In this global series presented by Michael K. Williams, we embed ourselves inside criminal enterprises to see how contraband moves across borders, and explore the politics behind a hidden economy nearly as big as the one you know.
Social & External
The people behind it
Michael Kenneth Williams
Himself - Host
A working-class social climber finagles his way into the world of New York City auction houses by using the smuggling skills he learned as a soldier in Iraq.
Set among the turquoise waters and lethal wildlife of Australia’s Far North Queensland and the Torres Strait, The Straits is an exotic, darkly humorous crime drama. The Montebellos are not your average Australian family. Modern day smugglers, their family business is transporting drugs into Australia and guns and exotic wildlife out, making use of ties of blood and loyalty in the Torres Strait Islands.
Millions enter the US through airports each year, and hid amongst them are a stream of contraband ill intentions. Defending our borders are the vigilant men and women of the Department of Homeland Security, whose agencies make up a three-tiered defense of America’s airports. DHS will stop at nothing to catch a smuggler.
The story follows a team of pirate mercenaries known as the Lagoon Company, that smuggles goods in and around the seas of Southeast Asia in the early to mid 1990s. Their base of operations is located in the fictional harbor city of Roanapur in southeast Thailand near the border of Cambodia.
Dramatic events unfold in Croatia and Ukraine. The first girl drowned, the second one died from a drug overdose. The main suspect in these deaths, however, soon turns out to be innocent - and dead too. While detective Vladimir and reporter Stribor struggle to solve these murders in Croatia, the niece of Olga, an Ukrainian philanthropist, goes missing in Kyiv.
A married couple leading a criminal organization specialized in smuggling ends up in the middle of the international crime business while trying to protect their family.
A 360-degree view of the trafficking world from the point-of-view of the traffickers, law enforcement agents and those caught in the crossfire with access only National Geographic can provide.
In a world where beasts of all kinds coexist, a gentle wolf awakens to his own predatory urges as his school deals with a murder within its midst.
Story about Matan, professional beggar, smuggler, and trickster, his childhood and adult adventures with his family. It is shown as retrospective, while Matan is hiding from the authorities in the mental institution.
This is the story of women in wartime – those left behind while the men are away fighting. It’s the story of three very different women who work in a beauty parlour attached to a luxury hotel, during the Second World War. It’s 1944 and the tide is turning against the Japanese in the Pacific, while American forces, waiting for their final push through the Pacific Islands, have made Sydney a gaudy, hectic garrison town. At the center of the action is the South Pacific Hotel, one of Sydney’s finest. It’s modeled on the Australia Hotel, demolished during the 1960s but a legend during the wartime era.
Gene Starwind is a jack-of-all-trades responsible for odd jobs and bounty hunting with his partner, Jim Hawking. Stuck on a rundown planet, he’s going nowhere fast. But when a bodyguard job goes sideways, he finds himself the proud owner of the Outlaw Star and on an adventure to find the mysterious Galactic Leyline. Facing pirates and dangers galore, can he survive the journey through space?
Set during the Napoleonic wars of the early 1800s, Oliver Tobias stars as Jack Vincent, a swashbuckling ex-British naval captain turned smuggler. A strong-willed, independent man who lives by both his wits and the sword, Vincent is ably assisted by Sarah and petty thief Honesty Evans in his struggle to stay one step ahead of the Excise Men...
In wartime Japan, spirited Nobu transforms from a militarist schoolgirl into Kochi’s first female reporter, as she and childhood friend Takashi endure personal loss and struggle to find their own truths amid the upheaval of the Showa era.
The Aweful Mr Goodall is a six-episode 1974 British television drama produced by Richard Bates and starring Robert Urquhart as Jack Goodall, a retired MI5 agent who investigates various mysteries, often involving smuggling and international intrigue, with help from travel agent Alexandra Winfield.
One day, a city suddenly disappears. Takuya, a professional by-the-contract courier and lone wolf, meets Yuki, the only survivor from the city's extinction. The two rely on a message from Yuki's father, who was heard to be missing, and head toward the disappeared city, Lost. However, unexpected obstacles strike before the pair, with the reality especially shocking for Yuki. Before them are the feelings of those left behind, a mysterious group manipulating in the shadows, and unveiling the hidden conspiracy. Takuya and Yuki, who both were initially strangers, would deepen their bond during the journey and unravel the mystery of the Lost city.
