MGM+ launched 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 mob tale feels new . It mixes fights and dark laughs . Critics call the script okay but not new . People keep arguing about the show's quiet brutality . Some like the twist on mob tales . Others say it belongs with old crime hits . The series still sparks talks among fans after launch .