Brotherhood (American TV series)

Brotherhood is an American crime drama television series created by Blake Masters about the intertwining lives of the Irish-American Caffee brothers from Providence, Rhode Island: Tommy is a local politician and Michael is a gangster involved with New England's Irish Mob. The show also features their mother Rose, cousin Colin Carr, childhood friend and Rhode Island state detective Declan Giggs, Irish mob boss Freddie Cork, Tommy's wife Eileen, and Michael's criminal partner Pete McGonagle.
Brotherhood was originally broadcast by the premium cable network Showtime in the United States from July 9, 2006, to December 21, 2008, with the show's three seasons consisting of eleven, ten and eight episodes. The show was not renewed after its third season, which Showtime later confirmed was the last.
The series was produced and almost entirely written by Masters and Henry Bromell. It was filmed on location in Providence, Rhode Island.
Brotherhood received widespread critical acclaim—with critics particularly praising Masters and Bromell's nuanced writing and the central performances of Clarke and Isaacs—but did not attract a large audience. The show won a Peabody Award.

Production

Conception

Brotherhood was created by New England native Blake Masters. Prior to creating the series, Masters made a living selling screenplays to film studios; however, he never got an original project produced. Masters' pitched Brotherhood to Executive Producer Elizabeth Guber Stephen as a feature film; the premise was inspired by the real-life Bulger brothers from Massachusetts: William M. Bulger was a prominent state politician and his brother, James J. Bulger, was the leader of the Irish-American mob Winter Hill Gang.
Stephen told Masters and his agent Brant Rose that it would work better as a series. Masters agreed to adapt it into a television series, reasoning that "the dynamic between the brothers was sustainable and compelling." Stephen brought Masters to present the idea to premium cable network Showtime, who were immediately receptive and financed the production of a pilot episode. After the pilot had been shot, it was shown to the Showtime executives, who ordered an entire season.
Because of Masters' inexperience in producing television, Showtime executives asked him to find someone to help him spearhead the project. Masters, a fan of Homicide: Life on the Street, suggested Henry Bromell, who had previously worked on Homicide as a writer/executive producer. A meeting was arranged between Masters and Bromell through Showtime. Bromell was impressed with the pilot and accepted Masters' offer to join the production crew.

Crew

s Masters and Bromell served as showrunners and head writers during the production of the show's three seasons. Masters wrote five episodes of the first and second seasons, which consisted of eleven and ten episodes, respectively, and three of the third eight-episode season; Bromell wrote three episodes of the first season, five of the second and three of the third. The show has had three writers other than Masters and Bromell: the writing team of Dawn Prestwich and Nicole Yorkin, who wrote three episodes of the first season and served as co-executive producers, and executive producer Karen Hall, who wrote two episodes of the third season.
The pilot episode, "Mark 8:36", was directed by Australian director Phillip Noyce. Noyce's background in film drew some praise for his strong visual sense direction of the pilot but was also criticized for distracting from the writing and not fitting with the direction of later episodes.
Noyce also directed the second season premiere. Veteran television director Ed Bianchi directed seven episodes of the show, including the first and second season finales, making him the show's most frequent director. Other recurring directors include Nick Gomez, who directed three episodes, and Steve Shill, Alik Sakharov and Brian Kirk who directed two episodes each. Jean de Segonzac, Leslie Libman, Thomas Carter, Michael Corrente, Seith Mann and Tim Hunter directed one episode each. Masters and Bromell have also directed the series, with Bromell having directed three episode and Masters two.

Sets and locations

The series was filmed largely on location in Providence, Rhode Island. After producer Elizabeth Guber Stephen was told they couldn't shoot in Boston due to budgetary reasons, Stephen worked out a deal with the Rhode Island Film Office. Stephen and her team also helped write the tax incentive legislation for film and television production in Rhode Island.
The Providence Journal editorialized on the production as follows:
Some scenes were filmed at the Olneyville New York System Restaurant in Providence and Woonsocket, Rhode Island.

