The HISTORY Channel Greenlights FIVE FAMILIES Nonfiction Series

The HISTORY Channel greenlights "Five Families," a new nonfiction series executive produced by Ray Liotta and Propagate about the dramatic rise and fall of the New York's mafia's five families - Genovese, Gambino, Bonnano, Colombo and Lucchese.

For decades these five families ruled New York and built the American Mafia into an underworld empire. The series will follow the Mob from its explosive and violent growth in Prohibition, its golden age of domination in the 1970s and 1980s, up through its heated war with law enforcement - a feud they ultimately lost.

The eight part, one-hour series is based on Selwyn Raab's New York Times best-selling book Five Families: The Rise, Decline and Resurgence of America's Most Powerful Mafia Empires.

"Whether it's power, money, status or living by your own rules at a time when the American Dream seemed out of reach for so many, there's a reason why there's so much public intrigue around the mafia and why it continues to be a pop culture mainstay," said Liotta. "I'm excited to partner with The HISTORY Channel to tell the origin stories of New York's five families, chronicling their rise to the top as well as their eventual demise while weaving together the historical significance of the times that allowed their power to carry on across decades."

"Five Families" is produced for The HISTORY Channel by Propagate. Ben Silverman and Howard T. Owens serve as executive producers for Propagate. Ray Liotta is executive producer. Michael Stiller is executive producer for The HISTORY Channel.

A+E Networks holds worldwide distribution rights for the above program.