Titus Welliver to Star in Cop Drama Series ‘The Westies’

Preview:

• Titus Welliver will star with JK Simmons in ‘The Westies’.
• The new series will be co-created by Michael Brancato and Michael Panes.
• MGM+ is backing the crime drama.

‘Bosch’ might be over, but Titus Welliver isn’t ready to hang up his badge.

Per Deadline, he’s headed back on the beat for a new MGM+ series called ‘The Westies,’ a period crime drama that hails from ‘Narcos’ co-creator Chris Brancato and Michael Panes (who worked with Brancato on ‘Godfather of Harlem’).

J.K. Simmons is already aboard the new series, an eight-episode first run that will start rolling its cameras next month in Toronto.

Here’s MGM+’s Michael Wright on the show when it was announced:

“We are thrilled to bring our viewers another provocative, exciting crime drama from the incomparable vision of Chris Brancato. Chris is a gifted showrunner who builds his stories around compelling characters operating in dangerous worlds about to explode. ‘The Westies’ is him at his best, and we can’t wait to bring it to our MGM+ audience.”

Related Article: Titus Welliver Talks ‘Bosch: Legacy’ Season 3 and Ending the Series

What’s the story of ‘The Westies’?

The new is set in the early 1980s when the construction of the Jacob Javitz Convention Center on the Westies’ home turf in Hell’s Kitchen promises a financial windfall for the Irish-American organized crime gang.

Despite being outnumbered 50-to-1 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.

Welliver is aboard to play Glenn Keenan, a troubled NYPD officer who grew up with the Westies crew, torn between loyalty to the law and love for his wayward son.

He’ll spar with Simmons’ Eamon Sweeney, the charismatic but ruthless leader of The Westies.

What else is Titus Welliver up to?

While Welliver has become mostly closely been identified with LAPD veteran detective Harry Bosch in the Prime Video series based on Michael Connelly’s books, he’s also got plenty of other shows and movies to keep him busy.

Original ‘Bosch’ spin-off ‘Bosch: Legacy’ wrapped its run this year, but he’s already set to reprise the character in at least one episode of the second series spawned form the original, ‘Ballard’, which stars Maggie Q as LAPD Detective Renee Ballard, who is placed in charge of a a new cold case division.

Outside of the ‘Bosch’-verse, Welliver has a few projects on the way.

He’ll next be seen in the indie film ‘Ricky’, which premiered at the Sundance Film Festival. It stars Stephan James as Ricardo Smith, who has been released from prison at the age of 30 after being incarcerated as a teen. He must navigate the challenging realities of life post-imprisonment, and the complexity of gaining independence for the first time as an adult.

Then there is horror thriller ‘Abraham’s Boys’, adapted from a Joe Hill short story.

Set after the events of ‘Dracula’, the movie sees Abraham van Helsing (Welliver) move his two sons, Max and Rudy, to the US in an attempt to escape their past.

And finally, there’s ‘Killing Castro’, based on the historical moment when Fidel Castro came to America to speak at the UN.

He is invited by Malcolm X to stay in Harlem at the famous Hotel Theresa. Unsure of his intentions, the FBI, CIA and the Mafia, attempt to eliminate him by any means necessary.

When will ‘The Westies’ be on screens?

MGM+ has yet to announce when the show will premiere, but given the July shoot, a 2026 launch seems the most likely plan.

Selected Titus Welliver Movies and TV Shows

Buy Titus Welliver Movies On Amazon