Top 250 Tv Shows Like Placido Rizzotto

Told from the points of view of both the Baltimore homicide and narcotics detectives and their targets, the series captures a universe in which the national war on drugs has become a permanent, self-sustaining bureaucracy, and distinctions between good and evil are routinely obliterated.

A gangster family epic set in 1919 Birmingham, England and centered on a gang who sew razor blades in the peaks of their caps, and their fierce boss Tommy Shelby, who means to move up in the world.

Meet the Donnelly brothers: Tommy, Jimmy, Kevin and Sean. There is nothing these four Irish brothers wouldn't do to protect each other, and for them that means lying, cheating, stealing and, occasionally, calling the cops. Narrated by wannabe gangster Joey "Ice Cream," this gritty series bears witness to the Donnelly brothers' sudden involvement in organized crime, focusing on how they go from boys to mobsters, and showing how their new life affects their relationships with friends, family and lovers.

The name Borgia stands for betrayal, intrigue and corruption in the Vatican, which was the center of the world during the Renaissance.

The murder of a 12-year-old girl leaves her local community shell-shocked and intent on revenge. As the public clamour for justice, the team investigating the murder battle against a growing sense of vigilantism on their patch.

Amidst the political conflict of Northern Ireland in the 1990s, five secondary school students square off with the universal challenges of being a teenager.

Historical reenactments from A-list talent as told by inebriated storytellers. A unique take on the familiar and less familiar people and events from America’s great past as great moments in history are retold with unforgettable results.

When the head of a criminal organisation, Finn Wallace is assassinated, the sudden power vacuum his death creates threatens the fragile peace between the intricate web of gangs operating on the streets of the city. Now it’s up to the grieving, volatile and impulsive Sean Wallace to restore control and find those responsible for killing his father.

Homefront is an American television drama series created and produced by Lynn Marie Latham and Bernard Lechowick in association with Warner Bros. Television for ABC. The show was set in the fictional city of River Run, Ohio in 1945, 1946, and 1947. The show's theme song, "Accentuate the Positive", was written by Johnny Mercer and performed by Jack Sheldon. Forty-two episodes were broadcast in the United States over two seasons from 1991 to 1993. TV Guide, Abigail Van Buren, and fans showed determination in getting ABC to continue the show for a third season before it was cancelled.

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.

L.A. Law is an American television legal drama series that ran for eight seasons on NBC from September 15, 1986, to May 19, 1994. Created by Steven Bochco and Terry Louise Fisher, it contained many of Bochco's trademark features including a large number of parallel storylines, social drama and off-the-wall humor. It reflected the social and cultural ideologies of the 1980s and early 1990s, and many of the cases featured on the show dealt with hot-topic issues such as abortion, racism, gay rights, homophobia, sexual harassment, AIDS, and domestic violence. The series often also reflected social tensions between the wealthy senior lawyer protagonists and their less well-paid junior staff. The show was popular with audiences and critics, and won 15 Emmy Awards throughout its run, four of which were for Outstanding Drama Series.

The story of the Medici family of Florence, their ascent from simple merchants to power brokers sparking an economic and cultural revolution. Along the way, they also accrue a long list of powerful enemies.

This comedy drama series featured Terry McCann, a former boxer with a conviction for G.B.H., and Arthur Daley, a second-hand car dealer with an eye for a nice little earner. Alongside his many business ventures, Arthur would regularly hire Terry out as a minder or bodyguard, later replaced by nephew, Ray Daley.

Mobsters is an American documentary television series that profiles the lives of infamous individuals in history; the series puts the spotlight on some of history's most infamous gangsters and all that went on during their reigns. The series airs on The Biography Channel. Some episodes of Mobsters are rehashes of the similar TV Series American Justice as well as Notorious (TV series), both series that were originally broadcast on Biography Channel's sister channel, A&E Network; some episodes also rehash segments from another A&E series American Gangster, which began airing on the Black Entertainment Television channel. The only differences are the intro of the episodes and the lead-in's after commercials. Besides this, the rehashed episodes are no different in any way.

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.

Bob Lee Swagger is an expert marksman living in exile who is coaxed back into action after learning of a plot to kill the president.

