The BEST episodes of Godfather of Harlem

Every episode of Godfather of Harlem ever, ranked from best to worst by thousands of votes from fans of the show. The best episodes of Godfather of Harlem!

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 take back his piece of Harlem.

Last Updated: 12/14/2024Network: MGM+Status: Continuing
The Hate That Hate Produced
star
8.12
577 votes

#1 - The Hate That Hate Produced

Season 2 - Episode 10 - Aired 8/29/2021

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.

Directors: Joe Chappelle
Watch Now:Amazon
Our Black Shining Prince
star
8.09
460 votes

#2 - Our Black Shining Prince

Season 3 - Episode 10 - Aired 3/26/2023

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. Meanwhile, Malcolm X prepares for his speech at the Audubon Ballroom.

Directors: Joe Chappelle
Watch Now:Amazon
Chickens Come Home to Roost
star
8.03
891 votes

#3 - Chickens Come Home to Roost

Season 1 - Episode 10 - Aired 12/1/2019

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.

Directors: Joe Chappelle
Watch Now:Amazon
The Geechee
star
8.02
619 votes

#4 - The Geechee

Season 2 - Episode 4 - Aired 5/9/2021

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.

Directors: Joe Chappelle
Watch Now:Amazon
Masters of War
star
8.02
931 votes

#5 - Masters of War

Season 1 - Episode 7 - Aired 11/10/2019

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.

Directors: Tanya Hamilton
Writer: Zach Calig
Watch Now:Amazon
By Whatever Means Necessary
star
8.01
1380 votes

#6 - By Whatever Means Necessary

Season 1 - Episode 1 - Aired 9/29/2019

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.

Directors: John Ridley
Watch Now:Amazon
The Bonanno Split
star
7.97
559 votes

#7 - The Bonanno Split

Season 2 - Episode 9 - Aired 8/22/2021

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.

Directors: Carl Seaton
Watch Now:Amazon
Our Day Will Come
star
7.96
1124 votes

#8 - Our Day Will Come

Season 1 - Episode 3 - Aired 10/13/2019

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.

Directors: Joe Chappelle
Watch Now:Amazon
The Nitty Gritty
star
7.95
1163 votes

#9 - The Nitty Gritty

Season 1 - Episode 2 - Aired 10/6/2019

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.

Watch Now:Amazon
Ten Harlems
star
7.94
562 votes

#10 - Ten Harlems

Season 2 - Episode 8 - Aired 8/15/2021

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.

Directors: Joe Chappelle
Watch Now:Amazon
It's All In the Game
star
7.93
1004 votes

#11 - It's All In the Game

Season 1 - Episode 5 - Aired 10/27/2019

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.

Watch Now:Amazon
Il Canto de Malavita
star
7.92
979 votes

#12 - Il Canto de Malavita

Season 1 - Episode 6 - Aired 11/3/2019

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.

Directors: Tanya Hamilton
Watch Now:Amazon
Rent Strike Blues
star
7.91
868 votes

#13 - Rent Strike Blues

Season 1 - Episode 9 - Aired 11/24/2019

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.

Watch Now:Amazon
The Fruit Stand Riot
star
7.91
645 votes

#14 - The Fruit Stand Riot

Season 2 - Episode 3 - Aired 5/2/2021

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.

Watch Now:Amazon
The Negro in White America
star
7.88
521 votes

#15 - The Negro in White America

Season 3 - Episode 1 - Aired 1/15/2023

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.

Directors: Joe Chappelle
Watch Now:Amazon
We Are All Kings
star
7.88
450 votes

#16 - We Are All Kings

Season 3 - Episode 9 - Aired 3/19/2023

Chin Gigante is released from prison and seeks to excise Joe Colombo from the Commission. Malcolm's mission to form a coalition of civil rights leaders is interrupted when his house is attacked. Chin discovers who put a hit out on his daughter.

Directors: Rob Greenlea
Watch Now:Amazon
I Am The Greatest
star
7.88
1044 votes

#17 - I Am The Greatest

Season 1 - Episode 4 - Aired 10/20/2019

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.

Watch Now:Amazon
How I Got Over
star
7.87
881 votes

#18 - How I Got Over

Season 1 - Episode 8 - Aired 11/17/2019

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.

Watch Now:Amazon
Sting Like A Bee
star
7.87
645 votes

#19 - Sting Like A Bee

Season 2 - Episode 2 - Aired 4/25/2021

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.

Watch Now:Amazon
All Roads Lead to Malcolm
star
7.83
455 votes

#20 - All Roads Lead to Malcolm

Season 3 - Episode 7 - Aired 3/5/2023

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. Colombo investigates why Chin put a hit out on him, while Mayme leaves Bumpy over Archie's death.

Directors: Joe Chappelle
Watch Now:Amazon
The Ballot or the Bullet
star
7.83
591 votes

#21 - The Ballot or the Bullet

Season 2 - Episode 6 - Aired 5/23/2021

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.

Directors: Marisol Adler
Watch Now:Amazon
It’s a Small World After All
star
7.82
594 votes

#22 - It’s a Small World After All

Season 2 - Episode 5 - Aired 5/16/2021

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.

Watch Now:Amazon
The French Connection
star
7.81
702 votes

#23 - The French Connection

Season 2 - Episode 1 - Aired 4/18/2021

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.

Directors: Joe Chappelle
Watch Now:Amazon
Captain Fields
star
7.80
500 votes

#24 - Captain Fields

Season 3 - Episode 4 - Aired 2/5/2023

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.

Watch Now:Amazon
Man of the Year
star
7.76
550 votes

#25 - Man of the Year

Season 2 - Episode 7 - Aired 8/8/2021

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, forever altering their relationship.

Watch Now:Amazon