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Brothers aired from July 1984 until July 1989 on the Showtime Cable Network.
A groundbreaking show, Brothers was the first original sitcom produced for Pay-Cable TV. It was also among the first shows on which a major character was homosexual. It starred Robert Waldon ( formerly from Lou Grant), as Joe Waters, a former pro-football player who now ran a restaurant; Brandon Maggart as his older brother Lou, a conservative construction worker; and Paul Regina as his younger brother Clifford, who as the series began, announced to his siblings that he was gay.
Also featured were Phillip Charles MacKenzie as Clifford's friend, Donald Maltby, a stereotypically effeminate gay man; Hallie Todd as Joe's daughter Penny; Robin Riker as Kelly, a waitress at Joe's restaurant, and Mary Ann Pascal as Samantha, who married Joe in 1988.
During it's lengthy (115 episode run), Brothers delt with such topics as Aids, gay-bashing, and coming out of the closet; It also alowed men to kiss men, and dared to use the expletive word to describe gays.It is therefore no surprise that the series had been turned down by both ABC and NBC before finding a home on Showtime.
An Article from The New York Times
'BROTHERS' SUCCESS HINTS AT CABLE'S NEW ROLE
By STEPHEN FARBER
Published: May 16, 1985
At a time when the networks rarely order more than 22 episodes of a series, Showtime's recent order of 50 new episodes of ''Brothers'' - the critically acclaimed situation comedy about a family adjusting to the revelation that the youngest of three brothers is homosexual - is an unusual vote of confidence. It also underscores cable television's new role as a supplier of dramatic and comdedy series.
Cable has moved very cautiously into the area of series development, preferring in the past to concentrate on acquiring theatrical movies and producing occasional musical or dramatic specials. Increasingly, however, the two major pay-cable services, Home Box Office and Showtime, are finding that original series can lure and hold subscribers.
HBO has renewed its dramatic anthology series ''The Hitchhiker,'' and in August will introduce a situation comedy, ''First in Ten,'' about a woman who takes over the ownership of a pro football team. In addition to renewing ''Brothers,'' which had its premier last July, Showtime has begun the third season of ''The Paper Chase'' and in August will introduce ''Washingtoon,'' a situation comedy about chicanery in the nation's capital. Most of the pay-cable channels have several other series under consideration. And Ted Turner, the president of Turner Broadcasting System, recently ordered 90 episodes of the situation comedy called ''Safe at Home,'' which began showing on his WTBS station in March.
Rejected by Networks
''Brothers'' was originally offered to ABC and NBC three years ago but was rejected by the networks because of its homosexual theme. Showtime snapped it up for precisely the reason the networks had vetoed it. Peter Chernin, Showtime's executive vice president in charge of programming, said: ''We are very concerned about offering an alternative to network television. At the same time, we are still a mass-market medium. We're not going to be doing Zen comedy. 'Brothers' is in a familiar format but a little more daring than other situation comedies.''
The company has found the experience of working in ''Brothers'' different from working on a network series. One of the stars, Robert Walden, who also co-starred on CBS's ''Lou Grant'' for five years, said of his experience with Showtime: ''There are fewer cooks in the kitchen, and the writers have more freedom. There's also something to be said for playing to 5 million or 6 million viewers instead of 30 million. You're reaching a higher common denominator.''
In rating the series a success, Showtime relied on what it called ''qualitative research'' rather than sheer statistical reports. ''We have research firms that do telephone interviews with our subscribers,'' Mr. Chernin said. ''They call people and ask them how much they like particular shows. We also take into account the opinions of our local affiliates. All of them rated 'Brothers' very highly.''
With the large renewal order the show's creators said they have an opportunity to delve more deeply into the characters. During the next year, said Gary Nardino, one of the executive producers, ''Brothers'' will move into some new areas, touching on a variety of problems faced by the three brothers. ''We have not really tapped Cliff's relationships with other men,'' Mr. Nardino said. ''We must explore a real relationship for him. We've planted hints of Lou, the redneck brother, having an alcohol problem, and we're going to tackle that head on. We also will be able to explore Joe's relationship with his ex-wife.''
Plan for Syndication
Another reason for the sizable reorder by Showtime, Mr. Nardino said, was that the producers agreed to accept less money in exchange for a larger order; this will aid the producers in syndicating the series. Paramount's video division, which produces ''Brothers'' and owns syndication rights, will offer the show to independent television stations beginning in November.
This plan, however, has drawn criticism from Showtime's rival in the pay-cable market. Bridget Potter, HBO's senior vice president in charge of original programming, insisted that at HBO, the intention is to ''create series that are unique to pay television.''
''We don't expect our series ever to go into syndication,'' she said. ''As a subscriber I would feel ripped off if a show I was paying for suddenly turned up on free TV.''
Mr. Chernin of Showtime argued that its subscribers will have five years' head start on nonpaying viewers. In addition, an advantage of Showtime's willingness to allow producers of its series to retain syndication rights is that it can attract high-priced producers and writers. HBO, by withholding syndication rights, has had to rely on new or untested producers to create its series.
Here is Paul Regina's Obituary
Paul Regina's Obituary
Caption: PAUL REGINA
Description: Date of Birth:
25 October 1956, Brooklyn, New York, USA
Date of Death:
31 January 2006, Smithtown, New York, USA. (liver cancer)
Actor Paul Regina died of liver cancer at age 49. Mr. Regina worked steady on TV and in film for 20 years. He was best known for playing Cliff Waters on the Showtime TV series "Brothers." What was noteworthy about the character is that Cliff Waters was an openly Gay character not played for laughs or over the top. Just a regular guy. Mr. Regina played the character for five years. In real lie, Mr. Regina was straight. He leaves a wife and kids. Mr. Regina worked mainly on TV. He did appear in the Bo Derek vehicle "A Change of Seasons."
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