

Godfather of Harlem
Harlem is mine.
Loosely based on infamous crime boss Bumpy Johnson, who in the early 1960s returned from ten years in prison to find the neighborhood he once ruled in shambles. With the streets controlled by the Italian mob, Bumpy attempts to regain his piece of Harlem.
Cast

Forest Whitaker
Ellsworth 'Bumpy' Johnson

Erik LaRay Harvey
Delbert C. 'Del' Chance

Ilfenesh Hadera
Mayme Johnson

Antoinette Crowe-Legacy
Elise Johnson

Lucy Fry
Stella Gigante

Michael Raymond-James
Joe Colombo
Seasons

E1By Whatever Means Necessary
Sep 29, 2019
After returning from Alcatraz, Bumpy Johnson seeks to regain control of Harlem. With the streets controlled by the Italian mob, Bumpy must take on the Genovese crime family, led by Vincent “Chin” Gigante.

E2The Nitty Gritty
Oct 6, 2019
Realizing a consistent source of heroin is vital to reclaim Harlem, Bumpy engages in a fevered search to find a dope supply independent of the Italians. Chin engages the services of crooked cops in a plot to arrest Bumpy and send him back to jail.

E3Our Day Will Come
Oct 13, 2019
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.

E4I Am The Greatest
Oct 20, 2019
Cassius Clay battles local boxing hero Doug Jones in the ring. Mayme insists Bumpy back Jones, an advocate for her Harlem Youth organization, but Malcolm urges Bumpy to back Clay. Meanwhile, Chin engages in a turf war for Harlem with Bonnano.

E5It's All In the Game
Oct 27, 2019
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.

E6Il Canto de Malavita
Nov 3, 2019
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.

E7Masters of War
Nov 10, 2019
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.

E8How I Got Over
Nov 17, 2019
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.

E9Rent Strike Blues
Nov 24, 2019
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.

E10Chickens Come Home to Roost
Dec 1, 2019
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.
Season 2 finds Bumpy battling the New York Crime Families for control of the lucrative and murderous “French Connection,” the pipeline for heroin that runs from Marseilles to New York Harbor. With a distribution syndicate that includes black crime bosses from other major U.S. cities, Bumpy takes a cue from his friend Malcolm X’s message of black economic nationalism.

E1The French Connection
Apr 18, 2021
After three months in hiding from Chin Gigante and the Italians, Bumpy Johnson takes action to lift the sanctions off his head. By forging new alliances with European suppliers, Bumpy aims to reunite with his family safely back in Harlem.

E2Sting Like a Bee
Apr 25, 2021
Bumpy Johnson wants to use his new French supplier to distribute to the “Harlems” of other major American cities. Malcolm X uses Cassius Clay to leverage himself back into favor with the Nation of Islam before Clay’s famous fight versus Sonny Liston.

E3The Fruit Stand Riot
May 2, 2021
When innocent black teenagers and bystanders are savagely beaten and arrested by police, the Harlem community rallies to free them. Adam Clayton Powell and Mayme Johnson use peaceful protest, but Bumpy Johnson and Malcolm X prefer street justice.

E4The Geechee
May 9, 2021
An unlikely partnership proves to be extremely lucrative for Bumpy Johnson and Chin Gigante, but their success puts targets on their backs. Malcolm X fights off attacks on his character and his life.

E5It's a Small World After All
May 16, 2021
An incident at the Geechee Club threatens to break up Bumpy and Chin's partnership. Adam Clayton Powell looks to end the filibuster on the Civil Rights Bill, even if it means playing dirty.

E6The Ballot or the Bullet
May 23, 2021
Three Freedom Riders are murdered in Mississippi, and Bumpy Johnson wants justice, as well as a hedge against Federal investigation. Chin Gigante evades imprisonment with an “insanity” defense, and Malcolm X delivers his most fervent call to action.

E7Man of the Year
Aug 8, 2021
Before accepting a prestigious award, Bumpy Johnson contemplates the many contradictions in his life, and struggles to do what's best for his family; Chin Gigante learns a difficult truth about his daughter, Stella.

E8Ten Harlems
Aug 15, 2021
Confronted with a betrayal in his ranks, Bumpy Johnson hunts for enemies within his Ten Harlems. The conflict between Malcolm X and the Nation of Islam escalates from threats to outright violence.

E9The Bonanno Split
Aug 22, 2021
Bumpy Johnson must protect the Italian mob when Joseph Bonanno decides to abolish the Commission; captain Omar takes his campaign against Malcolm X to a new level.

E10The Hate That Hate Produced
Aug 29, 2021
Bumpy Johnson must fend off rivals to receive the largest dope shipment in New York history, while Harlem explodes into riot; Malcolm X reluctantly agrees to protection from an unusual source.
Season Three finds Bumpy Johnson continuing to battle for control of Harlem, with other aspirants to the throne, namely the Cuban Mafia from neighboring Spanish Harlem. Taking on the Cuban mob puts Bumpy, his loved ones, and his community in the crosshairs of not only the rival Italians, but ruthless Latin assassins and, ultimately, the CIA.

E1The Negro in White America
Jan 15, 2023
To repay a drug debt owed to the Italians after the Harlem riots, Bumpy Johnson robs from his own community. Omar seeks to return to Elise and Malcolm's good graces. Someone close to Stella orders a hit on her life.

