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Brotherly Love
Brotherly Love title screen
Format	Family sitcom
Created by	Jonathan Schmock Jim Vallely
Starring	Joey Lawrence Matthew Lawrence Andrew Lawrence Liz Vassey Melinda Culea Micheal McShane
Theme music composer	Joey Lawrence, Michael Price, Steve LaGassick, Steve Barri
Opening theme	"No Matter Where You Are", performed by Joey Lawrence
Country of origin	United States
Language(s)	English
No. of seasons	2
No. of episodes	40 (List of episodes)
Production
Executive producer(s)	Jonathan Schmock Jim Vallely Paul Junger Witt Tony Thomas Gary S. Levine
Camera setup	Videotape; Multi-camera
Running time	approx. 22 minutes (without commercials) 30 minutes (with commercials)
Production company(s)	Witt-Thomas Productions Touchstone Television (season 1) Walt Disney Television (season 2)
Broadcast
Original channel	NBC (1995-1996), The WB (1996-1997)
Picture format	480i (SDTV)
Original run	September 16, 1995 (1995-09-16) – May 18, 1997 (1997-05-18)
Status	Ended

Brotherly Love is an American sitcom that ran from September 16, 1995 to April 1, 1996, on NBC, then moved to The WB and aired on that network from September 15, 1996 to May 18, 1997. The series starred Joey Lawrence, Matthew Lawrence, Andrew Lawrence, Melinda Culea, Michael McShane, and Liz Vassey.

Plot

The series, set in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, starred the Lawrence Brothers (Joey, Matthew, and Andrew) as an older half-brother, two much-younger half brothers, and a widowed mom/step-mom (Melinda Culea). Both stepmother Claire and big brother Joe were naturally take-charge types, and the late father had left Joe one-fourth of his car customizing business, so naturally there was some conflict. Another subplot involved Joe's fighting his attraction to Louise "Lou" Davis (Liz Vassey), a female mechanic who worked at the business.

The series is about a family of four, Joe, Matt, Andy, and Claire Roman; along with mechanics Lou Davis and Lloyd Burwell (Micheal McShane). They struggle through problems of their own due to running a small-time customizing business.

Joe Roman is a 20-year-old motorcycle racer who lived on the road ever since his parents separated when he was very young. A year removed from the auto accident that killed his dad, Joe returns to Philadelphia to claim his portion of his dad's automobile repair garage. Joe finds he just can't leave. Joey last saw his step family at the funeral. Joe's stepmom Claire has been trying hard to keep the garage afloat and look after the family.

Joe's half-brothers are in need of a father figure as 15-year-old Matt seems to have every intention of making his traumatic teen years as dramatic as possible and 7-year-old Andy is a bundle of mischief with a vivid imagination who needs a strong hand to help him through life.

The garage is slowly going downhill because Claire is not the best business person. The two shop mechanics Lloyd and Lou are not much help. Lovable Lloyd is a few spark plugs short of an engine, and Lou is a feisty intellectual who's absorbed in creating her conceptual art when she's not under a car.

After coming home, Joe discovers the family he has never known needs him and he likes it. With so many new responsibilities and adjustments to make, sometimes life with his family is bumpier than Joe's roughest motorcycle race, but love and laughter make it all worth while.

Characters

Main characters

• Joe Roman (played by Joey Lawrence) — He is the oldest of the three brothers. He is a half-brother to Matt, and Andy. Claire is his stepmother. He is cocky and arrogant at times, and thinks highly of himself. He is constantly fighting for the affection of Louise Davis. His brothers really look up to him as a role model.
• Matt Roman (played by Matthew Lawrence) — He is 15 and is the middle child. He bows to peer pressure easily. He is also put down by his family with some of his doings as well. Matt was an absolute neat freak and germaphobe; at the age of one, he could change his own diaper, and he went through his entire childhood without ever catching the chickenpox. He loved washing the dishes and was known for other odd habits like making "Matt water" and folding his socks. He has a crush on Kristin. He sang twice, once in an angel costume singing the last two bars of "Silent Night" (A Roman Holiday), the other (Art Attack) when he played the guitar and sang a goofy tune called "Pigeon On Your Car" (written by Matthew Lawrence himself).
• Andy Roman (played by Andrew Lawrence) — He is the youngest. He is seen wearing a variety of costumes (including Wolverine and Spider-Man). He is a bundle of mischief and has a vivid imagination.
• Louise Davis (played by Liz Vassey) — She is a female mechanic who is seen going out with different men in a few episodes. She is an artist, even having crafted a ring for one of her suitors. She is always making sarcastic remarks to Joe from what he says about her.
• Claire Roman (played by Melinda Culea) — She is Joe's Stepmother, and the other two boys' birth mother. She is a take-charge kind of woman.
• Lloyd Burwell (played by Michael McShane) — He was in the Coast Guard for three years. He is very overweight and is sometimes needy. He used to go by the alias "The Masked Avenger", an alias he used to play pranks on Mr. Hangarter, a cruel drivers' education teacher.

Minor characters

• Kristin (played by Rebecca Herbst) — She used to attend house parties often, but now has cleaned up her act. She is one of Matt's best friends. She used to have a crush on Joe.
• Silent Jim (played by Karl David-Djerf) — He rarely speaks but when he does, Matt describes it as "something special". Instead of speaking he usually communicates with a laugh. He is a recurring cast member, although, he doesn't appear in many episodes.
• Lloyd's Mother (played by Estelle Getty, seen only in season two's "Motherly Love") — She lives in a trailer, and is part of the reason why Lloyd is so needy. She can do cartwheels despite her age.

Settings

• The Kitchen — This set is where the family eats dinner and is one of the most seen stage areas.
• The Garage — Another one of the most seen stage areas, and is where cars are modified and fixed. There is also an office, where business work can be completed and where Claire and Joe answer phone calls.
• The Living Room — This is normally where the family watches television. The room has a couch, and a television with a screen that is never seen. It has been revealed by Joe that the television has Playboy TV.
• Matt's Room — This is one of the rooms in the house and is not seen frequently.
• Andy's Room — This is one of the rooms in the house and is not seen frequently. It has a basketball net in the background.
• Joe's Room — It is only a view of the bed in the camera angle.
• Claire's Room — Claire's Room was only seen as a cameo in Claire's First Date.
• The Alley — This is also very often visited and is in between the building and Old Man Gibb's house.
• The Exterior — A typical establishing shot, setting the location of the following events.

Episodes

Cancellation and syndication

The show was first aired on NBC as part of its 1995-96 schedule and then switched to the WB for the beginning of its 1996-97 lineup. The show also aired in syndication on Disney Channel from 1998 until 2002. It has also previously aired on Family in Canada.

Awards and nominations

External links

• Episode guide listing for Brotherly Love
• Brotherly Love at the Internet Movie Database
• Brotherly Love at TV.com