An adrenalized drama with darkly comedic undertones that explores a notorious outlaw motorcycle club’s (MC) desire to protect its livelihood while ensuring that their simple, sheltered town of Charming, California remains exactly that, charming. The MC must confront threats from drug dealers, corporate developers, and overzealous law officers. Behind the MC’s familial lifestyle and legally thriving automotive shop is a ruthless and illegal arms business driven by the seduction of money, power, and blood.

Follow the booze-fueled misadventures of three longtime pals and petty serial criminals who run scams from their Nova Scotia trailer park.

A masterful soldier, tactician and statesmen, Napoleon Bonaparte's courage and love for his country sees him rise from an unpaid general consumed with ambition to the most powerful man in Europe, then his fall, and exile.

Special Agent Eliot Ness and his elite team of incorruptible agents battle organized crime in 1930s Chicago.

Acclaimed blackly comic historical drama series. Set amidst a web of power, corruption and lies, it chronicles the reigns of the Roman emperors - Augustus, Tiberius, Caligula and finally Claudius.

The story of Salvatore Riina, a mafioso boss from Corleone, Sicily.

The Death of Yugoslavia is a BAFTA-award winning BBC documentary series first broadcast in 1995. It covers the collapse of the former Yugoslavia. It is notable in its combination of never-before-seen archive footage interspersed with interviews of most of the main players in the conflict, including Slobodan Milošević, the then President of Serbia. Norma Percy won the 1996 BAFTA TV Award for 'Best Factual Series' for the documentary. However, it has been argued that it presents a potentially slightly biased point-of-view; for instance during the trial of Milošević before the ICTY in The Hague, Judge Bonomy called the nature of much of the commentary "tendentious" (partisan).

The Untouchables is an American crime drama series that aired for two seasons in syndication, from January 1993 to May 1994. The series portrayed work of the real life Untouchables federal investigative squad in Prohibition-era Chicago and its efforts against Al Capone's attempts to profit from the market in bootleg liquor. The series features Tom Amandes as Eliot Ness and William Forsythe as Al Capone, and was based on the 1959 series and 1987 film of the same name.

The story of an American Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent going undercover to stop an organization from trafficking people, and the struggles of three trafficked women.

La Piovra is an acclaimed Italian Television drama miniseries about the Mafia. The story was by Sandro Petraglia. The production was designed by Luigi Perelli. The soundtrack was by Riz Ortolani and later by Ennio Morricone, who went on to compose music for several sequels. All 10 series have been released in Australia on DVD by Aztec International Entertainment, with English subtitles, having been originally aired on the Special Broadcasting Service television channel. It was also broadcast on MHz Networks in the United States. The first three series were shown in the UK on Channel 4. The TV drama was wildly successful in the USSR, where it appeared on state TV in 1986 and in Bulgaria, where is also appeared in the end of the 1980s bg:Октопод, offering to the viewers of both countries thrills and dark drama from beyond the Iron Curtain. La Piovra was also shown in 1987–1988 in communist Albania, where it became a huge hit and remains to date a cult film, whose characters and expressions have permeated culture, language and society.

Traffik is a 1989 British television serial about the illegal drugs trade. Its three stories are interwoven, with arcs told from the perspectives of Afghan and Pakistani growers and manufacturers, German dealers, and British users. It was nominated for six BAFTA Awards, winning three. It also won an International Emmy Award for best drama. The 2000 crime drama film Traffic, directed by Steven Soderbergh, was based on this television serial. In turn, the 2004 American television miniseries Traffic was based on both versions.

A documentary television series of the Nazi-Soviet War, edited from over 3.5 million feet of film taken by Soviet camera crews from the first day of the war, 22 June 1941, to the Soviet entry into Berlin in May 1945.

Inspector Montalbano is an Italian television series produced and broadcast by RAI since 1999, based on the detective novels of Andrea Camilleri. The protagonist is Commissario Salvo Montalbano, and the stories are set in the imaginary town of Vigata, Sicily. In 2012 the series generated a prequel, Il giovane Montalbano.

