''Godfather of Harlem'' is an American

crime drama Crime film is a film belonging to the crime fiction genre. Films of this genre generally involve various aspects of crime and fiction. Stylistically, the genre may overlap and combine with many other genres, such as Drama (film and television), dr ...

television series that premiered on September 29, 2019, on Epix. The series is created by

Chris Brancato Chris Brancato (born July 24, 1962) is an American television and film writer and producer. Brancato grew up in Teaneck, New Jersey

and Paul Eckstein, and stars

Forest Whitaker Forest Steven Whitaker (born July 15, 1961) is an American actor, filmmaker, and activist. His accolades include an Academy Award, a Golden Globe Award, a British Academy Film Award, two Screen Actors Guild Awards and the Best Actor Award at the ...

as 1960s

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

gangster

Bumpy Johnson Ellsworth Raymond "Bumpy" Johnson (October 31, 1905 – July 7, 1968) was an American crime boss in the Harlem neighborhood of New York City. Early life Ellsworth Raymond "Bumpy" Johnson was born in Charleston, South Carolina, on October 31, 190 ...

. Whitaker is also executive producer alongside

Nina Yang Bongiovi Nina Yang Bongiovi is an Asian-American film producer and Associate Chair of the Peter Stark Producing Program at the USC School of Cinematic Arts. In 2010, she partnered with actor Forest Whitaker to create Significant Productions; together, they ...

, James Acheson,

John Ridley John Ridley IV (born October 1, 1964) is an American screenwriter, television director, novelist, and showrunner, known for '' 12 Years a Slave'', for which he won an Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay. He is also the creator and showrunn ...

and Markuann Smith. Chris Brancato acts as

showrunner A showrunner is the top-level executive producer of a television series. The position outranks other creative and management personnel, including episode directors, in contrast to feature films, in which the director has creative control over th ...

. On February 12, 2020, the series was renewed for a second season, which premiered on April 18, 2021. On January 13, 2022, the series was renewed for a third season, which premiered on January 15, 2023, on the rebranded

MGM+ MGM+ (formerly known as Epix; pronounced ''epics'' and stylized as eᴘix), is an American Pay television, premium cable television, cable and satellite television, satellite television network owned by the MGMPlus Entertainment subsidiary of M ...

. On November 29, 2023, the series was renewed for a fourth season, which premiered on April 13, 2025. A documentary series titled ''By Whatever Means Necessary: The Times of Godfather of Harlem'' premiered on November 8, 2020.

Premise

''Godfather of Harlem'' tells the fictionalized story of infamous crime boss

, "who in the early 1960s returned from ten years in prison to find the neighborhood he once ruled in shambles. With the streets controlled by the Italian mob, Bumpy must take on the

Genovese crime family The Genovese crime family (), also sometimes referred to as the Westside, is an Italian Americans, Italian American American Mafia, Mafia crime family and one of the "Five Families" that dominate organized crime activities in New York City and Ne ...

to regain control. During the battle, he forms an alliance with Muslim minister

Malcolm X Malcolm X (born Malcolm Little, later el-Hajj Malik el-Shabazz; May 19, 1925 – February 21, 1965) was an African American revolutionary, Islam in the United States, Muslim minister and human rights activist who was a prominent figur ...

, catching Malcolm's political rise in the crosshairs of social upheaval and a mob war that threatens to tear the city apart."

Cast and characters

Main

as Ellsworth Raymond "Bumpy" Johnson, a

Harlem Harlem is a neighborhood in Upper Manhattan, New York City. It is bounded roughly by the Hudson River on the west; the Harlem River and 155th Street on the north; Fifth Avenue on the east; and Central Park North on the south. The greater ...

-based mob boss and the titular "Godfather of Harlem" * Nigél Thatch (seasons 1–2) and Jason Alan Carvell (season 3; guest season 4) as

, a

Muslim Muslims () are people who adhere to Islam, a Monotheism, monotheistic religion belonging to the Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic tradition. They consider the Quran, the foundational religious text of Islam, to be the verbatim word of the God ...

minister in the

Nation of Islam The Nation of Islam (NOI) is a religious organization founded in the United States by Wallace Fard Muhammad in 1930. A centralized and hierarchical organization, the NOI is committed to black nationalism and focuses its attention on the Afr ...

and

civil rights activist Civil and political rights are a class of rights that protect individuals' freedom from infringement by governments, social organizations, and private individuals. They ensure one's entitlement to participate in the civil and political life of ...

