Switched at Birth

This is probably the most meaningful of the ABC family shows. Pretty Little Liars is entertaining but shallower by comparison.

It's surprisingly very watchable. There is a good cast. Katie LeClerc is terrific and has an expressive face. She is a hearing person in real life and speaks totally normally. Vanessa Marano looks like a young Liz Taylor. The rest of the cast is quite endearing as well from the grownups to the kids. The guest stars are high quality. Watching them sign and communicate is fascinating and I'm quite glued to the screen. Eventually everyone who lives to a very old age will get deaf, so it's a handicap that can affect anyone potentially. Makes me want to learn sign language.

The complex and unique relationships are fascinating to watch. The only potential fault is they have to stick away from creating too many unpleasant confrontational scenes to create drama. It should lean towards a more feel good occasional comical air to lighten the mood some episodes.

This TV series shows promise. The actors are fine and the character development and premise of the story is quite involving. If the writers consistently produce solid scripts and story arcs, this show should do well. The idea of the switched at birth formula mixed with the prince and the pauper fable (and the deaf girl embellishment) makes for a rather refreshing plot backdrop. With this set up, they can go anywhere and everywhere with it. Also, there are many details that can make for interesting plot situations, ethnic and cultural diversity, economic class disparity, family situations (one doesn't have a father, the other has a grandmother), so many different things that the writers can play off of. It's good that neither of the two girls are super famous actresses. It would take away attention from the story. The writers have also avoided falling into the stereotypical cliché of everything involved with race and economic diversity. It would be great if the show concentrates on the human drama and that it stays away from politically correct preaching. On the whole, the show does indeed show promise.

From the first episode the deaf angle felt fresh. After that fades you're left with exactly what you expect from ABC family. I'm almost done with season 4 but I mentally checked out halfway through 3. It's predictable to the core. Someone finds out something and they eventually spill their guts for the sake of drama. You get a lot of "protect you" lines. If you like to see people blowing things out of proportion this would be a good show for you.

The thing that attracted me to this show was, of course, the title. "Pretty original" I thought. As far as I knew, no one else had ever tried to tackle such a profound subject. And yes, the subject is profound. Think about it. What if that happened to you? However, I was troubled when I heard the show was one of the many new shows that ABC Family was adding to their list. Why was I troubled? Because the day before, I had experienced the horror that is Cyberbully. But that's another story, and another review. But, I pushed through my doubts, and watched the pilot of Switched at Birth.

Although the show does not handle the extremity of the topic, it still manages to be a decent show. I enjoy it, I really do. And I think that the lightness which is used to deal with the premise of the show, actually works in its favor. If they tried to take it too seriously, ABC Family would most definitely ruin the entire spectrum of the show. Switched at Birth, while not genius in any way, shape, or form, is still a solid show. Although, for ABC Family, it's astounding.

I rarely begin to follow a television show while it is in its first season for fear that it will be canceled. Yet this one drew me in and I cannot get enough of it. The idea of being switched at birth is so bizarre, and the dynamics of both families are so real. The raw emotion and feelings portrayed by these characters makes me feel sorry for and sometimes resent them all at the same time. The drama always keeps me eager to see what will happen on the next episode. The writers may have struck gold with this one.

Katie(Daphne)and Vanessa(Bay) play two very different girls that are connected by this event that happened to them so many years ago. Even though they have nothing in common, they have more in common than they realize. Constance(Regina)is stubborn yet likable and plays it beautifully, as do the two actors who play the other set of parents. Each character has a way of making you care about them, a way of making you root for them to make the right decision. Great job ABC Family, keep up the good work and I'll be coming back for more every Monday night.