Is ‘The Westies’ getting a Season 2? JK Simmons has ‘lovely ideas’ after cliffhanger finale
'The Westies' recently concluded its run on MGM+. The premise, set in the 1980s in Hell's Kitchen, kicked off when Jimmy Roarke (Tom Brittney) is forced to turn against his mentor, Eamon Sweeney (JK Simmons). After eight episodes, there was finally a victor and a loser. Throughout the season, all Jimmy wants is to survive this world. However, after seeing Eamon's ruthlessness, he is forced to change course and become a hunter. In the penultimate episode, Eamon murdered Sean because he had become a nuisance to him. In 'The Irish Goodbye,' Jimmy sets a trap for his mentor. He captures Eamon with a promise of reconciliation and other lies. Then he incriminates him in front of the authorities by placing three kilos of cocaine beside him. The episode ends with Jimmy as the new boss of 'Westies' while Eamon is locked behind bars.
Considering that both men are still alive and well, it is safe to say the war is not over. Also, Bridget (Sarah Bolger), Jimmy's girlfriend, finds herself in a bit of trouble after murdering Colonel Gerald Markham (Harry Hadden-Paton). These loose ends are making fans desperately hope for Season 2. Nothing is confirmed yet, but stars are hopeful about its future. "There's so many stories for [showrunners] Chris [Brancato] and Michael [Panes] to tell," Brittney shared with TV Insider. "I mean, it ends in a very open-ended way. It's a cliffhanger of an ending for the season, and I'm just excited to see what happens between our guys. They've got this constant threat of the Italians; it's kind of only going to get worse for them. They've got a lot more to fight next season."
Simmons loved the way Season 1 wrapped up. "Yeah, I mean, they did a great job in the writing of getting to this climactic ending to the first eight episodes, but leaving doors open for where do we go from here. But yeah, it all does really begin to feel like a freight train really running downhill into this- will it be a train wreck? How does the first season end?" he said to Radio Times. Brittney shared that he and his co-star are excited about the show's future, and they have pitched certain storylines to the showrunners, Chris Brancato and Michael Panes. "We all have some lovely ideas that we talked about off and on during the first season, you know. 'Hey, maybe this guy could…' you know," Simmons said. "But at the end of the day, we'll make our pitches." The showrunners already have some ideas about Season 2.
They hope to keep the focus on Jimmy and Eamon's relationship. "Like everything that happens in the first season, [Jimmy and Sweeney's] relationship will evolve and come to unexpected places, because if the father-son analogy is correct, and we all have fights with our parents, but they're still our parents. So, I'll just leave you with that," said co-creator Panes. The pair will also delve deep into the dynamics of 'Westies.' "I would say you're going to continue to see the struggle between Eamon Sweeney and Jimmy Rourke, so you're going to have that father-son dynamic at play; you're going to see John Gotti starting to climb the ladder of the Gambino family, and eventually supersede Paul Castellano as the boss," added co-creator Chris Brancato. "You're going to see the Gambino crime squad bring down its clamps on both groups as hard as possible. So, all of that stuff is second-season action, and we do expect to make a second season. So, stay tuned."
Several factors are considered before a network decides to renew a show. In terms of viewership, 'The Westies' should not be concerned. According to FlixPatrol, it was MGM+'s most-watched TV show in the U.S. just a day after its premiere. After seven episodes, the show was MGM+'s top offering in Germany, Italy, Spain, the UK, and the USA. All signs point to a renewal being on the cards. All episodes of 'The Westies' are currently streaming on MGM+.
