MGM+ is heading back into the world of organised crime with ‘The Westies‘, a new eight-episode scripted series from Narcos and Godfather of Harlem creator Chris Brancato. The show, which tells the story of the infamous Irish-American gang that dominated Hell’s Kitchen in the 1970s and 1980s, will star Titus Welliver (Bosch, Deadwood) and J.K. Simmons (Whiplash, Counterpart) in key roles.
The Westies is set in the early 1980s when the construction of the Jacob Javitz Convention Center on the Westies’ home turf in Hell’s Kitchen promises a financial windfall for the Irish-American organised crime gang. Despite being outnumbered 50-to-1 by the Five Families of the Italian mafia, the Westies’ legendary brutality and cunning have given them the leverage necessary to share the spoils through a fragile détente. But internal conflict between the brash younger generation and the old-school leadership threatens to set a match to this powder keg, which will sweep the Westies into the FBI’s ever-deepening investigation into the Italian mafia.
J.K. Simmons will play Eamon Sweeney, the charismatic but ruthless leader of The Westies, whose old-school charm and neighbourhood loyalty mask fierce criminal ambition and calculated brutality. Titus Welliver takes on the role of Glenn Keenan, a troubled NYPD officer who grew up with the Westies crew, torn between loyalty to the law and love for his wayward son. Their dynamic is expected to be central to the series, adding moral complexity and dramatic tension to the already violent landscape of 1980s New York.
The series is co-created by Chris Brancato and Michael Panes, with Brancato also serving as showrunner and executive producer. Michael Panes, Barry Jossen, and Tana Jamieson also executive produce. The project is produced by A+E Studios for MGM+.
“We are thrilled to bring our viewers another provocative, exciting crime drama from the incomparable vision of Chris Brancato,” said Michael Wright, head of MGM+. “Chris is a gifted showrunner who builds his stories around compelling characters operating in dangerous worlds about to explode. The Westies is him at his best, and we can’t wait to bring it to our MGM+ audience.”
The Westies is the latest addition to MGM+’s growing lineup of prestige crime dramas, and follows a trend of dramatising real-world underworld figures in stylish, character-driven narratives. Given Brancato’s background on Narcos and Godfather of Harlem, expectations are high for a layered, gripping portrayal of crime, loyalty, and power.
‘The Westies‘ is scheduled to begin filming in July 2025 in Toronto, with the series to premiere on MGM+ in the UK and US at a later date. If you want to keep track of this or any other shows, you can add them via our Never Miss system, and you’ll be notified when it gets a UK premiere date.
