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Critic Reviews
- Critic score
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- By date
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Let's get it out the way right now, the blurb that will be quoted after this review is run: "If you see nothing else this summer, watch 'Brotherhood.' "
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Start to finish in its first-rate opening season, Showtime's "Brotherhood" has the makings of something neat, offbeat and special.
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Every hour is impressive, surprising and entertaining.
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"Masterpiece" isn't too strong a word to describe this series.
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The series occasionally displays the sweat stains of overexertion in the first few episodes... But once the intricate, greasy machinery of the policial/personal gets cranking in Brotherhood, there's no stopping the Caffee clan. [21 Jul 2006, p.59]
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This is the jewel Showtime has sought for years.
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In its emphasis on character over plot it reminds me of movies from the pre-Spielberg '70s, and is in so many ways what I want from television that I feel almost like phoning each of you personally to deliver the news.
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You might think you’ve seen this story before, and yet you haven’t seen it quite this way.
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Richly plotted and totally absorbing, one of summer TV's best surprises.
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The next-best thing to "The Wire."
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[A] rattling good series. [10 Jul 2006, p.39]
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The acting here is exceptional and the writing strong and honest. Though "Brotherhood" may not be in the rarefied air of "The Sopranos" or "The Wire," it's still a major achievement for Showtime's original-series development and yet another top-notch cable drama.
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"Brotherhood" is definitely worth the effort: The acting is solid; the situations are, for the most part, new and unknown; and there are enough twists and plot devices to keep us interested in the short term. Over the long haul, though, I'd like to understand more about these characters.
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But as good as it is, it doesn't quite have the originality, unique perspective and subversive sense of humor that mark HBO's "The Sopranos'' (clearly something of a model), "Deadwood'' and "The Wire.''
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"Brotherhood" ... may not be one of the all-time great crime shows, but it's certainly a very good one that improves with each episode.
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It’s not near HBO quality but certainly better than that “Sleeper Cell” tripe that Showtime put on last year.
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There's nothing particularly fresh or appealing about the story lines or symbolisms, no matter how well-directed and -acted "Brotherhood" is.
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There's never a light moment to let you reflect on the violence that you've just witnessed, which brings "Brotherhood" back to the level of every not-great gangster flick that's ever been.
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"Brotherhood" is sharply written... Nevertheless, a heavy air of predictability hangs over "Brotherhood," which has a tendency to confirm viewer expectations instead of challenging them.
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There are entirely too many convenient coincidences, car accidents, Acts of God and gang-related atrocities for one insular neighborhood, and the violence starts to feel contrived, even gratuitous.
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The acting is good, and the direction and settings are solid, but the saga of the Caffee brothers tends to plod more than it intrigues.
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Where "The Sopranos" has some laugh-out-loud comedic moments, "Brotherhood" is dark, brooding and forever serious. And that grows tedious after a few episodes.
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Almost a parody of itself.
Awards & Rankings
User score distribution:
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Positive: 82 out of 100
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Mixed: 2 out of 100
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Negative: 16 out of 100
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Nov 18, 2012
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TonySSep 17, 2009
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FrankLSep 17, 2007