Brothers

Some of the best television occurred during the 80's. Many groundbreaking shows were being introduced and the reason it was so groundbreaking was due to the nature of the material that was being dealt with. Although some shows chose to deal with controversial subject matter in a humorous way, the fact remains that they were still dealing with it; something that had been overlooked for quite some time. One such show that helped forge the way for this sort of treatment would be Brothers.

Brothers was a 30 minute comedy that aired on the Showtime cable network in the 1980's. As the show's title indicates the show centers on the Waters brothers; Lou, the oldest, Joe and Cliff, the youngest. Lou was the blue-collar construction worker, while Joe was the retired place kicker for the Philadelphia Eagles as well as a sports bar owner. This leaves the youngest, Cliff, who was an admitted homosexual.

The show deals with the three brothers lives and interactions with each other as well as the attempts of the eldest two brothers to learn acceptance of their youngest siblings homosexuality. Although the show deals with the subject in a comedic way it was still instrumental in helping address the issue and delivering the message that just because a person is homosexual they are still a person and still need and deserve love. Something that the eldest two Waters brothers realize early and work diligently to come to grips with, despite their misgivings and worries.

Part of what made this show so great was the chemistry between the characters. Lou comes across as somewhat of a comic relief in his attempts to be liberal and accepting. However, the lynch pin of the trio is middle brother Joe, who keeps things running smoothly.