The Westies: the Taylor Sheridan meets Guy Ritchie crime thriller you should catch up on now

Forget another Italian Mafia retread; The Westies brings an under-discussed bit of American crime history front and centre, with a few well-known TV heavyweights steered by veteran showrunner Chris Brancato — the bloke behind Narcos and Godfather of Harlem, so you know the fella’s got form.

An Irish-American Turn

Set in grimy 1980s New York City, the series takes on the eponymous Irish-American crew that somehow managed not only to survive but actually thrive alongside the Italian Mafia powerhouses. For once, the Irish get a look-in rather than just running the pubs in the background — the lot in this are fictional, but they’re very much inspired by real figures from that era. There are a few actual historical faces, mind; John Gotti of the Gambino clan pops up, though the meat of the show is about the Irish crew jostling for turf in Manhattan’s West Side.

If you’re late to the party, don't panic. Only five of the first season's eight episodes have dropped so far, so it's still one you can binge right up to the wire. And given the way viewers have already latched onto it, I wouldn’t be surprised if this is all anyone's talking about by the finale.

The Westies started airing in spring 2026, dropping weekly, with a total of 8 episodes lined up for the initial run.

Cast and Proper Gangland Atmosphere

Let’s be honest: if you cast J.K. Simmons as your kingpin, there’s a decent chance at least half your audience will show up just for him glaring menacingly at people. As Eamon Sweeney, he sets the tone as the Irish boss, but not to be outdone is Titus Welliver (yep, Bosch himself) as NYPD officer Glenn Keenan, who goes toe-to-toe with Simmons all through the series. Jessica Frances Dukes and Tom Brittney round out a proper ensemble — and they all seem to get exactly how much style and intensity you need to make a mob show click. None of that over-egged Sopranos-on-repeat acting. Just pin-sharp, slightly miserable New Yorkers in dodgy jackets, doing dodgy things for dodgier reasons.

• J.K. Simmons as Eamon Sweeney (crime boss)
• Titus Welliver as Glenn Keenan (NYPD officer)
• Jessica Frances Dukes
• Tom Brittney

Visually, it’s got all the grit and blood you expect, but they’ve done their homework with the sets and wardrobe — city grit, rubbish bags, neon, and plenty of period detail, making it feel like a slightly cleaned-up Scorsese side street, instead of some cardboard cut-out gangster world. Not revolutionary, no, but sometimes that’s the whole point. What it lacks in originality, it does with real flair.

Channeling Sheridan and Ritchie

If you’re thinking this is going to feel like the Taylor Sheridan or Guy Ritchie universe, you’re not far off. In fact, the creators are clearly channelling both — family and loyalty in tatters, legacies constantly up for grabs, low-level criminals punching well above their weight. In terms of flavour, it’s part Mayor of Kingstown, bit of The Gentlemen, pinch of Narcos, and a proper nod to Ritchie’s brand of brutal, low-rent criminal chaos. Loads of familiar tropes, but they’re executed with proper style, and paired with a sharp eye for what made Eighties New York so unique in the first place.

The Westies isn’t pretending to reinvent the wheel, but it doesn’t need to — because good casting and a real sense of time and place actually make that old wheel spin just fine.