Ilfenesh Hadera Ilfenesh Hadera is an American actress. Early life Hadera was raised in Harlem, New York. She identifies as half Ethiopian and half white. Her father is an Ethiopian refugee and founder of the African Services Committee, a Harlem-based organizat ...

as Mayme Thatcher Johnson, Bumpy's wife * Lucy Fry as Stella Gigante, Vincent's rebellious daughter * Kelvin Harrison Jr. as Teddy Greene (season 1), an aspiring musician and Stella's boyfriend * Rafi Gavron as Ernie Nunzi (seasons 1–2), a violent associate of Vincent's and a high-ranking member of the

, one of the

Five Families The Five Families refer to five American Mafia, Italian American Mafia Crime family, crime families that operate in New York City. In 1931, the five families were Organized crime, organized by Salvatore Maranzano following his victory in the C ...

* Antoinette Crowe-Legacy as Elise Johnson, Bumpy's

heroin Heroin, also known as diacetylmorphine and diamorphine among other names, is a morphinan opioid substance synthesized from the Opium, dried latex of the Papaver somniferum, opium poppy; it is mainly used as a recreational drug for its eupho ...

-addicted daughter-turned Muslim *

Giancarlo Esposito Giancarlo Giuseppe Alessandro Esposito (; born April 26, 1958) is an American actor and director. He rose to prominence by portraying Gus Fring in the AMC (TV channel), AMC crime drama series ''Breaking Bad'' (2009–2011), a role he reprised in ...

as Adam Clayton Powell Jr. (season 1; recurring seasons 2–3), a politician who represents Harlem in

Congress A congress is a formal meeting of the representatives of different countries, constituent states, organizations, trade unions, political parties, or other groups. The term originated in Late Middle English to denote an encounter (meeting of ...

* Vincent D'Onofrio as Vincent "The Chin" Gigante (seasons 1–2; guest seasons 3–4), the mob boss of the Genovese crime family and Bumpy's main rival * Erik LaRay Harvey as Del Chance (season 2–present; recurring season 1), one of Bumpy's most trusted enforcers * Demi Singleton as Margaret Johnson (season 2; recurring seasons 1, 4; guest season 3), Bumpy's granddaughter *

Michael Raymond-James Michael Raymond-James (born Michael Weverstad; December 24, 1977) is an American actor. He is best known for playing René Lenier in the first season of the HBO series '' True Blood'', Britt Pollack on the FX series ''Terriers'', Neal Cassidy/B ...

as Joseph Colombo (season 4; recurring season 3), the mob boss of the

Colombo crime family The Colombo crime family (, ) is an Italian American Mafia crime family and the youngest of the "Five Families" that dominate organized crime activities in New York City within the criminal organization known as the American Mafia. It was during ...

, one of the Five Families

Recurring

Guest

Episodes

Season 1 (2019)

Season 2 (2021)

Season 3 (2023)

Season 4 (2025)

Production

Development

On April 25, 2018, it was announced that Epix had given the production a series order for a first season consisting of ten episodes set to premiere in 2019. The series will be written by

Chris Brancato Chris Brancato (born July 24, 1962) is an American television and film writer and producer. Brancato grew up in Teaneck, New Jersey

and Paul Eckstein who will also executive produce alongside

, Nina Yang Bongiovi, James Acheson, and Markuann Smith. Brancato will also act as showrunner. Production companies involved with the series include ABC Signature Studios and Significant Productions. On June 19, 2018, it was reported that

would direct the first episode of the series. The first season premiered on September 29, 2019. On February 12, 2020, the series was renewed for a second season, which premiered on April 18, 2021. On January 13, 2022, the series was renewed for a third season, which premiered on January 15, 2023. On November 29, 2023, the series was renewed for a fourth season, which premiered on April 13, 2025.

