- MGM+ has officially ordered The Westies from Chris Brancato (Narcos, Godfather of Harlem, Hotel Cocaine).
- The eight-episode crime drama follows the violent Irish gangs of New York City during the 1980s; and their power struggles against the Five Families of the Italian Mafia.
- The Westies release date: Early 2026.
If you’ve found the formula for success… why bother deviating from it?
That’s essentially been the television-producing philosophy of Chris Brancato, who is now crafting his third crime drama series set during the 1980s after Netflix’s Narcos franchise, and more recently, Hotel Cocaine.
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Described as a Peaky Blinders-esque period drama with shades of Martin Scorsese’s Gangs of New York starring Leonardo DiCaprio and Daniel Day-Lewis, Brancato’s The Westies sounds like another compelling binge come early 2026.
The eight-episode affair involves New York City’s fearsome Irish gangs, against the backdrop of the Jacob Javits Convention Centre’s construction on their “home turf” in Hell’s Kitchen.
“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,” explains Deadline.
“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.”
“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+; in reference to the creative’s other MGM+ hit Godfather of Harlem starring Forest Whitaker.
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“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.”
Brancato, who executive produces and writes in addition to serving as showrunner, has co-created The Westies alongside Michael Panes; the latter of whom has predominantly been known as a jobbing actor up until now.
The Westies will stream on MGM+ in select territories such as the US, UK, Germany, and Mexico; while becoming available via Amazon Prime Video internationally (including Australia). Keep an eye out here for all the crucial details as they’re announced, i.e. specific release date, cast, news, etc.
