Brotherhood: The Complete First Season

Reviewed by:
Gene Newman

Showtime finally has a winner with this understated Rhode Island-based drama centering on two Irish brothers: one's a badass criminal who returns after disappearing seven years earlier, the other's a scrappy politician whose star is on the rise. It centers around low-level Irish mobsters, declining unions and desperate politicians, all trying to hang on to a city that's drastically changing around them. If it's to be compared to any HBO show, it's not the disappointing Sopranos, but rather The Wire, which is the highest compliment any Showtime original series could ever receive. There are 11 episodes and they're all so smart and realistic that it actually made us believe there's a state called "Rhode Island." Where do the writers come up with this stuff?