Top 250 Tv Shows Like Midnight

Chicagoan Frank Gallagher is the proud single dad of six smart, industrious, independent kids, who without him would be... perhaps better off. When Frank's not at the bar spending what little money they have, he's passed out on the floor. But the kids have found ways to grow up in spite of him. They may not be like any family you know, but they make no apologies for being exactly who they are.

After spending graduation night together, Emma and Dexter go their separate ways — but their lives remain intertwined.

In a future where the elite inhabit an island paradise far from the crowded slums, you get one chance to join the 3% saved from squalor.

Bad Girls is a British television drama series that was broadcast on ITV from 1 June 1999 to 20 December 2006 and starred Simone Lahbib, Mandana Jones, Debra Stephenson, Linda Henry, Jack Ellis and many more throughout the eight-year run. The series was broadcast in 17 countries and was produced by Shed Productions, the company which later produced Footballers' Wives and Waterloo Road. It is set in the fictional women's prison of Larkhall, and features a mixture of serious and light storylines focusing on the prisoners and staff of G Wing. From 2010, the UK broadcast rights were bought by CBS Drama, and is repeated regularly – as of September 2012, the channel is re-running the series again in a late-night time slot.

Brazilian version of the reality game show in which a group of houseguests live together 24 hours a day, isolated from the outside world but under constant surveillance with no privacy. Each week a guest is voted out of the house until only the winner remains.

Driven by the fact that there are few things more dangerous than a prisoner who has just escaped, and tired of following protocol and resorting to outdated methods of law enforcement, veteran U.S. Marshals Charlie Duchamp and Ray Zancanelli are taking an unorthodox approach to their work: using former fugitives to catch fugitives.

Chase is an American police procedural drama television series created by Jennifer Johnson for the NBC network. The series follows a U.S. Marshals fugitive-apprehension team, based out of Houston, Texas. Jerry Bruckheimer and Johnson serve as executive producers for the one-hour drama. The series originally aired on Mondays at 10:00 pm ET/9:00 pm CT and premiered on September 20, 2010. After the mid-season break, Chase returned on Wednesdays at 9:00 pm ET/8:00 pm CT On October 19, 2010, the network ordered a full season consisting of 22 episodes, but this order was cut to 18 in December. On February 3, 2011, the show was put on "a hiatus" with no plan regarding the remaining episodes. On April 6, 2011, NBC announced the remaining five episodes would be broadcast on Saturday nights beginning on April 23, 2011. Later the show was replaced by Harry's Law.

Unshackle your laughing gas, put your ball and chain away, take a prison break and get ready to escape with the Daltons! The fab four are back! The Daltons will try every trick in the books to get out and then some: a maze of tunnels, explosives, hot air balloons and rain dances, and a whole cast of zany characters to help them get free ... or not! The only thing they don’t try using are their brains! But what they lack in intelligence, they sure make up for in willpower and imagination! The far west has never been crazier!

Ever since her birth in Newgate Prison, Moll has survived by her cunning wit, and considerable powers of seduction. She goes through five husbands and countless lovers to escape a life on the streets. In between using and deceiving her besotted paramours, she is not above picking a pocket or two! All the while, though, her heart belongs to the charismatic Jemmy. Inevitably, even the most clever criminal's luck runs out and Moll is soon facing hangman's noose. As her execution day approaches, she devises on last desperate ploy to save not only her own neck, but also the life of her one true love.

Hogan's Heroes is an American television sitcom that ran for 168 episodes from September 17, 1965, to July 4, 1971, on the CBS network. The show was set in a German prisoner of war camp during World War II. Bob Crane starred as Colonel Robert E. Hogan, coordinating an international crew of Allied prisoners running a Special Operations group from the camp. Werner Klemperer played Colonel Wilhelm Klink, the commandant of the camp, and John Banner was the inept sergeant-of-the-guard, Hans Schultz. The series was popular during its six-season run. In 2013, creators Bernard Fein through his estate and Albert S. Ruddy acquired the sequel and other separate rights to Hogan's Heroes from Mark Cuban through arbitration and a movie based on the show has been planned.

The heartwarming yet uncomfortable relationship between three adult siblings: one in the 1%, one middle-class and one barely holding on.

