It must've been twenty years ago since seeing City of God, but I do remember the gorgeous cinematography. For whatever reason though I keep mixing it up with Tropa de Elite, another brazilian movie tackling some of the same issues, but with a heavy emphasis on the police and BOPE. Or rather the "Battalion of Special Police Operations", an infamous tactical unit based in Rio de Janerio and sometimes referred to as a deathsquad. So basically one of arbiters of the exact kind of racism you've been hinting at.
The sequels of Tropa de Elite broaden the focus a little and explore aspects of the prison system and its connection to the more activist side of things. Nonetheless it's still very police centric, even if there's some growing degree of ambivalency. At lest compared to the original, that quite literally ended with the seemingly justified murder of a local drug lord, after the unit took their revenge. The third installment for that matter would dwelve even deeper into brazilian politics, which in retrospect seemed like a foreshadowing of whatever happened with Jair Bolsonaro.
In terms of HBO and its crime dramas I still fondly remember The Wire, which many consider one of the best TV shows of all time. Don't know if I would go that far, but I do think it hasn't been matched yet in terms of a milieu study, without having to resort to cookie cutter stereotypes. Or as much as the common police prodedurals go.
Anyhow, liked your review and I'm looking forward to watching the show.
RE: City of God: The Fight Rages On, a series that explores more than violence(ENG-ESP)