Fox Nation has released a five-part streaming series that chronicles pivotal episodes in American Mafia history, from Prohibition-era Chicago to midcentury power struggles in New York and the gangster-era reordering that followed. The series, titled "Stories of the American Mafia," is available exclusively on the Fox Nation platform.
The episodic series spans the 20th century and profiles multiple crime families, including the Colombos, Gambinos and the generation of mobsters shaped by figures such as Charles "Lucky" Luciano and Alphonse "Scarface" Capone. Producers said the program aims to examine both high-profile crimes and the cultural influence of organized crime on American life.
Episode 1, "The Real Godfather," opens in 1970s New York and centers on Joe Colombo, a mob boss who also led public campaigns to improve the image of Italian-Americans. The episode examines Colombo’s response to the pending release of the film The Godfather and how he sought to influence the movie’s portrayal of Italian-American life as a means to protect his family's secrecy and reputational standing.
Episode 2, "Lucky’s Commission," profiles Charles "Lucky" Luciano and his role in reshaping criminal enterprise. The program traces Luciano’s efforts to collaborate with non-Italian criminal elements and the formation of what has been described historically as the National Crime Syndicate, a network that altered the structure of organized crime and its business operations.
Episode 3, "The Meeting at Apalachin," revisits the November 1957 summit at an Upstate New York estate owned by mobster Joe Barbara that drew leading figures from several crime families, including members of the Genovese organization. The gathering was broken up by law enforcement after a local police officer discovered the assemblage, and the resulting arrests and publicity marked one of the most significant law-enforcement exposures of Mafia operations to that point.
Episode 4, "Murder Within The Family," focuses on the rise of John Gotti within the Gambino crime family and the internal violence that culminated in the 1985 assassination of boss Paul Castellano outside Sparks Steak House in Manhattan. The episode features commentary from former FBI undercover operative Giovanni Rocco, who said Gotti "was a guy known for violence. He could do the ultimate deed," and traces how the killing reshaped leadership and alliances within New York’s organized crime scene.
The final episode, "The Rise of Scarface," returns to the earliest era in the series’ timeline, profiling Alphonse Capone and his bootlegging empire in 1920s Chicago. The segment situates Capone’s criminal enterprise amid Prohibition-era corruption, widespread illicit drinking and a thriving nightlife economy. Mob Museum columnist Larry Henry is quoted saying Chicago was "a corrupt town" where "booze was flowing freely, brothels all over the place, gambling — so it was a wide open town." The episode also notes that Capone’s criminal career ended not with a murder charge but with a conviction for tax evasion.
Fox Nation described the series as an effort to offer viewers a chronological and thematic look at some of the most consequential moments in the history of organized crime in the United States. The episodes combine archival material, historical analysis and interviews with law-enforcement figures and historians to trace how mob activity intersected with social, economic and cultural developments across the 20th century.
The series is available to Fox Nation subscribers on demand and through the service’s mobile apps. Fox Nation advertises a free trial period for new users. The program joins a long line of film and television treatments of organized crime that have shaped public understanding of the Mafia and its place in American culture.
Reporting on the series was drawn from Fox News coverage and materials provided by Fox Nation production notes.