'Confessions' on Hiatus -- But Mafia Fans Still Getting Their TV Fix

Billy Cutolo Jr. on the debut

episode of Discovery's on-

hiatus "Mobster Confessions."

The Old, Grey Lady is really offering Cosa Nostra enthusiasts a fix. In a story published recently we finally learned the fate of a Discovery Channel show -- which disappeared off the face of the earth following the airing of just two episodes.

We are writing about Mobster Confessions, "in which informants talk in detail about their illegal activities and their fellow mobsters," the Times writes, adding "the series is now suspended, but before the hiatus it gave us a good look at Bill Cutolo Jr. and Frank Calabrese Jr. — both sons of prominent mobsters who tried the life for themselves before ratting."


We wrote a post about the first episode that garnered a lot of views -- and we wonder what caused this "suspension" -- read the comments under that post; perhaps such negative feedback landed on Discovery's doorstep, and maybe a producer or two doesn't want to wake up in the morning kicking around a horse's head under blood-drenched sheets.

Here, via the NY Post, is what we could have expected: 

"Have all the boundaries of space and time been exhausted already? I mean, seriously, is there not one measly planet left to discover, not one more giant pronouncement by Stephen Hawking to hawk?

"It must be so, because there’s no other reason on Earth that a network as classy as Discovery would dip down to rake up what little bits are left in the muck of old mobster stories.

"Tonight, they begin a limited-run (thank God) series, called “Mobster Confessions” that makes you long for the days when a mob turncoat could be hushed up and never heard from again.

"But nooo. Here, we have a half-dozen rats who aren’t caged because they ratted out other idiot mobsters, walked free and got the other ones caged.

"First up is tonight’s premiere episode featuring crying Bill Cutolo, Jr., who is now in the Witness Protection Program. Sure, he’s under federal protection, but apparently poor Billy is bored to tears (huge, unstoppable, torrents of tears). Well, either that or he knows that the Mafia is now about as relevant and dangerous as Richard Simmons.

"The “confession” takes place with Bill Jr., sitting in the standard, innocuous room that’s half a warehouse and half a prison visiting room. (It’s neither.) He tells us through more tears that despite graduating from junior college, he wanted to join his father in the killing game and so becomes a soldier in the Colombo crime family.

"Billy Jr. sobs that he lived the good life getting haircuts and manicures (I swear) until two members of his own crime family, Allie Boy Persico and Jackie DeRoss, killed “my fathah, a good man. A fair man. My hero.” Jr. wanted revenge but his dad’s mathematics lesson came back to haunt him every time he went to knock them off.

"It goes something like this: “For every guy you put down, two more will die.” Despite declaring, “Three heads ah gonna roll for my fathah” (his math isn’t that good I guess), he turned on the mob and wore a wire. More tears. And it’s all told through this idiot’s recollections along with cheesy reenactments, making “Mobster Confessions” tougher to sit through than going to confession yourself.

"Upcoming mob informants include Frank Calabrese Jr., “Big Ron” Previte, Frank Cullotta, Andrew DiDonato and John Veasey.

"One thing is for sure: These formerly dangerous guys are more dangerous in witness protection than they ever were on the street. Now, they risk boring the entire country to death."

That is if Discovery ever airs the rest of the short series.

Never fear, in addition to Move Wives Chicago and the equally abysmal Big Ang, if it is still running at press time, mob fans have a couple of other shows about to launch new seasons.

Investigation Discovery is about to begin the second season of “I Married a Mobster,” in which women who were romantically involved with organized-crime figures spill the beans. Some of these women broke almost as many laws as their men and are happy to tell you so. "They generally seem smarter than the ladies of VH1’s wretched “Mob Wives” franchise, which also features women connected to bad guys, but the bottom line is, they weren’t smart enough not to become involved with criminals," the Times reports.


The Biography Channel’s documentary series “Mobsters,” has already launched a new season, as well.


And of course there is the post below, about another mob show -- this one a new one. We think this would've been a better bet for producers to pursue, however: