The Showtime series set in Providence will get a network TV airing in hopes of attracting more viewers to the critically acclaimed show.

01:00 AM EDT on Thursday, July 13, 2006

BY ANDY SMITH
Journal Television Writer

The first episode of Brotherhood, the TV drama set and shot in Providence, will air on CBS Saturday at 10 p.m., the network announced yesterday.

Brotherhood is a production of the premimum cable channel Showtime, owned by CBS. Brotherhood's initial episode aired Sunday on Showtime to largely favorable reviews.

Additional episodes will continue on Showtime on Sundays at 10 p.m., with repeats throughout the week.

CBS spokesman Chris Ender said the company hopes to attract more viewers for Brotherhood, and ultimately more subscribers for Showtime, by airing the opening episode on broadcast television.

There are currently about 14.5 million households that subscribe to Showtime.

Brotherhood tells the story of two brothers, politician Tommy Caffee (Jason Clarke) and gangster Michael Caffee (Jason Isaacs), who live in a fictional Irish neighborhood in Providence called The Hill.

"When you have a piece of content that you're proud of, you want to expose it to as many people as possible," Ender said. "And there is no platform bigger than a broadcast television network."

Ender said CBS only plans to air the Brotherhood pilot.

Like many pay-cable dramas, the pilot episode of Brotherhood contained raw language and graphic violence. The version shown Saturday on CBS will be edited for network television and will carry a TV-14 rating, meaning the program contains material many parents would find unsuitable for children under 14.

There will be commercials, but not as many as on a standard network show. Ender said Brotherhood's initial episode on Showtime ran about 55 minutes. The version airing Saturday on CBS will be about 48 minutes long, compared to 44 minutes for standard network fare.

On Showtime, repeats of the first episode air tonight at midnight, tomorrow at 11 p.m., Saturday at 11 p.m. and Sunday at 9 p.m., followed by Brotherhood's second episode Sunday at 10 p.m.

A Showtime spokesman said the channel does not yet have figures for the number of viewers who watched Brotherhood.

asmith@projo.com / (401) 277-7262