Family Business

Showtime's new series following the professional and personal drudgery of America's most popular adult filmmaker Seymour Butts.

Cable television takes another step towards hardcore programming with this reality show, filled with nudity, sex, sex toys, and unsuccessful dating, as Adam (a.k.a. Seymore) looks for a soul mate who'll accept both his career choice and young son. The creative mind behind such titles as SQUIRTERS and GLUTEUS TO THE MAXIMUS runs his business with the help of Lila, his open-minded mother (the bookkeeper), and foul-mouthed, cantankerous Cousin Stevie (the distributor and gopher).

My favorite episode (there's only, like, five so far) is the one in which Chase, a male porn star wannabe, talks himself into a role, only to discover he's unable to supply the crucial money shot, even after taking Viagra.

Like BOOGIE NIGHTS, "Family Business" proves that entertainment can deal with pornography without being pornographic itself. There's a rather bemused air around this show, so it's hard to be offended by it. Besides, if you're easily offended, would you be subscribing to Showtime in the first place?

New episodes currently air Fridays @ 11:30 EST.

Family Business, the X-rated reality series, could be one of the best goodwill ambassadors the adult movie industry has ever produced. Not only is it sexy (as a show of this nature is obligated to be), it is also touching and extremely funny. It shows that behind the porno nom de plumes like Seymore Butts lurk real people, with real problems. The only thing setting them apart from other people is that they are in an industry that ruffles lots of feathers.

The show admirably presents the porn industry with a warts and all approach, for the most part. Some aspects of the business are a little candy coated (for example, the drug use displayed in a number of Seymore's videos is not mentioned at all in any of the episodes I have seen). Yet the show does not shy away from detailing the negative impact being a porn star has on Adam/Seymore's life. One touching episode showed him trying to go on a date, with mixed results once she found out what he did for a living. In another episode, we see porn veteran Herschel Savage trying to launch a new career as a stand-up comedian; we learn that he is married to a fellow porn actress. Even Seymore/Adam talks at length about how all his serious relationships (including the one that produced his son) was with people in the industry. One notable episode follows Adam and Cousin Stevie as they try their best to dissuade an 18 year old relative from Canada from entering the porn business; we never learn whether their efforts are successful, though we do see the unveiling of Mari Possa, a porn actress who begins her career as Adam's assistant and moves in front of the camera despite Adam's initial objections.

The down sides notwithstanding, Family Business is also a hilarious show, and that is thanks to Stevie, Adam's 60-something cousin who, along with Adam's mom, helps keep the Seymore Butts ship afloat. Every moment when Stevie is on the screen is electric because you never know what he'll do next. From berating a lawyer on the phone, to sneaking into an adult bookstore for a lap dance, to accidentally (ha!) finding himself in the middle of an SM/Domination convention in Vegas, Stevie is a hoot and is, beyond Adam/Seymore, the true star of the show.

Family Business is not a hardcore program. We'll probably never see an uncensored version since the show includes scenes of Adam's well-underaged son (you'll have to rent or buy some Seymore Butts videos to see what Showtime's cameras can't show you), but that said it is still perhaps the most explicit series that network has yet produced. If you are offended by porn, Family Business probably won't win you over. If you approach it with an open mind, or are already a fan of the adult film genre, Family Business is a fascinating, touching, and at time drop-dead funny look at a unique family in a unique industry.

Here's one of 3 reasons why I kept Showtime as a premium for cable! Where has Mr. Glasser been all of our lives?? Remember the days where the most television got "dirrty" was Benny Hill or Super TV?? Gosh how I just love the present!My 2 favorite episodes would have to be when they were in the studio with Madcow in Chicago with the racist who just couldn't "control himself" when Flower & her friend introduced themselves & when Seymore had a young man who had to conduct an interview in Vegas during the AVN Awards & had the time of his life! I think Seymore is the best thing to happen to real porn in AGES & it's a pity I'm having trouble locating his films in a city plagued with politicians that go after what everyone really enjoys watching but too ashamed to admit it! I love ya Mr.Glasser keep it up man!!

I'm no friend of porn (watched some, couldn't get to like them). And I'm no friend of soaps either. But this one is somewhere in between and quite intriguing.

Technically speaking, the camera is shaky, pictures often slightly blurry, sound is ok. The editing is sometimes fast, sometimes steady - seems just right to me. Props - well, it seems to just be Seymore's (aka Adam Glasser) real house, the studio and the surroundings (nearby sex shops, strip clubs, a hotel hall, mall's parking lot). Story, simple: A porn producer and director trying to get a proper life outside of work.

After watching the first three episodes I really want to know: Will he achieve the desperately sought after, steady relationship? Will cousin Stevie cheer up a little? Will Seymore's mom find a neighbour accepting her bookkeeping of an adult video producing business, and not stop talking to her?

Well, I rate it to be 6 of 10.

Maybe I like soaps after all...but don't tell my girlfriend ;-)

One of Showtime's better shows, Family Business follow Seymore Butts and his family as they live their colorful lives throughout the wonderful world of pornography. The fun never ends as Seymore, his loud and off the wall cousin, Stevie, and his quiet and somewhat creative mother work with some of the hottest and scariest people in the adult movie industry. Still, while the first season gained an audience and made people watch, some episodes proved the audience right that much of what you are seeing is not reality but "sketch reality." Overall, real of fake, most of what you see in LA to begin with is fake all together. A good show, worth the watch. Check it out!