Parenthood

This is only my second review on IMDb. I rarely take the time to write them, but this show really deserves it.

It is not your typical family drama. I know, it might seem like it. You read that Lauren Graham is one of the characters and you get sceptical, if you see a couple of minutes of it here and there it also might seem like all the other bad family dramas you've watched. But it's not.

I really don't get why this show is being so neglected. I've never seen more brilliant performed drama. And yeah, I've watched all the most popular and critically acclaimed shows: The Wire, Six Feet Under, Mad Men, Sopranos etc. Loved them. But neither of these shows has the same degree of realism or the same emotional range (they have a lot of other huge qualities though). The acting is excellent. Superb in every way. The characters are multidimensional, they make mistakes and they go through their everyday problems. You will not see car explosions in this series, and people wont get killed every other episode. Every event builds up real slow, and maybe the biggest dramatic highlight in an episode is that one of the kids have trouble getting friends at school. But that's the beauty of it. It's in the little things.

You might not love it after one episode or two. But like all the best television series it develops best over time. This show has many of the best character developments I've ever seen. If you like quality drama - please give it a try. This show really really deserves it.

(And it only get's better with the seasons. I'm writing this after watching 11 episodes of season 4.)

Actually, that's not true. This guy seems to turn anything into gold, and he does it with subtle style and class that you just do not see very often. This show is classic Ron Howard. It's very difficult for me to really "get into" a new show. Usually takes me several episodes or more. I was hooked on this show from the very first scene. The cast is just incredible. The acting is just as incredible. These actors seem as if they've been doing this show for years. You know how it is. Sometimes they have to ease into it together. Not so here. Or if they ARE easing into it, I can't imagine what's going to happen as the show progresses.

The plot is somewhat typical. Family matters. Adults moving home. Kids behaving badly. Or sometimes very well. Some tragedy. Some comedy. Lot's of people dealing with everyday problems from all different angles. I do not want to give anything away. All I can say is that if you watch this show, you are going to fall in love with or find you hate some of the characters right away. I already started hating one of them. But now I'm not so sure. It's just that kind of show.

Watch it. Trust me, you'll like it.

Every Tuesday night, after the conclusion of Parenthood, my wife says to me sentimentally, "I want to be a Braverman!" NBC's mildly successful drama, Parenthood, utilizes its larger-than-normal cast (15 recurring characters) to create a realistic atmosphere that explores the deeper realities of being an American family. Each episode beckons the viewer to identify with one branch of the Braverman family tree. Do you see yourself as the successful oldest brother, Adam, who everyone in the family looks to for support and advice? Are you the single mother, Sarah, who is overcoming a failed marriage and the repercussions of the children's absent father? Or maybe you're Julia, the successful lawyer who's climbing her way up the corporate ladder, but all the while wrestling with the cost to her family? Then there's the black sheep Crosby, whose fear of commitment and settling down are challenged by the confident, aspiring mother of his child, Jazmin, whom he has fallen deeply in love with. Or, perhaps, your children are raised and now, as the patriarchs of your family you find yourself in Zeek and Camielle's position of watching your children parent and navigating the complexities of having an adult child (not to mention grandchildren) living with you in your home.

The story lines and issues dealt with in Parenthood bring the audience into the midst of some of today's most challenging issues. In its first two seasons, Parenthood has empathized with its audience's struggles in an incredible number of real life situations: job loss, Asperger's syndrome, raising a rebellious teenager, raising a teenage boy with his father absent, midlife crises, financial stresses after retirement, the reality of peer pressure, unexpected pregnancies, balancing your career aspirations with those of your spouse's, biracial dating, and infertility.

What has become a staple of Parenthood is the argument scene. Episodes of Parenthood regular contain two to three scenes of one of the families engaged in a loud, discussion/fight with multiple characters yelling at the same time. The argument scene seems so chaotic, confusing, loud . . . and realistic. Any family that has had their share of arguments will find a kindred spirit in the Bravermans of Parenthood.

In the end, Parenthood is about, well, just that . . . parenthood. The unique flavor that this particular show has brought to prime time is an honest look at the many dimensions of parenting - from the decision to attempt to conceive, to the toddler and primary school years, through the incredibly challenging teenage years, to the years of adulthood and being a grandparent. Parenthood has dealt with infertility to preschools to high school graduation and everything in between. Parenthood is about family. Through the all challenges mentioned above that come the Braverman's way, the one stabilizing force is their family.

One of the casualties of the postmodern quest for mobility and a borderless reality is the family. How very uncommon it has become to meet an extended family who all live within a short distance of one another! Parenthood offers the Braverman family to help calm that longing in us all. Zeek and Camille's house serves as the calming presence throughout the series. No matter what difficulty besets the family, when they are "home," everything seems right. It is difficult to imagine any of the Braverman's ever moving far from home.

While the verdict remains out on whether or not Parenthood has the legs of a lengthy run or not, it's first 35 offerings have proved to be a welcome addition to contemporary social commentary on the American family. While some of the specific challenges have certainly changed, at the heart of the Braverman family we see the same soothing presence that so many have seen in the past in the Huxtables, the Keatons, the Bradfords, and the original American family, the Cleavers, not to mention a host of other American television families.

Alongside my wife, we will strive to be Bravermans. Our family hopes to learn from the Braverman family as they seek to be the safe and reassuring base for everyone facing the challenges and shifting of life.

Zeek (Craig T. Nelson) and Camille (Bonnie Bedelia) are the heads of the Braverman clan. They have four children. Adam (Peter Krause) is the responsible businessman married to Kristina (Monica Potter). They and their daughter Haddie (Sarah Ramos) have to deal with Max (Max Burkholder) with Asperger. Julia (Erika Christensen) is a high stress lawyer married to Joel Graham (Sam Jaeger) with daughter Sydney. They seem to have everything. Sarah (Lauren Graham) is the struggling single mom to Amber (Mae Whitman) and Drew (Miles Heizer). Crosby (Dax Shepard) is the slacker music producer who finds out that he has a son Jabbar with Jasmine Trussell (Joy Bryant) which she just told him.

These are all terrific actors in characters that are so well written and developed over the years. They may as well be real family off the screen. It starts off with good family drama. It's not really dysfunction although there are lots of that. This family loves each other. The Asperger storyline is terrific and one of the few on TV that is done well. Somewhere alone the lines, this show became cry TV. Between split-ups, break-ups, cancer and general family drama, everybody on this show tends to tear up. The chemistry between everybody is the soul of this show.

I wonder why this program hasn't received the Emmy or Golden Globe nominations it deserves. The family members aren't perfect, which is one reason I love this show so much.

Even the "good guys (or gals)" make mistakes, just like we all do in real life. Each of the story lines is interesting, and every week I wonder where the writers will go with each story.

The younger actors in this series are impressive. Their acting is often subtle, which must be difficult for those who are so young to accomplish. The way they are portrayed is realistic, in that they are all likable in some way, but not so likable in others. As a mother, I appreciate the parenting difficulties which come along in this series, but I can also relate to the teenagers as they try to make sense of life. The character "Max" is truly remarkable.

Others who have commented have mentioned the high quality of the adult cast. I agree that they are all good, but I particularly like the work of Dax Shepard.

Stick with this show. These multi-dimensional characters will only get better with time.