“Vestis” is a solid crime series that premiered on 12 July 2026 on MGM+. The first season has eight episodes — dynamic, atmospheric, and with such an obvious hint at a continuation that after the finale you can almost smell a second season. Let’s say it right away: we really liked the series. Solid, high-quality... although we had to lower our rating.
The action unfolds in New York in the 1980s, in the Hell’s Kitchen neighborhood. At the center of the story is the Irish criminal group “Vestis,” the police, the FBI, and people who once chose different sides of the law but were never able to completely sever the past that binds them.
The series draws you in almost immediately. It confidently picks up pace, never sags, and constantly maintains the tension. There are criminal showdowns, friendship and betrayal, family ties, old grievances, and characters whose actions cannot be divided into purely good and bad. That is why “Vestis” at times feels not merely like a gangster drama, but like a true psychological action thriller.
Visually, the series turned out magnificent. New York in the 1980s looks gloomy, alive, and very stylish: bars, cramped apartments, dark streets, costumes, cars, and music create a cohesive atmosphere of the era.
But the main strength of “Vestis” is its actors. Here you literally want to applaud the entire cast. They don’t just deliver lines and portray tough men — each one creates a fully realized character with his own past, pain, fears, and inner contradictions. Even in the characters’ silence there is more than long dialogues sometimes manage to convey.
J. K. Simmons is magnificent as the head of the gang, Eamon Sweeney. His character can do almost nothing, sit quietly, or simply look at the person across from him — and still fill the entire frame. In him one simultaneously senses strength, weariness, danger, and a strange human vulnerability. Simmons acts so precisely that there is simply not a single superfluous gesture or glance here.
Titus Welliver as police officer Glenn Keenan, once again proves how organically he exists in complex crime stories. His character has been through war, carries the burden of the past, and constantly balances between duty, personal ties, and his own demons. Welliver acts with restraint, but behind that restraint an inner explosion is felt the whole time. We remember Titus Welliver from the series "Bosch" and the recently released in cinemas “Operation "Retribution"” (we wrote about it as soon as it came out)
Very good Tom Brittney — his Jimmy Rourke turned out alive, contradictory, and unpredictable. Stanley Morgan adds nerve and inner fragility to the story, while Sarah Bolger creates one of the most interesting and strong heroines of the season. Her character does not get lost among the harsh men and does not turn into a mere addition to someone else's story.
Jessica Frances Dukes holds her FBI agent storyline beautifully: smart, composed, and confident, she does not raise her voice in order to feel strong. Allen Leech, Hamish Allan-Headley, and Richard Schiff also complement the ensemble magnificently. There really are no throwaway performers here — even the secondary characters look as if each one has a separate life off-screen.
There is genuine chemistry between the actors. Their conflicts, friendships, mistrust, and old ties feel natural. It is precisely thanks to the acting that the series becomes deeper than an ordinary story about gangsters: behind the criminal showdowns, living people are constantly visible — people who love, make mistakes, are afraid, and try to survive.
But the series also has a noticeable flaw. Some cruel scenes are not only excessive but also completely unnecessary to the plot. At such moments it seems as if the writers briefly confused “Vestis” with the series “Breaking Bad” and decided to urgently add cruelty for cruelty's sake.
It is precisely because of this that the main emphasis shifts at times. Instead of the characters, relationships, and inner struggle of the heroes, the viewer is offered yet another “hardcore” moment, which distracts rather than strengthens the story. And yet the series works beautifully without such devices — thanks to its atmosphere, tension, and magnificent acting.
Overall, "Vestis" is a very interesting, dynamic, and stylish crime series. It has strong characters, confident direction, a stunning acting ensemble, and a finale that clearly leaves the door open for a continuation.
Gaya's rating is 8.0/10.
If it weren't for the inappropriate cruelty, the score would be half a point higher. It's just that the emphasis is placed slightly on the wrong thing. And yet — bravo to the actors and the series! 👏 We're waiting for the second season.
