The Sopranos, but with Irish folk. This may well be an overly brief description of this US TV series that aired stateside in 2006, but it remains fairly accurate, albeit on a far smaller scale. Set in the large Irish community of Providence, Rhode Island, where it was also shot, the series followed the very different lives of the Caffee brothers Tommy (Jason Clarke) and Michael (Jason Isaacs).

Tommy is a local politician, trying to represent the mostly Irish contingency in the community where he lives, known as the ‘Hill’. He is well-respected amongst his peers and his neighbours and is a fairly all-round good egg.

Not quite the same can be said for his sibling Michael; he is a hoodlum of the lowest order. And although he has a lot of love for his mother Rose (Fionnula Flanagan), he has nothing but contempt for everyone else. He’s been away from the Hill for some time, as a local mobster had threatened to kill him if he ever saw him again. But the death of this mobster allows Michael to return home after seven years.

Considering their very different career paths, the brothers have a complicated relationship. There is love there, but there are also many complications. This leads to a fair amount of clashes concerning their relationship with each other – as well as with others, in particular, their mother – but also on a professional level. But as series 1 continues, it soon becomes apparent that perhaps the two brothers have more in common that first meets the eye.

Although Brotherhood was made by a company other than the all-conquering HBO, Showtime proved that imitation is indeed the sincerest form of flattery. It certainly shares many of the better qualities of The Sopranos: the writing is edgy and sharp; the acting is certainly of a high standard, with great performances all round from Clarke, Isaacs and Flanagan; and shooting on location certainly adds to the ambience.

The real difference between the two is scale; Brotherhood is a smaller experience in every which way. This certainly makes it more intimate, both in terms of characters and storyline, but it also makes it slightly more claustrophobic. There really is only room enough for the two big brotherly characters; everyone else has to make do with the smaller supporting parts. For instance, with Michael back to his mobster ways, the circle of Irish gangs involved feels a helluva lot smaller than the smallest gang on The Sopranos. At one point Michael has no more than three henchman; you would expect that an audience would then get an opportunity to get to know these not-so-wise guys quite well over the course of the series, but there’s just not enough time or story to do so. It’s just as well then that both Clarke and Isaacs have wide enough shoulders to carry the bulk of the narrative between them.

The show itself only ran for 3 series, becoming bleaker and bleaker towards its conclusion. In truth, it was the kind of lifespan the show deserved. Any further shenanigans between the two bro’s could have just got really silly. Instead, it maintained its dignity and compelling storyline throughout.

If you’re a fan of adult drama, brought skilfully to the small screen, then you should most certainly let Brotherhood into your family circle. It’s yet another fine example of how much better those damn Yankees are than us at producing bloody good telly for grown-ups.