logo
Titus Welliver to Play NYPD Officer in MGM+ Crime Drama The Westies, Opposite J.K. Simmons

Titus Welliver to Play NYPD Officer in MGM+ Crime Drama The Westies, Opposite J.K. Simmons

Yahoo10-06-2025
Titus Welliver is returning to law enforcement — and this time, he's going after the mob.
The former Bosch star is joining J.K. Simmons in MGM+'s The Westies, a crime drama centered around the real-life titular Irish-American crime gang in 1980s New York City, our sister site Deadline reports.
More from TVLine
Spider-Noir: Nicolas Cage Suits Up in Superhero Series for MGM+ and Prime Video - WATCH
Jon Hamm to Star in MGM+ Drama American Hostage From EP Shawn Ryan
The Equalizer Spinoff Not Moving Forward at CBS
More specifically, 'The Westies is set in the early 1980s when the construction of the Jacob Javitz Convention Center on the Westies' home turf in Hell's Kitchen promises a financial windfall for the Irish-American organized crime gang,' per the show's official logline. 'Despite being outnumbered 50-to-1 by the Five Families of the Italian mafia, The Westies' legendary brutality and cunning have given them the leverage necessary to share the spoils through a fragile détente. But internal conflict between the brash younger generation and the old-school leadership threatens to set a match to this powder keg, which will sweep the Westies into the FBI's ever-deepening investigation into the Italian mafia.'
Welliver is playing Glenn Keenan, described as a 'troubled NYPD officer who grew up with the Westies crew, torn between loyalty to the law and love for his wayward son.' He'll appear opposite J.K. Simmons as mob boss Eamon Sweeney.
Chris Brancato serves as showrunner of The Westies, co-creating and executive-producing alongside Michael Panes. Production on the eight-episode season is set to begin in Toronto in July.
Welliver is best known for his 10-season run as Harry Bosch, the titular detective in Bosch and its spinoff Bosch: Legacy. The Legacy series finale dropped April 17, ending Welliver's 10-season run as the police detective from the Michael Connelly novels.
Best of TVLine
Stars Who Almost Played Other TV Roles — on Grey's Anatomy, NCIS, Lost, Gilmore Girls, Friends and Other Shows
TV Stars Almost Cast in Other Roles
Fall TV Preview: Who's In? Who's Out? Your Guide to Every Casting Move!
Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Ozzy Osbourne's longtime guitarist Zakk Wylde reveals emotional final text message from late rocker
Ozzy Osbourne's longtime guitarist Zakk Wylde reveals emotional final text message from late rocker

New York Post

time7 hours ago

  • New York Post

Ozzy Osbourne's longtime guitarist Zakk Wylde reveals emotional final text message from late rocker

