The Westies: A Super Simple Review of the New Gangster TV Show

Why TV Loves Real-Life Bad Guys (The Peaky Blinders Effect)

More than ten years ago, a show called Peaky Blinders introduced a gangster named Tommy Shelby. Since then, TV makers still really like making shows about real-life crime groups (like gangs from history). A writer named Steven Knight, who made Peaky Blinders, recently did it again with a show called A Thousand Blows using true stories.

So what other true historical gangs are left to tell stories about? Well, there’s the Westies! They were an Irish-American gang in New York in the 1980s. They had a shaky partnership with an Italian-American mob group called the Gambino crime family (the "actual mafia"). It’s like getting to see the "Irish mafia" and the real Italian mafia at the same time — a two-for-one deal!

Who Made The Westies?

The person who finally grabbed this idea (like an easy soccer goal) to make a show some call "Peaky Sopranos" (mixing Peaky Blinders and The Sopranos) is Chris Brancato. He worked with Michael Panes. Chris is a "showrunner" (the top boss of a TV show) who also made Narcos and the very good Godfather of Harlem.

The review says: with some good actors, The Westies is … okay. It’s fine. It’s good! (But the reviewer is being a bit sarcastic — they mainly mean it’s just okay, not amazing.)

Meet the Characters (Made Super Simple)

Here are the main folks in the show:

• Eamon Sweeney (played by JK Simmons): The leader of the Westies. He works from a tiny office cabin on a building site in a New York area called Hell’s Kitchen. He made a deal so his Irish gang (not the stronger Italians) gets a slice of a million-dollar building project. To keep the secret illegal payments (called kickbacks) coming, he must keep the Italian gang happy.
• John Gotti (played by Hamish Allan-Headley): A young Italian gangster who later becomes famous. He thinks the Italians shouldn’t share with the Irish at all.
• Jimmy Roarke (played by Tom Brittney): Sweeney’s smartest helper. (You might not recognize Tom because he played a handsome priest in another show called Grantchester.) Jimmy wants different things from his boss and is super loyal to his friend Mickey.
• Mickey Flanagan (played by Stanley Morgan): Jimmy’s pal, a kind but shaky veteran of the Vietnam War. At the start, he’s tied to a hospital bed getting a brain zap treatment (called ECT) for his mind. While he’s away, he misses the rule about not annoying the Italians.
• Glenn Keenan (played by Titus Welliver): A police officer who gambles and drinks too much. He has silver hair and a black moustache, making him look like a sad bird (a depressed cockatoo) in an old photo.
• Bridget Walsh (played by Sarah Bolger): Jimmy’s girlfriend. She gives good advice and helps the gang, but she mostly cares about Ireland being free from outside rule. She used to fight for that in person but now does it from far away. Her old boyfriend Brendan Cahill (Allen Leech) shows up asking for a favor, and she must decide if she’ll help.
• Danny Keenan (played by Aidan Wojtak-Hissong): Glenn’s teenage son. Glenn, a sad widower (his wife died), tries to stop Danny from joining the gang life.

How the Story Goes (Step by Step)

1. Sweeney runs the Irish gang from a cabin on a construction site and explains to a worker that his Irish crew got the building deal, not the Italians.
2. He must keep the Gambino family sweet so the illegal money keeps flowing.
3. The young Irish members are drunk, wild, and violent; the young Italians are violent even without drinks.
4. From the mess, two possible new leaders appear: Gotti for the Italians, and Jimmy for the Irish.
5. Mickey wakes up from treatment and accidentally breaks the "don’t mess with Italians" rule.
6. Officer Glenn tries to save his son Danny from the gang, but he himself is weak.
7. Bridget weighs whether to help her old flame Brendan with Irish freedom.
8. The gang gets into funny-but-gross trouble: a body is cut up in a butcher’s back room, a severed hand causes a silly caper, and they spy on a club where Colombians hide a drug-selling base. The drug (cocaine, a bad illegal substance) is the new big business that younger crooks will use to push old ones out. It ends with super silly violence.

A Note on Dads and Sons: The show cares about father-child relationships. Glenn is a lost widower trying to protect Danny. Boss Sweeney has no children of his own, which might be his downfall because he tries to treat Jimmy like a replacement son, but that’s not the same as a real son.

What the Show Does Well

• It’s most fun when it enjoys the "naughty" side of crime shows: silly fights, drunk guys making bad plans.
• The friendship of Jimmy and his crew is entertaining.
• The actors Tom Brittney and Sarah Bolger bring real energy. He makes Jimmy both dreamy and clever; she makes Bridget tough but nervous. They are excellent.

Where the Show Struggles

• The serious parts feel same-old, same-old.
• JK Simmons seems like he should be a powerful boss, but he plays Sweeney as too soft and tired, so the character isn’t scary.
• Hamish Allan-Headley can’t make Gotti feel new or frightening — we’ve seen this type before (like a guy inviting you to a checkered-tablecloth restaurant to scare you).
• Titus Welliver’s cop is too pitiful to care about.
• Too many smaller characters are either cartoonish or forgettable.

Important Callout: The reviewer says only Brittney and Bolger shine; too much of The Westies is just "competent" (okay). But remember: the show is based on a real Irish gang + Italian mob alliance, and it is available to stream on MGM+.

Summary

The Westies is a new TV show about a real Irish-American gang in 1980s New York that teamed with the Italian Gambino family. Made by Chris Brancato and Michael Panes, it has funny crime moments and weak serious ones. The best parts come from Jimmy and Bridget, played by Tom Brittney and Sarah Bolger. It’s not a masterpiece, but it’s a fine watch if you like gangster stories. You can find it on MGM+.

FAQ

Q1: What does "Peaky Blinders effect" mean?
A1: It’s the trend where TV keeps making shows about real historical gangsters because the show Peaky Blinders was a big hit.

Q2: Were the Westies a real gang?
A2: Yes! They were an Irish-American crime group in 1980s New York that allied with the Italian-American Gambino family.

Q3: Is The Westies a good show?
A3: The review says it’s "fine" — not amazing, but okay. The acting of two leads is great, but other parts are weak.

Q4: Where can I watch it?
A4: It is on the streaming service called MGM+.

Q5: Who are the standout actors?
A5: Tom Brittney (as Jimmy) and Sarah Bolger (as Bridget) are praised as the most lively and believable.