Archaeologist and historian Richard Miles traces the development of Western civilization, from the first cities in Mesopotamia to the fall of the Roman Empire. In this six-part series, Miles travels through the Middle East, Egypt, Pakistan and the Mediterranean to discover how the challenges of society -- religion and politics, art and culture, war and diplomacy, technology and trade -- were dealt with and fought over in order to maintain a functioning civilization. Stories are told of disappeared, ruined and modern cities, from ancient Iraq to modern Damascus, to reveal how successes and failures of the ancients shaped the world today.

Ross Kemp travels around the world talking to people involved in illicit trades, locals who have been affected by violence and hardship, and the authorities who are attempting to combat the problems. In each episode he attempts to establish contacts within the groups in order to get close to the ringleaders.

Both a gift and a curse, Graham has the extraordinary ability to think like his prey—he sees what they see, feels what they feel. But while Graham is pursuing an especially troubling, cannibalistic murderer, Special Agent Jack Crawford teams him with a highly respected psychiatrist – a man with a taste for the criminal minded – Dr. Hannibal Lecter.

The rise and fall of Italy's fascist dictator Benito Mussolini. Recounting his life with his wife, children and mistress, this biography (based on the recollections of Mussolini's eldest son, Vittorio) chronicles Il Duce's tyranny as he plunges Italy into the dark days of World War II.

Carabinieri is an Italian television series that aired on Canale 5 from March 2002 to July 30, 2008. The series is an action thriller with added elements of comedy, and has been compared to the soap opera format. It told the story of the police barracks located in Città della Pieve.

Fighting a modern, fragmented and brutal Mafia, the Sicilian Anti-Mafia Squad seeks to crush the criminal network that holds a death grip on the region. Sophisticated surveillance helps, unless the enemy lies within.

Follows a criminal gang in Rome that has a near monopoly of the city's heroin trade. Besides their internal feuding, the gang has to deal with the Camorra and Sicilian Mafia that both supply its heroin, the police led by Commissioner Scialoja and the Italian secret services.

The true story of a decades-long conflict between the Los Angeles Police Department, under the determined leadership of Police Chief William Parker, and ruthless criminal elements led by Mickey Cohen, a one-time boxer who rose to the top of L.A.'s criminal world. The series is a fast-paced crime drama set in Los Angeles during the 1940s and '50s. It's a world of glamorous movie stars, powerful studio heads, returning war heroes, a powerful and corrupt police force and an even more dangerous criminal network determined to make L.A. its West Coast base.

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.

A high-octane suspense drama that centers on Dr. Ellen Sanders, a premier surgeon thrust into a chilling political conspiracy when she and her family are held captive in their home by rogue FBI Agent Duncan Carlisle, a desperate man doing the wrong thing for the right reasons, who orders Dr. Sanders to assassinate the President when she operates on him.

The Germanic, Britannic and other barbarian tribal wars with Rome ultimately led to the decline and fall of the Roman Empire. This series is centered on the campaigns and battles with the barbarian tribes and extensive examinations of the reigns of little known Roman emperors and generals.

Mini series about the origins of the Italian mafia

Detective Constable Jack Mowbray has seen a lot of disturbing things on the job. But somehow the family man has never taken it home with him—until now. The brutal murder of a young woman in Bristol sets off a chain of events that may change Mowbray forever and tear his family apart. When the Bristol murder is linked to a series of recent killings, the investigating team grows to more than a dozen detectives and just as many petty jealousies and full-blown rivalries. Mowbray’s boss, DCS Henderson keeps the pressure on as it becomes clear that the latest killing will not be the last. Mowbray and his colleagues race to find a predator who will strike again—without apparent motive.

Uncovers the extraordinary truth behind some of the Mafia's most notorious outlaws, and reveals how the FBI and law enforcement developed the techniques to crack the organization and bring it to justice. This is the story of the rise and fall of the Mafia, told by the people who brought it down.