The Huntress is an American TV series that appeared on the USA Network over subsequent summers of the 2000 and 2001 television seasons. It was inspired by a book about the real bounty hunter, Dottie Thorson, and is also a belated sequel to the 1980 Steve McQueen film, The Hunter.

Murders, drug dealers, bank robbers or jail escapees. The stories are different, but the motive is always the same: to stay out of prison. See what pushed these fugitives to their crimes, how they changed their identities, evaded the law and - almost - got away with it.

Killer Kids provides an in-depth profile of the lives of kids who kill. What can possibly motivate kids to commit criminal acts and even murder? From hate crimes to gang initiations, murders of family members to occult ceremonies, each case in the series exposes different motives and methods of murders by children.

A retired FBI serial-profiler joins the mysterious Millennium Group, a team of underground ex-law enforcement experts dedicated to fighting against the ever-growing forces of evil and darkness in the world.

A crime she committed in her youthful past sends Piper Chapman to a women's prison, where she trades her comfortable New York life for one of unexpected camaraderie and conflict in an eccentric group of fellow inmates.

Due to a political conspiracy, an innocent man is sent to death row and his only hope is his brother, who makes it his mission to deliberately get himself sent to the same prison in order to break the both of them out, from the inside out.

Set in a dystopian America ruled by a totalitarian political party, the series follows several seemingly unrelated characters living in a small city. Tying them all together is a mysterious savior who’s impeccably equipped for everything the night throws at them. As the clock winds down with their fates hanging in the balance, each character is forced to reckon with their pasts as they discover how far they will go to survive the night.

The Rifleman is an American Western television program starring Chuck Connors as rancher Lucas McCain and Johnny Crawford as his son, Mark McCain. It was set in the 1880s in the town of North Fork, New Mexico Territory. The show was filmed in black-and-white, half-hour episodes. "The Rifleman" aired on ABC from September 30, 1958 to April 8, 1963 as a production of Four Star Television. It was one of the first prime time series to have a widowed parent raise a child.

A mysterious criminal steals a secret state-of-the-art time machine, intent on destroying America as we know it by changing the past. Our only hope is an unexpected team: a scientist, a soldier and a history professor, who must use the machine's prototype to travel back in time to critical events. While they must make every effort not to affect the past themselves, they must also stay one step ahead of this dangerous fugitive. But can this handpicked team uncover the mystery behind it all and end his destruction before it's too late?

After resigning, a secret agent is abducted and taken to what looks like an idyllic village, but is really a bizarre Kafkaesque prison. His warders demand information. He gives them nothing, but only tries to escape.

Matlock is an American television legal drama, starring Andy Griffith in the title role of criminal defense attorney Ben Matlock. The show, produced by The Fred Silverman Company, Dean Hargrove Productions, Viacom Productions and Paramount Television originally aired from September 23, 1986 to May 8, 1992 on NBC; and from November 5, 1992 until May 7, 1995 on ABC. The show's format is similar to that of CBS's Perry Mason, with Matlock identifying the perpetrators and then confronting them in dramatic courtroom scenes. One difference, however, was that whereas Mason usually exculpated his clients at a pretrial hearing, Matlock usually secured an acquittal at trial, from the jury.

Arabian Knights is an animated segment of The Banana Splits Adventure Hour, created by Hanna-Barbera Productions. The series is based on Arabian Nights, a classic work of Middle Eastern literature.

A Fazenda is the current Brazilian version of the The Farm reality television show based on the Swedish television series of the same name that was originally created in 2001 by Strix and produced in association with Sony Entertainment and Endemol. The show is based on a group of celebrities living together twenty-four hours a day in a Farm, isolated from the outside world while having all their steps followed by cameras around-the-clock, with no privacy for three months. The contestants compete for the chance to win the grand prize by avoiding weekly eviction, until the last celebrity remains at the end of the season that can claim the grand prize. The show is presented by news reporter Britto Junior alongside actress Chris Couto and directed by Rodrigo Carelli. Record's website and a Record-owned pay-per-view channel offer round-the-clock coverage.

Anthology series, in which every episode introduces fictionalized versions of real cases about women who, for different reasons, ended up committing murder.

Eight people with eating disorders struggle through a 42-day treatment program at Shades of Hope, an extremely difficult rehab center near Abilene, Texas. Maverick therapist Tennie McCarty uses unorthodox methods and a tough-love approach, asking her clients to confront the painful issues in their lives that have led them to use food as an escape.

