The Johns family is one of Manhattan’s most prominent Romani, or Gypsy, families. In National Geographic Channel’s new 9-part series American Gypsies, from Executive Producer Ralph Macchio and Stick Figure Productions, cameras document their struggle to uphold their standing in the community and expand their psychic shop empire amid constant family strife and drama.

With a premiere on Thursday, 13 December at 21:00, National Geographic Channel goes inside the Johns family as American Gypsies gives an intimate portrayal of a family steeped in honour, living by their own rules and traditions, and trying to capture their version of the American dream. In each episode, witness a family trying to modernise and adapt to American ways while still clinging to their heritage. Get a first-hand look inside elder assemblies, arranged marriages between teenagers, the unique court system where disputes are settled, and auspicious tarot card readings.

We will also see an investment opportunity eagerly eyed in the scrap-yard business, family uproar over the home-schooled teenagers who take an acting class, the warding off evil from a new great-grandchild and the search for the perfect new psychic shop location.

“This untapped subculture that exists right under our feet will be exposed to cameras for the first time as they struggle to uphold their Gypsy traditions while reaching for the American dream of today’s generation,” said Macchio. “It has character elements of ‘The Godfather’ and ‘The Sopranos’ in its passionate family dynamic.”

Stereotypes abound about the Romani people. They are often portrayed in movies as swindling, traveling, dirty, hooped-earring women holding a crystal ball, but the reality is very different. The Romani, as they are known historically, or Roma, have a rich cultural heritage, with their own language, religion, education, laws and courts that have remained shrouded in secrecy … until now.

We will see it all as Bobby, with his oldest brother Eric, his biggest rival Nicky, and younger brothers Joey and Jack open up and tell their story for the first time.

Meet the Johns family: five brothers, including a burly middle-aged businessman with big dreams and a hot-headed younger brother, all working to carry on the legacy of their father; an ailing patriarch; a fortune-telling matriarch; a teenage girl with an eye on an acting career; a teenage boy dating a member of a rival family; and a young man who seems hardly ready to take on the family’s business.

“We have existed for thousands of years without a country, a place to call home, and we are still one of the closest-knit communities in the world,” says Bobby. “To uphold these traditions, community and family ties means everything to me; it is in my blood. I do feel our thousand-year-old culture can be preserved while we move forward into the modern world.”

With four brothers and five children, Bobby insists that family is everything. Bobby has got respect on the street, connections in the community and is always looking for money-making opportunities. And while he respects his culture, he is not above bending the rules. Now, get to know some of the other members of the Johns family:
Bob Sr.: patriarch and head of the family, who is recovering from a stroke. “I’m the boss, I do what I want, and you follow me!”

Tina: headstrong matriarch expounding tradition with rituals bringing good luck and warding off of evil. She tells her granddaughter, “In Gypsy culture, every woman is psychic.”

Eric: the oldest of the five sons and the next in line to head the family. “Bobby and Nicky is always arguing and fighting. But they seem to forget that I’m the oldest and they got to come to me. No matter what.”

Nicky: Bobby’s younger brother. He has a short fuse and is always fighting. “There’s no grey area for me. There’s black or white. What I say is what I feel, and that’s it.”

Chris: Bobby’s oldest son, who is married to Samantha. A traditionalist, he wants to follow in the footsteps of his bapo, or grandfather.

Amanda: Bobby’s 15-year-old daughter, wondering if the traditional Romani life is the right thing for her. “I don’t want to be like all the other women [psychics] in my family. Even if I have the gift, I don’t want it.” She wants to try acting.

Val: Bobby’s nephew, who has been secretly dating a gaje, non-Romani, girl (relationships with gaje are traditionally off-limits).

The Johns family is compelling and colourful, passionate in their beliefs, strong-minded in their decisions, respectful of family and tradition, and trying to grab a piece of the American dream … one successful fortune-telling shop after the next.

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