Titus Welliver has been Harry Bosch for nearly a decade, but his next TV role won't be a man bound by duty -- it'll be a cop consumed by corruption. Speaking on the Fascination Street podcast, the actor shared new details about The Westies, his upcoming MGM+ crime drama set in 1980s New York, which features both fictionalized Irish mobsters and infamous real-world Mafia figures.

"No, this is a new series that I'm doing for MGM+ called The Westies. J.K. Simmons and I are headlining with a host of other great actors. Tom Brittney is also one of the leads, Richard Schiff, Alan Leech, Sarah Bulger -- it's a really great list of actors," Welliver explained. "It's written by Chris Brancato and Michael Paynes, who, oh my god, previously did Narcos, Godfather of Harlem, and among a million other things."

Set in 1981 against the backdrop of the Jacob Javits Center construction, The Westies follows the Irish gang that controlled Hell's Kitchen docks and butted heads with the far larger Gambino family.

"What it really is, is a story about the Westies. In 1981, there was the building of the Javits Center. And of course, the Irish -- the Westies -- controlled the docks and they controlled the west side. But the Gambino family, of course, had their own hold on the union," Welliver said. "So there had to be a kind of meeting of the minds there, despite the fact that the Westies were outnumbered by the Gambinos 100 to one. They were formidable and they were tough. And of course, the Gambinos used them for hits and things like that, so sort of this odd marriage."

Unlike Bosch, which rooted itself firmly in the LAPD's investigative world, The Westies blurs the lines between fact and fiction. According to Welliver, the gang members themselves are fictionalized, but viewers will encounter real-life mobsters like John Gotti and Paul Castellano. To capture the grit of the period, the production is recreating a version of New York that no longer exists.

"Between moving around and what you can do with CG stuff now, it'll ultimately be really seamless, because Hell's Kitchen bears no resemblance to what it did," Welliver noted. "They were showing me these CG things of Times Square and the area and everything during that time period. And I was just kind of stunned by what they can do now. We have, like, a really great New York City street set that they have built, a practical set... And they recreated impeccably this Hell's Kitchen pub called the 596."

A Corrupt Cop, Not Harry Bosch

Fans expecting another Harry Bosch will be surprised. Welliver plays Glenn Keenan, an NYPD officer very different from his most famous role.

"[Keenan's] a beat cop. He still walks the streets, but he's corrupt. His moral compass has been completely compromised," Welliver previously told Collider, describing the character as "a very, very complex and deeply nuanced character."

Simmons, meanwhile, takes center stage as Eamon Sweeney, the leader of the Westies -- a figure bound to clash with Keenan in ways fans won't see coming.

Stay tuned for more updates on The Westies.

The Westies Like Crime Drama Cast Titus Welliver Glenn Keenan Jessica Frances Dukes Birdie Polk J.K. Simmons Eamon Sweeney

Creator(s) Chris Brancato, Michael Panes Powered by Expand Collapse