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 top gang bosses. Watchers say the Irish gang tale feels fresh . It mixes fights and dark laughs . Critics call the script okay but not new . People keep debating the show's calm violence . Some like the spin on gang stories. Others say it fits well blends past crime dramas. The series still fuels chats among fans following release.