MGM+ has launched a new period crime drama, The Westies, co-created by Chris Brancato (Narcos) and Michael Panes (Godfather of Harlem), as part of the streamer's push to establish itself in a crowded television market. Set in 1980s Hell's Kitchen, the eight-episode series follows an Irish criminal gang and its fraught rivalry with the Italian mafia, headlined by Oscar winner J.K. Simmons and Bosch star Titus Welliver. Reviewer David Caballero of Collider deems it a solid, watchable show, but one that plays too safe to rival prestige forebears such as Boardwalk Empire.

The drama centres on gang leader Eamon Sweeney (Simmons), who secures a stake in the Javits Center construction project, alongside loyal henchman Jimmy Rourke (Tom Brittney), troubled Vietnam veteran Mickey Flanagan (Stanley Morgan), and police informant Glenn Keenan (Welliver), with John Gotti (Hamish Allan-Headley) among the Italian rivals. The review praises strong performances, decent production values and a "killer soundtrack", but criticises the show's reliance on familiar genre archetypes and thin character development. Welliver emerges as the standout, being given the richest material as a conflicted informant torn between the police and the Westies, while subplots such as Bridget's (Sarah Bolger) Irish-independence storyline feel out of place.