Godfather of Harlem

This show could easily be dismissed as another gangster/crime syndicate show upon first glance. And I would have done so if it weren't for the historical tie ins.

The show takes place in 1963 Harlem. The 60's in and of themselves were historically significant to America in general and Black Americans in particular. Harlem was a hotbed of activity during that time. So, while the main character is Bumpy Johnson (Forest Whitaker) we get to see people like Malcolm X, Cassius Clay, Adam Clayton Powell, and Elijah Muhammad. I'm not saying these people were all portrayed accurately, but they were significant historical figures and significant in the show.

The main theme is Bumpy Johnson's battle with the Italian Mafia. He wants Harlem for himself and a certain Vincent "Chin" Gigante (Vincent D'0nofrio) would like nothing more than to eliminate Bumpy Johnson altogether.

While that theme plays out with its ebbs and flows, we get to see other historical events play out (sometimes with actual footage). Cassius Clay fighting Doug Jones for a shot at the title, the march on Washington on August 28, 1963, the Kennedy assassination, and the Malcolm X/Nation of Islam saga. I'm sure much of it is dramatized and it may ruffle some feathers.

The show is intense and in your face. Pretty much all of the characters bring something to the show whether you like them or not. It's not a battle between good and evil or even evil and evil. All the characters are layered and complex even if the bad they do is heavier than the good they do. Watch it, allow yourself to be drawn in, and enjoy.

This is one of the most underrated series. I am surprised the series isn't watched and talked about more. It has two of tv's greats in it- Vincent d'onofrio and Forest Whitaker.

The series follows the Italian and black mafias as they go head to head for the streets of Harlem in the 1960s era. It's an intense and gritty series with non-stop drama. Honestly, never a dull moment but there's some pretty graphic violent scenes that aren't for the faint-hearted.

This series has the potential to make a great film as well. I like how they explore stories from the perspective of Cassius Clay and Malcolm X too!

Crime drama genre aficionados will dig Godfather of Harlem's groove with Forest Whitaker at the helm as Bumpy Johnson, a convict recently released from Alcatraz penitentiary off an 11 year beef into a strange new Harlem that he doesn't recognize: Italian's dominate what used to be African American-owned territory and the police are more intolerable, violent, and complicit in the drug trade than ever before.

The cast for Godfather of Harlem is spectacular. Forest Whitaker as Bumpy Johnson is flawless, while Vincent D'nofrio as his rival Italian capo conjures up imagery of Tony Soprano in a past life. Both men are titans on the screen.

Unfortunately, that's where the best things about Godfather of Harlem end. The story, while based on real people and places, is incredibly cliche. There's nothing in Godfather of Harlem that you haven't seen, heard or thought of before -- from the stale bigoted vocabulary that nearly every character employs in their dialogue , to the tried-and-true racist tropes that litter the story ... Godfather of Harlem ultimately feels like a caricature parody of a crime drama than an actual serious entry into the genre.

It's definitely worth watching, just don't expect your mind to be blown in the same way that shows like The Wire or The Shield captivated us. If you're looking for an excellent black-centric crime saga to start watching, give FX's "Snowfall" a shot instead. Godfather of Harlem feels too infantile in its development right now to be taken seriously as a contender -- give it a season or two to flesh itself out before engaging yourself with Bumpy Johnson's world. The makings of greatness are there screaming at us loud and clear, let's just hope the people writing the script step it up with more mellifluous and less-cliched dialogue and give us entertainment worthy of the Epic moniker the show's home network is named after.

Definitely keep your eye on this cinematic universe though. Whitaker and D'nofrio are just too amazing to ignore.

This series is great, one of the best! It is so realistic that you almost live in it. Gigante and Bumpy ( D'Onofrio and Whitaker) are absolutely fantastic, what a bunch of actors, not to mention the rest of the actors, who are many, absolutely wonderful.!!!

It's not just about two enemy gangs, the mafia, drugs and Harlem, it's much more than that. The story is very well detailed, full of political history based on true events, you learn a lot. The political part is not boring since it is explained in a simple way so that everyone can understand it. Nothing complicated. The costumes, the cars, the atmosphere of the 60s, everything perfectly measured, wonderful...!

The combination of real images in black and white is a true wonder!

The political messages, the tension, the action, the dialogues... everything is of great quality in my opinion.

I don't give it a ten simply because of the choice of music. There is soooo much good music from the 60's that I don't understand the choice. Please next time more jazz, soul, gospel... there is so much good musical history in Harlem!

Was so excited to see these big names, especially Mr Whitaker taking this show to another level. To start of, the script writing is on point, fast pacing, great acting.. However some supporting actors did some overacting, but the main actors could carry them as well. Was positively surprised by two actors/characters that came of so clean and fresh off the screen. The one of Ernie is so well written, and great acting. And one of the most loved characters was that of Malcolm X, marvelous performance of Nigel Thatch. Will not hesitate to put this fine show alongside other big shows like Narcos, Gommorrah... But, I first would like to wait and see what's cooking for season 2.