Between 1938 and 1948, from the height of Italy s Fascist regime to the end of the tumultuous post-war period, Chief Detective De Luca investigates and solves crimes in the City of Bologna and along the Adriatic coast. With little or no regard for those in power, whoever they happen to be, his solitary, uncompromising character often lands him in trouble, but his respect is reserved for the truth and justice alone. In the four TV movies of the series Unauthorized Investigation , Carte Blanche , The Damned Season and Via Della Oche each taken from a novel by best-selling mystery Carlo Lucarelli Chief Detective De Luca always ultimately gets to the bottom of his cases, though what he finds leaves a bitter aftertaste.

A cinematic documentary series that explores the rise and fall of some of the most nefarious and notorious criminals brought to justice by the United States government. From thugs to lethal beauties, outlaws to kingpins, each episode profiles these gangsters and reveals their sinister motives, transgressions and the circumstances that eventually led to their downfall.

Based on Robert Saviano's bestselling book, this gritty Italian crime drama paints a portrait of the brutal Neapolitan crime organisation the Camorra, as seen through the eyes of Ciro Di Marzo, the obedient and self- confident right-hand man of the clan's godfather, Pietro Savastano.

Following the fact-based historical book of the same name, this drama follows the rise of Cromwell as he becomes Henry the VIII's closest advisor. England in the 1520s is a heartbeat from disaster. If the King dies without a male heir, the country could be destroyed by civil war. Henry VIII wants to annul his marriage of twenty years and marry Anne Boleyn. The Pope and most of Europe oppose him. Into this impasse steps Thomas Cromwell: a wholly original man, a charmer, and a bully, both idealist and opportunist, astute in reading people, and implacable in his ambition. But Henry is volatile: one day tender, one day murderous. Cromwell helps him break the opposition, but what will be the price of his triumph?

An adaptation of Francis Ford Coppola's The Godfather and The Godfather: Part II, re-edited in chronological order with additional footage not seen in the first two films added.

A gritty chronicle of the war against Colombia's infamously violent and powerful drug cartels.

Mastro Geppetto is a poor carpenter with no wife and no children. The man is very lonely, and when trading a piece of wood with his colleague Mastero Cherry, he decides to build himself a puppet to make him company.

Trevor McDonald embarks on an eye-opening journey inside the secretive world of the American Mafia, gaining unprecedented access to people who have experienced first-hand, the money, glamour and violence of the United States’ most famous organised crime network. In this two-part documentary series, Trevor delves into the lives of people with a fascinating story to tell, some of whom have never appeared on television before.

For two friends on the brink of losing everything, a dusty pipe dream of opening up an upscale restaurant in their hometown of the Bronx is all they have left to turn their lives around. Together, they take on the insanity of the New York restaurant world, and navigate its underbelly of petty criminals, corrupt officials and violent mobsters.

After rapidly ascending the ranks of the Socialist Party, Benito Mussolini created a Fascist state in 1920s Italy through his use of propaganda and diplomacy and led his people in a bloody war that would ultimately result in his downfall.

An unusual, real-world romance involving relatable people, with one catch - there are three of them! You Me Her infuses the sensibilities of a smart, grounded indie rom-com with a distinctive twist: one of the two parties just happens to be a suburban married couple.

A desperate banker needs to conceal stolen money. A Haitian-American gang lord wants to go legit. A Cuban-American hacker has an idea that will revolutionize the very future of money itself. Forced to work together, they unwittingly create their version of the American dream - organized crime 2.0.

Palermo, 1979. The Giammarresi are a normal family — father, mother, a ten year old son and a daughter of sixteen — struggling with the problems of everyday life. Seemingly ordinary problems, oh, and the Cosa Nostra, the Sicilian Mafia. Inspired by Pierfrancesco “Pif” Diliberto's film.

In 2008, a fight over land in a seaside town near Rome spirals into a deadly battle between organized crime, corrupt politicians and the Vatican.

A love story in two films charts the very different challenges to happiness for Michael and Thomas in the aftermath of World War 2, and to Adam and Steve in the present day.

A dramatization of the life and death of Montreal mob boss Vito Rizzuto.

A historical fiction drama and thriller set in the turbulent period of the late 1930s in the Balkans as a place where high politics, local interests, capital and crime all merge together.

Witness the stories of history's most notorious kingpins, their terrifying enforcers, and the men and women who've sworn to bring them down.

