Fall TV: Showtime's Brotherhood Ready to Get Noticed

For years it seemed that HBO dominated the cable drama landscape. Who could argue with such shows as The Sopranos or Six Feet Under? The genius of those shows was well documented by critics across the country, and fans became gleefully aware of every single thing that Tony Soprano uttered.

Lately, however, HBO has sort of fallen away from the genius label due to duds such as John From Cincinnati, and the too over the top Rome.

Don't worry, though, because Showtime is more than picking up the slack with their excellent drama, Brotherhood.

Brotherhood, for those not in the know, is Showtime's answer to The Sopranos. At least, at first glance, it appears to be Showtime's answer. Looking deeper into the show, it is much more than that. It is, from my perspective, the best written show on television today and is far and away the best dramatic piece of television on the tube.

Very strong words for a show that most folks know nothing about, but the words are well-deserved for Brotherhood, which, contrary to what some may say, is not just about Irish gangsters in Providence, Rhode Island.

The show is about relationships and how those relationships are affected by not only race relations, in a very specific part of Providence, but also in both the underworld of crime-lords and drug addicts, and the over-world of city politics.

As the name implies, Brotherhood centers on two brothers, Tommy and Michael Caffee, both ruthless and fragile in their own ways. Played with expert precision by Jason Isaacs, as Michael, and Jason Clarke, as Tommy, these two brothers must meld their inter-relationship as well as their public relationships together in order to get things done in their daily lives.

Tommy is the supposedly legitimate brother, having made his way to the city council, for that before mentioned specific part of Providence. He is looked up to and has the guts to deal with anyone who faces him - - including his brother. Michael, on the other-hand, is a lead captain in Freddie Cork's underworld organization that, unlike the spit-shine cleanliness of Tony Soprano's crew, works like a band of ruffians from the film The Warriors.

Freddie, it seems, has the largest cock known to man and pisses in public on a whim. Good thing since Freddie, far from being stupid, doesn't have the intelligence of a true leader.

Neither does Michael, for that matter. Michael is strangely aware of everything around him without being aware of what truly makes up a morale constitution. In that sense, Jason Isaacs is simply brilliant. It is not a stretch to say that Isaacs gives one the greatest performances in television history with his depiction of Michael. While James Gandolfini was equally brilliant as Tony Soprano by being able to turn things off an on at a moment's notice, Isaacs is brilliant with his eyes, changing the stare from blank to god-fearing to absolutely out of control. It is truly a performance worth watching and is exhilarating in its simplicity.

But, it's not just the males in Brotherhood who get to show their acting chops. The well-known Annabeth Gish is terrific as Tommy's sexually repressed, drug-addicted, wife. When the show ended its first season, Gish's character, Eileen Caffee, had spiraled into a mess of drugs and adultery. We'll see what happens.

Fionnula Flanagan, as the brother's over-bearing mother, Rose Caffee, is equally wonderful. She is at once controlling and passive-aggressive, weak and incredibly strong. A truly knock-out performance by this experienced actress.

Finally, Brotherhood showcases the acting chops of one Ethan Embry famed for playing the guy chasing the Ghost Whisperer in the teen flick Can't Hardly Wait. Before anyone thinks this guy can't act, realize that the writers of Brotherhood ended the first season with the cliff-hanger revolving around Embry's character, Declan Giggs.

Poor Declan, trying to coincide his feelings about Tommy and Michael Caffee, they protected him when he was a child, with his job as a cop, loses it a fund-raiser and goes ballistic on Michael, putting Michael into a coma and then running off like a child.

Notice that the writers put the so-called "bad" brother in the coma and left the so-called "good" brother out there to pick up the pieces. They also had the cop do it which leads to all sorts of dramatic things this coming season.

That, my fellow television watchers, is called turning up the heat and is a sign of excellent television writing.

Now, that the specter of Tony and his crew have floated into oblivion, this television fan hopes that Brotherhood gets what it deserves, a nod from the critics and a huge following.