Parenthood
Where are Mike Nelson and his talking robots when you need them?
What can be said about "Parenthood"? Besides the fact that it is probably the hardest occupation in the world, or at least that's what I've heard. The basic premise of the show is, well, isn't it obvious by now? The show is about the many adventures of the Braverman family. First off, we have the family headed by a man named Adam (Peter Krause, Six Feet Under) who is (or at least seems to be) happily married to his wife, Kristina (Monica Potter) and their kids Haddie (Sarah Ramos, Scrubs, Wizards Of Waverly Place) and Max (ironically played by Max Burkholder, Daddy Day Care). Adam and his family are the seemingly normal members of the family. Next up we have Adam's sister, Julia (Erika Christiansen, Flight Plan), her husband Joel (Sam Jaeger, Catch And Release) and their daughter, Sydney (Savannah Paige Rae, Date Night). Julia is an uptight lawyer while Joel, who recently got a "character" but we'll cover that later, stays home to watch their daughter, Sydney. Next up, we have the newest family of the Braverman "clan" as they say, Crosby (the brilliantly funny Dax Shepard, Punk'd, Zathura, Without A Paddle) and his previous girlfriend Jasmine (Joy Bryant) and her son Jabbar (Tyree Brown). Crosby is younger of the siblings and suddenly finds out he has a son with a woman that he was in a relationship with a long time(sometime before the first episode) ago. Obviously, this is a big change for him and he actually takes it well, a little too well...Naw, I'm just screwing with you! Finally, we come to the second to last family lead by...ugh...Sarah Braverman (Lauren Graham, Gilmore Girls),her daughter Amber (The brilliant and beautiful Mae Whitman, Avatar: The Last Airbender) and her "desperately in need of character development" son Drew (Miles Heizer, Bones). I'm just going to come out and say this, the mother is the most emotional, whiny character in the show. I mean I know that she's made some bad choices in the past, like marrying a drug-addicted musician, but come on! Drew is her son...and that's about it. Besides a few short stories, the writers really haven't done anything with him (*which in my opinion is a real shame*). Amber is quite possibly next best character in the show. I mean she has her flaws too, but unlike her mother, she's not always acting like an emotional trainwreck! Oh, almost forgot about the two grandparents! Zeek(*Yes, I spelled that correctly*) (Craig T. Nelson, Coach) and Camille (Bonnie Bedelia, Die Hard). Not much I can say about them either seeing as they just fully came into the picture. The only "non-spoiler" thing that has been revealed is that Zeek is a no-nonsense type of person while Camille is the quiet,nicer one.
O.K. so now that we have our brief introductions done, let's move on to the show itself. The writing on the show is really good. I find the stories to be enjoyable and also somewhat believable too. Some of them are also quite funny as well. I also like how characters like "Joel", who didn't do much at the beginning of the show besides being a sort of "yes man" to his wife, are now getting stories and actual character development. The downfall here is that the story always seems to focus on the "crucial" characters to the current story and gives everyone else short stories(*cough* Drew *cough*) that last a combined estimated 20 mins of a 1 hour show.
The production is also very well done and looks believable as well. I know that sounds like a stupid sentence but when compared to sitcoms like the popular "Everybody Loves Raymond" or any other show that looks like it's being filmed in a studio somewhere in Southern California (or wherever it may be filmed), the sets actually look like they're real places, and they most likely are too. I also think the different stories flow together excellently as well with no confusion as to what is happening.
So...if I think the show is done well and is very enjoyable, why did make that "Mystery Science Theater 3000" reference at the beginning? BECAUSE THE ACTING IS COMPLETELY "HAM"-MY!!! Seriously! I feel like there should be a "game" (censored for GiantBomb.com audiences) for how many times Lauren Graham's character starts to become emotional... again. "Joel" up until last week acted like he didn't seem to have any opinions on whatever his wife did and "Drew" seems to STILL act the same way as well (*note to writers: I liked the emotions you had him work through in the first episode, please continue to do that.*). I swear the only people that do a great job acting out there characters are the following cast members:
Peter Krause (Adam)
Does a great job acting like a father figure and the person that the family seems to turn to with their problems.
Mae Whitman(Amber)
Does an excellent job at being a smart but troubled...teenage girl(?) [I don't know really, that's what NBC.com says] and shows just the right amount of emotion when needed.
Dax Shepard (Crosby)
I find the form of "comic relief" that he gives the show to be entertaining.
Craig T. Nelson (Zeek)
I just think he does a good job playing the "tough grandfather" role. Reminds me of when "The District" was still on.
Every other chracter deserves to suffer under the "MST3K Treatment" (*read: Ripped apart by caddy comments and various jokes*)
Now then after writing that "make-shift" paragraph, would I still recommend it...
....
....
Yes.
I think that it's a well done show that actually trumps the 80's movie that its supposed to be based off of and am very glad that NBC decided to renew for the next season.
MegaDaffy gives this show an 8/10 and his "MegaDaffy Recommended" stamp of approval! Until next time!
Note: Please remember that this is my first "actual" review, so go easy on me if you have any responses to it. Thanks!
