortune — under 1% of shows. An artistic or showbiz rise (A Star Is Born).Rise and fall — under 1% of shows. Wealth or power gained, self lost (Scarface).Hidden worth revealed — under 1% of shows. The protagonist's true value finally recognized.Treasure hunt — 1% of shows. Retrieve an object of value (Raiders of the Lost Ark).Rescue — 2% of shows. Retrieve or save a person (Saving Private Ryan).Mission — 4% of shows. Accomplish or destroy a defined objective (Mission: Impossible).Journey home — under 1% of shows. The goal is getting back (Finding Nemo).Pilgrimage — under 1% of shows. The journey itself transforms; the destination is symbolic.Portal fantasy — under 1% of shows. Transported into another world (The Wizard of Oz).Fish out of water — 1% of shows. Displaced into an unfamiliar social world (Elf).Survival ordeal — under 1% of shows. Trapped in a hostile environment, fighting back (Cast Away).Time displacement — under 1% of shows. Unstuck in time (Back to the Future).Descent — under 1% of shows. A night-journey into an underworld or subculture (After Hours).Romantic comedy — 2% of shows. Lovers kept apart by confusion, united at last.Comedy of errors — 3% of shows. Mistaken identity or misunderstanding drives the plot.Farce — 2% of shows. Escalating absurd chaos and coincidence (The Hangover).Buddy comedy — 1% of shows. A mismatched pair forced together (Rush Hour).Comedy of manners — 2% of shows. Social codes and class satirized (Clueless).Hubris — 1% of shows. Pride or ambition invites the fall (There Will Be Blood).Obsession — under 1% of shows. A fixation consumes the protagonist (Black Swan).Corruption arc — 1% of shows. Step-by-step moral decay (The Godfather).Doomed love — 1% of shows. Love destroyed by circumstance (Brokeback Mountain).Crushed by fate — 1% of shows. Destroyed by forces beyond the protagonist's control.Redemption — 1% of shows. Moral reawakening of a hardened soul (A Christmas Carol).Healing — 3% of shows. Recovery from grief or trauma (Good Will Hunting).Liberation — 2% of shows. Breaking free of a confining life (Room).Second chance — 1% of shows. A stagnant life re-opened to love or purpose (Groundhog Day).Puzzle — 1% of shows. A clue-by-clue puzzle you can try to solve before the reveal (Knives Out, Clue).Investigation — 6% of shows. A long pursuit of the truth that may never be fully solved (Zodiac, Memories of Murder).Enigma — 1% of shows. The mystery is what is real, or what is actually happening (Mulholland Drive).
Every story archetype, clockwise from the top
  • Monster 18%: Predator 7% · Tyrant 3% · Invasion 2% · Oppressive state 3% · Corporate villainy 1% · Institutional injustice 1% · Class system under 1% · Technology turns under 1% · Inner demon 1%
  • Rags 3%: Underdog triumph 2% · Social ascent 1% · Fame and fortune under 1% · Rise and fall under 1% · Hidden worth revealed under 1%
  • Quest 6%: Treasure hunt 1% · Rescue 2% · Mission 4% · Journey home under 1% · Pilgrimage under 1%
  • Voyage 2%: Portal fantasy under 1% · Fish out of water 1% · Survival ordeal under 1% · Time displacement under 1% · Descent under 1%
  • Comedy 12%: Romantic comedy 2% · Comedy of errors 3% · Farce 2% · Buddy comedy 1% · Comedy of manners 2%
  • Tragedy 4%: Hubris 1% · Obsession under 1% · Corruption arc 1% · Doomed love 1% · Crushed by fate 1%
  • Rebirth 7%: Redemption 1% · Healing 3% · Liberation 2% · Second chance 1%
  • Mystery 8%: Puzzle 1% · Investigation 6% · Enigma 1%
  • No archetype 40% (this title)

No archetype fits — true of 40% of shows: ensemble pieces, satire, slice-of-life.

Why this archetypeThis is a non-narrative documentary series profiling multiple criminals; there is no single plot archetype.

