The best thing about every Chris Brancato TV series is its sense of place. In The Westies, Brancato and co-creator Michael Panes dig into New York history in a way that makes it all feel both classic and new simultaneously. And every actor you’d expect to be in this MGM+ show actually is.
Brancato previously gave MGM+ the critically acclaimed Godfather of Harlem and the vastly underrated Hotel Cocaine—two series that were as much history lessons as they were crime dramas. They both strongly evoked different cultures and communities. With The Westies, Brancato and Panes are probing into two groups—the Irish mob and the Italian mob—and playing a riveting game of compare and contrast.
It’s particularly fun to see their interpretation of the latter, since that group has been documented and dramatized so many times over the years. Mayor of Kingstown star Hamish Allan-Headley steps into the infamous role of John Gotti, and couldn’t be further away from the chaos he caused as Robert Sawyer. But he gives his interpretation of Gotti just as many layers, which makes the character feel fresh.
On the opposite side is Academy Award winner J.K. Simmons as Eamon Sweeney, and it feels like The Westies was made for him. Simmons is chewing every inch of the scenery in his portrayal of Sweeney, nailing that balance between ruthless leader and charming father figure that’s a staple of the mob genre. The writers make sure to use the full range of Simmons’ talents, giving him opportunities to be dryly funny and then flat-out vicious the next moment. He is the powerhouse that Sweeney is supposed to be.
The other standout, unsurprisingly, is Titus Welliver as police officer Glenn Keenan. Like Simmons, he fits so easily into The Westies that it’s seamless, and it won’t surprise viewers who just saw his years on Bosch. He knows how to play a hard-bitten cop. But Keenan is not Harry Bosch, even if there are some character beats that are somewhat similar. He’s one of those cops stuck on the patrol beat for eternity, stuck between two worlds, and Welliver is touching in how he plays the underlying desperation inside his character. He’s still a badass, but as with Simmons, The Westies lets Welliver paint with all kinds of emotional colors.
Grantchester fans will get a kick out of Tom Brittney as Jimmy Roarke, the emotional protagonist of the season and Sweeney’s right-hand man. It’s such a departure from his years as Will Davenport, even if Jimmy has a more predictable arc as the more compassionate mob henchman just trying to keep everyone happy. Rounding out the core ensemble is MGM+ alum Jessica Frances Dukes, who previously starred in the network’s Earth Abides. She makes the biggest departure as tough FBI agent Birdie Polk; viewers will likewise have an idea of what to expect from her character, but it’s so entertaining to watch her get there.
That’s the charm of The Westies. It’s not quite flawless, in the sense that there are character beats and story elements that viewers will be able to see coming; the show doesn’t rewrite the mob genre. But it’s cast people who so naturally fit into this world that the audience often forgets they’re watching a scripted show and they can just enjoy the ride. And Brancato, Panes and their creative team are obviously aware of the talent they have, and crafting the story in a way that gets the best out of these specific people. It’s not novel, but it’s the kind of TV show one can lose oneself in, and just marvel at how well it comes together. Even the use of a Dropkick Murphys song as the main theme is a spot-on appropriate choice. This is a well-oiled, well-executed machine of creative mayhem.
The Westies premieres July 12, 2026 at 9:00 p.m. ET/PT on MGM+. Photo Credit: Courtesy of MGM+.
Article content is (c)2020-2026 Brittany Frederick and may not be excerpted or reproduced without express written permission by the author. Follow me on Twitter at @BFTVTwtr and on Instagram at @BFTVGram. For story pitches, contact me at tvbrittanyf@yahoo.com.
