McMafia on AMC: What you need to know about new globetrotting TV series

Tonight, AMC presents its newest television series, McMafia.

McMafia is a globetrotting BBC/AMC co=produced drama about an organized crime family and a Russian man who just wanted out. Of course, as with any mafia-based movie, no one can ever get out of this life.

McMafia is the series that AMC chose to replace The Night Manager, which itself was a series about a conflicted man in the world of organized crime co-produced by the BBC. The difference is that McMafia is a slow-burn and very dark drama that spans five continents and is worth the wait if you get past the slow pilot tonight.

More from Show Snob

• The Santa Clauses season 2, episode 6 recap “Wanga Banga Langa!”
• Lawmen: Bass Reeves season 1, episode 7 preview: Non-spoiler thoughts for Part VII
• Goosebumps season 1, episode 6 recap: “Night of the Living Dummy”
• Beacon 23 season 1, episode 3 recap: “Why Can’t We Go on as Three?”
• Upload season 3, episode 2 recap: “Strawberry”

The series is based on McMafia: Seriously Organised Crime, a journey into the world of global organized crime written by Guardian journalist Misha Glenny. Glenny executive produces the AMC series as well, which details stories learned by interviewing criminals, police and victims of gunrunning and money laundering activities.

James Norton (Happy Valley) is Alex Godman, the lead character who is the son of exiled Russian parents who runs a hedge fund in London. While he tries to stay out of the organized crime his family’s legacy is steeped in, he ends up pulled back in to protect his family.

Here is a look at the synopsis for the McMafia season premiere on AMC:

"Alex Godman, the English-raised son of Russian mafia exiles, has spent his life trying to escape the shadow of their past, building his own legitimate business and forging a life with his girlfriend, Rebecca. But when a murder unearths his family’s past, Alex is drawn into the criminal underworld where he must confront his values to protect those he loves."

Here is the McMafia trailer for the new AMC series.

Next: Starz March 2018: What is coming and leaving

McMafia originally aired on the BBC and debuts tonight on AMC at 10 p.m. EST. The first season consists of eight episodes. McMafia was co-produced between the BBC and AMC, and Amazon Prime will also have the series for other territories, making this a huge deal worldwide.