When listing some of the most iconic detective shows of all time, HBO’s True Detective rarely misses that list. The series debuted in 2014 and was an immediate hit. Critics praised it for its storyline, setting, performances, and music. True Detective‘s success largely came from its casting, which introduced viewers to Hart (Woody Harrelson) and Kohle (Matthew McConaughey). The onscreen chemistry between Harrelson and McConaughey created the show’s most iconic duo, something it never replicated in future seasons, at least to the same degree.
But Harrelson and McConaughey’s history started before True Detective, which might explain why they delivered effortless chemistry in the series. The duo starred in two movies before they played Hart and Kohle, making them quite familiar with each other. They also share a deeper connection because, at one point, they thought they might be brothers after McCounaghey’s mother made a surprising revelation. The pair has remained friends for a long time, and Apple TV is confident subscribers will be interested in their friendship.
That’s where Brothers, a new Apple TV comedy series starring Harrelson and McCounaghey, comes in. The actors play fictionalized versions of themselves, exploring their lives as actors, fathers, and, in McCounaghey’s case, a rancher. The series takes place in Texas, where Harrelson goes to stay with his family on Matthew’s ranch after his daughter’s wedding falls apart. Matthew’s mother lets it slip that they might be brothers, and Harrelson becomes obsessed with finding the truth. Meanwhile, Matthew’s midlife crisis has him considering a run for Governor of Texas. Brothers‘ first two episodes launch this week on September 23, followed by one new episode every Wednesday, culminating in the season finale on November 4, 2026.
Collider Exclusive · Villain Personality Quiz Which Criminal Mastermind Would Be Your Nemesis? Lecter · Joker · Moriarty · Chigurh
Four of the finest criminal minds ever put on screen. One of them would look at you and see something worth their time. Eight questions decide which one comes for you, why they picked you, and what they would want when they arrived.
🍷Lecter
🃏Joker
♟️Moriarty
🪙Chigurh
01
What would a criminal mastermind notice about you first? Great villains choose their opponents carefully. Something about you got their attention.
02
How do they make first contact? The introduction tells you everything about what is coming next.
03
What do you actually believe about right and wrong? Every nemesis is really an argument about the thing you believe most.
04
What finally gets under your skin? Everybody has a pressure point. Finding yours is the whole plan.
05
They have made their move. How do you fight back? This is the part of the film where the audience finds out who you are.
06
What would they use against you? A good villain never brings a weapon you have not already handed them.
07
What do they actually want from you? The money is never the point. Something else always is.
08
How does it end between the two of you? Eight questions in, this is the one that decides who comes for you.
The Case File Is Complete Your Nemesis Is…
Four criminal masterminds. One of them was always going to be yours.
Here is who comes for you, why they picked you out of everyone available, and what they want from
the encounter.
The Silence of the Lambs · Hannibal · 1991–2002
Hannibal Lecter
Your nemesis does not want to beat you. He wants to know you
completely, and he is patient enough to wait for it. The frightening part is how good the
conversation is.
Lecter is the most dangerous kind of opponent: the one who finds you interesting. He
never raises his voice, because he has never needed to.
You keep a great deal to yourself and you are careful about what you show. That reserve
is exactly the door he would knock on.
The films understood something other thrillers missed. The horror is not the violence.
It is being perfectly understood by the wrong person.
He would be unfailingly polite about all of it. That is the worst part.
Batman · The Dark Knight · 1989–2019
The Joker
Your nemesis is not after money, territory or revenge. He is
after a demonstration, and you are the person he has chosen to prove his point on.
The Joker only picks opponents who believe in something. Your decency is not a defence
against him. It is the entire reason he showed up.
He has no plan you can predict and nothing you can take away, which removes every tool
you would normally reach for.
His whole argument is that you are one bad day away from being him, and you would spend
the rest of your life proving him wrong.
He would call it a magic trick. You would call it the worst night of your life.
Sherlock Holmes · The Final Problem · Since 1893
Moriarty
Your nemesis respects you, which sounds flattering until you work
out what it means. He chose you because nobody else was worth his time.
Moriarty is the original criminal mastermind, the template every later one borrows from:
a mind the equal of the hero’s, pointed the wrong way.
You enjoy being the cleverest person in the room. He is counting on exactly that, and he
has already built the room.
This is the rare nemesis who would be genuinely disappointed if you lost badly. He needs
the game to be worth playing.
It ends the way these things always end. Two people, one problem, and only one way down.
No Country for Old Men · 2007
Anton Chigurh
Your nemesis has no personal interest in you whatsoever, and that
is precisely what makes him unsurvivable. You are not a rival. You are a stop on the way.
Chigurh does not negotiate, gloat or explain. He arrives, he asks one question, and the
answer was decided long before you opened your mouth.
You trust yourself to handle things. He is the one problem in the world that has no
interest in how capable you are.
No Country for Old Men rewrote the screen villain by removing the thing audiences
quietly rely on: the sense that talking might work.
Call it. He will wait.
Who Is Behind ‘Brothers?’
Lee Eisenberg, known for comedy shows like The Office and Jury Duty, serves as the showrunner and executive producer. McCounaghey and Harrelson are also executive producers. Even though the series is inspired by their real lives, some parts are fictionalized, including members of their families who are played by professional actors. Natalie Martinez (Bad Monkey) and Brittany Ishibashi (Runaways) play Matthew and Woody’s wives, Valentina McCounaghey and Joy Harrelson. Nolan Almeida, Ella Grace Helton (Sweet Magnolias), and Noah Carganilla play Matthew’s kids,while Highdee Kuan (The Brothers Sun) and Oona Yaffe play Woody’s kids. Holland Taylor plays Ma Mac, Matthew’s mother.
Brothers debuts on Apple TV on Wednesday, September 23. Stay tuned to Collider for more updates.
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