Ray Winstone leads a gang of smugglers in our brand new family drama, Moonfleet. Written by Ashley Pharoah (Life on Mars, Ashes to Ashes), this two-part adaptation of the much-loved John Meade Falkner novel is set in the small Dorset village of Moonfleet. In the story, young John Trenchard (Aneurin Barnard - The Truth About Emanuel, The White Queen) is desperate to join the local band of smugglers led by Elzevir Block (Winstone - The Departed, Hugo, Snow White And The Huntsman). Together they embark on an adventure full of action, friendship, and humour, and hunt for a fabled lost diamond. Their journey takes them from 18th Century Dorset, to the jewellery quarter of The Hague, and on to a gripping, final sea voyage. Newcomer Sophie Cookson joins the cast as John's first love, Grace, who is also the daughter of Moonfleet's anti-smuggling magistrate, Mohune, played by Ben Chaplin
'Black Work' is the story of Jo Gillespie, a woman who's husband is shot dead in the line of action, in his job as a undercover cop. Jo, a police officer herself soon has to confront issues in her marriage and family life in order to discover who really killed her husband.
London police detectives Cassie Stuart and Sunny Khan investigate historic cold cases involving missing persons, murder and long-hidden secrets.
Drugs: A multi-billion-dollar industry that fuels crime and violence like no other substance on the planet. Turning cartel leaders into billionaires, the illegal drug industry also provides vital income to hundreds of thousands of poor workers across the globe. While some users sacrifice their lives to an addiction they can't escape, others find drugs to be their only saving grace from physical or emotional pain almost impossible to overcome. Where should the lines be drawn in this lucrative industry?
In this true-crime documentary, a cult expert and filmmaker infiltrate a polygamist sect to expose a self-proclaimed prophet and bring him to justice.
What happened to Mica Miller? This documentary series retraces her promising life, toxic marriage and the mysterious circumstances of her death.
Through bodycam footage, texts and interviews with loved ones, this documentary investigates the horrifying murder of four University of Idaho students.
Heinous criminals have avoided capture despite massive rewards and global investigations. This docuseries profiles some of the world’s most wanted.
From crippling payday loans to cars that cheat emissions tests, this investigative series exposes brazen acts of corporate greed and corruption.
In 1971, a skyjacker parachutes off a plane with a bag of stolen cash — and gets away with it. Decades later, his identity remains a compelling mystery.
An in-depth, intimate character portrait exploring the life and career and mysterious circumstances surrounding the tragic death of 90’s actress and rising star, Brittany Murphy. The series goes beyond the conspiracy theories and headlines, featuring new interviews by those closest to Brittany and new archival footage.
This intense documentary series details true stories of neighbors gone bad, from heinous fraud schemes to senseless acts of violent retribution.
Serial killer Jeffrey Dahmer confesses to his gruesome crimes in unguarded interviews, offering an unsettling view into a disturbed mind.
An overgrown field and a stretch of highway connect a series of grisly murders spanning several decades as grieving families search for answers.
Death row inmates convicted of capital murder give a firsthand account of their crimes in this documentary series.
The tale of a charismatic, daredevil husband and father who unexpectedly jumped off a bridge in 1977, despite a seemingly happy home life and a lucrative career as a pilot. His small-town Arkansas community searches for his body in vain while family and friends seek answers. Years later, a mysterious story emerges involving hypnosis, secret identities and a double life of dangerous missions and law-breaking. And that’s just the beginning…
To detail how drugs push people into risky — even deadly — behaviors, a former CIA analyst investigates the economics of six illicit substances.
Conspiracy. Fraud. Violence. Murder. What starts out virtual can get real all too quickly — and when the web is worldwide, so are the consequences.
Interviews with friends, family and Sally McNeil herself chart a bodybuilding couple’s rocky marriage — and its shocking end in a Valentine's Day murder.
When a rookie FBI agent uncovers a massive money laundering operation in American horse racing, he risks his life to take down the culprits: Mexico's deadliest cartel.
Insider accounts and never-seen-before footage tell the story of the 7/7 bombings on London's transport network in 2005 — and its explosive aftermath.
Crime journalist Raphael Rowe goes behind the bars of some of the world’s most notorious and toughest prisons. Immersing himself in maximum security facilities around the world to live as a prisoner, he encounters the inmates locked up for their crimes and meets the men and women on the right side of law tasked with keeping the criminals behind bars.
A non-fiction investigative series of murder cases told through the personal experience of retired detective, Lieutenant Joe Kenda. Through re-enactments, discussions with investigation teams, and interviews with victims' families and other involved persons, the show highlights Kenda's successes with his 400 homicide case history and 92 percent solution rate.