The History Channel’s new four-part documentary series “American Godfathers: The Five Families” focuses on the five New York City mafia families who ran organized crime in America. The premiere is scheduled for Sunday, August 11 at 8 p.m.
Based on Selwyn Raab’s New York Times bestseller Five Families: The Rise, Fall and Resurrection of America’s Most Powerful Mafia Empires, American Godfathers: The Five Families traces the mafia’s extensive history, beginning with its early ties to Sicily.
- Part 1 of the documentary series “American Godfathers: The Five Families” will premiere on Sunday, August 11th at 8 p.m. on the History Channel.
If you don’t have a traditional cable connection but want to stream the documentary series, you can watch it via Philo or DirecTV Stream. Both streaming services offer a free trial to new subscribers.
More about the series
According to the History Channel’s official synopsis, “American Godfathers: The Five Families,” produced and narrated by Emmy Award®-winning actor Michael Imperioli, is a three-part, six-hour documentary series that explores the creation, rise and fall of New York City’s five Mafia families, who over a period of more than 50 years were involved in every facet of organized crime in America, from bootlegging and drug trafficking to racketeering and gambling. The history and subsequent collapse of the “Omerta” code, coupled with the ever-changing violent power struggles within each of the five families, are vividly documented in each two-hour episode. Through investigative archival images, footage, audio recordings and reenactments, as well as new, candid on-camera interviews with authors including Raab himself, historians, experts, law enforcement officials, witnesses and former Mafia members, viewers gain an insight into the inner workings of the most powerful criminal organization of the twentieth century.”
Where can I find the History Channel?
You can find out which channels History is on using the channel finders here: Verizon Fios, AT&T U-verse, Comcast Xfinity, Spectrum/Charter, Optimum/Altice, DIRECTV, and Dish.
For those without cable, there are these streaming services
You can watch it on Philo, an entertainment streaming service that offers over 60 channels and a free trial. DirecTV Stream offers MTV, the History Channel and more than 65 sports, entertainment and news channels in its entertainment package.
What you can expect from the three-part documentary series
Episode 1, “Death of The Old Rules,” premieres Sunday, August 11
- Follows the American Mafia from its early development in New York neighborhoods through Prohibition and the boom times of the 1950s. It examines how public violence, involvement in drug trafficking, and appearances at government hearings influenced the families’ activities and came into conflict with their supposed code of honor.
Episode 2, “Rise of The New Dons,” premieres Monday, August 12
- Rise of The New Dons focuses on the deadly conflict between the old guard of the families and a new generation of younger, American-born gangsters willing to disregard the authority of the bosses and long-established rules to fulfill their own ambitions for power, wealth and revenge.
Episode 3, “The Last Don,” premieres Tuesday, August 13
- The Last Don shows how a decidedly new, more aggressive approach by law enforcement to “eradicate” the Mafia is forcing families to find creative ways to stay in business and avoid prison. But it’s not as easy as it was in the past, and some are ready to give up once and for all.
More about Philo
Philo’s Live TV subscription offers a free 7-day trial and costs $28 per month. It includes MTV and over 50 other classic TV, lifestyle and news channels. Subscribers can stream on up to three devices simultaneously, create up to 10 profiles and save unlimited live or future shows for up to a year.
About DirecTV Stream
A new DirecTV Stream subscription starts at $70 per month. The streaming service offers a free 5-day trial to new subscribers. The streamer offers MTV and more than 65 sports, entertainment, and news channels as part of its Entertainment package ($70 monthly). Other plans offer over 90 to 140 channels at prices ranging from $69 to $150 per month; you can also add HBO Max, Starz, Showtime, and other channels to expand your options for movies and TV.
