Inside the American Mob: Season 1, Episode 1

1 - 1: Stayin' Alive in the '70s

In the early 1970s, a hidden empire of crime, violence and power ruled the streets of New York City. The five families of the American mafia ruled, and the family bosses were untouchable. No one admits in public that the organization even exists--until one boss decides to break the rules. Joe Colombo. Other bosses are content to run their business from behind the scenes, but Colombo wants to take the fight to the FBI. When he does, the results are disastrous for the mob. Meanwhile, a new generation of agents enters the FBI, and they're not the usual suits. Italian-American guys who grew up in the same neighborhoods as gangsters start working for the Bureau and change the game. One of those agents is Joe Pistone, aka Donnie Brasco, who infiltrates a crime family more successfully than any other agent ever had. It's the beginning of the end for the mob, though no one knows it yet.