MGM+ has given viewers a first look at upcoming original crime drama The Westies, starring J.K. Simmons, currently set to premiere exclusively on July 12, 2026. Created and executive produced by Chris Brancato, alongside co-creator Michael Panes, The Westies will be available to stream on MGM+ across the United States, United Kingdom, Germany, Italy, Spain, the Netherlands, Belgium, Brazil, Mexico, Chile, and Colombia.
The Westies is a gritty and kinetic crime drama centring 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.
Watch the series teaser in the player below:
The eight-episode series marks Brancato’s third collaboration with MGM+, following the success of the critically acclaimed Godfather of Harlem and the Golden Globe and Emmy-nominated Narcos. The series stars J.K. Simmons as Eamonn Sweeney, leading a cast that includes Titus Welliver, Tom Brittney, Stanley Morgan, Sarah Bolger, and Jessica Frances Dukes.
Combining a renowned team of showrunners with an exceptional ensemble cast, The Westies underscores MGM+’s continued commitment to premium, original storytelling and is poised to captivate audiences worldwide upon its July debut.
