Andre Braugher: Where To Stream 6 Essential TV Shows And Movies
Andre Brouwer's career spanned three decades and was filled with many notable roles in film and television. The actor, who died on Monday aged 61, became a household name after playing a detective in Homicide: Life on the Streets. Frank Pembleton. The series, based on David Simon's book about the Baltimore Police Department's homicide unit, ran from 1993 to 1999, earning its first Emmy Award in 1998 for Lead Actress in a Drama.
His second Emmy came in 2006 for his starring role in the FX thriller miniseries Thief, in which he played mastermind Nick Atwater. Speaking to Greg Braxton of the LA Times in 2006, Braugher said the role "demanded more resources from me than anything had required before." It's not so much a crime drama as it is a character study of a man coming to be honest with himself. Brower was also nominated for an Emmy Award for his role as Dr. Ben Gideon on ABC's Gideon's Crossing in 2001, between the two series.
Unfortunately, none of these series are available for streaming, leaving some of his most famous works unavailable to viewers; however, many of his films and some of his recent television shows are available online. Here's a list of some of his major works that you can check out right now.
Brooklyn Nine-Nine
In perhaps one of his most famous roles of the last decade, Brower played Ray Holt, a gay police captain who runs a Brooklyn precinct. "Brougher really plays his part even though he's not actually straight, and he lives up to his insanity," wrote LA Times TV critic Robert Lloyd in his review of the show. The actor's calm tone and rapport with his fellow cops showcased his comedic abilities and earned him four Emmy Award nominations for Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series. “I’m the rope and they’re the kites,” Braugher told LA Times columnist Glenn Whipp in 2014 about his improv with the show’s cast, which included Andy Samberg, Melissa Fumer, Stephanie Beatriz, Chelsea Peretti and Terry Crews. The series premiered on Fox in 2013, where it ran for five seasons before being canceled by the network, but NBC renewed the show for three more seasons. The eighth and final season will air in 2021 (Watch on Peacock).
"Men of a Certain Age"
The TNT series ran from 2009 to 2011 and starred Braugher, Ray Romano and Scott Bakula as three best friends facing a midlife crisis. Brower played Owen, a car salesman who reluctantly works for his father and struggles with various health problems. The role was a turning point for the actor, who said in 2009 that Romano and the production team "really took a chance: I wasn't their first choice." It earned him two Emmy nominations, and the series won a Peabody Award in 2010. However, despite rave reviews for the series, it was canceled after just two seasons due to low ratings. (looks at Max)
"Good fight"
The Good Fight, a spin-off of The Good Wife, was the first original scripted series for the streaming platform CBS All Access, now Paramount+. The legal drama, starring Christina Baranski as Diane Lockhart, ran for six seasons. Brower joined the cast in the final season, playing Ri'Chard Lane, a partner at the new Reddick, Ri'Chard & Associates. The season premiered in 2022 and was his last television work before his death. (Watch Paramount+)
'glory'
In 1989, Braugher landed one of his first starring roles opposite Denzel Washington, Morgan Freeman and Matthew Broderick in Glory, a Civil War film about the 54th Massachusetts, the first all-black infantry regiment in the Union Army. The script is based on the books “The Laying of the Laurel” by Lincoln Kirstein and “One Valiant Dash” by Peter Burchard, and the film is directed by Edward Zwick. In his review of the film, LA Times critic Kevin Thomas called Braugher's performance as Thomas Searles "one of the film's strongest points as he desperately tries to cope with the psychological challenges and physical aspects of his predicament." (Watch on Pluto TV)
Tuskegee Airmen
This 1995 HBO TV movie was one of the first projects to focus on the Tuskegee Airmen and the 99th Fighter Squadron, the first black fighter squadron formed during World War II. The film starred many great black actors, including Laurence Fishburne, Cuba Gooding Jr. and Courtney Vance. Brower plays Colonel Benjamin A. Davis Jr., a unit commander, a true war hero and the Air Force's first black general. The role earned Braugher his second Emmy nomination for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Miniseries or Special. (looks at Max)
'she says'
Universal Picture's She Said was the last film released before Brouwer's death. The actor played Dean Buck, now the former editor-in-chief of the New York Times (and former editor-in-chief of the Los Angeles Times). Along with reporters Jodi Kantor (Zoe Kazan) and Megan Twohey (Carey Mulligan) and editor Rebecca Corbett (Patricia Clarkson), Buck leads a Pulitzer Prize-winning investigation into powerful film producer Harvey Weinstein and his sexual misconduct. for many years. In her review of the film, Tribune News Service critic Katie Walsh wrote that he and Clarkson "are especially good as the tough-but-soft editors." (Watch on Prime Video)
