MGM+ Orders ‘The Westies’ 1980s Crime Drama Series From Chris Brancato

MGM+ has picked up another series from its most prolific creator, Chris Brancato, under his overall deal with the linear channel and streaming service. The Westies, which Brancato created with Michael Panes, is an eight-episode crime drama. It was first revealed by Deadline last March as being in development at MGM+.

The Westies, about New York City’s violent Irish gang, marks Brancato’s third series for MGM+ following the network’s flagship Godfather of Harlem starring Forest Whitaker, whose fourth season premieres April 13, and the crime thriller Hotel Cocaine.

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Narcos co-creator Brancato serves as executive producer and showrunner on The Westies, slated to go into production in Toronto in July. 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. 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+. “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 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.

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