Matthew McConaughey and Woody Harrelson play themselves in bizarre new Apple TV comedy Brothers

Matthew McConaughey and Woody Harrelson are turning the long-running question about whether they could actually be related into a new Apple TV comedy series.

Brothers arrives in the UK on 23 September, with the real-life friends playing fictionalised versions of themselves across eight episodes.

The comedy begins when Woody takes his family to Matthew’s ranch in Austin following the collapse of his daughter’s engagement.

Their stay takes a bizarre turn when Matthew’s mother, Ma Mac, played by Holland Taylor, lets slip a decades-old secret suggesting Matthew and Woody might actually be brothers.

Woody becomes determined to find out whether it is true, while Matthew is dealing with another unexpected development as he considers a potential run for Governor of Texas.

It is a fictional story, but the central idea comes from something the actors have genuinely discussed.

Matthew and Woody have previously revealed that their families have questioned whether they could share the same father after discovering a possible connection between Matthew’s mother and Woody’s father.

Rather than attempting to solve that mystery in a documentary, Brothers turns it into comedy and exaggerates their famously close friendship for television.

The pair previously starred together in the acclaimed first season of True Detective, but this time viewers will see them effectively playing versions of themselves.

Natalie Martinez and Brittany Ishibashi are among the supporting cast, with Holland Taylor playing Ma Mac. The series has now held its world premiere in Los Angeles ahead of its global streaming launch.

Apple TV will release the first two episodes together, followed by one new episode every Wednesday until 4 November.

Brothers premieres on Apple TV in the UK on Wednesday 23 September, with the first two episodes available at launch.