For those of you that haven't caught on to Parenthood yet, and judging by the ratings there are plenty of you, you're missing out. I understand that part of its viewership problems stem from it being up against CBS' The Good Wife, but come on folks! We're in the DVR age. Surely you can find some space in your TV life for this show.
Not to rain on anyone's viewing parade, but I find most CBS shows completely forgettable. I know they dominate in the ratings, but a lot of that is attributed to them grabbing the older demographic. Before you start throwing things at the monitor, I know that all things are subjective. For me, CSI (regardless of the city in which it's set) is much like House and Law and Order. All three can be entertaining shows, but after a while doesn't it feel like you're watching the same episode over and over again? I call this Groundhog Viewing. I tried to get into The Good Wife as well, but it gave me the same Groundhogian vibe. Yes, I know there is an ongoing storyline that is woven throughout, but shows like this that are so formulaic really have to bring the goods in other ways to hold my interest. As far as CBS comedies go...sorry, I prefer my comedy sans laugh track in the new millennium. Thus ends my CBS gripe, back to Parenthood.
If you've heard nothing about Parenthood, let me give you some background. Ron Howard directed a movie in 1989 of the same name. The show is loosely based (emphasis on loosely) on the film. Parenthood is about the lives of the Braverman family. There's the patriarch, Zeek, and his wife Camille, who have four adult children. Zeek is your standard older man set in his ways, thinking of things in the antiquated designed roles of men and women. Camille, on the other hand, is tired of the old ways of thinking and wants Zeek to change. Their marriage is strained to say the least. The show focuses on them and their children's lives and families.
Adam, Zeek and Camille's oldest child, has a wife, son, and teenage daughter. In the show's pilot episode their son is diagnosed with Asperger's Syndrome. Their story early on deals with how they handle the difficulties with raising a child with Asperger's. The writers handle this in a way that not only tugs at the heart strings of the viewer, but tells their story in such a way that doesn't over dramatize a situation many families deal with every day. Their daughter, Haddie, also has to deal with being the forgotten child as Adam and his wife Kristina must focus their attention on their son Max.
The next child is Sarah. We first meet her as she and her two teenage kids move into Zeek and Camille's home. Sarah was the wild child of the family. She married an alcoholic musician, had a girl and a boy with him, but left him to move back home and hopefully rebuild her family. Sarah is a bit lost both as a person and a mother, and her struggles are nothing if not easy to relate to. Her daughter Amber's battles with her mother are unfiltered and are one of the most believable family dynamics I've seen on network television. Sarah's awkward son Drew is a regular part of the cast, but has mostly been overlooked until recently on the show.
Julia Braverman, Zeek and Camille's third child, is a successful lawyer married to Joel, a stay at home dad to their young daughter Sydney. When the show starts off, Julia is portrayed as the workaholic mother who is mostly a spectator in her daughter's life. It's my feeling that the producers realized early on how unlikeable this would make the character. They've since eased off on that aspect of her and found ways to make her more of hard working but active mom. A wise choice.
The youngest of the group is Crosby (why they chose to go from Adam, Sarah and Julia to naming their kid after Melissa Etheridge's sperm donor is beyond me), a music producer and free spirit. Crosby lives the typical bachelor life until an old flame turns up and tells him that he's the father to her son Jabbar. Crosby's evolution from misfit to dad has been one of the most interesting plot lines on the show to date.
One thing that makes Parenthood work so well and stay fresh is the sheer volume of the cast. You only get bits and pieces of each family per episode, so if a particular story isn't catching your interest you're not stuck with it for an entire episode or more. The writers did a brilliant job of constructing families at different stages of their lives/marriages/children ages so that the show appeals to a wide spectrum of people. For the teenagers there's story lines involving Amber and Haddie for them to sink their teeth into. Haddie, for example, has recently started dating an older kid (played by The Wire's Michael B. Jordan. Go Wallace!) who has been through a lot at an early age. She's had conflict with her parents over the relationship. It's a high school story, but told in a real enough way not to bore the older viewer. It's rare that a show can have enough diversity and intelligence to appeal to teenagers, parents raising special needs children, new parents, single parents and grandparents.
What I think brings the show to another level is the cast. I've been a Craig T. Nelson fan for a long time, and I think he does a phenomenal job playing the 'man's man' with Zeek. Peter Krause (of Six Feet Under fame) plays Adam in such a way that you just root for the guy. His moments with Max are beautiful. I can't say the same for Monica Potter as Kristina. I don't know if it's the actress or the character itself, but something just annoys the bejesus out of me with her. I've been campaigning to my wife that they should shake up the family dynamics of the show and kill off Kristina. Any thoughts on this, fellow viewers?
As someone who has seen every episode of Gilmore Girls (might as well admit it, my wife outed me at our wedding and no, I will not turn in my man card), I want to love Lauren Graham as Sarah. Really, I do. But sometimes she just seems so wrong for the role. I'm sure this is in part attributed to her being the world's coolest mom on Gilmore Girls. There just seems to be such little growth in her character. It's frustrating to see her continually be the clueless mother.
Erika Christensen plays the overworked Julia. I remember thinking how talented she was as a teenager in the movie Traffic. It's nice to see her get something that she can sink her teeth into. Dax Shepard, who first rose to fame on of all things, Punk'd, is one of the most underrated actors on television. He brings so much heart to what could have been a throw away character in Crosby. His facial expressions alone can steal a scene.
Parenthood is one of those shows that make you feel good after you see it. Even if a particular episode deals with a tough topic, it's portrayed in as true a sense as I think you can get on network television. Ultimately, it's a show about family. Most of us are fortunate enough to be able to relate to that. Whether your family is good, bad, functional, dysfunctional, small or large, Parenthood has something that will appeal to you. More than anything though, Parenthood has qualities you don't find on television that often. Parenthood airs Tuesdays at 10 P.M. Eastern on NBC
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