E2Alzado
Jan 22, 2023
When Joe Colombo carries out a gentleman's kidnapping of Mayme, Bumpy angrily prepares for a coming war.

E3Mecca
Jan 29, 2023
Jose Battle asks for a favor from his new partner Bumpy Johnson: a political assassination. Malcolm X is detained by Saudi authorities when he travels to Mecca. The district attorney's office targets Mayme for her gangster ties.

E4Captain Fields
Feb 5, 2023
When two uniformed cops attack the Geechee, Bumpy and Battle make a play for control of local 27th police precinct. Stella decides whether to rat Colombo out to the Feds. Meanwhile, Malcolm's life is threatened in Cairo.

E5Angel of Death
Feb 19, 2023
Bumpy and Colombo face off for control of the heroin trade when Monsieur 98 returns to bring in the next shipment. Omar makes a romantic appeal to Elise. Pettigrew discovers cocaine through his love affair with a Cuban woman.

E6Spooks
Feb 26, 2023
Bumpy utilizes Battle's contacts in the CIA to secure a steady supply of a new drug: cocaine. Stella lies to Fineman in an attempt to escape Colombo's oversight. Mayme applies for a government contract for Palmetto.

E7All Roads Lead to Malcolm
Mar 5, 2023
When Battle's arrested, Bumpy must find a way to spring him and find the mole. Bumpy discovers that Malcolm X has more enemies than they thought.

E8Homeland or Death
Mar 12, 2023
Bumpy uncovers a CIA plot to assassinate Malcolm X and Che Guevara at the United Nations. Malcolm writes his autobiography. Olympia utilizes Father Louis to get out of trouble.

E9We Are All Kings
Mar 19, 2023
Chin Gigante is released from prison and seeks to excise Joe Colombo from the Commission.

E10Our Black Shining Prince
Mar 26, 2023
Bumpy and Chin enlist Morgenthau's help to prevent Colombo and Battle from bringing in a shipment of heroin, guns, and cocaine. Stella must choose between Colombo and her father.
In season 4, Bumpy Johnson continues his bloody war for control of Harlem against New York's Mafia families, while contending with the arrival of gangster Frank Lucas. After Malcolm X's tragic assassination, Bumpy must also grapple with his daughter Elise's involvement with the Black Panthers.

E1New Harlem
Apr 13, 2025
Bumpy plans to build a new club in Harlem but must find a new way to finance it without the heroin business. Elise testifies in the Malcolm X murder trial when three innocent men are accused. Stella negotiates a business deal between Colombo and Chin.

E2Country Boy
Apr 20, 2025
A power struggle erupts in Harlem as Bumpy seeks allies against Chin's betrayal. Meanwhile, he assigns a risky heroin heist to Frank Lucas, while Elise uncovers deadly secrets and Stella maneuvers for control.

E3The Straw Man
Apr 27, 2025
When the property for Bumpy's new club is being sold to a powerful, white real-estate developer, Bumpy must convince the black "Straw Man" to sell it to him instead; Mayme and Elise stage a protest at Margaret's school.

E4Union Blues
May 4, 2025
Bumpy battles a union strike threatening club construction. Elise bails out a fellow Panther and Frank faces consequences for Cowboy Nick's murder.

E5Concrete Jungle
May 11, 2025
Bumpy finds a new concrete supplier that subverts payments to the Italians; Elise and the Panthers plan a symbolic action against the police; Frank does a job for Colombo; Mayme asks James Baldwin to do a reading for the Fine Arts Board.

E6The Visit
May 18, 2025
Bumpy suffers a heart attack and has visions of Malcolm in the hospital; he's forced to negotiate with Colombo for Chance's safe return; Elise and Sadiq discover a rat in the Panthers; Olympia Gigante returns to get vengeance.

E7The Pawn Goes First
Jun 1, 2025
The Club St. Clair opens, but Bumpy has to pay Colombo a tax; Frank seeks protection from the Italians trying to kill him; Colombo responds to FBI harassment; Sadiq opens up to Elise; Mayme faces a financial obstacle to joining the Fine Arts Board.

E8If We Must Die
Jun 8, 2025
Fred Straub returns to sue Bumpy for ownership of the St. Clair, but this time, he's backed by the Italian Mob; the Panthers intervene when Delia's son is drafted to Vietnam; Colombo makes an interesting proposal to Stella.

E9Black and White
Jun 15, 2025
Without the St. Clair, Bumpy's forced to bring an old enemy back to Harlem to take care of Joe Colombo; Omar gets the name of one of Malcolm's shooters and the Panthers investigate; Mayme's invited to Truman Capote's Black & White Ball.

E10Unity Day
Jun 22, 2025
An attack on Bumpy's family forces him to team up with unlikely allies to retaliate against Joe Colombo; Margaret stays with Elise and the Panthers and helps Jerome; Pino betrays Stella; Colombo plans a Civil Rights rally in Central Park.
Videos
Storyline
Loosely based on infamous crime boss Bumpy Johnson, who in the early 1960s returned from ten years in prison to find the neighborhood he once ruled in shambles. With the streets controlled by the Italian mob, Bumpy attempts to regain his piece of Harlem.























