Narcos creator working on new series The Westies

Narcos is one of the greatest success stories of the Netflix era. It led to a couple of great spinoffs and also turned Pedro Pascal into a major household name. Unfortunately, though, there don’t appear to be any plans for future content in the franchise.

Luckily, the Narcos co-creator Chris Brancato is working on a new series, and he will be continuing in the crime genre. The Westies is his next project, and it’s going to take viewers to 1980s Hell’s Kitchen.

Narcos one of the best series ever

Brancato has worked on various television series over the years, but Narcos is doubtlessly the biggest and best. The Netflix series was first released in 2015, and became one of the series that transformed the streaming service into a global giant. The original series was so popular that it led to two additional seasons and a spinoff. It made stars out of various cast members too. Back then, Pascal was barely known in the mainstream. Now, he’s an A-list giant starring in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

The legacy of Narcos lives on in popular culture, which is probably why its fans are so desperate for more content in the franchise. Aside from the main series and the spinoff, Narcos: Mexico, there have been numerous games based on it. Narcos: Cartel Wars Unlimited was released on mobile as well as other adaptations which attract a lot of attention, especially seeing as it can be played using a casino welcome bonus. Players who initially sign up to the site can get free playing money, too.

The Westies has the potential to be huge

With Narcos and Narcos: Mexico under his belt, production companies know just how much potential Brancato’s shows have, and are willing to invest heavily in his future projects. The Westies is an MGM+ project, and the network may be hoping it has the same effect that Narcos had for Netflix. It’s a gangster offering set in 1980s New York, centring on the notorious Westies crime gang.

The Westies will have a lot of similar themes to Narcos, with plenty of corruption and betrayal likely to be on the agenda. There’s a promising cast involved as well, with J.K. Simmons in the starring role. He’ll be joined by Titus Welliver and Tom Brittney, so there will be plenty of great talent on display.

Even though The Westies will be made in the same vein as Narcos, it will also include elements inspired by other popular gangster offerings. Brancato has mentioned how he’s been influenced by the likes of The Sopranos and Boardwalk Empire in the past. He’ll also be looking towards modern titles like Peaky Blinders for inspiration.

If The Westies is anywhere near as good as Narcos, viewers will be in for a treat. Brancato has established himself as one of the best showrunners in the business right now, and The Westies could end up being a megahit for MGM+.

The editorial unit