J.K. Simmons anchors MGM+'s new crime drama "The Westies," a period piece examining how New York's Irish mob exploited construction of the Jacob K. Javits Center. The series struggles to generate momentum from its premise, delivering a flat retelling of a documented criminal enterprise that once dominated Manhattan's West Side.
Simmons plays a mobster navigating the gang's involvement in the iconic convention center project, a real historical scheme where the Westies extracted payments and exerted control over labor during the building's development in the 1980s. The narrative setup offers potential for taut character work and institutional corruption storytelling, but the execution falters.
The problem lies in execution rather than subject matter. Crime dramas thrive on narrative tension, compelling character arcs, and insider perspective into how organized crime actually operates. "The Westies" ticks these boxes mechanically without spark. The show presents events and decisions without sufficiently exploring the psychology driving them or the genuine jeopardy facing the characters. Simmons, a reliably excellent performer (Academy Award winner for "Whiplash," acclaimed for "Oz" and "Spider-Man" films), cannot salvage thin material.
MGM+ has positioned this as prestige drama in the vein of "Yellowstone" or premium crime narratives audiences expect from streamers building robust libraries. The channel's strategy involves acquiring established IP and historical stories with built-in audience appeal. "The Westies" fits that formula on paper, banking on the combination of a recognizable actor, a real criminal organization, and a specific historical moment.
The series arrives at a moment when crime dramas face oversaturation. Premium networks have exhausted most variations on mob storytelling since "The Sopranos" fundamentally transformed the genre. Fresh takes require either exceptional writing, innovative formal approaches, or genu