‘The Westies’ Episode 6 Release Date, Time, and Preview for Rad Tad

MGM+ continues to roll out its 1980s Hell’s Kitchen crime saga this week, and viewers following the Irish gang drama already have a firm date circled for the next chapter. Episode 6, titled Rad Tad, is scheduled to arrive on August 9, 2026, keeping the show on the weekly cadence it has held since the premiere.

The series has built a loyal following by mixing organized crime intrigue with a tight, character driven approach to its 1980s setting. The show follows the Westies gang as the construction of the Jacob Javits Convention Center on their home turf in Hell’s Kitchen promises a financial windfall, even as internal conflict between a brash younger generation and old school leadership threatens to upend a fragile truce with the Italian Mafia.

The Westies Release Schedule and Episode 6 Air Time

‘The Westies’ premiered on MGM+ through DIRECTV on Sunday, July 12 at 9 p.m. ET with a special two episode debut, and new episodes have followed weekly through to the season finale. Since the double premiere, the remaining episodes have followed a strict weekly schedule, with new installments airing on MGM+ in the United States at 9 p.m. ET on Sundays.

Episode 6, Rad Tad, is set to premiere on Sunday, August 9, 2026, with a runtime of roughly 51 minutes. For international viewers, the series reaches the MGM+ streaming service the same day it broadcasts, though the exact upload time can vary slightly depending on channel subscriptions, local distributors, and device listings.

The show has stuck closely to this pattern from the start. Episode 3, The Starship, aired July 19, followed by episode 4, Favors and Funerals, on July 26, and episode 5, A Right Rose Tree, on August 2. That consistency has made ‘The Westies’ easy to follow for fans tracking the season’s slow burn toward its finale.

Rad Tad Preview and Plot Details

In Rad Tad, Roarke gets a risky loan from Ruby Stein to fund a cocaine deal with a well connected hotshot from downtown, only for the deal to fall apart. That collapsed drug deal forces the Westies into an even more dangerous position than before.

The fallout does not stay contained to Roarke’s storyline. Keenan targets an older member of the Westies as a way to pressure Sweeney, while Bridget and the IRA cell make their move on Colonel Markham. That last thread continues to widen the scope of the series beyond its New York gang war roots.

The episode also builds on tensions that have been simmering since earlier installments. Sweeney has allowed Roarke to sell cocaine only if he sources it himself, a condition that puts Roarke directly in John Gotti’s crosshairs since Gotti suspects the Westies of defying Paul Castellano. Meanwhile, the pressure campaign against the crew from law enforcement keeps tightening, as Polk continues pushing Keenan to wear a wire.

For context, the previous episode kept the tension high heading into this stretch of the season. A Right Rose Tree saw Roarke sell cocaine only after sourcing it himself, drawing Gotti’s suspicion that the Westies were defying Castellano, while Bridget helped Cahill secure explosives for the IRA plot.

Cast and Production Behind ‘The Westies’

The series draws its strength from a stacked ensemble cast working through this morally complicated world. The lead roles are played by J. K. Simmons, Titus Welliver, Tom Brittney, Jessica Frances Dukes, Stanley Morgan, Sarah Bolger, Allen Leech, and Hamish Allan-Headley. Simmons, an Oscar winner, plays the Irish gang leader at the center of the story.

Behind the camera, the show comes from experienced hands in the crime drama space. ‘The Westies’ was created by Chris Brancato and Michael Panes, and the series marks the third collaboration between Brancato and MGM+, following his previous work on ‘The Godfather of Harlem’ and ‘Hotel Cocaine’.

Critical reaction so far has been mixed but generally engaged. One review praised J.K. Simmons for providing a strong center of gravity, credited Titus Welliver with bringing real pathos and regret to his role, and singled out the show’s music, from its needle drops to its raucous Dropkick Murphys opening theme, as excellent throughout. Other viewers have been more mixed, with some finding the mob dialect and genre tropes familiar territory rather than a fresh take.

What Comes After Episode 6

With eight episodes total making up the first season, the back half of ‘The Westies’ is quickly coming into view. The season is set to wrap with its finale in late August, and MGM+ has confirmed the season finale will air on August 23.

The episodes immediately following Rad Tad promise to escalate matters further. Episode 7, A Boy Made of Trouble, features tensions between Sweeney and Roarke erupting after one of the Westies gets busted, while Keenan uses the case to pressure Sweeney and earn Polk’s trust, and Bridget pushes deeper into her mission as Cahill’s motives grow murkier. The finale is expected to carry the fitting title The Irish Goodbye.

As Roarke’s cocaine deal falls apart and Bridget’s IRA entanglement grows more dangerous, which storyline in ‘The Westies’ has you the most invested heading into Rad Tad.