Providence

I am so glad I have this show to watch every Friday night. I look forward to it, have my dinner ready at 7:59pm and sit there and experience the travails of the Hansen family. I loved the two hour movie on Thanksgiving, and hope this show is on for a long time. After I watch it, I am so emotionally drained cuz I lived every moment with them, but would gladly sit there and watch ten more episodes! I am looking forward to the day I am older and it lives on in reruns. I absorb every moment and talk about them as if they were friends of mine. I was crying with them when Lily was killed, I was in that car with the Four Musketeers. I lived in Providence for 6 years and long to move back. This show makes that longing even more bittersweet. I LOVE THIS SHOW!!!

I love the fact that dad, Mike Farrell (MASH) has his clinic in the basement. All those dogs coming in and out is really cute. The younger sister, Joanie, Paula Kyle reminds me of my own baby sister. A little babyish but lovable! The brother Robbie is a nice guy. Hopefully, he will not get addicted to gambling. Dr. Sydney Hansen, played by Melina Kanakaredes, is a beautiful and exotic woman. It is nice to see a woman in such a role. It is also nice to see Leslie Silva playing Dr. Helen Reynolds, breaking some stereotypes there. The mother Linda, Concetta Tomei (China Beach) always showing up in the same outfit is hysterical! I hope the series remains a family type of show. We are enjoying watching it! We loved that show where Joanie ends up using beast milk for her clam chowder recipe.

For a show that purports to show the charm and wonder of living at home in Providence, it certainly misses its mark. Much of the information given about Providence and its surrounding area is highly inaccurate and borders on insulting at times. To top it all off, the writing is poor and the stories inane. For a good look at Providence, Rhode Island, come see our city. For a good Friday night, read a book instead of watching this bilge.

I lost my mother in 1997 and this program shows what my family has gone through. From the loss, to the first date of the widowed father. It is entertaining, touching and an excellent portrayal of the different reactions of family to the loss of a loved one.

Providence is touching and funny. It is an accurate reflection of the way we deal with painful events in our lives. Not always serious. A fresh new type of drama without the bicoastal cynicism we have come to accept all too easily.