Cast and characters

Actor	Character	Notes
Jason Isaacs	Michael Caffee	A lifelong gangster who has returned home to Providence, R.I., after a self-imposed seven-year exile after a contract was put on him. He is hoping to pick up where he left off. At the end of the first season, Michael is attacked and severely beaten by Declan. At the start of the second season, Michael is suffering from brain trauma and blackout, and has no memory of who attacked him. However, he tries to prove to Freddie that he is ready to go back to work for the mob. By the third season, Michael is in charge, and faces serious trouble with the Italian mob leader and with his own girlfriend and cousin. Michael is inspired by and modeled after Whitey Bulger, an ex-fugitive Irish mob boss from South Boston, Massachusetts, who was still on the run at that time. Jason Isaacs once described his character as follows: "Well actually, Michael Caffee is not a bad guy. I wouldn't have done this if he was a bad guy. He's a really interesting man. He has a really strict ethical code that he adheres to and he thinks he is better for the neighborhood and the future of the city than his brother is. He thinks his brother is corrupt, he's part of the system."
Jason Clarke	Tommy Caffee	Husband, father, brother and ambitious member of the Rhode Island House of Representatives who is not above bending the rules. The second season finds him still married, but shows bitterness towards his wife after she reveals her drug use and affairs. He has a relationship with Dana Chase, played by Janel Moloney. He is currently seeking re-election at his position. He is presumably inspired by Whitey Bulger's brother, former Massachusetts Senate President Billy Bulger. By season three, Tommy and Eileen have reconciled because they are expecting their fourth child, a son. Tommy promises Eileen that he is getting out of politics, but his best plans may not come to fruition.
Annabeth Gish	Eileen Caffee	Tommy's lonely wife, who tries to fill the void in her life with drugs and an affair with the mailman. At the start of the second season, she and her husband are still living together, although they remain distant after she revealed everything to him. By the third season, she is working outside of the home until she and Tommy reach an uneasy reconciliation, as Eileen is pregnant with their fourth child, who is a son.
Fiona Erickson	Mary Rose Caffee	Tommy and Eileen's eldest daughter. Mary Rose has been in trouble for stealing and drug use, and her uncle Michael tries to talk sense into her, which her father resents. She is exceptionally observant, if not nosy, and what she discovers often has great bearing on both brothers' lives.
Fionnula Flanagan	Rose Caffee	The highly manipulative and needy mother of the Caffee brothers and sister Mary Kate, and overbearing mother-in-law to Eileen, Rose is the matriarch and neither of her sons dares to stand up to her. She has developed a close relationship with Colin, the Irish son of her late sister, who has come to Rhode Island to seek his family roots.
Ethan Embry	Declan Giggs	A Rhode Island state trooper who is investigating the Caffee brothers despite having known them since childhood, who often blurs the line between investigating them and protecting them. At the beginning of the second season, it is revealed that he has a fallout with his wife Cassie and is now separated from her. Disgraced, his police captain gives him one more shot at redemption: becoming a mole for Freddie Cork's activities and tie them to the Caffee brothers. In season three, he is conducting a major investigation of the interactions between Rhode Island state politics and the Italian and Irish mobs.
Kevin Chapman	Freddie Cork	An Irish-American gang leader and Michael's very stern, no nonsense boss in season one; he is frequently in conflict with Michael and he often blackmails Tommy. By season three, Michael is the boss, and Freddie works for him.
Stivi Paskoski, Alan Francis Sullivan	Pete McGonagle	A recovering alcoholic, who quickly makes himself Michael's partner when Michael returns to town. Michael's return drives him to drink again, and Michael goes so far as to almost kill him. He is not seen in the first two episodes of the second season, but is told that he lands a job through Michael. It is revealed that Pete is in trouble with Italian mobs. At the beginning of the third episode of season 2, he is killed and his body dumped right on the Caffee's block.
Brían F. O'Byrne	Colin Carr	The Caffees' cousin from Belfast, Northern Ireland, who joins the cast for the second season, as he tries to help both sides of his family business. At first, his aunt Rose thinks he's trouble and up to no good. Eventually, she helps him find his father, who turns out to be Senator Judd Fitzgerald, and she becomes his defender. By season three, he is Michael's loyal right-hand man. However, he is falling in love with Michael's girlfriend Kath, which Michael suspects. He has tried to keep at arm's length distance from Kath out of loyalty and fear of Michael. However, Michael's suspicions seem to be getting the better of him.