What it's about

7 groups · 53 themes
Bonds — 31% of showsSelf — 27% of showsPower — 7% of showsMorality — 11% of showsSurvival — 9% of showsSociety — 10% of showsIdeas — 5% of showsRomantic love — 10% of showsMarriage — 2% of showsFamily bonds — 22% of showsParenthood — 1% of showsFriendship — 18% of showsLoyalty — 7% of showsIdentity — 20% of showsComing of age — 9% of showsAging — under 1% of showsSelf-worth — 7% of showsAmbition — 14% of showsPurpose — 16% of showsMemory — 3% of showsObsession — 2% of shows. A fixation consumes the protagonist (Black Swan).Power — 5% of showsCorruption — 3% of showsGreed — 2% of showsClass — 4% of showsOppression — 2% of showsFreedom — 4% of showsJustice — 14% of showsDuty — 2% of showsRevenge — 1% of showsGuilt — 1% of showsRedemption — 3% of shows. Moral reawakening of a hardened soul (A Christmas Carol).Forgiveness — under 1% of showsSacrifice — 2% of showsBetrayal — 3% of showsDeception — 6% of showsSurvival — 12% of showsWar — 1% of showsViolence — 2% of showsMortality — 2% of showsGrief — 4% of showsTrauma — 5% of showsMental illness — under 1% of showsAddiction — under 1% of showsIllness and disability — under 1% of showsCommunity — 25% of shows. Consequences reach a town, institution or group.Isolation — 3% of showsPrejudice — 2% of showsDisplacement — 1% of showsFaith — 1% of showsTradition vs change — 3% of showsFame — 5% of showsLegacy — 3% of showsFate — 1% of showsFree will — under 1% of showsTruth — 6% of showsHope — 4% of showsNature — 3% of showsArt — 2% of showsTechnology — 1% of showsSelfAmbitionSelf
Every theme, clockwise from the top
  • Bonds 31%: Romantic love 10% · Marriage 2% · Family bonds 22% · Parenthood 1% · Friendship 18% · Loyalty 7%
  • Self 27% (this title): Identity 20% · Coming of age 9% · Aging under 1% · Self-worth 7% · Ambition 14% (this title) · Purpose 16% · Memory 3% · Obsession 2%
  • Power 7%: Power 5% (this title) · Corruption 3% (this title) · Greed 2% · Class 4% · Oppression 2% · Freedom 4%
  • Morality 11%: Justice 14% · Duty 2% · Revenge 1% · Guilt 1% · Redemption 3% · Forgiveness under 1% · Sacrifice 2% · Betrayal 3% · Deception 6%
  • Survival 9%: Survival 12% · War 1% · Violence 2% · Mortality 2% · Grief 4% · Trauma 5% · Mental illness under 1% · Addiction under 1% · Illness and disability under 1%
  • Society 10%: Community 25% · Isolation 3% · Prejudice 2% · Displacement 1% · Faith 1% · Tradition vs change 3% · Fame 5% · Legacy 3%
  • Ideas 5%: Fate 1% · Free will under 1% · Truth 6% · Hope 4% · Nature 3% · Art 2% · Technology 1%

Self

Ambition · 14% of showsCorruption · 3% of showsPower · 5% of shows
Warns its theme: Presents its theme as a danger or a coming cost.Global stakes: Consequences reach the world.Ensemble lead
How it treats its themeThe series tracks how ruthless ambition and the pursuit of criminal power transform petty thugs into globally notorious kingpins.
StanceThe series cautions against the corrupting allure of unchecked criminal ambition.

The world

Late 20th centuryUrbanStylized realism
Orchestral modernSupportive music · original score · Jose Cancela
SettingThe international criminal underworld across the late 20th and early 21st centuries
MusicA brooding, percussive orchestral score underpins the moody atmosphere.

Content guide

Is Kingpin okay for kids?

TV-14

Kingpin is rated TV-14.

Ratings in 5 other countries
  • Germany16
  • France12
  • MexicoB-15
  • PortugalNR
  • Spain12

No detailed content scores for this title yet.

What content warnings does Kingpin have?

Not screened for content warnings yet.

Cast and crew

Who is in Kingpin?

Cast

Ricardo Niño
as Joaquín 'El Chapo' Guzmán
Christian Ballesteros
as Pablo Escobar
Joseph Covino
as John Gotti
Sean Michael Nugent
as Jimmy Bulger
Joe Giorgio
as Steve Flemmi
Orlando Lamboglia
as Jorge Ochoa
Joseph Leone
as Paul Castellano
Edgar Duran
as Ramón Arellano Félix
Ralph Bracco
as Neil Dellacroce
Julian Mora
as Carlos Lehder

Crew

More like this

What are shows like Kingpin?

TMDB's suggestions for shows like Kingpin include Wild Crime (2021), Top Gear (1978) and Mysteries at the Museum (2010).

Like this, but

Explore by

What other shows share a tag with Kingpin?

1.5K other shows share the rarest tag below, kind of show: true crime. Each tag opens Browse with the shows that share it.