Set in 1959 Miami, Florida shortly after the Cuban Revolution, Magic City tells the story of Ike Evans, the owner of Miami's most glamorous hotel, the Miramar Playa. Evans is forced to make an ill-fated deal with Miami mob boss Ben Diamond to ensure the success of his glitzy establishment.

Powerful adaptation of DH Lawrence's novels The Rainbow and Women in Love, focusing on the lives of two sisters as they struggle with love, passion and commitment in the build-up to WWI.

Joe leaves working-class, industrial Dufton behind him and takes a job as senior audit clerk at the town hall in affluent Warley. He takes lodgings at the poshest part of the town and starts to make his mark on local society.

In a middle-class school the story of the relationship between two young students, Ana and Alex, develops. A passion relationship, addiction and friendship that escapes the standards and at the same time is the translation of how young people today relate, among them, with other generations, with the institutions and social rules.

A look at a seemingly placid New England town that is actually wrought with illicit affairs, crime and tragedy, all told through the lens of Olive, whose wicked wit and harsh demeanor mask a warm but troubled heart and staunch moral center. The story spans 25 years and focuses on Olive's relationships with her husband, Henry, the good-hearted and kindly town pharmacist; their son, Christopher, who resents his mother's approach to parenting; and other members of their community.

Leandro is a sommelier with a penchant for women and fine wine. After seducing his boss’s wife, he is taken by surprise by the true love he feels for the married couple’s daughter, Antônia, which makes him doubt his convictions and plunge madly into a torrent of passion. When Jaime becomes aware of his wife’s infidelity, his fury coincides with the disappearance of the sommelier. Was it a planned escape or a crime of passion? The uncertainty only increases the suspense in this explosive mixture of action, romance and mystery.

After three years locked up for a crime he didn’t commit, former police officer André Câmara is back on the streets working as a bounty hunter and determined to prove his innocence. Gripping, south American sizzler charting the action from the mean streets of Brazil to the bedrooms of the law enforcers.

Nino is a 300-year-old boy who lives with his uncle, Dr. Victor, a sorcerer and scientist, and his great-aunt Morgana, a 6,000-year-old witch. The three of them live in a castle in the middle of the city of São Paulo. Apprentice sorcerer, Nino has never attended a school, because of the unusual age of 300 years. His parents left him living with Victor and Morgan, because they needed to travel on an expedition into outer space, taking their two younger brothers. In spite of having animal and supernatural friends in the Castle, Nino, feeling lack of friends like him, decides to do a spell he learned with his Uncle Victor, and ended up bringing to the Castle, three children who had just left school. Free of loneliness, Nino receives the visit of the three daily.

17-year-old Joshua "J" Cody moves in with his freewheeling relatives in their Southern California beach town after his mother dies of a heroin overdose. Headed by boot-tough matriarch Janine "Smurf" Cody and her right-hand Baz, who runs the business and calls the shots, the clan also consists of Pope, the oldest and most dangerous of the Cody boys; Craig, the tough and fearless middle son; and Deran, the troubled, suspicious "baby" of the family.

Thirty years ago, in the sleepy community of Waterbury, a killer known as “The Executioner” murdered Sarah Bennett's parents. Now Sarah and her husband Dylan have returned to town, only to find herself the centerpiece in a series of horrifying murders centered around the seven deadly sins.

The economic situation is a nightmare: only 20% of the population is employed. The Actives live inside the city. On the fringes, in the Zone, live the Jobless. Separating them is a wall.

Today is the day Ivy Moxham will escape from the cellar that's been her prison for the last 13 years. Today is the day she'll return to her home, to her family, to her life. Today is only the beginning.

The story of Cadu, a public defender who sees his life change after being mistaken for a drug dealer.

Her Story is about two trans women in Los Angeles who have given up on love, when suddenly chance encounters give them hope. Violet is drawn to Allie, a reporter who approaches her for an interview, while career-driven Paige meets James, the first man she’s considered opening up to in years. Will they risk letting what they are stand in the way of being loved for who they are? Trans women in the media have long been punchlines, killers, indications of urban grit, pathetic tragedies, and dangerous sirens. Rarely have they been complex characters who laugh, struggle, and grow, who share strength in sisterhood, who seek and find love. Her Story depicts the unique, complicated, and very human women we see in queer communities, and explores how these women navigate the intersections of label identity and love.

