Brotherhood (Showtime)
common sense media says
Intense and intriguing, but not OK for kids.
parents & educators say
What parents need to know
Parents need to know that this Showtime series was written and produced for adults and isn't appropriate for children of any age -- not even most older teens. The first line of audible dialogue in the pilot is "I say pull your pants down 'cause I wanna f--k you up the ass." And it only gets worse from there, since that line is soon followed by a grisly scene of a man being beaten to death with a shovel. In addition to the serious language and graphic violence strewn throughout the series, there's also occasional drug use and explicit sex, including more than one shot of male frontal nudity.
Violence:
Real, explicit violence is a regular part of the plot, with graphic depictions of a woman having a dangling earring ripped out of her ear (and her attacker having his own ear cut off as punishment) and two innocent people getting brutally beaten on the street. One mentally challenged character is manipulated into playing Russian roulette with a loaded gun. Another is brutally murdered in public with a shovel. One male character threatens a female character with rape.
Sex:
One character is engaging in an ongoing extramarital affair with a former high school flame, a storyline that often includes partial nudity and, in some cases, male and female frontal nudity. The tip of a man's penis is visible while he pees over the side of a boat. One male character is shown receiving oral sex from a scantily clad young woman.
Language:
Both swear words (including "bastard," "piss," "p--sy," "bulls--t," and several variations of "f--k") and hate words ("darky," "spook," "nigger," "fag") are used liberally.
Consumerism:
Not applicable.
Drinking, drugs, & smoking:
Bars occasionally serve as backdrops for important scenes. One character is a recovering alcoholic but still frequents bars to test his strength; other characters are mostly shown drinking socially. Two characters are occasionally shown smoking marijuana.
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