We all know that it's tough being a kid, but the new NBC series Parenthood shows just how tough it is to raise one.
The new television show is an adaptation of the 1989 movie of the same name, which starred Steve Martin and Mary Steenburgen. While the movie tended to parody the intense struggles of parentsing, the series appears to be taking a much more dramatic approach. I was a fan of the original Parenthood movie, so I held low expectations for the show. I welcomed the fact that they were, however, surpassed.
Zeek Braverman (Craig T. Nelson) is the overbearing patriarchic head of the Braverman family. The story follows his four children as they deal with their own family issues on a day-to-day basis.\nAdam Braverman (Peter Krause) and his wife Kristina (Monica Potter) learn to cope with their son's Aperger's disorder, a form of autism. Gilmore Girls star Lauren Graham plays Sarah Braverman, a single working mother who attempts to connect with her teenage children - a son who feels abandoned by his drug-addict father and a daughter headed for delinquency.
The pilot episode mostly focused on Graham and Krause's characters, and the actors lit up the screen. Their senses of spunk added tiny bits of comic relief to what was overall a very serious episode. Krause had several touching scenes as a protective father watching his son play baseball. Graham also tapped into a sentimental side beyond any emotional scenes seen from her on Gilmore Girls - it was refreshing to see sincere tears from her about an issue other than the on-again, off-again Luke and Lorelai romance.
Unlike most other TV shows that throw in random parent-child conflicts, this show is dedicated to observing that relationship. The children are not simply a sideline story designed to give added weight or fill-time to the show. This focus on the children gives the show the potential to be honest, heartfelt and real. It also unfortunately gives it the potential to be boring. Many people watch television as an escape from the hassles of reality to the intrigue of fiction.
Parenthood's strong-suit lies in its down-to-earth characters. Unfortunately, creating new obstacles and twists in the plotline will prove difficult without risking the genuineness of the characters. If the writers spin too many webs of trials and tribulations, the show may lose its appealing sense of credibility and turn into a series longer-drawn out than the Twilight saga.
The fact of the matter is, the series is attempting to turn an entertaining two-hour movie into dozens of hours of entertainment. The pilot successfully kicked off the story, but it will need to maintain its momentum to stay afloat.
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