Casting

Alongside the initial series announcement, it was confirmed that Forest Whitaker would star in the series as Bumpy Johnson. In September 2018, it was announced that Vincent D'Onofrio,

, Antoinette Crowe-Legacy, Nigél Thatch, Kelvin Harrison Jr., Lucy Fry and

Paul Sorvino Paul Anthony Sorvino (, ; April 13, 1939 – July 25, 2022) was an American actor. He often portrayed authority figures on both the criminal and the law enforcement sides of the law. Sorvino was particularly known for his roles as Lucchese cri ...

had been cast in starring roles. In October 2018, it was reported that

and Rafi Gavron had joined the cast in a series regular capacity. On January 8, 2019, it was announced that Kathrine Narducci had been cast in a recurring role. In March 2021, Justin Bartha, Annabella Sciorra, Ronald Guttman, Isaach de Bankolé,

Method Man Clifford Smith, Jr. (born March 2, 1971), known professionally as Method Man, is an American rapper, record producer, and actor. He is a member of the East Coast hip hop collective Wu-Tang Clan, and is half of the hip hop duo Method Man & R ...

Michael Rispoli Michael Rispoli (born November 27, 1960) is an American character actor. He was a contender for the role of Tony Soprano in the HBO television series ''The Sopranos,'' but was ultimately cast as Jackie Aprile Sr., Jackie Aprile, a recurring ch ...

and Grace Porter were announced to have joined the cast for the second season. In May,

Whoopi Goldberg Caryn Elaine Johnson (born November 13, 1955), known professionally as Whoopi Goldberg (), is an American actor, comedian, author, and television personality.Kuchwara, Michael (AP Drama Writer)"Whoopi Goldberg: A One-Woman Character Parade". ...

was announced to appear in a guest role. On July 25, 2022,

died shortly before the third season began production. In August 2024, Rome Flynn was announced to have joined the cast for the fourth season. In September, Michael Benjamin Washington and Elijah Wright were announced to have joined the cast.

Filming

Principal photography for the series reportedly began in September 2018 in

Reception

Critical response

For the first season, the

review aggregator A review aggregator is a system that collects reviews and ratings of products and services, such as films, books, video games, music, software, hardware, or cars. This system then stores the reviews to be used for supporting a website where user ...

website

Rotten Tomatoes Rotten Tomatoes is an American review aggregator, review-aggregation website for film and television. The company was launched in August 1998 by three undergraduate students at the University of California, Berkeley: Senh Duong, Patrick Y. Lee ...

reported a 92% approval rating with an average rating of 7.50/10, based on 25 reviews. The website's critical consensus reads: "As sharply dressed as it is smartly written, ''Godfather of Harlem'' walks familiar blocks to its own beat and makes a strong first impression."

Metacritic Metacritic is an American website that aggregates reviews of films, television shows, music albums, video games, and formerly books. For each product, the scores from each review are averaged (a weighted average). Metacritic was created ...

, which uses a weighted average, assigned the season a score of 72 out of 100, based on 10 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews". Cheryl Kahla of '' The South African'' said: "''The Godfather of Harlem'' is an excellent example of what modern television is capable of today. Whitaker's character Bumpy is a drug kingpin but also just a man trying to make sense of the world and connect with his family".

Accolades

Docuseries

A documentary series titled ''By Whatever Means Necessary: The Times of Godfather of Harlem'' premiered on November 8, 2020, and concluded on November 29, 2020. Directed by Keith McQuirter, the miniseries examines the history of Harlem during the 1960's as depicted during the first season of ''Godfather of Harlem''. McQuirter won the 2021 NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Directing in a Documentary (Television or Motion Picture) for his work on the series.

References

External links

* {{Epix 2010s American crime drama television series 2020s American crime drama television series 2010s American black television series 2020s American black television series 2019 American television series debuts American English-language television shows MGM+ original programming Television series by ABC Signature Studios Television series by 20th Television Television series about organized crime Works about African-American organized crime Works about the American Mafia Works about the Bonanno crime family Works about the Colombo crime family Works about the Genovese crime family Works about the Lucchese crime family Television shows set in New York City Television series set in the 1960s Cultural depictions of Malcolm X