Parenthood- Pilot

Before I say anything, let me say this- I’ve really looked forward to this show’s premiere for a long time for two reasons. The first is the people who are involved in the show. The cast seems to be fantastic at best and prolific at least. I always liked Craig T. Nelson, but can’t tell if it’s because ‘Coach’ was the most memorable sports sitcom of my childhood. While I never liked the pitter-pat and unrealistic dialogue in Gilmore Girls, I've always enjoyed Lauren Graham when I’ve seen her elsewhere. Peter Krause was solid in Sportsnight or Six Feet Under- he always seemed to be a hair off of breaking out into stardom. But the good people aren’t just limited to the cast- Brian Grazer and Ron Howard are both executive producers. While I realize that an EP credit is often nothing more then the title, they also both helped to produce 'Arested Development,' maybe my favorite comedy ever. On top of it all, Thomas Schlamme is the director- the same guy who had so much to do with ‘West Wing,’ another favorite of mine.

I think the other reason is a little more cloudy. 'Modern Family' has allowed me to believe that it is possible ot have a family driven show that successfully straddles the line between comedy and drama. With Parenthood being an hour long, it should have a better opportunity to do this successfully, and also a better one to screw it up. Lastly, the 10 pm time slot is a good indication. If it were on at eight, I’d be worried that the humor would be far too watered down- at ten, it's bound to be more edgy.

The first show opens frenetically, which seems appropriate for something trying to depict a modern day view of parenthood. They play a sped up version of Bob Dylan's 'Forever Young' which matches the pace they're trying to portray and then replay the song at the end in it's normal rhythm. I was always indifferent to Monica Potter and Dax Shepard but they seems to fit in this role. All the characters, thus far seem to be pitch-perfect. Kind of a ‘Brothers &Sisters’ crossed with ‘Modern Family.’

Whereas ‘Modern Family’ seems to be a comedy with touches of drama, ‘Parenthood’ seems to be a drama with touches of comedy. For the most part it’s serious and it’s a tribute to the actors involved that they’re able to freely float between genres. Graham does this especially well as she manages to toe the line between humor in their life and a single mother who has had her hand forced by the break-up of her family.

Overall I liked this show, although I found it to be less comedic then I originally thought. The movie from the late 80’s also gives the impression there would be more humor. However, the handling of the dramatic elements was enough to win me over. The modern day take on Asperger’s Syndrome was simultaneously accurate and poignant. That was the only stirking story line, however several others jumped out as potential seeds for the future. This show is definitely worth another look, and most likely far more then that. Like parenthood itself, ‘Parenthood’ has plenty of humor and drama and I look forward to the next episode.