The eight-episode gangster drama The Westies, which premiered on MGM+ on July 12, 2026, is indeed based on the infamously violent Irish-American criminal organization that operated in New York City during the 1980s. The series, starring Oscar winner J.K. Simmons, Titus Welliver, Tom Brittney, Allen Leech, Stanley Morgan, and Jessica Frances Dukes, has drawn comparisons to Peaky Blinders and The Sopranos.
Real-Life Origins of The Westies
The title "Westies" was coined by the press in the 1980s; the group itself did not use the name. They began their criminal activities in the early 1960s, engaging in drug trafficking, racketeering, and contract killing. Operating out of Hell's Kitchen in Manhattan, they collaborated with the Italian-American Mafia, despite being outnumbered 50 to one by the Five Families.
The series depicts various eras of the gang, including the Irish-Italian war of the 1970s. By the 1990s, changing demographics in Hell's Kitchen reduced street crime, and leadership shifted to Serbian-American nationalist Boško Radonjić, ushering in the "Yugo era." After 2000, the Westies largely disappeared from headlines, though they resurfaced briefly in 2012.
Creative Inspiration Behind the Series
Co-creators Chris Brancato and Michael Panes, known for Hotel Cocaine and Godfather of Harlem, drew on the gang's outsized influence despite its small size. Brancato explained: "The Westies were certainly in our consciousness as one of the criminal gangs in New York City who had an outsized influence. Their numbers were small, but their danger was very, very high."
He attributed their influence to their association with the Gambino crime family: "In reality, it was their association with the Gambino crime family who were much more organized. They say that the Italians are organized crime and the Irish are disorganized crime, but their association with the Gambinos to do jobs for them, specifically hits, gave them kind of an outsized influence. The fact that they were pretty heavy drinkers and caused wreckage wherever they went helped them become sort of famous in New York City lore as a very dangerous gang."
Plot and Setting
Set in 1980s New York City, the series follows the Irish-American mafia group as the construction of the Jacob Javits Convention Centre in Hell's Kitchen promises new fortunes. However, internal conflict between younger and older generations threatens their operations, drawing the attention of the FBI's investigation into the Italian mafia.
The first two episodes debuted on July 12, with new episodes releasing weekly on MGM+ in the UK.
