Mayor Vincent “ Buddy ” Cianci Jr .
You had access to a lot of previously unpublished materials , particularly when it came to Buddy . Tell us how you found it . After Buddy died , I heard there were multiple storage spaces that he had . He kept everything . So of course I wanted to ferret through all that stuff . I went to the Italo American Club , which you know well on Broadway , and I had lunch with [ Brad Turchetta , Cianci ’ s nephew ]. He said we ’ ll have it together in a couple weeks and come back . I went away , and I came back two months later , and I got to tell you — remember that scene at the end of Raiders of the Lost Ark when the guy ’ s pushing the ark and you pull back , and it ’ s this huge warehouse full of stacks of crates ? Well , the bottom of this tower downtown was like that . The guy turned on the lights and they went down the way . It was unbelievable how much stuff . Zac [ Stuart-Pontier , co-creator of Crimetown ] and I went there for four days straight , and that ’ s where I got a lot of stuff . He just gave me the key .
Any plans for a Crimetown TV show ? We sold [ the television rights ] to FX Networks and then Disney bought FX , and that was the end of that . It ’ s available for anybody who wants to make a TV show out of it . — L . C .
Rhode Island in the Spotlight
Need more true crime-inspired TV in your life ? Here ’ s where you can catch Rhode Island on the small and big screen . BY TABITHA PEREIRA
“ The Penguin ” ( 2024 ) THE EIGHT-EPISODE HBO original limited series from DC Studios follows the popular Batman character , “ The Penguin ,” a Gotham City mobster played by Colin Farrell , who recently won a Golden Globe award for his performance . Although the series is based on the fictional comic book characters , the character of “ The Penguin ” for the show was loosely inspired by former Mayor Buddy Cianci . Showrunner Lauren LeFranc is an alumna of Brown University and has said in interviews she based the character off Buddy because of his infamously corrupt nature and alleged mob ties . STARRING : Colin Farrell , Cristin Milioti , Rhenzy Feliz , Theo Rossi , Mark Strong
“ Brotherhood ” ( 2006 – 2008 ) SET IN AN IRISH-AMERICAN NEIGHBORHOOD in Providence named “ The Hill ,” the three-season series , which originally aired on Showtime , tells the story of Tommy and Michael Caffee , two fictional brothers who exist on opposite sides of the law — Tommy , the family man working in politics , and Michael , the gangster . The series navigates the conflicts and challenges of family , politics and crime and was primarily filmed on location in Providence . STARRING : Jason Clarke , Jason Isaacs , Fionnula Flanagan , Annabeth Gish
“ The Sopranos ” ( 1999 – 2007 ) THE WIDELY POPULAR early 2000s phenomenon follows Tony Soprano , a mob boss in New Jersey , as he navigates family life and criminal pursuits . The show is based in the Garden State , but the award-winning HBO drama has plenty of Rhode Island references sprinkled throughout . In an episode titled “ The Weight ,” Junior Soprano , Tony Soprano ’ s uncle , mentions the “ Atwells Avenue Boys ” to Tony in a nod to Federal Hill . Catch this scene during your next rewatch of the HBO classic . STARRING : James Gandolfini , Edie Falco , Lorraine Bracco , Michael Imperioli
The Departed ( 2006 ) THE ICONIC BLOCKBUSTER featuring a star-studded cast and directed by renowned filmmaker Martin Scorsese won four Academy Awards , including Best Picture , back in 2007 . The movie follows a group of Irish mobsters in South Boston and centers around undercover Massachusetts state trooper Billy Costigan and a corrupt cop , Colin Sullivan , who works as a spy for the mob . The film is based in Boston but includes several mentions of the Providence Mafia , and in one scene , protagonist Costigan beats up two Providence mobsters who use derogatory Irish terms while trying to extort a store owner . STARRING : Jack Nicholson , Leonardo DiCaprio , Matt Damon , Mark Wahlberg , Martin Sheen
YOU CAN ALSO WATCH : Federal Hill ( 1994 ); Vault ( 2019 ); Tony Martone ( 2022 )
( THE PENGUIN ) MACALL POLAY / HBO ; ( SOPRANOS ) COURTESY OF HBO .