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Titus Welliver’s New Crime Thriller Is Inspired by an Infamous Real-Life Gang
MGM+ is premiering a new crime drama called 'The Westies,' created by veteran television producers behind hits like Narcos and Godfather of Harlem. The series follows a fictional Irish crime family in 1980s Hell's Kitchen and draws heavily from the real Westies gang that once controlled illegal operations across New York City. Despite their relatively small membership of roughly 20 to 60 members, the genuine gang wielded surprising influence over major union operations, the docks, and prominent venues including Madison Square Garden.
The television adaptation emphasises the underdog nature of the group, showing how they maintained authority despite being vastly outnumbered by Italian mafia organisations. In real life, the Westies orchestrated schemes such as stealing hundreds of thousands of pounds from ticket sales at the Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum by placing union members in no-show positions. J.K. Simmons portrays the gang's leader in a character drawing inspiration from actual historical figures Mickey Spillane and Jimmy Coonan, who successively led the organisation until internal conflicts and law enforcement pressure eventually dismantled the group.
In short
- New MGM+ crime series 'The Westies' premieres this week, inspired by the real Irish mob family that controlled 1980s Hell's Kitchen
- The actual gang was small (20–60 members) but wielded significant power over unions, docks, and cultural institutions; they stole hundreds of thousands from the Intrepid Museum
- J.K. Simmons and Titus Welliver star in roles based on historical leaders Mickey Spillane and Jimmy Coonan
Explained simply
The Westies were an Irish American criminal organisation based in Hell's Kitchen, New York, during the 1980s. Despite numbering only between 20 and 60 members at any given time, they wielded considerable power over illegal operations across the city, particularly in dockland areas and major venues such as Madison Square Garden. Their story is one of a relatively small group managing to maintain influence in a world dominated by much larger Italian mafia families.
The gang's reach extended to legitimate businesses and union operations, where they orchestrated elaborate theft and fraud schemes. For instance, they planted union members in no-show positions to steal hundreds of thousands of pounds from ticket sales at the Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum. Leadership passed between Mickey Spillane and Jimmy Coonan, whose internal conflicts, combined with law enforcement pressure, eventually led to the organisation's downfall.
MGM+ has commissioned a new drama series called 'The Westies' that fictionalises the gang's story, drawing on these historical events for inspiration. The series, created by producers behind hits such as 'Narcos' and 'Godfather of Harlem', features Titus Welliver and J.K. Simmons, with the latter playing a character inspired by the gang's real-life leaders. It examines how a small, underdog operation managed to survive and prosper against far more powerful criminal rivals.
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