Apple TV has a new comedy called Brothers, and it stars Matthew McConaughey and Woody Harrelson. The show is created by McConaughey and Harrelson with Lee Eisenberg and David West Read. The premise is simple: Harrelson shows up at McConaughey’s Texas ranch, and chaos ensues.
The show is eight episodes long, and each episode runs about 30 minutes. It is a comedy about two men who are already close friends spending more time together. The question the show asks is whether their bond might be more than coincidence. The title card calls it “based on a true rumor,” and the show plays with that idea throughout.
Woody’s Clueless Dad Act
The show opens with Harrelson in Malibu, smoking a joint, while his wife Joy and his daughters Olive and Kai get mad at his clueless dad act. Joy is played by Brittany Ishibashi. Olive is played by Highdee Kuan, and Kai is played by Oona Yafee. The scene sets up the dynamic between Woody and his family, and it suggests that Woody’s arrival at Matthew’s ranch will not go smoothly.
McConaughey’s character has a TV family too. His wife Valentina is played by Natalie Martinez. Together, they welcome the Harrelsons to their ranch, where Matthew is working on a speech in tribute to his late father. The father is known as “Big Mac,” and his mother is “Ma Mac.” Holland Taylor plays Ma Mac with Kahlúa-at-9AM panache. The speech is not the only thing Woody will disrupt.
How It Compares to Other Buddy Comedies
Brothers borrows from a familiar pattern of famous real-life bffs visiting each other to goof off. The show could be Ewan McGregor riding motorcycles. It could also be the Harrelsons hanging out with Carter from Dutton Ranch. The sweet spot for Brothers is somewhere in between, in the ether, in the Texas heat, ringed with the weed smoke where it was inspired.
The show draws on the history of Harrelson and McConaughey’s friendship. They have worked together in films and commercials for years. Decider’s review suggests that the show feeds on this notion, and it kind of all runs together.
What the Show Reminds Us Of
The review points to True Detective Season 1 as a possible origin for Harrelson and McConaughey’s symbiosis. The show also reminds viewers of their many commercials as co-pitchmen. The comparison is meant to capture the idea that these two actors have spent years building a chemistry that audiences already enjoy.
The show is a series of hangout scenes between two dudes people typically enjoy hanging out with. The question is whether those scenes can add up to an actual TV series. The review suggests that it depends on how long you get to hang out.
The Performance Worth Watching
There is some young-gen banter between Woody and Joy’s daughter Kai and Matthew and Valentina’s son Wyatt. Nolan Almeida plays Wyatt. The review singles out this interaction as a highlight, noting that it is the way we all became the Mc-Harrelson Bunch.
The show also features Harrelson popping up to say things like “I’m an anarchist” and “What’s better for creativity than gourd soup.” He generally serves as the rodeo clown to his friend’s rodeo rider-philosopher. The show entertains rumors of a genetic link, which Ma Mac calls “not a total coinkydink.”
The review is not sure how all of this will fill eight episodes, but it notes that at least the bar in McConaughey’s garage looks cool.
The Parting Shot
The universe has shown Matthew his purpose. He is going to run for governor of Texas. He wants Woody by his side for the campaign. That is the final image the show leaves viewers with.
Our Take on Brothers
The review’s verdict is to stream it. The reasoning is straightforward: you have already been streaming the hang-out flow state of Harrelson and McConaughey in films, in ads, in other TV shows. Brothers just puts a frame around these famously bro-y celebrities’ bro-y vibe.
The review does not care whether the show is all based on a cheeky social media rumor, whether these guys really ever were brothers, or whether they have written it that way for the show’s purposes. The show is what it is: a series of hangout scenes between two dudes people typically enjoy hanging out with.
Key Facts Box
- Show: Brothers
- Platform: Apple TV
- Episodes: 8
- Episode runtime: About 30 minutes
- Creators: Matthew McConaughey, Woody Harrelson, Lee Eisenberg, David West Read
- Stars: Matthew McConaughey, Woody Harrelson, Holland Taylor, Brittany Ishibashi, Natalie Martinez
Why the Review Says You Should Watch It
- The premise is a true rumor that the actors were once brothers.
- The show is created by the two leads themselves, with established writers.
- The hangout format is something audiences already enjoy from these actors.
- The bar in McConaughey’s garage looks cool.
- The show feeds on the history of the actors’ real-life friendship.
The review is amused by the whole enterprise. The premise is a joke, and the show is a frame around that joke. It is a show about two men who are already friends spending more time together, and it does not pretend otherwise. That honesty is the appeal.
The review recommends streaming it because the show is a comfortable extension of what fans already know. It is a frame around the Mc-Harrelson Bunch, and it is worth watching for that alone.
Source material: “Stream It Or Skip It: ‘Brothers’ On Apple TV, Where Matthew McConaughey And Woody Harrelson – Already Bros – Might Be Brothers,” Decider.
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