Parenthood (2010 TV series)
Encyclopedia
Parenthood is an American comedy-drama
television series developed by Jason Katims
and produced by Imagine Television
and Universal Media Studios. The first season premiered on March 2, 2010 on NBC
. Loosely based on the 1989 film of the same title, Parenthood is the second adaptation of the film to air on television preceded by the 1990–91 television series.
Following on the heels of the critically-acclaimed TV series, Friday Night Lights
, Jason Katims approached Ron Howard and Brian Grazer with the idea of creating an updated, modern adaptation of the 1989 film and bringing it television. Production began in 2009 with Jason as the head writer
, showrunner, and executive producer
.
The series is set in Berkeley, California
and the San Francisco Bay Area
, but is filmed primarily in Southern California.
, following The Biggest Loser. It was originally scheduled to premiere on NBC on September 23, 2009. However, on July 10, 2009, it was announced that Parenthood would be pushed back to midseason
, because of actress Maura Tierney
's breast cancer. The show was replaced by Mercy
, a medical drama, on the fall 2009 schedule.
Subsequently, on September 10, 2009, a spokesperson for Tierney announced that she was leaving the show because of conflicts with her treatment schedule. Tierney's already-filmed scenes were deleted. On October 9, 2009, it was announced that Lauren Graham
would replace Tierney in the upcoming series.
Parenthood was expected to premiere March 1, 2010, and air on Monday nights at 9:00 p.m. However, after the cancellation of The Jay Leno Show
, NBC moved the premiere to March 2, 2010, at 10:00 p.m.
The series premiere of Parenthood was dedicated to the memory of Nora O'Brien, a Vice President at NBC, who died at age 44 on April 29, 2009 after collapsing because of an aneurysm
on the set of Parenthood in Berkeley, California
. Two other shows, Warehouse 13
and Sanctuary
, are also dedicated to her memory.
Parenthood pilot episode was filmed in Northern California
, using local crews, while the rest of the series will be filmed in Los Angeles.
On April 20, 2010 Parenthood was renewed for a second season by NBC, as reported by Variety. The second season premiered on Tuesday, September 14, 2010.
It was announced on November 15, 2010 that Parenthood would be moving to Mondays at 10/9c beginning March 7.
However, because of an overhaul of NBC's Law & Order: Los Angeles
leading to an indefinite hiatus, the network announced on January 18, 2011 that Parenthood would remain in the Tuesday at 10/9c time slot.
On May 12, 2011, Parenthood was renewed for a third season, and premiered on September 13 at 10:00.
" by Bob Dylan
, and the international theme, "When We Were Young" by Lucy Schwartz. The soundtrack also includes a cover of "Forever Young" performed by John Doe
and Lucy Schwartz.
Andrew McMahon
, of the band Jack's Mannequin
, revealed in speaking about the band's album, People and Things
, that the song "Casting Lines" was written after he was contacted by producers of the show as a possible theme song for the series. After recording the song and sending it to producers, he was told they appreciated his efforts but they had selected "Forever Young
" as the show's theme song. The song does appear on Jack's Mannequin
's third album, People and Things
.
. Newark Star Ledger's Alan Sepinwall wrote that "Like the movie that inspired it, Parenthood isn’t an instant classic, but it’s smart and warm and knowing, and it casts its net so wide that at least part of it should connect with you." While Ken Tucker of Entertainment Weekly
wrote, "Parenthood isn't better than Modern Family
, but it's different—it's its own creation, thanks to the deft touch and careful characterizations developed by executive producer Jason Katims and his writers."
Comedy-drama
Comedy-drama is a genre of theatre, film and television programs which combines humorous and serious content.-Theatre:Traditional western theatre, beginning with the ancient Greeks, was divided into comedy and tragedy...
television series developed by Jason Katims
Jason Katims
Jason Katims is an American television writer, producer, and playwright. He is best known for Relativity, which he created and wrote for; Roswell, which he developed, produced, and wrote for; Boston Public, which he co-wrote; Pepper Dennis, a short-lived dramedy starring Rebecca Romijn on The WB;...
and produced by Imagine Television
Imagine Entertainment
Imagine Entertainment is a film and television production company founded in 1986 by director Ron Howard and producer Brian Grazer.Its productions include the television series 24 and Arrested Development and the films Apollo 13 , A Beautiful Mind and The Da Vinci Code .-Organization:Karen...
and Universal Media Studios. The first season premiered on March 2, 2010 on NBC
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...
