‘The Westies’ Episode 5 Release Date, Time and Preview For MGM Plus Crime Drama

MGM Plus subscribers following ‘The Westies’ are gearing up for another chapter in the network’s Irish gangland saga. The series, which dropped its first two episodes together before shifting to a weekly rollout, has built its early identity around a fractured alliance between an Irish American crime family and the Italian mob that dominates their turf.

As the show heads deeper into its eight episode first season, the stakes for Jimmy Roarke and the rest of the Westies crew keep climbing, and episode five looks to push several ongoing storylines toward a breaking point.

When ‘The Westies’ Episode 5 Premieres

According to TV Guide’s episode listings, the fifth episode of ‘The Westies’ is scheduled to arrive on Sunday, August 2, 2026. That date lines up with the show’s established pattern, since the series has stuck to a consistent Sunday release since its debut.

Rotten Tomatoes’ episode page for the installment also lists an August 2, 2026 release date, confirming the schedule across multiple tracking sources. The series airs on MGM Plus, and prior premiere coverage from DIRECTV Insider notes that new episodes of the show have gone out at 9 p.m. ET each week following the two episode launch.

The season overall runs eight episodes, with the DIRECTV Insider piece pointing to a finale date of August 23. That puts episode five roughly two thirds of the way through the freshman run, a point where mob dramas often start tightening the screws on their central conflicts.

For anyone keeping a personal watch schedule, the steady weekly cadence has made the show easy to follow without the whiplash of a full binge release, and that pacing has become part of the appeal for crime drama fans checking in each Sunday.

What To Expect From The New Episode

The official synopsis for episode five, as listed on Rotten Tomatoes, describes Sweeney allowing Roarke to sell cocaine only if he sources the product himself, a decision that puts Roarke directly in John Gotti’s crosshairs since Gotti suspects the Westies of defying Castellano. The same synopsis notes that Bridget helps Cahill secure explosives for their IRA plot, while Polk pressures Keenan to wear a wire.

That description suggests at least three storylines converging at once. The drug conflict with the Italian mafia, Bridget’s entanglement in an IRA operation, and Keenan’s law enforcement pressure have all been building since earlier episodes, and episode five appears designed to force each character closer to a point of no return.

Reviews of the series have consistently pointed out that ‘The Westies’ leans on genre staples familiar from shows like ‘The Sopranos’, ‘Boardwalk Empire’ and ‘Peaky Blinders’, including shifting alliances, FBI scrutiny and internal power struggles. A review from Seat42F argued the show does not reinvent the mob drama formula, but that commanding performances and a strong period setting help it stand apart within a crowded genre.

That same review highlighted the series’ focus on character over spectacle, describing it as a slow burning crime saga rather than one built around constant violence. Given that approach, episode five is likely to keep leaning on tension and fallout between characters rather than pure action.

How Season 1 Has Unfolded So Far

‘The Westies’ opens with the construction of the Jacob Javits Convention Center creating a financial opportunity on the Westies’ home turf in Hell’s Kitchen, even though the gang is vastly outnumbered by the Five Families of the Italian mafia. A generational rift between the gang’s younger members and its old school leadership threatens the fragile peace the Westies have carved out, eventually pulling them into an FBI investigation of the Italian mob.

Earlier episodes have already shown the fallout from that instability. The show’s fourth episode centers on the Westies’ deal with the Italians unraveling after a reckless kidnapping, with Mickey Flanagan released from Bellevue and rejoining Roarke’s crew, Keenan pulled onto an FBI task force, and Bridget receiving a dangerous assignment from an IRA contact.

Prior to that, episode three saw Sweeney strike a deal with Castellano in which the Westies would rob a Colombian disco in exchange for Flanagan’s release from Gotti’s grip. Episode two focused on Roarke and the Westies hiding the body of a dead Italian mobster and staging crimes to cover up the murder before Gotti could retaliate.

The premiere itself drew a mixed but largely positive response, with one review describing the two episode launch as colorful, barely controlled chaos that benefits from a longer opening act similar to MGM Plus’ earlier series ‘American Classic’. That same review noted the show relies on familiar mob genre archetypes, but argued the cast keeps the material entertaining even when the plot beats are predictable.

Where To Watch ‘The Westies’

‘The Westies’ streams exclusively on MGM Plus, with the series also available through DIRECTV for subscribers with access to the network. The show’s cast is led by J.K. Simmons as Eamon Sweeney, alongside Titus Welliver, Tom Brittney and Jessica Frances Dukes, with Tom Brittney playing Jimmy Roarke, a young Irish gangster caught between the life he inherited and the future he wants to build.

The series was created by Chris Brancato and Michael Panes, marking Brancato’s third collaboration with MGM Plus following ‘Godfather of Harlem’ and ‘Hotel Cocaine’. Brancato also serves as showrunner on the first season, with MGM Plus Studios producing the series.

Rounding out the ensemble, Sarah Bolger plays Bridget Walsh, Allen Leech portrays Brendan Cahill, Stanley Morgan takes on Mickey Flanagan, Hamish Allan Headley appears as a young John Gotti, and Hilary McCormack plays Erin Malone. Filming for the first season took place in Hamilton and Toronto, Ontario, beginning in July 2025.

With three episodes still to come after this one, the collision course between Roarke’s ambitions, Sweeney’s caution and the FBI’s growing interest in the Westies is only getting more crowded, and fans watching Bridget’s IRA storyline collide with the rest of the gang’s troubles will have plenty to weigh in on once episode five airs.