MegaDaffy Reviews Parenthood (2010 TV Series)
Parenthood
Where are Mike Nelson and his talking robots when you need them?
What can be said about "Parenthood"? Besides the fact that it is probably the hardest occupation in the world, or at least that's what I've heard. The basic premise of the show is, well, isn't it obvious by now? The show is about the many adventures of the Braverman family. First off, we have the family headed by a man named Adam (Peter Krause, Six Feet Under) who is (or at least seems to be) happily married to his wife, Kristina (Monica Potter) and their kids Haddie (Sarah Ramos, Scrubs, Wizards Of Waverly Place) and Max (ironically played by Max Burkholder, Daddy Day Care). Adam and his family are the seemingly normal members of the family. Next up we have Adam's sister, Julia (Erika Christiansen, Flight Plan), her husband Joel (Sam Jaeger, Catch And Release) and their daughter, Sydney (Savannah Paige Rae, Date Night). Julia is an uptight lawyer while Joel, who recently got a "character" but we'll cover that later, stays home to watch their daughter, Sydney. Next up, we have the newest family of the Braverman "clan" as they say, Crosby (the brilliantly funny Dax Shepard, Punk'd, Zathura, Without A Paddle) and his previous girlfriend Jasmine (Joy Bryant) and her son Jabbar (Tyree Brown). Crosby is younger of the siblings and suddenly finds out he has a son with a woman that he was in a relationship with a long time(sometime before the first episode) ago. Obviously, this is a big change for him and he actually takes it well, a little too well...Naw, I'm just screwing with you! Finally, we come to the second to last family lead by...ugh...Sarah Braverman (Lauren Graham, Gilmore Girls),her daughter Amber (The brilliant and beautiful Mae Whitman, Avatar: The Last Airbender) and her "desperately in need of character development" son Drew (Miles Heizer, Bones). I'm just going to come out and say this, the mother is the most emotional, whiny character in the show. I mean I know that she's made some bad choices in the past, like marrying a drug-addicted musician, but come on! Drew is her son...and that's about it. Besides a few short stories, the writers really haven't done anything with him (*which in my opinion is a real shame*). Amber is quite possibly next best character in the show. I mean she has her flaws too, but unlike her mother, she's not always acting like an emotional trainwreck! Oh, almost forgot about the two grandparents! Zeek(*Yes, I spelled that correctly*) (Craig T. Nelson, Coach) and Camille (Bonnie Bedelia, Die Hard). Not much I can say about them either seeing as they just fully came into the picture. The only "non-spoiler" thing that has been revealed is that Zeek is a no-nonsense type of person while Camille is the quiet,nicer one.
O.K. so now that we have our brief introductions done, let's move on to the show itself. The writing on the show is really good. I find the stories to be enjoyable and also somewhat believable too. Some of them are also quite funny as well. I also like how characters like "Joel", who didn't do much at the beginning of the show besides being a sort of "yes man" to his wife, are now getting stories and actual character development. The downfall here is that the story always seems to focus on the "crucial" characters to the current story and gives everyone else short stories(*cough* Drew *cough*) that last a combined estimated 20 mins of a 1 hour show.
The production is also very well done and looks believable as well. I know that sounds like a stupid sentence but when compared to sitcoms like the popular "Everybody Loves Raymond" or any other show that looks like it's being filmed in a studio somewhere in Southern California (or wherever it may be filmed), the sets actually look like they're real places, and they most likely are too. I also think the different stories flow together excellently as well with no confusion as to what is happening.
So...if I think the show is done well and is very enjoyable, why did make that "Mystery Science Theater 3000" reference at the beginning? BECAUSE THE ACTING IS COMPLETELY "HAM"-MY!!! Seriously! I feel like there should be a "game" (censored for GiantBomb.com audiences) for how many times Lauren Graham's character starts to become emotional... again. "Joel" up until last week acted like he didn't seem to have any opinions on whatever his wife did and "Drew" seems to STILL act the same way as well (*note to writers: I liked the emotions you had him work through in the first episode, please continue to do that.*). I swear the only people that do a great job acting out there characters are the following cast members:
Peter Krause (Adam)
Does a great job acting like a father figure and the person that the family seems to turn to with their problems.
Mae Whitman(Amber)
Does an excellent job at being a smart but troubled...teenage girl(?) [I don't know really, that's what NBC.com says] and shows just the right amount of emotion when needed.
Dax Shepard (Crosby)
I find the form of "comic relief" that he gives the show to be entertaining.
Craig T. Nelson (Zeek)
I just think he does a good job playing the "tough grandfather" role. Reminds me of when "The District" was still on.
Every other chracter deserves to suffer under the "MST3K Treatment" (*read: Ripped apart by caddy comments and various jokes*)
Now then after writing that "make-shift" paragraph, would I still recommend it...
....
....
Yes.
I think that it's a well done show that actually trumps the 80's movie that its supposed to be based off of and am very glad that NBC decided to renew for the next season.
MegaDaffy gives this show an 8/10 and his "MegaDaffy Recommended" stamp of approval! Until next time!
Note: Please remember that this is my first "actual" review, so go easy on me if you have any responses to it. Thanks!
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