Brotherhood: The Complete First Season review, Brotherhood: Season 1 DVD review

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Brotherhood: The Complete First Season (2006) Starring: Jason Isaacs, Jason Clarke, Kevin Chapman, Annabeth Gish, Ethan Embry, Fionula Flanagan, Stivi Paskoski Director: Various Category: Drama

Showtime isn’t exactly reinventing the wheel with their latest original series, the political drama “Brotherhood,” but it might just be what the premium channel needs to finally compete with big-time rival, HBO. Starring Jason Isaacs and Jason Clarke as two Irish brothers from different walks of life, the show takes place in Providence, Rhode Island where politics and crime practically go hand-in-hand. Of course, we’ve seen this show before (HBO is even responsible for a couple of them, including “The Sopranos” and “The Wire”), but while “Brotherhood” isn't necessarily worth the price of an exclusive Showtime subscription, it’s still a helluva lot better than most shows on television.

After a seven-year departure from “The Hill,” the block of Providence assigned to brother and state representative Tommy Caffe (Clarke), small-time gangster Michael Caffe (Isaacs) – or Three-Part Mike to his friends – has finally returned. A virtual Boondock Saint in his own right (minus the whole religious mumbo jumbo), Michael’s nickname is derived from his habit of acting as “judge, jury and executioner” in matters he really has no business sticking his nose into. Of course, that doesn’t stop him from going all “Reservoir Dogs” on one of gangland boss Freddie Cork’s (Kevin Chapman) guys after seeing the punk beat up a innocent couple, or terrorize a scared waiter when he discovers that they've changed the recipe of the stuffing at his favorite Oceanside restaurant.

The rest of the cast is rounded out by a litter of familiar faces, including Ethan Embry as police detective Declan Giggs, Annabeth Gish as Tommy’s unfaithful (and coke-snorting) wife, Stivi Paskoski as Michael’s alcoholic disciple, and the amazing Fionula Flanagan as the boys’ mother, but no one is nearly as dynamic as the hardboiled Isaacs. Unfortunately, the character loses most of its appeal after only a couple episodes, and though Isaacs should still be considered for an Emmy come next year, he’ll never garner the same attention as past winners like James Gandolfini, Michael Chiklis and Ian McShane. In fact, none of the characters are really developed, and instead seem to float around without much direction. This tactic seems to work well for shows like “The Sopranos” (especially now that the series is in its sixth season), but it only makes the writers on “Brotherhood” appear incredibly lazy. How else can you explain the complete lack of progress in both the story and its characters?

Not only does the show fall plenty short of becoming the next big drama, but its rush to DVD (which arrives in stores only two days after the season finale) guarantees that there won’t be many special features to look forward to. In fact, there are really only two to speak of (unless you count the included photo gallery): an audio commentary with creator Blake Masters and director Henry Bromwell on episode nine, and an interactive guide that displays all of the relationships and power struggles among the many characters. The following feature is actually pretty helpful for those that have a hard time keeping track of everything that's going on, (much like HBO’s inclusion of character guides for “The Wire”), but it’s a far cry from what audiences have come to expect from more current DVD releases.

That doesn’t necessarily mean that you should avoid “Brotherhood” altogether, but it’s probably never going to deliver the kind of must-see television that HBO has to offer. Check it out if you have the time, but don’t go wasting a spot on your Netflix queue for something that isn’t exactly as riveting as it says it is.