‘Godfather of Harlem’ Adds Erik Palladino as Notorious Mafia Hitman: Everything We Know About Season 4

Kelli Boyle August 21, 2024, 11:38 am

Erik Palladino in 'NCIS: Los Angeles' (L); Forest Whitaker in 'Godfather of Harlem' Season 3 (R) — Monty Brinton / CBS; MGM+

Godfather of Harlem Season 4 is on the way. The MGM+ drama starring Forest Whitaker is currently in production in New York, and the series is slowly starting to share updates on what’s to come in the fourth installment. NCIS: Los Angeles alum Erik Palladino is the newest addition to the cast.

After playing a fictional hitman in The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, Palladino will play a real-life one in Godfather of Harlem. He plays Giuseppe “Pino” Greco, per Deadline, who was a high-ranking hitman in the Sicilian mafia. Season 4 will also see Rome Flynn join the cast the infamous drug lord Frank Lucas, marking his first series since leaving Chicago Fire.

Godfather of Harlem is inspired by the real-life crime boss Bumpy Johnson (Whitaker), who returned from 11 years in prison in the early 1960s to find the neighborhood he once ruled in shambles. Season 3 saw Bumpy continuing to battle for control of Harlem, with other aspirants to the throne, namely the Cuban Mafia from neighboring Spanish Harlem. Season 4 will introduce the Black Panthers into the mix.

Here’s all there is to know about the upcoming season.

What is Godfather of Harlem Season 4 about?

Vincent D'Onofrio and Forest Whitaker in 'Godfather of Harlem' Season 4 Episode 9

MGM+

In the upcoming season, Bumpy continues his bloody war for control of Harlem against New York’s Mafia families, while contending with the emergence of a potential rival in newly arrived Black gangster Frank Lucas. After Malcolm X’s (Jason Alan Carvell) tragic death, Bumpy must also grapple with his daughter Elise’s (Antoinette Crowe-Legacy) involvement with the Black Panthers.

Godfather of Harlem is created by Narcos creator Chris Brancato and the late Paul Eckstein, who died in June 2023.

Who is in the Godfather of Harlem Season 4 cast?

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Whitaker returns as the titular crime boss, and Crowe-Legacy returning as his daughter, Elise. Flynn will play drug lord Frank Lucas, with his arc this season serving as a kind of origin story for one of America’s most well-known gangsters. Denzel Washington played Lucas in American Gangster, but Flynn told Deadline that the film iteration and Godfather‘s version are different.

“There are no comparisons except that we’re both playing the same person,” Flynn said. “We’re creating a more fully dimensional character that I feel films don’t have the luxury of [time] to portray which is a great thing. With TV, you get to show the intricacies and the complexity of not just who Frank was, but who he is at that point in his life while taking people on a journey along with him as he becomes the man everyone knows he becomes.”

Palladino will recur as Pino Greco. Greco is described as “a fearsome hitman and high-ranking underboss of the Genovese crime family. Greco is a prolific and ruthless killer who throughout the season descends into a deadly power struggle with Chin Gigante’s daughter Stella for control of the Family’s fortunes.” Chin is played by Vincent D’Onofrio, and Stella is played by Lucy Fry.

Ilfenesh Hadera and Erik LaRay Harvey are also among the confirmed returning cast. Past seasons have also featured Giancarlo Esposito, Whoopi Goldberg, Michael Raymond-James, and more.

When does Godfather of Harlem Season 4 come out?

There is no confirmed release date for Season 4 just yet, but it is currently in production, which means a late 2024 or early 2025 release date are possible. The first three seasons are available to stream on MGM+ in the meantime.