An avenging serial killer in “Dexter” is the tip of the iceberg on Showtime this fall; stay tuned for pot-dealing suburban moms, over-sexed Hollywood scribes afflicted by writer’s block and the antics of a politician-gangster pair of brothers.—Sascha Brodsky
Brotherhood
Sundays at 10 p.m.
Back for its second season, “Brotherhood” returned to the air Sept. 30 to resume the story of the Irish-American Caffee clan in Providence, R.I. It centers on Michael (Jason Isaacs), a lifelong criminal who returns to town after a self-imposed exile, and Tommy (Jason Clarke), an ambitious politician and member of the Rhode Island House of Representatives.
When the narrative resumes, Tommy is in the thick of election politics, Attorney General investigations and dealing with the infidelity of his wife Eileen (Annabeth Gish). Michael is recuperating from injuries incurred from a beating and still in the dark as to his attacker’s identity.
Local crime boss Freddie Cork (Kevin Chapman) continues to precariously maintain his grip on the neighborhood’s underworld activities as Michael attempts to regain his standing, even though his brain injuries are more serious than he admits. The residual seizures make it difficult for him to complete everyday tasks like pumping gas.
This season’s 10 new episodes expand upon the first season’s interconnecting themes of family, crime and politics.
Weeds
Mondays at 10 p.m.
Back for its third season with a premiere on Aug. 13, this critically-acclaimed series has netted a Golden Globe Award for leading lady Mary Louise Parker, who plays a widowed, pot-dealing mother of two in suburbia. This season, Nancy (Parker) has started to embrace her chosen occupation, but the season’s biggest development is an actual development. Popping up next to Agrestic – the affluent Los Angeles suburb where the action is set – is a sprawling mega-church neighborhood called Majestic, which will introduce a host of new characters and take a toll on Agrestic residents.
Some of the season’s major plot twists revolve around high-profile guest star turns. One new character is an unscrupulous real estate developer named Sullivan Groff, played by Matthew Modine. Groff quickly becomes central in Nancy’s quest for a legal moneymaking job; she ends up working for him. Then there’s another Majestic denizen, Tara Lindman, a pot-loving Christian girl-next-door played by Mary-Kate Olsen, who romances Nancy’s son Silas.
This season, Celia (Elizabeth Perkins) is on the brink of a nervous breakdown and sinking deeper into recreational alcoholism when her chance encounter and quick thinking with Sullivan Groff earns her a coveted spot in Majestic and Groff’s attention. As a city council member with a finger on the pulse of what’s happening in Agrestic, her special skills as liaison between the two communities and her secret intel on the residents are a huge asset to him.
Californication
Mondays at 10:30 p.m.
Starring David Duchovny, “Californication” debuted Aug. 13.
Jaded New Yorker Hank Moody (Duchovny) has written the Great American Novel to critical and commerical acclaim. He’s approached by Hollywood and shuttles his family across the country while rhapsodizing on year-round sunshine and the possibility of Oscar glory.
Months later, when his celebrated best-seller “God Hates Us All” is turned into a crappy romantic comedy, the fall-out has wreaked havoc on his writing mojo. His girlfriend Karen (Natascha McElhone) ditches him for a rich guy bearing promises of a stable life in Beverly Hills, while his 12-year-old daughter Becca (Madeleine Martin) is getting felt up at school.
Unfortunately for Hank Moody, all the women and wine in the world can’t cure the brutal sting of the family he’s left behind. But, while he’s busy trying to get out of neutral with his writing and wriggle his way back into Karen’s heart, what’s the harm in having some fun?
