It Starts On The Page: Read The Script For ‘Godfather Of Harlem’s Midseason Finale

Bumpy Johnson’s wild ride through New York’s criminal underworld continues on August 8, when Godfather of Harlem returns for the back half of its second season.

In Epix’s crime drama created by Chris Brancato and Paul Eckstein, Oscar winner Forest Whitaker plays the infamous crime boss, who wars with the Italian mob to regain control of his home turf when he gets out of Alcatraz in the early 1960s, aligning himself at the same time with Malcolm X (Nigel Thatch).

In Season 2, the series continues to examine the connection between crime, politics and systemic racism in America, then and now. The intersection between these facets of American culture is explored in depth in the midseason finale, “The Ballot or the Bullet,” which was written by Brancato & Michael Panes and which you can read in full below.

The episode sees a sense of political consciousness awakening within Johnson, as he uses his criminal skill-set to track down the men behind the Mississippi murders of three Freedom Riders.

Watch on Deadline

Episode 206 was directed by Marisol Adler. Deadline brings you the script as part of It Starts On the Page, a series highlighting the scripts that serve as the creative backbones of the now-underway TV awards season. These scripts are being submitted for Emmy Awards consideration this year and have been selected using criteria that includes critical acclaim, selecting from a wide range of networks and platforms, and a mix of established and lesser-known shows.

ABC Signature, Chris Brancato Inc and Significant Productions produce Godfather of Harlem, with Brancato, Whitaker, Eckstein, Nina Yang Bongiovi, James Acheson, Markuann Smith and Joe Chappelle executive producers.

The drama’s ensemble also includes Vincent D’Onofrio, Ilfenesh Hadera, Lucy Fry, Antoinette Crowe-Legacy, Erik LaRay Harvey, Giancarlo Esposito, Rafi Gavron, Elvis Nolasco, Demi Singleton, Markuann Smith, Paul Sorvino, Chazz Palminteri and more. The second part of Season 2 will also feature turns from Whoopi Goldberg, Method Man, Annabella Sciorra and Justin Bartha.

Check out the script for “The Ballot or The Bullet” here:

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