The series is inspired by the story of notorious crime boss Bumpy Johnson (Whitaker), who returns from 11 years in prison in the early 1960s to find the community he once ruled in turmoil. With the streets controlled by the Italian mob, Bumpy must take on the Genovese crime family to wrest back control. In a brutal battle, he allies himself with radical preacher Malcolm X, catching Malcolm's political rise in the crosshairs of social unrest and a mob war that threatens to tear the city apart. Godfather of Harlem tells the story of the criminal underworld colliding with the civil rights movement during one of the most turbulent periods in American history.