Godfather of Harlem

Godfather of Harlem is an American crime drama television series that premiered on September 29, 2019, on Epix. The series is created by Chris Brancato and Paul Eckstein, and stars Forest Whitaker as 1960s New York City gangster Bumpy Johnson. Whitaker is also executive producer alongside Nina Yang Bongiovi, James Acheson, John Ridley and Markuann Smith. Chris Brancato acts as showrunner. On February 12, 2020, the series was renewed for a second season, which premiered on April 18, 2021. On January 13, 2022, the series was renewed for a third season, which premiered on January 15, 2023, on the rebranded MGM+. On November 29, 2023, the series was renewed for a fourth season, which premiered on April 13, 2025.
A documentary series titled By Whatever Means Necessary: The Times of Godfather of Harlem premiered on November 8, 2020.

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Premise

Godfather of Harlem tells the fictionalized story of infamous crime boss Bumpy Johnson, "who in the early 1960s returned from ten years in prison to find the neighborhood he once ruled in shambles. With the streets controlled by the Italian mob, Bumpy must take on the Genovese crime family to regain control. During the battle, he forms an alliance with Muslim minister Malcolm X, catching Malcolm's political rise in the crosshairs of social upheaval and a mob war that threatens to tear the city apart."

Cast and characters

Main

Forest Whitaker as Ellsworth Raymond "Bumpy" Johnson, a Harlem-based mob boss and the titular "Godfather of Harlem"
Nigél Thatch and Jason Alan Carvell as Malcolm X, a Muslim minister in the Nation of Islam and civil rights activist
Ilfenesh Hadera as Mayme Thatcher Johnson, Bumpy's wife
Lucy Fry as Stella Gigante, Vincent's rebellious daughter
Kelvin Harrison Jr. as Teddy Greene, an aspiring musician and Stella's boyfriend
Rafi Gavron as Ernie Nunzi, a violent associate of Vincent's and a high-ranking member of the Genovese crime family, one of the Five Families
Antoinette Crowe-Legacy as Elise Johnson, Bumpy's heroin-addicted daughter-turned Muslim
Giancarlo Esposito as Adam Clayton Powell Jr., a politician who represents Harlem in Congress
Vincent D'Onofrio as Vincent "The Chin" Gigante, the mob boss of the Genovese crime family and Bumpy's main rival
Erik LaRay Harvey as Del Chance, one of Bumpy's most trusted enforcers
Demi Singleton as Margaret Johnson, Bumpy's granddaughter
Michael Raymond-James as Joseph Colombo, the mob boss of the Colombo crime family, one of the Five Families

Production

Development

On April 25, 2018, it was announced that Epix had given the production a series order for a first season consisting of ten episodes set to premiere in 2019. The series will be written by Chris Brancato and Paul Eckstein who will also executive produce alongside Forest Whitaker, Nina Yang Bongiovi, James Acheson, and Markuann Smith. Brancato will also act as showrunner. Production companies involved with the series include ABC Signature Studios and Significant Productions.
On June 19, 2018, it was reported that John Ridley would direct the first episode of the series. The first season premiered on September 29, 2019.
On February 12, 2020, the series was renewed for a second season, which premiered on April 18, 2021.
On January 13, 2022, the series was renewed for a third season, which premiered on January 15, 2023.
On November 29, 2023, the series was renewed for a fourth season, which premiered on April 13, 2025.

Casting

Alongside the initial series announcement, it was confirmed that Forest Whitaker would star in the series as Bumpy Johnson. In September 2018, it was announced that Vincent D'Onofrio, Ilfenesh Hadera, Antoinette Crowe-Legacy, Nigél Thatch, Kelvin Harrison Jr., Lucy Fry and Paul Sorvino had been cast in starring roles. In October 2018, it was reported that Giancarlo Esposito and Rafi Gavron had joined the cast in a series regular capacity. On January 8, 2019, it was announced that Kathrine Narducci had been cast in a recurring role.
In March 2021, Justin Bartha, Annabella Sciorra, Ronald Guttman, Isaach de Bankolé, Method Man, Michael Rispoli and Grace Porter were announced to have joined the cast for the second season. In May, Whoopi Goldberg was announced to appear in a guest role.
On July 25, 2022, Paul Sorvino died shortly before the third season began production.
In August 2024, Rome Flynn was announced to have joined the cast for the fourth season. In September, Michael Benjamin Washington and Elijah Wright were announced to have joined the cast.

Filming

Principal photography for the series reportedly began in September 2018 in New York City.

Reception

Critical response

For the first season, the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes reported a 92% approval rating with an average rating of 7.50/10, based on 25 reviews. The website's critical consensus reads: "As sharply dressed as it is smartly written, Godfather of Harlem walks familiar blocks to its own beat and makes a strong first impression." Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned the season a score of 72 out of 100, based on 10 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews". Cheryl Kahla of The South African said: "The Godfather of Harlem is an excellent example of what modern television is capable of today. Whitaker's character Bumpy is a drug kingpin but also just a man trying to make sense of the world and connect with his family".

Docuseries

A documentary series titled By Whatever Means Necessary: The Times of Godfather of Harlem premiered on November 8, 2020, and concluded on November 29, 2020. Directed by Keith McQuirter, the miniseries examines the history of Harlem during the 1960's as depicted during the first season of Godfather of Harlem. McQuirter won the 2021 NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Directing in a Documentary for his work on the series.