‘Narcos’ Creator Sets Irish Crime Series ‘The Westies’ at MGM+

variety.com:

Ethan Shanfeld “Narcos” creator Chris Brancato‘s next project, a 1980s crime drama about a New York-based Irish gang, has been ordered to series at MGM+.

Titled “The Westies,” the eight-episode series follows the notoriously violent Irish gang of the same name. The series takes place during the construction of the Jacob Javitz Convention Center on the Westies’ home turf in Hell’s Kitchen, which 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,” reads the logline. “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.” Brancato created “The Westies” with Michael Panes, and both serve as executive producers.

Brancato is the showrunner. The series will begin filming in Toronto in July. “The Westies” is Brancato’s third series with MGM+, following the Forest Whitaker-led “Godfather of Harlem,” which premieres its fourth season on April 13, and the crime thriller “Hotel Cocaine.” Bracato co-created the hit Netflix crime series “Narcos” with Carlo Bernard and Doug Miro in 2015.

The series spawned a Mexico-set spinoff that aired from 2018 to 2021. “We are thrilled to bring our viewers another provocative, exciting crime drama from the incomparable vision of Chris Brancato,” said Michael Wright, head of MGM+. “Chris is a gifted showrunner who builds his stories around compelling characters operating in dangerous worlds about to explode. ‘The Westies’ is him at.