El padrino de Harlem

Godfather of Harlem is so much better than I expected it to be. First of all, the cast is incredible...Forest Whitaker, Vincent D'Onofrio, Giancarlo Esposito, Nigel Thatch, etc. Are all perfectly cast. It sticks to the truth more than most shows and makes every episode exciting. This show will keep you wanting more until before you know it you binged the entire series. I can't wait for more!

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.

Does a great job portraying Family man/ villian. He still resembles characters that we've grown to know and love, but perhaps it's his subtleties and what he doesn't say that helps sell the protagonist . So far so good. Kept me hooked. Looking forward to future episodes.

I'm blown away by how good Godfather of Harlem was. I was expecting some cheap knockoff of a show but it's not. This is so well down. You can tell the amount of time and effort they put into every aspect of the show by the attention to detail in everything. The cast is amazing and led by two of the most underrated actors in Hollywood in Forrest Whittaker and Vincent D'Onofrio. It's about the story of Bumpy Johnson (Whitaker), a gangster who makes his way up through to the top of the mob world in Harlem during the 1960's after he returns from a 10-year prison term.. It just got renewed for another season and I can't wait for more!

This will become a classic. If you like the genre, you will love it, if not, give it some time. After all, it is based on a real character. Real life, takes time to take shape.