JK Simmons Leads ‘The Westies’ When It Hits MGM+ This Summer

JK Simmons is back on television, and this time it’s on MGM+, with the series’ latest original series, The Westies. The streaming platform shared the official trailer, key art, and new images for the upcoming original drama series.

The Westies stars Academy Award-winning J.K. Simmons and is co-created by Chris Brancato and Michael Panes. The 8-episode series will premiere with two episodes on Sunday, July 12, 2026, followed by a weekly release on MGM+.

The cast includes J.K. Simmons, Titus Welliver, Tom Brittney, Stanley Morgan, and more, which can read more about below. A New York-based series, it’s created and showrun by Chris Brancato and Michael Panes, and the series is directed by Alan Taylor and Chris Grismer.

What is The Westies about?

The official synopsis from MGM+ is: 

The Westies is a gritty and kinetic crime drama centering 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 Trailer

The Westies Cast & Characters:

Primary cast for the series includes:

• JK Simmons as Eamon Sweeney
• Titus Welliver as Glenn Keenan
• Tom Brittney as Jimmy Roarke
• Stanley Morgan as Mickey Flanagan
• Sarah Bolger as Bridget Walsh
• Jessica Frances Dukes as Agent Birdie Polk
• Hamish Allan-Headley as John Gotti
• Vincent Walsh as Eddie Breen
• Allen Leech as Brendan Cahill
• Hillary McCormack as Erin Malone

Seconday cast includes but is not limited to:

• Aidan Wojtak-Hissong
• Jeremy Walmsley
• Dylan Taylor
• Rohan Mead

First Look Images

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What is the release date?

The new MGM+ Original series releases exclsuviely on MGM+ starting July 12, 2026 and continuing weekly throughout August 2026.