2
BROOKLYN WEEKLY, APRIL 12, 2020
BY MEAGHAN MCGOLDRICK
A Brooklyn-based series
years in the making is fi -
nally ready to queue.
The fi rst four episodes of
“Gravesend,” the ’80s mob
series formerly known as
“The Neighborhood,” premiered
on Amazon Prime
at midnight on April 2.
The brainchild of Gravesend
native William
DeMeo, the series centers
around mob “soldier”
Benny Zerletta (DeMeo),
as he grapples with leaving
behind a life of crime.
Constantly challenged by
his mother’s dying wish for
him to seek guidance from
above, Zerletta must fi nd
himself — while managing
to not get himself killed.
The show, in production
since at least 2017, fi lmed
the bulk of its fi rst season
in the ‘hoods where DeMeo
grew up.
“You’ve got Lenny’s
Pizza, L&B, John’s Deli,
Joe’s Bar on Avenue U, Our
Lady of Grace Church —
which is my parish — and
the list goes on,” said De-
Meo, who doubles as the
show’s lead actor and director.
“It’s so Brooklyn,” De-
Meo said.
The actor, best known for
roles in fi lms like “Gotti”
and “Back in the Day,” said
the new series will mirror a
different notch in his belt.
“What the Sopranos did for
New Jersey, that’s what this
show is for Brooklyn,” said
DeMeo, who played Jason
Molinaro on the hit HBO series
from 2004 to 2007.
This isn’t the fi rst time
DeMeo has paid homage to
his hometown. In 2016, he
directed his fi rst documentary
fi lm, “Cruisin 86th St.,”
which focused on southern
Brooklyn in the ’70s, ’80s
and early ’90s.
In 2019, he brought his
“Gotti” co-star John Travolta
back to Lenny’s — the
Bensonhurst pizza place
that, like Travolta, had a
starring role in the 1977
classic “Saturday Night Fever.”
But DeMeo considers
“Gravesend” one of his best
works. “This is all independently
made,” he said, “and
it’s as good as what’s on television
— it’s network-ready.
That’s why it’s on Amazon
Prime.”
And he hopes to expand
upon the fi rst four episodes.
“As is, it’s kind of like a
mini-series,” he said. “But
the goal is to do more episodes
— and I need the support
of Brooklyn to do that.
I need Brooklyn to spread
love the Brooklyn way so
that we can keep going.”
The fi rst four episodes of
“Gravesend” are now available
to stream — and De-
Meo says it couldn’t have
come at a better time for
Brooklynites who are stuck
inside, looking for a distraction
amid the coronavirus
outbreak.
“I think this series will
make people feel good,
you know, whether you’ve
moved away from Brooklyn
or you’re still here and
just longing for that simpler
time,” he said, “like when
you sat on your stoop with
your friends or when you
cruised in the car down
86th Street.”
Natalie Guercio, who was on the
2015-season of “Mob Wives,” is
featured in an episode.
Photo by Georgine Benvenuto
BACK TO BROOKLYN: Actor William DeMeo, who grew up in Gravesend,
stars in the new ’80s mob-drama “The Neighborhood,”
which fi lmed at the recently shuttered Vegas Diner on June 29.
Photo by Georgine Benvenuto
Organized prime
Brooklyn-based mob drama ‘Gravesend’ premieres on Amazon Prime
Director Li Ma “Let’s Hold Hands and Fight Side by Side” Against
Covid-19 By Felicia W. Guo
“Medicine can heal our body; but music is able to cure the heart.”
Li Ma
!"
#
Li Ma
#$% &
'
&
(%
)%*+),' -.
*/,-++'
*+),-012
3 1#222
3-310
-.2425.6
7247'+
324-73
8 ' . -
2.+73
1 9 3 -
*3 1 # . 3 +
'1 ,
!""#"$!% $ "&
&
QQ
# &
0
!
!"
Ma
Li Ma4 #
$
"
"
%& $
" '
:
(
Satellite Television ;!!&
<%&'
Ma
6
&
#
$
" '()"$##
)"*+