Godfather of Harlem: Season 1 | Rotten Tomatoes (2024)

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Godfather of Harlem — Season 1

Watch Godfather of Harlem — Season 1 with a subscription on Hulu, or buy it on Fandango at Home, Prime Video, Apple TV.

Godfather of Harlem — Season 1

What to Know

Audience Reviews

Michael N brilliant show. love how it gives a history lesson whilst entertaining. (i know its not all real, but got me interested enough to go and read more Rated 5/5 Stars • Rated 5 out of 5 stars 12/30/23 Full Review Smith J Nice cast and very entertained. Rated 3.5/5 Stars • Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 07/26/23 Full Review Ben Amazing show, great acting!! it gets you hooked so fast Rated 5/5 Stars • Rated 5 out of 5 stars 05/20/23 Full Review Steve B Out of a desire to be fair, and because of my respect for some of the actors, I have watched all three seasons.My advice: don't start. Season One is weak and things go downhill from there with poor scripts, laughable (not funny - laughable) "direction" ... even the music is embarrassingly obvious.The entire enterprise is condescending and sad. Rated 0.5/5 Stars • Rated 0.5 out of 5 stars 03/29/23 Full Review Brandon M Great story line, kinda fictional in some parts but over all awesome series. I hope they keep it going Rated 5/5 Stars • Rated 5 out of 5 stars 02/23/23 Full Review scottyalto Whoever wrote and directed this nonsense...Has no understanding on the packaging, look, worth or historical history of heroine.Has never checked a person's pulse.Has never had to shoot someone downrange standing between two people they didn't want to hit with a .38.Never seen what an authentic plate of peppers and eggs looks like.Can't even get the sound of the cars right.Has NO concept of the value of $300,000 dollars in 1965.Doesn't know how to hang a heavy bag.Hires great actors and wastes their talent with sh*tty writing.Missed an opportunity to lean into one of the greatest anti heroes since AL Swearangin in Deadwood with the preacher character.It's "a show for the stupid". Rated 2/5 Stars • Rated 2 out of 5 stars 02/07/23 Full Review Read all reviews Post a rating

Cast & Crew

Episodes

Episode 1 Aired Sep 29, 2019 By Whatever Means Necessary Bumpy Johnson returns from Alcatraz to reunite with his family and reclaim his Harlem territory from Italian mob boss Vincent Gigante; he finds an unlikely ally in his old friend Malcolm X. Details Episode 2 Aired Oct 6, 2019 The Nitty Gritty Bumpy engages in a fevered search to find a dope supply independent of the Italians; Chin talks to crooked cops; Mayme worries the effect Bumpy's rescue of his daughter Elise from the streets will have on their family. Details Episode 3 Aired Oct 13, 2019 Our Day Will Come Bumpy unexpectedly finds himself at Elise's side when her shoplifting arrest and subsequent abuse is the catalyst for a protest where conflicting interests cause tensions to rise. Details Episode 4 Aired Oct 20, 2019 I Am the Greatest Cassius Clay battles local boxing hero Doug Jones; Mayme insists Bumpy back Jones but Malcolm urges Bumpy to back Clay; Chin engages in a turf war for Harlem with Bonnano and a buried secret is revealed. Details Episode 5 Aired Oct 27, 2019 It's All in the Game In an effort to break Bumpy's bank, Chin fixes a bet, as a result, Bumpy owes the winners more than he can cover; police arrest Stella and Teddy for kissing; Elise looks toward the Nation of Islam in order to better herself. Details Episode 6 Aired Nov 3, 2019 Il Canto de Malavita Elijah Muhammed tours Malcolm X's mosque where he meets Elise and asks her to spy on Malcolm; Chin finds out Teddy is alive, leaving Ernie Nunzi to correct his mistake; Esther James sues Adam Clayton Powell Jr. for slander. Details Episode 7 Aired Nov 10, 2019 Masters of War Striking back at the Italians, Bumpy exploits Chin's dark past; Mayme and Elise put aside their differences and Bumpy sees his wife and children reunited before his war explodes. Details Episode 8 Aired Nov 17, 2019 How I Got Over Chin and Bonnano are at war in Harlem; Mayme asks Bumpy to create a will where Bumpy finds out he and Mayme never formally adopted Margaret; Malcolm X and Adam Clayton Powell Jr. go to D.C. for the March on Washington. Details Episode 9 Aired Nov 24, 2019 Rent Strike Blues Due to slum conditions in Harlem, Adam Clayton Powell Jr. leads a rent strike and investigates the owners of the buildings; Ernie Nunzi searches for the hooker who helped set up Zambrano; Bumpy and Mayme experience tension in their marriage. Details Episode 10 Aired Dec 1, 2019 Chickens Come Home to Roost Bumpy blackmails the mob in an effort to secure the safety of himself and his family; President John F. Kennedy is assassinated; Teddy performs at the Apollo Theater in Harlem. Details

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Critics Reviews

Brian Tallerico RogerEbert.com [Whitaker] holds it all together, but this is definitely an ensemble piece, and it's smart, engaging television that only occasionally falters under the weight of its ambition to tell a few too many stories at once. Oct 6, 2019 Full Review Lorraine Ali Los Angeles Times This unofficial prequel to "American Gangster" does play with nostalgia from the era... But its depiction of a racially divided, corrupt and often venal world rings just as true today. Oct 2, 2019 Full Review Brad Newsome Sydney Morning Herald Anachronistic hip-hop might date the series quickly, but for now it's a rich and piquant stew. Oct 2, 2019 Full Review Keith Watson Metro Newspaper (UK) What lifts Godfather Of Harlem above your standard mobster bloodbath is its classy evocation of a New York caught on the cusp of major upheaval. Rated: 4/5 Nov 6, 2020 Full Review Marcelo Stiletano La Nación (Argentina) The historical context is fascinating and the series lives up to its rich complexity. [Full Review in Spanish] Jun 24, 2020 Full Review Pat Stacey The Herald (Ireland) Godfather of Harlem, which is stuffed with real historical figures, including Malcolm X, tries to be a mash-up of over-familiar gangster clichés and lofty history of the African-American quest for social justice, but ends up overreaching. Rated: 3/5 Jan 8, 2020 Full Review Read all reviews

Season Info