Newly on my radar

As a fan of Parenthood the movie, I was pretty excited to hear that a series was being created based upon it. Since it has the misfortune of airing Tuesday evenings - sacred for Lost  and V this season - I turned to Hulu to check it out.

Sometimes these movie to TV adaptations go very wrong, but other times they work. This is one of those rare instances. As I strolled through the first few episodes I was intrigued by the reality of the story lines and the freshness of the characters.

What I found most refreshing was that the Braverman family actually likes one another. Seems like so many families depicted these days are horribly dysfunctional and the drama is found in their misfortunes. Don't get me wrong, these families have their issues - autistic children, teen rebellion, family squabbles, and the like. I love watching them call one another throughout the day to discuss which dress to purchase, to find help with a child, or even just to chat. Instead of turning on one another in a crisis, they turn to one another for help.

Several of the episodes have included family dinners at a huge backyard table at the Braverman patriarch's home - all four adult children with their families are just hanging out and enjoying one another's company around dinner. There's so much talk about the importance of these events, but seeing them depicted on television has just not happened in recent years.

Kudos to Ron Howard et. al. for reviving good family-based drama on primetime network television. Looking forward to the next episode.