TV Review: Brews Brothers Gives Laughs, But Should Be Crazier
Written by the creators of the outlandish, FX hit, The League, writer Greg and Jeff Schaffer are known for creating characters that are deranged and self-absorbed with slight beats of heart in between their crazy, mis-adventures. On April 10, their new baby, Brews Brothers, comes out on Netflix, and despite all dick jokes and a German, Franciscan priest that is absolutely insane, the show feels oddly tamed. It is as if between the sibling rivalry and supporting characters with their own set of existential crisis, and a weird ear, everything could still be even more absurd.
With 10 episodes, 30 minutes each, the show builds and pushes itself to go farther into making Wilhelm (Alan Aisenberg) and Adam (Mike Castle) the worst pair of brothers to ever reunite. Aisenberg’s Wilhelm is set as “the hero” of the story; the guy trying to save his beloved brewery, just a block away from a mean, porn store owner and set in the random town of Van Nuys. To counter Wilhelm’s dopey, hopeful heart is his rigid, genius brother, Castle’s Adam; whom is obsessed with making the world appreciate crafting beer as an art form, except he has the personal charisma ofTiger King’s Carole Baskin. Yet, Castle’s performance and sheer mishaps carries most of the show’s shining moments. He is a complete jerk and, simultaneously, owns it while being oblivious to it, which is why he appears like the only character that could head over to join the It’s Always Sunny In Philadelphia clan.
BREWS BROTHERS Official Trailer (2020) Netflix
It is hard not to compare a show about a mis-matched family trying to save their bar/ lives with the other, legendary FX show: It’s Always Sunny In Philadelphia. For most comedy lovers, the latter show is gold, and has seemingly captured the modern market for bar comedies. Unless, you find Bar Rescue a show full of giggles. Of course, it is not like we can’t have TWO beer comedies, but the difference between both shows is that Always Sunny makes us love the horrible of its characters, while Brews Brothers’ doesn’t. They simply feel like a group of people that can’t get it together, while Always Sunny is about a group of people that think they are great when they are ABSOLUTELY not. The difference, and thus comedy, lies in the delusion, and the belief that they are good people suffering; instead of insecure people that really like beer and really hope somebody will go to Van Nuys and check em’ out.
Do I hope Brew Brothers comes back for a season 2? Yeah! It has a lot of potential and does have some laugh out loud moments, but they can feel too spread apart between a few chuckles and a series of light laughs. Still, it manages to make you care enough for certain characters like, Adam, his strange, hippie love interest, Becky (Innana Sarkis), and Marques Ray as Chuy: the one man who likes and might be smarter than him. While you may relate to the woes of Carmen Flood’s Sarah and Aisenberg’s Wilhelm, it is the characters that feel too unreal or un-relatable, that carry the show like, my man the crazy, Franciscan priest: Brother Liam. Paul Jurewicz’s role is show-stopping and a sign that Brews Brothers knows how to get insane in its humor.
