Parenthood: Season 1

Ron Howard, who directed the original big-screen comedy, is a co-executive producer on NBC's Parenthood, a family drama laced with humor that follows the ups and downs of the four adult siblings in the Braverman clan. Adam (Peter Krause) and wife Kristina (Monica Potter) have a son who possibly has Asperger's syndrome and a 15-year-old daughter whose budding dating life causes endless worries. Crosby (Dax Shepard) finds out he's a father and gets to know the 5-year-old boy being raised by former flame Jasmine (Joy Bryant). Struggling to balance motherhood with a high-powered legal career is Julia (Erika Christensen), whose supportive stay-at-home husband Joel (Sam Jaeger) is popular among the other moms in their social set. That leaves divorced Sarah (Lauren Graham), who moves back to Berkeley with her two kids, reconnects with an old high school boyfriend (Mike O'Malley), and considers a relationship with her daughter's English teacher (Jason Ritter). Overseeing the Braverman brood are parents Zeek and Camille (Craig T. Nelson and Bonnie Bedelia). The cozy California set-up and overlapping dialogue recall Brothers and Sisters, but Parenthood moves at a more relaxed pace, and while rarely as funny as the 1989 movie, the series becomes more emotionally involving as these 13 episodes from the 2010 debut season unfold. DVD extras include an audio commentary on the pilot episode, a “making-of” featurette, and deleted scenes. Recommended. (K. Fennessy)