TVDRAMA
MGM+ has ordered the original crime drama series The Westies from creator and executive producer Chris Brancato, best known for his work on Narcos and Godfather of Harlem.
The Westies centers on New York City’s infamously violent Irish gang of the same name. The series 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. 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.
Under his overall television deal with MGM+, Brancato created the series with Michael Panes and will also executive produce and showrun. The eight-episode series marks Brancato’s third show with MGM+ following the success of his critically acclaimed series Godfather of Harlem, premiering in its fourth season on April 13, and the crime thriller Hotel Cocaine.
The Westies will go into production in Toronto, Canada, in July and will premiere exclusively on MGM+ in the U.S., UK, Germany, Italy, Spain, Netherlands, Belgium, Brazil, Mexico, Chile and Colombia. Amazon MGM Studios Distribution will distribute in all other international territories.
“The Westies has been a passion project of mine, and I can’t wait to bring it to life,” said Brancato. “This is a story about ambition, loyalty, and power, set against the backdrop of 1980s New York. I’m grateful to be working again alongside my collaborators Michael Panes and most especially with Michael Wright and the entire MGM+ team.”
“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.”