Broadcast on December 31st, Bye Bye is a comic year-in-review which consists of sketches that parody the political, cultural and social events of the past year.

Miles Daly works as muscle for a murderous crime ring in Nevada and attempts to change professions and become a movie producer, laundering money through a Hollywood film with the help of washed-up filmmaker Rick Moreweather. Based on Elmore Leonard’s 1990 New York Times bestselling novel.

New York, 1896. Police commissioner Theodore Roosevelt brings together criminal psychologist Dr. Laszlo Kreizler, newspaper illustrator John Moore and secretary Sara Howard to investigate several murders of male prostitutes.

SNCTM is the most exclusive, high-end erotic club ever. Its wealthy members enjoy black tie masquerades, private dinners, and erotic theater. Get to know SNCTM, its creator and its employees in this eye-opening documentary series.

Eduardo Borges is a young man above all suspicion: handsome, smart, and sensitive. However, his perfect man appearance is simply a mask that covers up his fearsome personality: a dangerous psychopath behind a number of crimes that have caught the police’s attention. A cold, conniving, and callous criminal; a serial killer who kills purely out of pleasure.

In 1970, with the conflicts in Brazil due to political repression from the military dictatorship as a background, the inquisitive student Alice and the idealistic doctor Renato fall deeply in love. Their worlds are joined by passion, but they are kept apart for many years by family feuds and a country facing a turmoil that affects lives and dreams.

Ana Francisca is a poor and ugly girl who, after being humiliated by the entire town, becomes a beautiful, stylish and rich woman who wants revenge. During this trajectory, this romantic comedy also shows the true love of Ana Francisca and Danilo that survives throughout the years, the distance and the traps of destiny. They will be part of a love triangle with Olga, a snobbish girl who is going to do anything to steal Danilo from Ana Francisca

When the most important friend in her life seems to have disappeared without a trace, Elena Greco, a now-elderly woman immersed in a house full of books, turns on her computer and starts writing the story of their friendship.

A not-so-happily married couple's meticulously planned camping trip is derailed by uninvited guests and forces of nature, turning the weekend into a test of marriage and friendships.

Death row inmates convicted of capital murder give a firsthand account of their crimes in this documentary series.

France, 1815. Jean Valjean, a common thief, is released from prison after having lived a hell in life for 19 years, but a small mistake puts the law again on his trail. Ruthless Inspector Javert pursues him thorough years, driven by a twisted sense of justice, while Valjean reforms himself, thrives and dedicates his life to good deeds. In 1832, while the revolution ravages the streets of Paris, Valjean and Javert cross their paths for the last time.

On an offshore oil rig, "Iron Island" showcases the duality of people who have their lives torn apart: wherever they are, they feel incomplete. In this scenario, Dante, the oil rig's production coordinator, is an irascible man who sees his life collapsing between the turmoil in the high seas and family dilemmas on solid ground.

Rio de Janeiro, during the 90's. Evandro dreams about becoming a great businessman, but ends up entering the world of crime and making an empire out of his criminal organization. His business skills and leadership abilities draw the attention of Morello, a federal police officer with a self-destructive behavior who sees in Evandro a worthy enemy. Two strategists that share the love for danger. The hunt down begins.

A unique look inside the mind of an infamous serial killer with this cinematic self-portrait crafted from statements made by Ted Bundy, including present-day interviews, archival footage and audio recordings from death row.

Fresh out of prison, world-class thief Daisy ”Jett” Kowalski is forced back into doing what she does best by dangerous and eccentric criminals determined to exploit her skills for their own ends.

After accidentally breaking a statue of the guardian god of the Asakusa district, middle school students Kazuki, Toi and Enta are transformed into kappas -creatures from japanese folklore- by Keppi, self-proclaimed prince of the Kappa Kingdom. If they want to regain their human form, they must collect the five Dishes of Hope for him, which fulfill the wishes of whoever possesses them. To do so, they will fight against the kappa-zombies and extract their "shirikodama", the mythical organ containing humans' deepest desires. Two policemen, Reo and Mabu, are the ones behind this evil scheme, turning humans into zombies as agents of the Otter Empire, enemy of the Kappa Kingdom since ancient times. In the guise of "Kappazon, Inc.", they control society by manipulating the desires of the masses for their own goals. To succeed in their mission, the boys must be connected through the "Sarazanmai", revealing their most intimate secrets in the process...

