United States of Tara

I'm unsure as to why there's so much negative reaction. Perhaps people are burnt out on the whole Sundance-is-hip thing and have form a I'm-even-more-obscure crowd. The dialog is clever, the acting -- especially by the magnificent Toni Collette -- is surprisingly good, the plot has been interesting so far and nothing seems forced. There are few shows on TV nowadays -- including the ever declining Weeds -- that I think have such merits going for it.

Toni portrays her personalities wonderfully; a very broad range of personalities. There's so much articulation in the portrayal of mixed happiness and stress in her family -- portrayed wonderfully by the cast.

It's only been on for one season but I can definitely see this being a show I will hold onto.

Tara Gregson (Toni Collette) is suffering from a dissociative identity disorder. Max Gregson (John Corbett) is her long suffering husband. Her sister Charmaine Craine (Rosemarie DeWitt) is judgmental. Marshall Gregson (Keir Gilchrist) is her shy gay son. Her daughter Kate Gregson (Brie Larson) is trying to find her identity.

This is a great dysfunctional family drama. Toni Collette is amazing in portraying all her personalities. She really pushes her acting range to the limits. And the chemistry with the family is brilliant. They feel like a real family that has real love, real joy, real fights, and real struggles.

I started watching this show not knowing anything about it, and was expecting something along the lines of a Tracy Ulman variety show. I was surprised to find something much deeper. It's not really even a comedy, though it has some comic elements. I found the characters likable, and oddly enough...believable. Someone else mentioned that this is not the typical family, but what the heck IS a typical family? As for making a joke out of rape and incest, I don't find that to be the case here at all. Being able to laugh at our reactions to these atrocities is not nearly the same as laughing at the actions themselves. I watched all 12 episodes in a marathon sitting over 2 days (I'm on vacation, what can I say). Love it, and I hope it continues.

This is such an enjoyable and entertaining series. And wow how awesome, beautiful and talented is Toni Collette. Always enjoy it when she is in a film/series. Awesome family dynamic, always something to laugh about and cry about and make you grateful it's not your family. But hey you still end up loving them all.

I also don't understand the negative comments about this show, for example the fact that drugs and alcohol are present. This is what makes the show realistic (except perhaps for a subsection of the population who don't accept that alcohol and drugs are part of North American society). The characters are believable and sometimes quite funny. Some of the episodes, for example the one in which Tara's sister undergoes a second breast operation, push American obsession with perfect beauty to the limit. As others have said, Collette is outstanding as Tara but the other actors more than hold their own next to her various roles. This is a very idiosyncratic take on contemporary society.