The Tenderloin is based on the true story of Charles Becker. A New York cop at the turn of the century, Becker led the Strong-Arm Squad, tasked with going to war with the Italian, Jewish and Irish gangs in a violent New York City neighborhood called The Tenderloin. Becker and his squad were dirty cops but at the same time tried to impose order in a city controlled by gangs and Tammany Hall.