MGM+’s The Westies places J.K. Simmons at the center of a story about an Irish mob crew trying to cash in on the construction of Manhattan’s Javits Center, but according to the review, the series never turns that premise into anything especially gripping. Simmons plays Eamon Sweeney, a Hell’s Kitchen crime boss who sees the project as a chance to build wealth for his associates, even as his smaller operation has to navigate pressure from the far more powerful Italian Mafia.
The review says the show, created by Chris Brancato and Michael Panes, has a built-in opportunity to explore a changing New York in the 1980s, when old ethnic power structures were shifting and new forms of criminal profit were emerging. Instead, it argues, the series settles for familiar mob-drama rhythms and a setting that feels more generic than lived-in. Even with figures like John Gotti in the mix and the presence of a crooked cop, Glenn Keenan, played by Titus Welliver, the show is said to lack the texture and specificity that might have given it momentum.
Characters and tone leave little room for investment
According to the review, one of the show’s biggest problems is that its central figures are hard to root for or even care about. Sweeney is portrayed as calculating and ruthless, willing to kill within his own ranks, while Jimmy Roarke, his protégé, is described as too loyal to unstable men around him. Other characters, including a shell-shocked Vietnam veteran and Bridget, Jimmy’s girlfriend, are presented as potential points of interest, but the review says those threads never develop into something more substantial. Bridget’s connection to the IRA and the Troubles is noted, though the article suggests viewers would get a far stronger version of that material elsewhere.
The review also criticizes the series for feeling visually and emotionally flat. It says the production does not recreate New York with enough authenticity, and that filming in Ontario adds to the lack of local flavor. Even the action, when it arrives, is described as sporadic and underscored by upbeat music that clashes with the violence. In the end, the review concludes that The Westies is less a sharp portrait of organized crime than a dull, familiar retread that struggles to make its characters, setting, or stakes feel alive.
Source: variety.com
