Parenthood

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.

A new show with Peter Krause and Craig T. Nelson in the cast demanded at least a look, though if it weren't for the DVR I might have passed on it since it's on at the same time as the excellent "The Good Wife". Fortuitous indeed that I did because it strikes me as pure genius in writing and casting.

This show makes me laugh. This show makes me weep. Most important, it makes me smile in recognition of so many scenes that I recognize as things that happened to or around me. Of particular note along this line are the times in family "discussions" when everyone is talking and no one is listening. I don't recall another show that has done this, and it's sooo true to life.

The casting matches the writing so well that I can't imagine another actor in any of the parts. This show is definitely in my all-time top 10; maybe even top 5. Do yourself a favor and watch "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.)

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.

Coming from a small family I was envious of the relationships and dynamics in this large extended family. They all have a huge amount going on however they all love each other. I love the way the show has grown the characters and relationships. It is very well cast and has some endearing actors in it. Lauren Graham however seems to talk in the fast crazy style she did in Gilmour Girls. She is a good actress however I do not find her method of talking endearing. It is almost like she has ADHD. That is the only negative thing I can say about the show. I have only recently discovered it and have been binge watching it. Great easy watching viewing. This series would have been way better without Sarah and Amber in it and all the yelling. Kristine needs to realise that people have names instead of calling everyone Honey. These things really irked me. I have never used the mute button so much while watching TV as I did when Sarah and Amber were talking. Now on series four. Lorelai Gilmour lives on in Sarah Braverman. She drives me nuts and behaves and makes the same stupid decisions she did in Gilmour Girls.