The docuseries American Godfathers highlights the five…

American Godfathers premieres tonight on the History Channel.

You’ve seen fictional stories about New York’s notorious mafia culture in classic gangster films like Good guys, A Bronx Story And The godfather trilogy. Now learn about the real crime families that dominated New York City in the 20th century in a new three-part, six-hour documentary series from the History Channel, airing tonight, August 11 at 8:00 p.m.

American Godfathers: The Five Families chronicles the creation and history of the Gambino, Genovese, Lucchese, Bonanno and Colombo families over a period of more than fifty years, during which they “had a hand in every facet of organized crime in America, from bootlegging and drug trafficking to racketeering and gambling,” according to the History Channel.

Executive produced and narrated by Emmy-winning actor Michael Imperioli (The Sopranos, The White Lotus), and based on Selwyn Raab’s New York Times bestseller Five Families: The Rise, Fall, and Resurgence of America’s Most Powerful Mafia EmpiresThe new nonfiction series explores the Mafia’s expansive history, beginning with its early ties to Sicily and the ever-changing violent power struggles within each of the five families, in three two-hour episodes.

Each edition is supplemented with archive footage and images, audio recordings and dramatic reconstructions, as well as new, candid on-camera interviews with historians, experts, law enforcement officials, witnesses, former Mafia members and even Raab himself. “Viewers will get a glimpse into the inner workings of the 20th century’s most powerful criminal organization.”

American Godfathers will air on three consecutive nights, beginning Sunday, August 11. Tune in tonight at 8:00 p.m. Eastern Time for the premiere episode, “Death of The Old Rules,” which follows the American Mafia from its early development in the boroughs of New York City through Prohibition to its heyday in the 1950s.

Episode two, “Rise of The New Dons,” will air simultaneously on Monday, August 12, and the third and final part (“The Last Don,” which “shows how a distinctly new, more aggressive commitment by law enforcement to eradicate the Mafia is forcing families to find creative ways to stay in business and out of prison”) concludes on Tuesday, August 13 at 8:00 p.m. ET.

To watch American Godfathers: The Five Families, you’ll need access to the History Channel, which is included with most cable packages. If you’ve cut the cord, however, several live TV streaming services carry the channel, including DIRECTV Stream, Hulu with Live TV, Philo, Sling, and Frndly TV.

Watch the official trailer for American Godfathers: The Five Families above before watching the first episode of the three-part TV event tonight on the History Channel.