American Godfathers: The Five Families

[DanaK]

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History 3-part doc series that premieres Sunday August 11 at 8pm and runs over 3 nights

Synopsis:

The HISTORY(R) Channel will premiere its new nonfiction documentary series "American Godfathers: The Five Families," executive produced and narrated by Emmy Award(R)-winning actor Michael Imperioli ("White Lotus," "This Fool"), across three consecutive nights beginning Sunday, August 11 at 8pm ET/PT. Produced by Propagate and the Barnicle Brothers, this six-hour docuseries explores the inception, rise, and fall of New York City's five Mafia families who over a fifty-plus-year period had a hand in every facet of organized crime in America from bootlegging and drug trafficking to extortion and gambling.

Based upon Selwyn Raab's New York Times best-seller "Five Families: The Rise, Decline and Resurgence of America's Most Powerful Mafia Empires," "American Godfathers: The Five Families" traces the extensive history of the Mafia beginning with its early ties to Sicily. In 1931, Charles "Lucky" Luciano, a Sicilian-born gangster, created The Commission which acted as the governing body for the American Mafia and appointed the original "New York Five" - the Bonanno, Gagliano, Luciano, Mangano, and Profaci families. They lived by an honor code or set of rules; the most important was omertá meaning "silence." For a generation, omertá, the key to the Mafia's success, kept the families safe from law enforcement and public view as they made millions through wartime, depression, and changes in legislation to seamlessly move from one racket to the next.

Full press release http://www.thefutoncritic.com/news/2024/06/27/executive-produced-and-narrated-by-michael-imperioli-new-three-night-event-american-godfathers-the-five-families-premieres-august-11-on-the-history-channel-737212/20240627history01/

Trailer

 

[GHScorpiosRule]

Narrated by Imperioli?! BAH!😒  I noticed the synopsis left out he also starred and is mostly known for his role in The Sopranos. Also know him from Good Fellas, and two characters in original Law & Order.

But since I have an unhealthy fascination for mafia history, I’ll check it out, despite the narrator.

[Shrek]

I watched it all & there wasn't much new in it that I didn't already know. But it's always good if its mafia stuff so maybe I'm biased (I am).

[Gemma Violet]

I watched most of it and liked it.  Missed part of the first episode, so I'll try to catch a repeat.