Review: Brotherhood on Showtime

I wish I had known about the critically acclaimed ShowTime series Brotherhood before what may have been it's last season. I didn't know because I hadn't subscribed to ShowTime until about six months ago. One night while scrolling through the programs I accidental discovered it and decided to take a look, mostly because it was filmed in Providence, Rhode Island. I have an affection for Rhode Island; an interest in politics; and love crime dramas; all of which are key to the Brotherhood storyline. Nonetheless, I wasn't expecting greatness from this show. Even though it won a Peabody Award in 2007, I had never heard of it, didn't know anyone who had heard of it and my entire family loves crime shows like The Sopranos, CSI, Law and Order and so forth.

That first episode I watched was so great that immediately I went back to watch all the episodes of Season Two, that night. I kept asking myself why my family in Rhode Island hadn't told me about this terrific show. Why my son in NY who loved the Sopranos hadn't told me about it. There is only one answer possible - Showtime had done a lousy job of promoting a show full of top-notch writing and acting, consequently the viewership has been low.

The main characters of Brotherhood are two brothers caught in a modern day Cain and Abel story. The older brother, Michael Caffee, is a gangster. The younger one, Tommy Caffee, is a politician. Michael Caffee is played by critically acclaimed British actor Jason Issacs - he played the sinister Lucius Malfoy in three Harry Potter films. Tommy Caffee is acted by Australian Jason Clarke who has a significant resume in film, television and stage. The rest of the main cast is just as talented: American Annabeth Gish who plays Tommy's long suffering wife Eileen; Declan Giggs is acted by Ethan Embrey who has been a critically acclaimed actor since starting at age ten; Freddy Cork (Michael's childhood friend and nemesis) is played by Kevin Chapman a veteran of several major films; Irish Tony Award winning actor Brian F. O'Byrne plays Colin Carr the long lost Irish cousin who becomes Michael's right hand; and Emmy Award winner Fionnula Flanagan is the matriarch of the Caffee Clan.

The season finale on December 21st had all the elements of a series finale, stoking the rumor mill fires on the internet and speculation among newspaper critics. "It Felt Like the End of Brotherhood" was the title of Roger Caitlin's column in the Hartford Courant. He's right. Loose ends are tied up, Michael goes on the run, and Tommy political career rises at the State House while his marriage to Eileen improves. I haven't revealed too much detail because I'm hoping you will go back and watch all three seasons. There is plenty left to write about and even the show's creators and producers Blake Masters and Henry Bromell are acting like there is more to come, but viewers are not optimistic that ShowTime will do the right thing by Brotherhood, I hope they are wrong.