MGM+ released The Westies on Sunday. It is a new eight-episode gangster show set in the 80s Hell's Kitchen. J.K. Simmons and Titus Welliver play the two gang bosses. Watchers say the Irish gang tale feels fresh . It blends fights and dark comedy. Critics call the script competent yet unoriginal. People keep discussing the show's quiet brutality . Some like the spin on gang stories. Others say it belongs with old crime hits . The series still keeps conversations among fans following release.