Everyone knows that Matthew McConaughey and Woody Harrelson are one of the great duos in show business. After meeting and becoming friends on the set of the 1999 comedy film EdTV, the actors began a long friendship, later collaborating again on the first season of True Detective, widely considered one of the great television shows of all time.
But did you know that, in addition to being great friends, the two might also be half-siblings? That is the premise of Apple TV’s new comedy series Brothers, which reunites the duo on screen for the first time since 2014’s True Detective and pulls from a bit of very real mythology that the two only relatively recently discovered themselves.
‘Matthew’s mother, I’d known her 25 years, and she told me, “I knew your father.” You know, like, with the ellipses: “I knew… your father,”’ Harrelson told Variety. ‘She tells me, and I’m thinking, “What’s behind this story?” And then I find out they weren’t just friends – there was a little more to it.’
Brothers, in turn, stars McConaughey and Harrelson as fictionalised versions of themselves exploring this possibility. Think of it as the meta-nature of Curb Your Enthusiasm, combined with the goofiness of a family sitcom like Schitt’s Creek or Malcolm in the Middle, plus the star power of True Detective.
Just because they made the show doesn’t mean McConaughey believes the story.
‘Woody thinks he knows that we’re brothers, and it’s not that I don’t want to know – I don’t believe it,’ McConaughey told Variety at the show’s premiere. ‘My mom’s the one who started this whole damn thing, by saying, “I knew… your father,” with the long pause after that. Even my five-year-old son understood the innuendo of what that meant.’
So, are the A-listers actually brothers? You figure they could just take a DNA test and settle it once and for all. But for now, that doesn’t seem to be on the cards.
‘I’ve been wanting to, but he refuses,’ Harrelson told The Hollywood Reporter. McConaughey then added that could change in future – but he’s a little frightened about what it could mean.
‘I’ll probably come around to it,’ he said. ‘If it’s true, I’ve got a lot to unpack. If it’s not true, he’s not going to be near as fun to hang out with.’
There’s a lot to figure out for these two. In the meantime, why not see how fictional Matthew and Woody handle it? Below, we’ve got all the information you need to make sure you don’t miss an episode of Apple TV’s Brothers.
When Is the Next Episode of Brothers Coming Out?
The next episode of Brothers arrives on Apple TV on Wednesday 14 October. The eight-episode comedy premiered globally on Wednesday 23 September, with the first two episodes followed by one new episode every Wednesday through 4 November. apple.com
How Many Episodes of Brothers Are Left?
The debut season of Brothers runs for eight episodes. The first four have now aired, which means there are still four episodes of Matthew and Woody’s brotherly – or not-so-brotherly – chaos remaining in the show’s first season.
Here’s the Complete Release Schedule for Apple TV’s Brothers
Episode 1, ‘On the Road’ – Now streaming as of 23 September
Episode 2, ‘The Hunt’ – Now streaming as of 23 September
Episode 3, ‘Little Woody’ – Now streaming as of 30 September
Episode 4, ‘The Band’ – Now streaming as of 7 October
Episode 5, ‘Valentine’s Day’ – Streaming on 14 October
Episode 6, ‘The Dance’ – Streaming on 21 October
Episode 7, ‘The Interview’ – Streaming on 28 October
Episode 8, ‘On the Road Again. Again’ – Streaming on 4 November
Evan is the culture editor for Men’s Health, with bylines in The New York Times, MTV News, Brooklyn Magazine, and VICE. He loves weird movies, watches too much TV, and listens to music more often than he doesn’t.