Four great friends, in their thirties, are always talking about women, drinking and boasting about their achievements. But for the first time in their lives, they must face a problem for which they can not find a solution: one of them is a mess. Nothing works: neither the doctor, nor the Viagra, nor the therapy. Now he needs the help of his best friends to try to live with this new condition in his life. "Men" is like a male version of Sex and the City where the beautiful clothes and the dream of marrying a prince are set aside. What do men want? What can men do? What is happening to men in the era of toxic masculinity? This is a comedy drama trying to find, if not the answers, at least the way.

Loosely based on infamous crime boss Bumpy Johnson, who in the early 1960s returned from ten years in prison to find the neighborhood he once ruled in shambles. With the streets controlled by the Italian mob, Bumpy attempts to regain his piece of Harlem.

Escaped convict Lin Ford flees to the teeming streets of 1980s Bombay, looking to disappear. Working as a medic for the city’s poor and neglected, Lin finds unexpected love, connection, and courage on the long road to redemption.

An honest lawyer reaches a moral crossroads after the cops force her to inform on her incarcerated brother, the leader of a rising criminal faction.

'Second Call' focuses on the resilience stories of teachers and students in a complex public education system. After some time off from teaching, Lúcia Helena returns to the classroom, now giving night classes to teenagers and adults. Along with other three teachers and the principal, she faces institutional adversities and the lack of appreciation without flinching. The conflicts involve both the faculty and the student body and, in this scenario, Education emerges as a hope, reminding everyone that it is never too late to have a second chance.

A diverse band of Nazi Hunters living in 1977 New York City discover that hundreds of high ranking Nazi officials are living among us and conspiring to create a Fourth Reich in the U.S. The eclectic team of Hunters set out on a bloody quest to bring the Nazis to justice and thwart their new genocidal plans.

In 1974, in the quiet suburb of Sainte-Foy, two discontented couples bring their kids to summer camp. Once home, they must face the pitiful state their marriages are in. Unable to deal with their problems, they become the most infamous criminals in the history of organized crime in Quebec City.

A major political, historical, human and economic fact of the 20th century, the Gulag, the extremely punitive Soviet concentration camp system, remains largely unknown.

Louise, framed for murder, sees the only solution is to pose as her twin brother who has just been assigned a job as a detective. The discovery of the body of a woman modelling for artists leads her into the decadent world of high society.

Zoe Walker leaves her quiet life behind to investigate her brother's disappearance in Ibiza, where she quickly heads down a decadent and dangerous path.

Florípedes, Dona Flor, a cooking teacher, loses her husband Vadinho, an incorrigible trickster, on Carnival Sunday. In deep mourning, tearful, she recalls the ups and downs of that relationship. But, as she is still young and beautiful, she attracts the attention of the very correct pharmacist Teodoro, with whom she marries.

At a high school in a rural, isolated ranching community, families panic when teens contract a mysterious "kissing disease" that quickly spreads.

In a dystopia riddled with corruption and cybernetic implants, a talented but reckless street kid strives to become a mercenary outlaw — an edgerunner.

Two college students, Frances and Bobbi, forge a strange and unexpected relationship with a married couple.

A young law student starts to work as a detective, decided to uncover the identity behind a series of murders, as well as who is next.

In a small Michigan town where the business of incarceration is the only thriving industry, the McClusky family are the power brokers between the police, criminals, inmates, prison guards and politicians in a city completely dependent on prisons and the prisoners they contain.

While hunting for a dating-site predator, an underused cop discovers a husband and wife with a horrific secret — and a web of conspiracy hiding it.

Naples. Still an organized crime stronghold. For the inmates at the Juvenile Detention Centre, time and space are interrupted. Taken away from their families and friends, they now have the opportunity to understand who they have been, who they are, who they want to be.

A four-part documentary series revolving around the case of single mother Barbara Hamburg, who was brutally murdered in 2010 near her home in the upper-middle class enclave of Madison, Connecticut. The series presents first-time filmmaker Madison Hamburg’s complicated journey as a young man determined to solve an unspeakable crime and absolve the people he loves, while looking for answers within his fractured family and community.

