Comedy series “Brothers” on Apple TV: Half celebrate and half make fun of yourself

Based on a true rumor. These words precede the eight episodes of the comedy series “Brothers” (seen on Apple TV), but that doesn’t quite capture the point. Because even if reality was the inspiration here, it is less a nasty rumor than a funny anecdote to which this story owes its plot.

Matthew McConaughey and Woody Harrelson - not only close actors, but also long-time good friends - learned one day that McConaughey's mother had once had a brief acquaintance with Harrelson's father. An acquaintance so intimate that it is at least theoretically possible that the two Hollywood stars are more than just (half) brothers in spirit. This thought game has been a running joke in their families ever since, and is often revealed in interviews. But “Brothers” is now practicing it.

McConaughey and Harrelson, who came up with the series together with Lee Eisenberg (who was already involved in “The Office” and “Jury Duty”), play fictionalized versions of themselves, around which reality is dealt with more freely. When one of his daughters' wedding falls through, Woody packs the two of them and his wife Joy (Brittany Ishibashi) into the trailer and sets off for Texas. A visit to his friend Matthew, his wife Valentina (Natalie Martinez) and their children should provide some variety.

eight episodes on Apple TV, then every Wednesday until November 4th. a new episode

What begins as a spontaneous change of scenery soon puts the two actors' close friendship to the test. Not only because, beyond a preference for marijuana and a basic nonchalance, they have quite different personalities. But also because Matthew's mother Ma Mac (Holland Taylor) tells Woody, in an alcoholic mood, that he was once in bed with his father.

The thought that his best friend could also be his half-brother no longer leaves Woody's mind, but Ma Mac does everything in her power to prevent him from investigating this further or even from telling her son anything about it. Especially since his plans to run for governor could be significantly disrupted by such news.

The playfulness and wink with which McConaughey and Harrelson half celebrate, half mock each other in “Brothers” is undoubtedly fun. The former presents himself as a religious head of the family with macho tendencies, who is almost more proud of his New York Times bestsellers than of his Oscar and is serious about his political ambitions (which the real McConaughey has so far flirted with at best).

His counterpart is the vegan, environmentally conscious part-time hippie who seems to like to attract chaos. The clearer the allusions to reality become - for example with a view to the joint work “True Detective” - the more amusing it becomes.

The series is only of limited use as a real examination of the topic of fame or a meta-commentary on the Hollywood business due to its lack of focus, and the attempts to use the plot to expand the premise into more than just a sketch idea are sometimes more and sometimes less successful.

But as a story of family and friendship, “Brothers” definitely works. And whenever the hunky dude vibes of the protagonists threaten to become too overwhelming, you're happy that their family members (who differ greatly from the real characters) are also given space and that Lisa Gilory as the campaign manager and, above all, Holland Taylor as Ma Mac come into great comedic form.