Brotherhood

This is now my absolute favorite series on television. I don't watch much television so, for me, this is a big compliment to the writers and creators of this show. This show has all the right ingredients; great actors, writing, and plot lines. This is a great combination that is sure to please even the most demanding viewers. Highly Recommended.

I was a big fan of "The Soprano's", but last season kind of turned me off. I still mourn the loss of "Six Feet Under", perhaps the best series I have ever seen.

With "Weeds" and a few promising series coming up (i.e. "Dexter"), I do believe Showtime is the "new" HBO. Bravo Showtime!

The setup of "Brotherhood" seems rather simple, but it works. The series is about two powerful and intelligent brothers, a gangster (Michael) and a politician (Tommy), who are always scheming to advance their respective agendas. Sometimes they work together, but more often they have serious personality clashes. In a nutshell, the series deals with the effects that their power games have on a lower-middle-class community in Providence, Rhode Island.

Part of me has a hard time believing the series' depiction of Providence as such a violent, chaotic town, but I suppose some suspension of disbelief is required for nearly all TV shows. But, for the most part, I find Brotherhood extremely realistic, especially in its depiction of the darker aspects of life - e.g. violence, domestic troubles, political backstabbing, and substance abuse.

A major theme of the series is that Providence is changing with the times. Michael in particular seems unable to accept that his old Irish neighborhood is becoming increasingly dominated by minorities, and that the family-owned businesses he loved as a kid are closing down and being replaced by corporations like Starbucks. I quite enjoyed the episodes which focused on this theme; the series, at times, is a pretty harsh condemnation of the corporatization of society and its effects on ordinary, working people in Michael's area.

Of course, the series isn't always so weighty, and it has other forms of appeal (namely sex, violence, and profanity, all of which feature in great abundance). If you're turned off by crassness and relentlessly vulgar people, "Brotherhood" probably isn't for you, though it does have some sensitive moments.

As much as I liked it, the first season did have a few weak points. Some of the political story-lines were repetitive, and occasionally I was put off by the dark tone. However, even during the weaker mid-season episodes, the actors consistently gave strong performances and held my attention. Jason Isaacs, who plays Michael, is incredibly charismatic, and manages to come across as both repugnant and sympathetic (a neat trick, huh?) The rest of the cast is great, too, but somehow Isaacs stands out.

The season ended on a pretty good cliffhanger, though I was left wanting a little more. I guess I'll just have to wait and see if season two gives me what I want. For now, though, I'm confident in asserting that "Brotherhood" is one of the best new TV shows in years, and I've been recommending it like crazy to my friends. It's addictive for all the right reasons.

One of my favorites. A huge fan of The Sopranos as well, both shows have similarities, serious matters, crime, ethics, family etc. But Brotherhood is heavier, there are hardly any scenes written to make you laugh. But that don't makes this series sad. This is a fine show, great script, story with hooks and great acting. Don't miss out on this! After each episode I start thinking about the next, I contemplate what I would do if was in one of the characters situation. The day after me and my friends are talking about the same thing. This show demands a response from it's viewer and I'm a living proof.

I hope it runs for many more years.

Brotherhood is one of my new (and third) favorite television series. My other two favorites are Sopranos and The Wire. This series is similar in its genre to "Sopranos" and "The Wire" but it is MUCH DARKER. I highly recommend it to anybody who enjoys dark (in a violent, not funny, kind of way) films. In fact its one of the darkest depictions of the human condition I've ever seen on any screen. What separates this show from other gangster series (such as the Sopranos) is that it is almost impossible to find a character to like; unless of course you like bad guys (Michael is my favorite character). Rule #1 of Brotherhood is that there are NO GOOD GUYS; that is to say this series depicts the evil side of nearly every character in the series, including the women and children, hardly ever showing anyone in a positive light. The mothers are bad, the daughters are bad, the politicians are bad, and the gangsters are bad (but not much worse than the politicians by contrast; which I believe is one of the major themes of the show.) In Sopranos some of the gangsters are at least a slight bit likable but not in Brotherhood.