The series focuses about orphans living in a manor, known as Rincón de Luz, where they're guided by a young woman that represents a maternal figure for them.

Guilt, violence and impossible choices – what does it take to survive? Tense, gritty and heartbreaking – Jimmy McGovern's award-winning prison drama, with an all-star cast.

After taking a one-way trip to the Red Planet, graphic designer Jeff Cooper finds himself adrift when his bosses unceremoniously eliminate his role.

A criminal gang fleeing a botched jewelry heist is forced to hide out in a beach side estate where two women live in seclusion. Their world turns into a tension filled hothouse of secrets, betrayal and desire.

This is the incredible story behind Sweden's most notorious gangster, Clark Olofsson, whose infamous crimes gave rise to the term "Stockholm Syndrome".

A father who never stopped fighting against drugs. A son who never stopped using them. Two sides of the same coin. Victor is a cop who has fought all his life to curb cocaine trafficking. His son is a drug addict who has become one of the most wanted burglars in Rio de Janeiro. Will a father’s love be enough to save his son’s life?

In a world of privilege and glamour, two young women’s friendship transcends their strikingly different classes as they prepare to complete their education and enter royal vampire society. Based on the young adult novels by Richelle Mead.

Candy and Pat Montgomery and Betty and Allan Gore — two churchgoing couples — enjoy their small town Texas life… until an extramarital affair leads somebody to pick up an axe.

Unhappy at work and in her personal life, Anita discovers a way to travel back to age 15. What will she change in her past?

Explore the wild, tragic and controversial life and career of heavyweight champion Mike Tyson - one of the most polarizing figures in sports culture.

A talented, voyeuristic hacker finds herself thrust into a dangerous investigation after her sex worker neighbor leaves for a weekend trip.

When a renowned criminal lawyer sees one of the people she loves most become a victim of the Brazilian penitentiary system, she must decide whether to cross the line that separates her between looking for justice or committing an unforgivable crime.

Two cops must learn to work together to catch the world's most-wanted drug dealer, whose face has never been revealed.

A group of youngsters get lost while hiking in the woods and are suddenly attacked. Wounded and with one of them have being captured, they find shelter in an eerie village shrouded in an eternal mist, a place from where no one can escape.

In 1970s Brazil, a Corsican gangster, a Sicilian Capo and a master forger join forces to revolutionize the Mafia in South America. As American and Italian law enforcement close in, the trio must navigate dangerous alliances, shady deals and their own dark pasts to establish their criminal empire.

A veteran bookie struggles to survive the impending legalization of sports gambling, increasingly unstable clients, family, co-workers, and a lifestyle that bounces him around every corner of Los Angeles, high and low.

Adrift and desperately needing money to pay for his ailing adoptive father's care, Ubaldo, a bank clerk who's unable to remember his childhood, receives an inheritance that will change his destiny for good. He goes to Cratará, in the heart of the northwest desert, where he'll become the leader of a pack of ruthless bandits, fulfilling the legacy of his biological father - a mythical cangaceiro.

At the end of a year full of competitions, a group of young athletes decides to spend their last vacation together on an island paradise. Far from their families and isolated from the world, it seemed like the perfect trip. But when the body of one of them is found lifeless in the sea, friendships are tested and secrets come to light in a breathtaking thriller where each and every one is a suspect.

Wrongfully accused of a crime she didn't commit, 13 year old Guadalupe Santos is sentenced to 30 years in jail, while in jail she gives birth to a baby girl who is taken from her by her older sister Milagros. 15 years later she escapes jail and meets with Daniel Moncada who turns out to be the brother of the man she was accused of killing.

A look back at the social movements, revolts and youth subcultures from the post-war period to the present day: after the World War II, the left-bank of Paris became a mecca for jazz and alternative living, youth culture was born with trailblazing American movies, and rock became the soundtrack to a generation that wanted to change everything.

To crack the code of an investigation into a larger-than-life robbery, federal agents need to get creative.

Steel River, set in Atlanta Georgia, captures different emotions that are seen through the eyes of four gay men, stifled, damned, immune, and jaded. Some of the poignant disasters in their lives come from the idea of what they thought they were going to become. Life as you well no, does not always work the way that you wanted.

Colin McLaren shares stories about his undercover work inside organized crime families; chilling firsthand details about how mafia families operate and why their ruthlessness was often their downfall.