A fugazy, or the O.G.? You decide.

I didn’t create the story of the Westies. The events of the story happened in real life. The people who got caught up in that story were and are real people.

I did, however, write the only book ever written on that subject. I extracted that story as it exists in the book from exclusive, first-hand interviews, court transcripts, police and psychiatric reports, Hell’s Kitchen neighborhood lore, media accounts, etc. Sweat and tears went into the creation of that book – my first – because I knew it was an incredible story, historically significant, and vitally relevant to those who lived it. The book was an attempt to encapsulate an era of violence and mayhem for posterity; I held myself to a high standard. The book had to be honest and authentic.

The book was first published in 1990, thirty-six years ago. It was a best-seller in its day, and it has never been out of print.

LISTEN UP

In recent weeks, I’ve been inundated with messages from friends, acquaintances and media outlets about this new TV show on MGM+ called The Westies.

This show has nothing to do with my book. The show is a flimsy counterfeit. A fugazy.

More than a year ago, when I first heard that writer/producer Chris Brancato was developing a show on the Westies, I had my agent call up the production team in the interest of opening a dialogue. My agent was told by a representative of the show: “Chris has never heard of that book.”

That’s right. A guy developing a show supposedly based on the real-life story of the Westies says he never heard of the only book and most credible source that exists on the subject of the Westies.

I took that as a “fuck you,” which is basically what it was.

I looked into what could be done about it, and the short answer is: not much.

In the past, when a movie or television producer saw a subject/story in the public domain that they were interested in developing into a property for the screen, they optioned it. That meant that for a period of time (the length of the option) they controlled the rights to that property, and they were free to develop it as they saw fit. This process was an acknowledgement of “source material” created by an author or journalist who, through sweat, hard work, years of research, and literary wherewithal, basically founded a body of knowledge on the subject that would be a launching point for whatever came later in the way of a movie or TV show. It was a recognition of the concept that ideas usually do not fall from the sky; they often come from preexisting sources, and that those sources deserved their due and recognition.

Chris Brancato has made a career out of bypassing this process. All of his shows – Narcos, Godfather of Harlem, Hotel Cocaine, and now The Westies – borrow liberally from source material that goes unacknowledged in any way. It’s intellectually dishonest, lazy, and sleazy – but it’s not anything that can be contested by law.

What is especially galling is that, with The Westies, he even uses the same title as the book, which is another “fuck you”. Again, there’s nothing I can do about it. You can’t copyright a title.

Some have urged me to write an article in the Hollywood Reporter or Variety calling out Brancato once and for all. I felt that it would be better to respond by reasserting the true-life narrative of the Westies the best way I know how.

NEW COLLECTOR’S EDITION OF THE BOOK

On September 1, 2026 Hamilcar Publishing is reissuing a new hardbound copy of THE WESTIES: INSIDE NEW YORK’S IRISH MOB by T.J. English. Here is the true story as it originally appeared in print, with a new cover and art design, including beautiful illustrations of the main characters by Brad Noor, the book’s designer.

This collector’s edition also includes a new introduction that I wrote detailing how the book came into being through youthful hubris, research, exclusive interviews, pluck, luck, and blind faith.

Go ahead, watch the TV show if you must, then get a copy of this new edition of the book. Read it. You tell me which one does a better job of telling the story. You tell me which one leads you to think, feel, and experience something human.

Don’t be played for a chump or sell yourself short. If you’ve already read the book, consider reading it again. If you’re reading it for the first time, pour one out for the real-life victims.

Accept no imitators. And remember: authenticity is not something that can be appropriated. It has lasting value and will withstand the test of time. The pretenders and con artists are ephemeral; they dematerialize with the click of your remote.

UPCOMING ANNOUNCEMENT

In the days ahead, there will be an announcement about a very special event to lauch this new collector’s editon of THE WESTIES. Keep you eyes and ears peeled.

The book officially drops September 1, 2026.