5 Reasons Why You Must Watch ‘Godfather of Harlem’
Godfather of Harlem, starring Oscar winner Forest Whitaker as infamous crime boss Bumpy Johnson, is now streaming on Showmax and airing on 1Magic, with new episodes every Tuesday at 9:30pm.
In the early 1960s, Bumpy returns from Alcatraz to find the neighbourhood he once ruled in a shambles. With the streets controlled by Vincent ‘Chin’ Gigante (Emmy nominee Vincent D’Onofrio from Daredevil and Jurassic World) and the Italian mob, Bumpy takes on the Genovese crime family to regain control. During the brutal battle, he forms an unlikely alliance with radical preacher Malcolm X (Nigรฉl Thatch, reprising his role from Selma), who wants to get heroin off the streets of Harlem. Godfather of Harlem is the remarkable true story of how the criminal underworld and the civil rights movement collided during one of the most tumultuous times in American history.
Here are five reasons to add it to your watchlist immediately:
#1. Itโs based on a true story that could have been written for TV
The Guardian called Bumpy Johnson โthe most feared criminal in Harlem… between 1930 and 1968.โ Godfather of Harlem is set towards the end of this Robin Hood figureโs reign: it deserves a prequel about Bumpyโs war with the more famous Dutch Schultz (played by Dustin Hoffman in Billy Bathgate), and it already unofficially has a sequel in American Gangster, Ridley Scottโs Oscar-nominated film about Frank Lucas, Bumpyโs protege. Bumpy appears in the opening scene of American Gangster; was fictionalised as Bumpy Jonas in the original Shaft; and has been played by Oscar nominee Laurence Fishburne, twice (in The Cotton Club and then in Hoodlum). As if Bumpyโs story wasnโt already an obvious fit for its own series, he crossed paths with civil rights activist Malcolm X; Reverend Adam Clayton Powell Jr. (Emmy nominee Giancarlo Esposito from Breaking Bad), the first African-American to represent New York in the U.S. House of Representatives; and Cassius Clay (Deric Augustine from Cloak & Dagger) before he became known as Muhammad Ali.
#2. Itโs from the creators of Narcos
Godfather of Harlem is written and executive produced by Chris Brancato and Paul Eckstein, co-creators of Narcos, IMDbโs top ranked gangland show of the last decade. Nominated for Golden Globes, Emmys, BAFTAs and Peopleโs Choice Awards, Narcos is currently #55 on IMDbโs list of the top-rated TV of all time – only The Wire and The Sopranos are higher ranked within its genre. As if that wasnโt enough to get us excited, John Ridley, who won an Oscar for his screenplay for 12 Years A Slave and was nominated for three Emmys as creator of American Crime, directs the pilot and is an executive producer.
#3. It stars Forest Whitaker in his first TV lead
Thereโs not much Forest Whitaker hasnโt achieved yet. He won an Oscar, a Golden Globe and a BAFTA as Idi Amin in The Last King Of Scotland; took home Best Actor at Cannes as Charlie Parker in Bird; and had memorable roles in many of the biggest films in recent history, from Star Wars: Rogue One to Black Panther. So it comes as a surprise to realise heโs never been the lead in a TV series, despite impressive smaller roles in hit shows like Empire, Criminal Minds, The Shield, and E.R.
Itโs about time too: as Variety put it, โForest Whitaker is the sort of star seemingly built to make the leap to television: Heโs a decorated leading man whose subtlety of approach and whose commitment to delicate, unusual acting choices would seem to potentially play even better on the small screen.โ
He doesnโt disappoint. To quote The Los Angeles Times, in Godfather of Harlem Forest is โphenomenal as the out-of-touch godfather whoโs playing catchup in a new world, and plays his character with a quiet yet haunting nuance that is this actorโs specialty.โ
Heโs not the only acting drawcard either: in addition to Forest, Vincent DโOnofrio and Nigรฉl Thatch, the impressive cast also includes Oscar nominee Chazz Palminteri (The Usual Suspects); Screen Actors Guild nominees Paul Sorvino (Goodfellas), Luis Guzmรกn (Traffic) and Erik LaRay Harvey (Boardwalk Empire); and Critics Choice nominee Elvis Nolasco (American Crime), not to mention Ilfenesh Hadera (Sheโs Gotta Have It, Billions) as Bumpyโs wife Mayme.
#4. Swiss Beatz curated โthe best television soundtrack of the yearโ
According to The Los Angeles Times, The Godfather of Harlem has โthe best television soundtrack of the year.โ A mix of period funk and soul; new compositions that could have been sung at the Apollo in the 60s; and new hip hop tunes that connect the past to the present, the soundtrack was curated by Swiss Beatz (aka Alicia Keysโ husband, who Kanye West once called โthe best rap producer of all timeโ on Twitter.) The Godfather of Harlem soundtrack, featuring the likes of DMX, Rick Ross, Jidena, A$SAP Ferg, Wale, and French Montana, already has over 400k monthly listeners on Spotify alone.
#5. Critics love it
Godfather of Harlem currently has a 95% critics rating on Rotten Tomatoes, where the critics consensus is that the series is โas sharply dressed as it is smartly written.โ Forbes is already debating Emmys for Forest as Bumpy and Nigรฉl as Malcolm X, while Time Magazinecalled it โthe rare gangster epic we havenโt seen before.โ
Watch the trailer:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GqLCgRqz7KQ