Zakk Wylde revealed his final text with Ozzy Osbourne. The Prince of Darkness' longtime guitarist shared the last words they ever exchanged just weeks before Osbourne's death on July 22 at the age of 76. Wylde, 58, said their emotional text conversation took place after Black Sabbath's farewell concert in Birmingham, England, on July 5, marking what became the heavy metal legend's last performance of his lifetime. 14 Ozzy Osbourne and Zakk Wylde. Redferns 14 British musician Ozzy Osbourne (left) and American guitarist Zakk Wylde perform at the Poplar Creek Music Theater in Hoffman Estates, Chicago, in 1989. Getty Images While the musician was there to watch Osbourne and his bandmates — Tony Iommi, Bill Ward and Geezer Butler — perform at Villa Park, he didn't get to see the rocker backstage after the show because it was so hectic. 'Everybody and their mother were in the backstage dressing room and I just wanted to give him a break,' the Black Label Society musician explained to Guitar World in an interview published on Tuesday, July 29. Wylde knew Osbourne was ill but figured he'd see him in the coming days, although that never happened. Instead, the two swapped loving text messages. 14 Getty Images 14 Getty Images 'The last text I got from Oz was saying, 'Zakky, sorry, it was like a madhouse back there. I didn't see you.' He goes, 'Thanks for everything.' It was just us talking, saying, 'I love you, buddy.' That was it,' he revealed of their last communication. The guitarist reflected on the Black Sabbath concert. 'It was definitely pretty amazing. Seeing Oz onstage when Sabbath got done, that's the last time I saw him,' Wylde stated. 14 WireImage Calling it 'business as usual,' the musician said his priority was 'making sure that Oz was okay.' Wylde also spoke about his close relationship with Osbourne, who was the godfather of his oldest child. 'Oz was just the best,' he said. 'I have my father, who was a World War II veteran; and then Ozzy, who was almost like an older brother. There was almost a 20-year age gap between us. With our relationship, there was the fun drinking – but if I ever needed advice, I could talk to him.' 14 WireImage 14 Greg Draven/X 'I'm blessed and grateful, man. Anything other than that would be selfish,' Wylde noted of their friendship. 'And on top of it, to go out with what's the biggest-grossing charity event of all? That's unbelievable. He helped a whole lot of people instead of making a profit. My God, what an incredible master. What an incredible life,' he added of Osbourne's final concert. When the interviewer told Wylde that his working relationship with the 'Crazy Train' singer seemed 'more familial' than any of Osbourne's other guitarists, he agreed. 14 Charles Wenzelberg 'Yeah, that's how I've always looked at it. Ozzy is the godfather of our oldest son. Whether I was playing with him or not, if Sharon called me and my wife up and said, 'Guys, can you watch the house while we're away on a business trip?' I'd do it. It's like, 'If you need me to bring milk and eggs over, I'll do it,'' he stated. He noted that their chemistry was instant. 'It was – with all your friends in your life, lions attract lions, you know? And the hyenas you hang out with, that sorts itself out later! But Ozzy was the easiest-going, warmest guy. He was so easy to get along with,' Wylde shared. 14 Ozzy Osbourne/Instagram The New Jersey native teamed up with the Black Sabbath frontman in 1987, replacing Jake E. Lee after he exited the group. 'I was always like, 'Guys, I worship Sabbath,' the musician remembered. 'Anything I'm gonna write will have Lord Iommi as the base of the soup. It's in my DNA.' To Wylde, his bond with Osbourne was unmatched. 14 Getty Images for SiriusXM 'It was definitely beyond just us playing in a band together and making music,' he said elsewhere in the interview. Wylde made a name for himself when he debuted his guitar skills on Osbourne's 1988 album, 'No Rest for the Wicked.' He was also featured on the two records that followed: 'No More Tears' in 1991 and 'Ozzmosis' in 1995. Wylde was replaced by former Lizzy Borden guitarist Joe Holmes after 'Ozzmosis,' but it didn't last long. 14 Getty Images He returned to Osbourne's band in 2001 and continued weaving in and out of the 'Mama, I'm Coming Home' singer's orbit through the next several years until returning in 2017 for the 'No More Tours II' tour. Wylde was also part of the all-star performance that paid tribute to Osbourne at his Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction in 2024, his second after being inducted with Black Sabbath in 2006. Osbourne passed away with his loved ones by his side last week. 14 Anita Maric / SWNS 14 Getty Images 14 Getty Images 'It is with more sadness than mere words can convey that we have to report that our beloved Ozzy Osbourne has passed away this morning,' his family confirmed in a statement to The Post. 'He was with his family and surrounded by love. We ask everyone to respect our family privacy at this time. Sharon, Jack, Kelly, Aimee, and Louis.' On Wednesday, July 30, thousands of fans lined the streets for the rocker's funeral procession in his hometown of Birmingham, England. His wife of over 40 years, Sharon Osbourne, 72, and four of his six children, including Kelly, Aimee, Jack and Louis, the latter from his first marriage, were also in attendance. Osbourne's family broke down and sobbed as they viewed the tributes to Ozzy left by his fans. They also paid homage to their patriarch by wearing several items belonging to the rock icon during the procession.