. Loosely based on the 1989 film of the same title, Parenthood is the second adaptation of the film to air on television preceded by the 1990–91 television series.
Following on the heels of the critically-acclaimed TV series, Friday Night Lights
Friday Night Lights (TV series)
Friday Night Lights is an American sports drama television series adapted by Peter Berg, Brian Grazer and David Nevins from a book and film of the same name. The series details events surrounding a high school football team based in fictional Dillon, Texas, with particular focus given to team...
, Jason Katims approached Ron Howard and Brian Grazer with the idea of creating an updated, modern adaptation of the 1989 film and bringing it television. Production began in 2009 with Jason as the head writer
Head writer
A head writer is a person who oversees the team of writers on a television or radio series. The title is common in the soap opera genre, as well as with sketch comedies and talk shows that feature monologues and comedy skits, but in prime time series this function is generally performed by an...
, showrunner, and executive producer
Executive producer
An executive producer is a producer who is not involved in any technical aspects of the film making or music process, but who is still responsible for the overall production...
.
Overview
The show revolves around the Braverman family, which has expanded to three generations, featuring patriarch Zeek Braverman and matriarch Camille Braverman, their oldest son Adam, his wife and three children, their daughter Sarah and her two children, their second son Crosby, his ex-girlfriend Jasmine and their young son Jabbar, and finally their daughter Julia, her husband and her young daughter.The series is set in Berkeley, California
Berkeley, California
Berkeley is a city on the east shore of the San Francisco Bay in Northern California, United States. Its neighbors to the south are the cities of Oakland and Emeryville. To the north is the city of Albany and the unincorporated community of Kensington...
and the San Francisco Bay Area
San Francisco Bay Area
The San Francisco Bay Area, commonly known as the Bay Area, is a populated region that surrounds the San Francisco and San Pablo estuaries in Northern California. The region encompasses metropolitan areas of San Francisco, Oakland, and San Jose, along with smaller urban and rural areas...
, but is filmed primarily in Southern California.
Cast
- Craig T. NelsonCraig T. NelsonCraig Theodore Nelson is an American actor. He is probably best known for his Emmy-winning roles as Hayden Fox on the TV series Coach, and as Steve Freeling in the 1982 film Poltergeist. He also starred in The Incredibles in 2004 as Mr...
as Zeek Braverman, the patriarch of the Braverman family, Camille's husband and the father of Adam, Sarah, Crosby, and Julia. - Bonnie BedeliaBonnie BedeliaBonnie Bedelia Culkin is an American actress best known for her supporting roles in the action film Die Hard and the courtroom drama Presumed Innocent...
as Camille Braverman, the matriarch of the family and Zeek's wife. - Peter KrausePeter KrausePeter William Krause is an American film and television actor and film producer. He is perhaps best known for his lead roles as Nate Fisher on Six Feet Under, Adam Braverman on Parenthood, and Casey McCall on Sports Night...
as Adam Braverman, Kristina's husband and Max's, Nora's and Haddie's father. He is the oldest Braverman child and all of his siblings and parents consult him in times of crisis. - Monica PotterMonica PotterMonica Potter is an American film and television actress.-Early life:Potter, one of four daughters, was born in Cleveland, Ohio, to an Irish American Roman Catholic family. Her father, Paul Brokaw, was the inventor of the first flame-resistant car wax, and her mother, Nancy, was a secretary....
as Kristina Braverman, Adam's wife, and a source of stability and support for anyone who needs it. She is the mother to Haddie, Max and Nora. - Sarah RamosSarah RamosSarah Emily Ramos is an American actress. Her most prominent roles have been as Patty Pryor on the television series American Dreams and Haddie Braverman on the series Parenthood.-Personal life:...
as Haddie Braverman, Adam's and Kristina's 17-year-old daughter. She is a straight-A student who plays soccer and has several friends; she aspires to be the quintessential "good girl" in order to compensate for her brother's behavioral problems. - Max BurkholderMax BurkholderMaxwell Henry Wolf "Max" Burkholder is an American child actor most noticeable for his role Max Braverman, who has Asperger Syndrome, in the NBC series Parenthood. Prior to that, he became known as a voice actor, among his many roles were those of Chomper in The Land Before Time television series...
as Max Braverman, Adam's and Kristina's 11-year-old son, who was diagnosed with Asperger syndromeAsperger syndromeAsperger's syndrome that is characterized by significant difficulties in social interaction, alongside restricted and repetitive patterns of behavior and interests. It differs from other autism spectrum disorders by its relative preservation of linguistic and cognitive development...
