MGM+ launched The Westies on Sunday. It is a new eight-episode gangster show set in 1980s Hell's Kitchen. J.K. Simmons and Titus Welliver play the two gang bosses. Watchers say the mob tale feels fresh . It combines fights and gallows humor . Critics call the script okay but not new . People keep discussing the show's controlled aggression. Some like the spin on crime sagas . Others say it echoes past crime dramas. The series still fuels chats among fans post premiere .