American Eagle's 'good jeans' ads with Sydney Sweeney spark a debate

time8 hours ago

American Eagle's 'good jeans' ads with Sydney Sweeney spark a debate

NEW YORK -- U.S. fashion retailer American Eagle Outfitters wanted to make a splash with its new advertising campaign starring 27-year-old actor Sydney Sweeney. The ad blitz included 'clever, even provocative language' and was 'definitely going to push buttons,' the company's chief marketing officer told trade media outlets. It has. The question now is whether some of the public reactions the fall denim campaign produced is what American Eagle intended. Titled 'Sydney Sweeney has great jeans,' the campaign sparked a debate about race, Western beauty standards, and the backlash to 'woke' American politics and culture. Most of the negative reception focused on videos that used the word 'genes' instead of 'jeans' when discussing the blonde-haired, blue-eyed actor known for the HBO series 'Euphoria' and 'White Lotus.' Some critics saw the wordplay as a nod, either unintentional or deliberate, to eugenics, a discredited theory that held humanity could be improved through selective breeding for certain traits. Marcus Collins, an assistant professor of marketing at the University of Michigan's Ross School of Business, said the criticism could have been avoided if the ads showed models of various races making the 'genes' pun. 'You can either say this was ignorance, or this was laziness, or say that this is intentional,' Collins said. 'Either one of the three aren't good.' Other commenters accused detractors of reading too much into the campaign's message. 'I love how the leftist meltdown over the Sydney Sweeney ad has only resulted in a beautiful white blonde girl with blue eyes getting 1000x the exposure for her 'good genes,'" former Fox News host Megyn Kelly wrote Tuesday on X. American Eagle didn't respond to requests for comment from The Associated Press. The ad blitz comes as the teen retailer, like many merchants, wrestles with sluggish consumer spending and higher costs from tariffs. American Eagle reported that total sales were down 5% for its February-April quarter compared to a year earlier. A day after Sweeney was announced as the company's latest celebrity collaborator, American Eagle's stock closed more than 4% up. Shares were volatile this week and trading nearly 2% down Wednesday. Like many trendy clothing brands, American Eagle has to differentiate itself from other mid-priced chains with a famous face or by saying something edgy, according to Alan Adamson, co-founder of marketing consultancy Metaforce. Adamson said the Sweeney campaign shares a lineage with Calvin Klein jeans ads from 1980 that featured a 15-year-old Brooke Shields saying, 'You want to know what comes in between me and my Calvins? Nothing.' Some TV networks declined to air the spots because of its suggestive double entendre and Shields' age. 'It's the same playbook: a very hot model saying provocative things shot in an interesting way,' Adamson said. Chief Marketing Officer Craig Brommers told industry news website Retail Brew last week that 'Sydney is the biggest get in the history of American Eagle,' and the company would promote the partnership in a way that matched. The campaign features videos of Sweeney wearing slouchy jeans in various settings. She will appear on 3-D billboards in Times Square and elsewhere, speaking to users on Snapchat and Instagram, and in an AI-enabled try-on feature. American Eagle also plans to launch a limited edition Sydney jean to raise awareness of domestic violence, with sales proceeds going to a nonprofit crisis counseling service. In a news release, the company noted 'Sweeney's girl next door charm and main character energy – paired with her ability to not take herself too seriously – is the hallmark of this bold, playful campaign.' In one video, Sweeney walks toward an American Eagle billboard of her and the tagline 'Sydney Sweeney has great genes.' She crosses out 'genes' and replaces it with 'jeans.' But what critics found the most troubling was a teaser video in which Sweeney says, 'Genes are passed down from parents to offspring, often determining traits like hair color, personality and even eye color. My jeans are blue.' The video appeared on American Eagle's Facebook page and other social media channels but is not part of the campaign. While remarking that someone has good genes is sometimes used as a compliment, the phrase also has sinister connotations. Eugenics gained popularity in early 20th century America, and Nazi Germany embraced it to carry out Adolf Hitler's plan for an Aryan master race. Civil rights activists have noted signs of eugenics regaining a foothold through the far right's promotion of the 'great replacement theory,' a racist ideology that alleges a conspiracy to diminish the influence of white people. Shalini Shankar, a cultural and linguistic anthropologist at Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois, said she had problems with American Eagle's 'genes' versus 'jeans' because it exacerbates a limited concept of beauty. 'American Eagle, I guess, wants to rebrand itself for a particular kind of white privileged American,' Shankar said. 'And that is the kind of aspirational image they want to circulate for people who want to wear their denim.' Many critics compared the American Eagle ad to a misstep by Pepsi in 2017, when it released a TV ad that showed model Kendall Jenner offer a can of soda to a police officer while ostensibly stepping away from a photo shoot to join a crowd of protesters. Viewers mocked the spot for appearing to trivialize protests of police killings of Black people. Pepsi apologized and pulled the ad. The demonstrations that followed the 2020 killing of George Floyd by a white police officer in Minneapolis pushed many U.S. companies to make their advertising better reflect consumers of all races. Some marketers say they've observed another shift since President Donald Trump returned to office and moved to abolish all federal DEI programs and policies. Jazmin Burrell, founder of brand consulting agency Lizzie Della Creative Strategies, said she's noticed while shopping with her cousin more ads and signs that prominently feature white models. 'I can see us going back to a world where diversity is not really the standard expectation in advertising,' Burrell said. American Eagle has been praised for diverse marketing in the past, including creating a denim hijab in 2017 and offering its Aerie lingerie brand in a wide range of sizes. A year ago, the company released a limited edition denim collection with tennis star Coco Gauff. The retailer has an ongoing diversity, equity and inclusion program that is primarily geared toward employees. Two days before announcing the Sweeney campaign, American Eagle named the latest recipients of its scholarship award for employees who are driving anti-racism, equality and social justice initiatives. Marketing experts offer mixed opinions on whether the attention surrounding 'good jeans' will be good for business. 'They were probably thinking that this is going to be their moment," Myles Worthington, the founder and CEO of marketing and creative agency WORTHI. "But this is doing the opposite and deeply distorting their brand." Melissa Murphy, a marketing professor at Carnegie Mellon University's Tepper School of Business, said she liked certain parts of the campaign but hoped it would be expanded to showcase people besides Sweeney for the 'sake of the brand.' Other experts say the buzz is good even if it's not uniformly positive.

From Sydney Sweeney to Steele Dossier w/ Byron York and Lucas Tomlinson
From Sydney Sweeney to Steele Dossier w/ Byron York and Lucas Tomlinson

Fox News

time9 hours ago

  • Fox News

From Sydney Sweeney to Steele Dossier w/ Byron York and Lucas Tomlinson

The woke mob has a meltdown over Sydney Sweeney's American Eagle ad. Then, Washington Examiner's Byron York joins to dig into the latest 'Russiagate' revelations, John Brennan's central role, and why accountability remains elusive. Fox News correspondent Lucas Tomlinson offers insight into the political fallout and analysis of the Commander's football and Wide Receiver drama. Finally, a full review of Marvel's Fantastic Four , breaking down what the studio got right, why family-friendly storytelling works, and how Marvel may have just upstaged Superman at the global box office. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store