The Westies premieres tonight (Sunday, July 12)!
Season 1 launches on MGM+ at 9 p.m. ET.
Here’s a synopsis:
The Westies is a gritty and kinetic crime drama centering 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 Javits Convention Center on the Westies’ home turf in Hell’s Kitchen promises a financial windfall. Despite being outnumbered fifty-to-one 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.
The cast includes J.K. Simmons, Titus Welliver, Tom Brittney, Stanley Morgan, Sarah Bolger, Jessica Frances Dukes, Hamish Allan-Headley, Vincent Walsh, Allen Leech, and Hillary McCormack.
But what are critics saying so far about the new show?
The Westies has an 80% Fresh rating on Rotten Tomatoes.
RogerEbert.com gave it 3 out of 4, writing: “This plays like a well-crafted, B-movie version of Scorsese—elevated by electric performances from a stellar cast led by J.K. Simmons and Titus Welliver.”
Decider says: “The Westies is a servicable crime drama thanks to the performances of Simmons and Welliver and the potential for their stories to yield interesting drama. The rest of the show is OK, but nothing that will stick in our minds after we watch the series.”
TV Guide gave it 7 out of 10, saying: “It’s fast-paced, cleverly plotted, well played, and never less than compelling.”
Collider gave it 6 out of 10, saying: “If you’re a fan of tough men doing bad things and traditional tales of underworld crime, then you’ll likely have a good time.”
Variety says: “It’s just a crime show about an uninteresting group of criminals whose dying lifestyle there’s no reason to mourn.”
THR writes: “If all you’re searching for is a generic crime drama to look pretty on your flatscreen while you cook dinner or answer emails, you could do worse than The Westies.”
The Guardian gave it 3 out of 5, saying: ‘With some sturdy players in the cast, The Westies is … OK. It’s fine. It’s good! Whaddaya want from me, uh? I said it was fine.”
Find out which MGM+ show is coming to an end.
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