Jennifer Graziano (Chad Rachman/New York Post)
NEW KIDS ON THE BLOCK: Elura Nanos (left) and Michele Sileo (right) star in “Staten Island Law,” covering the same territory as Jennifer Graziano’s (inset) “Mob Wives,” but Graziano isn’t worried. (
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The woman behind “Mob Wives” claims she isn’t afraid of the “Law.”
Jennifer Graziano, the creator of VH1’s mafia-themed hit, says she’s ready to welcome “Staten Island Law” — even though the series is also about tough-talking women from an Italian background in her home borough.
“I wish everyone success — especially women, and especially women from my hometown,” said Graziano.
“Law,” premiering Saturday on OWN, Oprah Winfrey’s cable channel, is something of a mirror image of the VH1 series, focusing on the daily lives of high-energy women surrounded by conflict.
The difference? Instead of milking the confrontations for drama, the stars of “Staten Island Law” say they’re trying to fix them.
“We’re not being catty, not fighting, not just sitting in a room, but running a business together,” said Elura Nanos, who works as a legal mediator alongside co-star Michele Sileo. “You’d think that’d be the setting with the most fighting and negativity, but it showcases what we do best: We’re friends.”
Working out of an office in Sileo’s South Shore home, the pair take OWN’s cameras along as they face battles outside the courtroom, including tensions over a prenuptial agreement, fighting between neighbors and the possible eviction of a daughter by her mother.
“I loved being able to show off mediation, and how it is an alternative [to lawsuits],” said Sileo. “The mother-daughter case highlights that — we provided a legal solution to an emotional problem.”
In addition to their negotiating skills, Nanos and Sileo said they’re proud of their show’s positive portrayal of their home borough, describing it as clear contrast to other depictions on TV.
“We would love to correct negative stereotypes, but there are some wonderful things that I would also love to affirm about Staten Island,” said Sileo. “There are lots of Italians, we’re great cooks, have great restaurants, and are passionate and full of culture and good eats. Those I’m going to stand behind.”
The OWN show’s upbeat tone makes it a “completely separate genre” from “Mob Wives,” said Graziano, who describes her own series as “grittier” and “darker.”
Nevertheless, the daughter of Anthony Graziano — a reputed high-ranking member of the Bonanno crime family — claims her own show is moving in a somewhat similar direction during its latest season, which kicked off Sunday.
”The women are branching into their own businesses,” Graziano said. “Big Ang [Angela Raiola] has always owned her own bars and salons, and we showcase that. Drita [D’Avanzo] is opening a store, and Renee [Graziano, Jennifer’s older sister] is developing some fashion lines. All the women are embarking on lives outside of their husbands and outside of being a mob wife or daughter, something I encourage. It’s empowering to see women doing their own ventures.”
Whatever the shows’ similarities and differences, they clearly share one thing in common: their veneration of Winfrey.
“I’m a very big fan of Oprah,” said Graziano, who called herself “a thousand percent” ready to produce a show with the star. “OWN is definitely on my target list.”
For Sileo, Winfrey’s seal of approval has already changed her outlook.
“I know that Oprah Winfrey knows my name, and that’s a lot to say and have in your head,” she told The Post with a laugh. “Even if I’m having a bad day, if I forgot to pack the kids’ lunch, Oprah knows my name.”