This documentary serves as the complete and definitive father and son story of two men who were raised in the mob and became the reigning king and heir apparent with John Gotti Jr. providing his most extensive on-camera interview to-date.

A troubled war veteran is assigned to protect a controversial politician who may be the target of a terror plot.

Set in the aftermath of Jax Teller’s death, Ezekiel "EZ" Reyes is fresh out of prison and a prospect in the Mayans M.C. charter on the Cali/Mexi border. Now, EZ must carve out his new identity in a town where he was once the golden boy with the American Dream in his grasp.

In 1966, Justo Gil arrives in Barcelona as a migrant with the purpose of gaining enough money to give his sick mother the best care. His great charisma allows him to socialize with the youngsters of the upper-class, until an unexpected turn of events makes him become an informer of the political police, in order to pursue communist cells.

Pianosa Island, Italy, World War II. Bombardier John Yossarian tries to fulfill his duty, maintain sanity and return home as soon as possible, but incompetence and bureaucracy constantly stand in his way.

Soulful thriller set in Tokyo and London, exploring the butterfly effect of a single murder across two cities. A dark, witty and daring examination of morality and redemption.

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.

The story of the 1986-87 "Maxi-trial" against Cosa Nostra in Palermo, Italy. Instructed by the Anti-Mafia pool, led by Giovanni Falcone and Paolo Borsellino, the story of this historical process and of its exceptional numbers is recounted through the real images from court audiences enriched by reconstructions with fictional scenes.

Based on the book of the same name by bestselling author Roberto Saviano, ZeroZeroZero is an unforgettable exploration of the inner workings of the global cocaine trade.

A detective in a small Pennsylvania town investigates a local murder while trying to keep her life from falling apart.

In a politically, morally and economically destroyed country, three sisters of an industrialist family in post-war Germany reinvent themselves and set the course for their future.

Picking up just days after the “Power” finale, this sequel series follows Tariq navigating his new life, in which his desire to shed his father’s legacy comes up against the mounting pressure to save his family.

A compelling family drama and a timeless story told through the eyes of complicated and compromised chief of police Del Harris of a Pennsylvania Rust Belt town full of good people making bad choices.

A 1980's series of events revolving around Benny Zerletta (William DeMeo), a Brooklyn based Italian-American, soldier in the Colezzo crime family. Benny depicts the difficulties.

New York City in the 1970s was ruled with a bloody fist by five mafia families, until a group of federal agents tried the unthinkable: taking them down.

November 12, 2003. A terrorist attack kills 24 Italian soldiers deployed in Nasiriyah, Iraq for a peace-keeping mission as part of "Operation Ancient Babylon".

1950s. Under the communist regime, a struggling actor joins the KGB as an informant to make ends meet. He quickly finds himself caught up in a dangerous web of deceit and treachery.

In American Detective, Kenda trades in his own case files to bring viewers astounding investigations from across the country, with each episode featuring a different homicide detective whose tireless efforts helped put a killer behind bars and bring justice for the victim.

It is the golden age of gangs, and one of the darkest times for the police, who are controlled by a group of millionaire commissioners sharing in the illicit businesses of Buenos Aires.

Saverio Lamanna, a journalist turned spokesman for an influential government politician, is fired after committing imprudence at work. Defeated both emotionally and professionally, Saverio decides to leave Rome and return to Màkari, his birthplace in Sicily: here he rediscovers a great passion that has remained dormant for years, that of the writer. Driven by the curiosity that characterizes him, Saverio decides to improvise as an investigator and investigate the various local cases, forming an unlikely trio together with the eccentric and light-hearted friend Peppe Piccionello and the determined architecture student Suleima.

Julian Kaye has always been an object of desire, so much so that people are willing to destroy him in order to have him. Exonerated, after 15 years in prison for a murder he didn’t commit, he now faces the challenge of picking up the pieces as the detective who put him behind bars tries to unravel the mystery that led to his wrongful incarceration.