For those of you who don't already know, the story is based on the true life of James J. "Whitey" Bulger, the second longest running guy who is currently of the FBI's Top Ten Most Wanted List. You can read about on Wikipedia (WARNING: reading about Whitey might spoil some of the upcoming events in the series as many of them are similar to events in his real life.) A lot of the details are changed like the time frame (Bulger reigned during the 80s) and the location (Bulger was in Boston, Michael is in Rhode Island). And yes, Whitey Bulger did has a brother who was into politics, going from President of the State Senate in Massachusetts to the President of UMASS, where he was working until his brother was added to FBI's Top Ten.

Overall the writing, acting (especially Michael), and directing are fantastic. I would recommend this film to anyone who is interested in this genre, or in the Irish Mafia. I would not recommend it to children or sensitive adults simply because it's such a dark series, it is so well made it can even be depressing at times.

Strong words, I know, but they're true; "Brotherhood" is the one most brilliant, well-written, intelligent shows you will ever see in your entire life. Sadly, it is also one of the most underrated shows you will ever see, so much so you'll spend hours pondering why. It's a show that SHOULD have been as big as "The Sopranos", as talked about and raved as much as "Breaking Bad" was, and followed as closely as "Sons of Anarchy" and other anti-hero shows were. But alas, it was not. Was it due to poor marketing? Charges of being a Sopranos rip-off? Who knows, but what I do know is the show was nowhere near being a carbon copy of "The Sopranos".

"Brotherhood" is a match up of politics and crime, centering around two Irish-American brothers in a Providence, Rhode Island neighborhood called The Hill. We have Tommy Caffee (Jason Clarke), the young, handsome state Rep. from the Hill, and his older brother, Michael (Jason Isaacs), the charming but underneath brutal gangster, who's just returned from a seven year exile after a mobster he had a beef with is murdered. Surrounding them is a mix of family, friends, and associates: Rose Caffee (Fionnula Flanagan), the strong-willed matriarch of the family who is the one who really pulls the strings behind the scenes; Eileen Caffee (Annabeth Gish), Tom's seemly devoted wife who harbors forbidden desires of her own; Mary Kate Martinson, Tom's sister who must bear with the shenanigans of her family as well as the pain of not being able to have children; Freddie Cork (Kevin Chapman), boss of the Irish Mob in Providence, who must balance his suspicion of Michael with Michael's ability to bring in a lot of money; Kath Perry (Tina Benko), Michael's old girlfriend and married mother; Declan "Decko" Griggs (Ethan Embry), a state police detective from the old neighborhood who finds that doing what is right and doing what is necessary isn't really the same thing, and a whole slew of gangsters, politicians, and characters who I don't have the space for.

As we follow the two brothers in the respective world, we begin to ask ourselves some troubling questions, such as who is more ruthless, the gangster in the street or the guy in elected office? Is there really much of a difference between the world of crime and politics or between the world of politics and crime? All of this is established through strong acting on the part of Jason Clarke and Jason Isaacs. Jason Clarke is masterful of playing Tommy Caffee, a man who seems to really want to help his district but also desires more power in the world of state politics. How much of his soul is willing to sacrifice to make that a reality and is there anyone or anything he won't sacrifice to make it happen? Then there's Jason Isaacs's portrayal of Michael, the gangster who's returned from exile who must deal with a changing neighborhood while trying to re-establish his power in the rackets. With his steel eyes and cold demeanor, Isaacs more than easily plays the gangster role to the hilt. Of course, none of this would be possible without the intelligent writing of show creator Blake Masters and his crew, who masterfully blend two seemly different worlds until we realize the awful truth; there are no differences between the two, with the final moments of the series finale showing more about the reality of politics than anything else I have ever seen. Despite its short life and somewhat rushed ending, "Brotherhood" is a must see show for those looking for good story-telling and intelligent writing. Whatever you do, don't let this gem of a show pass you by.