Much more than a highbrow soap opera about a family of British aristocrats and their servants, “Downton Abbey” has been deeply rooted in the history and social issues of the early 20th century.
Depicting a darker side of Los Angeles not seen on TV since “The Shield,” the gritty new crime drama “Gang Related” patrols mean streets where police wage an uphill battle against drug lords, gang wars and human traffickers.
The film crew captured members of the Pacific Jewish Center (PJC) — known as The Shul on the Beach — praying during Friday night services. Except it wasn’t Friday night.
In the postwar 1940s, organized crime was rampant in Los Angeles, and the men behind the mob were Jewish, guys like Ben “Bugsy” Siegel and Meyer “Mickey” Cohen, who rubbed elbows with movie stars and reveled in their notoriety. These rather glamorous gangsters are the focus of TNT’s new noir drama, “Mob City,” with the first of six episodes premiering on Dec. 4.