Based on a true story and the book, At the Devil's Table: The Untold Story of the Insider Who Brought Down the Cali Cartel by award-winning investigative reporter William C. Rempel, En la Boca del Lobo follows the series of events that ultimately lead to the dramatic downfall of Colombia’s infamous Cali drug cartel. The story centers on Ricardo Salgado, an engineer and soldier who rises ranks and became in charge of the security of the godfather of the Cali Cartel, one of the largest criminal organizations in the world and rival of the Medellin Cartel.

Inspired by John Ibrahim's best-selling autobiography, this series is an operatic story of two brothers, Sam and John Ibrahim who organize the street but lose each other in their ascent to power. The story tracks John Ibrahim's rise from a poverty-stricken immigrant with no education, no money, and no prospects, to Australia's most infamous nightclub mogul in Sydney's Kings Cross — a mini-Atlantic City, barely half a mile long with every form of criminality on offer.

Blanca Ferrando is a young woman who became blind at the age of twelve, due to a dramatic fire in which her older sister Beatrice died and which was caused by her violent boyfriend, Sebastian. This tragedy made her develop a very strong sense of justice to the point of pushing her to join the police. Blanca is helped by her most trusted friends: her guide dog Linneo, a female bulldog who protects and comforts her in the most difficult moments, and her beautician friend, Stella. After overcoming her work challenges, she finds herself facing sentimental ones: torn between two men, Inspector Michele Liguori, a man of many secrets, and Nanni, a young cook.

Just after he is released from prison after 25 years, New York mafia capo Dwight “The General” Manfredi is unceremoniously exiled by his boss to set up shop in Tulsa, Okla. Realizing that his mob family may not have his best interests in mind, Dwight slowly builds a “crew” from a group of unlikely characters, to help him establish a new criminal empire in a place that to him might as well be another planet.

The story of Nino Scotellaro, a Sicilian public prosecutor who devoted his entire life to fighting against the mafia and is suddenly accused of being one of the very men he has always fought against. After being condemned, and with nothing left to lose, Nino decides to pull off a Machiavellian revenge plan.

Exploring the mass gang movement that originated in Birmingham and other industrial cities in the 19th century and evolved into modern gangsterism in the early 20th.

What it felt like to live through the collapse of communism and democracy. A series of films by Adam Curtis.

Fulmen, Nix, Nubess, Pluvia, Thermo and Ventum are six ordinary kids who discover that they have extraordinary powers: they can control the weather! With the help of the Meteo Expert Center (aka the MEC) located on the Gran Sasso mountain in Italy, they learn to handle their superpowers and to use them to solve the challenges our planet faces every day –. And of course, as well as learning what it means to be superheroes, these kids have to face everyday challenges all youngsters face: handling friendships and differences, teaming and growing up – all while saving Planet Earth!.

The 1978 kidnapping and assassination of former Italian Prime Minister Aldo Moro by Red Brigades terrorists.

Laura, a young noblewoman who grew up in a convent, is given in marriage to the baron of Carini, an overbearing and lustful man. The life of the young baroness seems destined for unhappiness until she meets Luca Corbara, who arrives in the country to find his origins.

Murder. Extortion. Drug smuggling. Racketeering. The charges are mounting against John Gotti — but will any of them stick to the "Teflon Don"? Told from both sides of the law, this docuseries from the makers of "Fear City" follows the FBI's battle to bring down infamous mob boss.

This three-hour prequel to the 2002 miniseries, "Trudeau", chronicles the coming of age of Canada's 15th Prime Minister and the forces that shaped his brilliant mind and fierce political will. Fatherless at 14, a thorn in the side of his Jesuit professors, the young Pierre Elliott Trudeau chafed under the suffocating pressures of the very conservative Quebec of the '30s and '40s. Iconoclast, gadfly, a restless traveler and ladies' man, he helped plant the seeds for Quebec's Quiet Revolution by challenging all of its sacred cows—including the Catholic Church and the autocratic premier of Quebec, Maurice Duplessis.

Ida, a single mother of two sons, hides her Jewish heritage and fights against poverty and persecution during the end of World War II and post-war Rome.

Based on real events, this dramatic mini-series follows the experiences of the fictional Alvaro family who are a part of a Canadian community during World War Two that attempts to come to terms with events over which they have no control.

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.