From TIME · Judy Berman · · 2m
McConaughey and Harrelson's 'Brothers' coasts on charm
Apple TV's new comedy about two Texas stars plays their public personas against a rumor that might make them literal siblings.
In brief
Apple TV's new comedy about two Texas stars plays their public personas against a rumor that might make them literal siblings. The show works best when it leans into silly buddy comedy between its charismatic leads rather than juggling multiple family sitcom plots. Originally reported by TIME.
Two Texas icons, one wild rumor
Matthew McConaughey and Woody Harrelson star in Brothers, an Apple TV comedy premiering September 23rd that's based on a rumor Harrelson acknowledged in 2023: that McConaughey might be the biological son of Harrelson's father, notorious contract killer Charles Voyde Harrelson.
The secret that drives the plot
McConaughey's mother, Ma Mac, reveals to Woody that she may have had a tryst with his father during her second divorce, creating a central mystery and tension between the two stars about whether Matthew shares DNA with the father he idolized.
Too many storylines dilute the fun
The show juggles double-family sitcom plots, a subplot about old-timer crooks collecting a debt, and Matthew's personal challenges, making it feel scattered and generic in places rather than focused on what makes it work.
Buddy comedy is where it shines
The sillier moments work best: McConaughey and Harrelson squished in a rideshare with fans, or wearing ridiculous rocker disguises to play an acoustic set. The show understands their public personas and lets them laugh at themselves.
“Matthew and Woody squished into a rideshare with too many rowdy, young fans? A treat.”
Holland Taylor steals the show
As Ma Mac, Holland Taylor plays against type as a hard-drinking, straight-talking matriarch who disappears into the role, making the character a spitfire without becoming a cartoon.
Campaign trail adds political edge
Matthew's fictional run for Texas governor gives the show its sharpest material, contrasting his traditionalism against Woody's anarchist outspokenness while his jaded campaign manager delivers the series' most self-aware jokes.
“Your Achilles' heel is that you have been a celebrity for so, so long that your brain has turned into a big old sloppy pile of goo.”
Contrasting personalities make it work
The show's best moments pit McConaughey's discretion and traditionalism against Harrelson's unapologetic weirdness, showing that regardless of DNA, their friendship is what defines them as brothers.
The main idea
The show works best when it leans into silly buddy comedy between its charismatic leads rather than juggling multiple family sitcom plots.