. He is also incredibly gifted academically. - Lauren GrahamLauren GrahamLauren Helen Graham is an American actress and producer. She is best known for playing Lorelai Gilmore on the WB Network dramedy series Gilmore Girls and Sarah Braverman on Parenthood.-Early life:...
as Sarah Tracey Braverman, the second child and oldest daughter. She and her two children (Amber and Drew) have moved back into her parents' house because of her financial situation. - Mae WhitmanMae WhitmanMae Margaret Whitman is an American television, movie and voice actress. She is known for her role as Ann Veal in the TV series Arrested Development, her role as Amber on the TV series Parenthood, her role as Roxy Richter in Scott Pilgrim vs...
as Amber Holt, Sarah's rebellious, willful, and not very studious daughter who is seeking direction in life. - Miles HeizerMiles HeizerMiles Heizer is an American actor. His most notable film appearance was in Rails & Ties, playing Davey Danner when he was 12 years old. He also played the recurring character Joshua Lipnicki on the television series ER. He also stars in the 2010 show Parenthood as Drew Holt, Sarah Braverman's ...
as Drew Holt, Sarah's sensitive son, who longs for a male role model. - Dax ShepardDax ShepardDax Randall Shepard is an American actor.- Early life :Shepard was born in Milford, Michigan and attended Muir Junior High and Walled Lake Central High School, before enrolling in The Groundlings school. He later received a degree in anthropology at UCLA...
as Crosby Braverman, is 32 years old and unmarried. He works as a small-time record producer. His former lover, Jasmine, introduced Crosby to his five-year-old son, Jabbar after five years. - Joy BryantJoy BryantJoy Bryant is an American actress and former fashion model. Joy currently stars as Jasmine Trussell in Parenthood-Early life:...
as Jasmine Trussell, a dancer, the mother of Crosby's son Jabbar. - Tyree Brown as Jabbar Trussell-Braverman, Jasmine & Crosby's son.
- Erika ChristensenErika ChristensenErika Jane Christensen is an American actress whose film appearances include Traffic , Swimfan , How to Rob a Bank , and The Perfect Score , among others. She also co-starred in the short-lived drama Six Degrees on ABC...
as Julia Braverman-Graham, Sydney's mother and the youngest of the four Braverman children. She is a lawyer at a top corporate firm while her husband, Joel, supports her ambitions by serving as a stay-at-home dad to their daughter. - Sam JaegerSam JaegerSamuel Heath Jaeger is an American actor and screenwriter.Jaeger graduated from Perrysburg High School in 1995 and in 1999, he received a Bachelor of Fine Arts Degree at Otterbein College...
as Joel Graham, Julia's husband and Sydney's father. He is a stay-at-home father, and is popular among the stay-at-home mothers in their social circle at Sydney's school, a fact which sometimes puts strains on his marriage. - Savannah Paige Rae as Sydney Graham, Julia and Joel's 7-year-old daughter.
Family tree
Series background and premiere
The series premiered on March 2, 2010, at 10:00 p.m. on NBCNBC
The National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...
, following The Biggest Loser. It was originally scheduled to premiere on NBC on September 23, 2009. However, on July 10, 2009, it was announced that Parenthood would be pushed back to midseason
Midseason replacement
In American and Canadian television, a midseason replacement is a television series that premieres in the second half of the traditional television season, usually between January and May...
, because of actress Maura Tierney
Maura Tierney
Maura Therese Tierney is an American film and television actress, who is best known for her roles as Lisa Miller on NewsRadio and Abby Lockhart on the television medical drama ER.-Early life:...
's breast cancer. The show was replaced by Mercy
Mercy (TV series)
Mercy is a medical drama which aired on NBC from September 23, 2009 to May 12, 2010. The series initially aired on Wednesday nights at 8/7c, as part of the 2009 fall season, but was pushed back to 9/8c in April....
, a medical drama, on the fall 2009 schedule.
Subsequently, on September 10, 2009, a spokesperson for Tierney announced that she was leaving the show because of conflicts with her treatment schedule. Tierney's already-filmed scenes were deleted. On October 9, 2009, it was announced that Lauren Graham
Lauren Graham
Lauren Helen Graham is an American actress and producer. She is best known for playing Lorelai Gilmore on the WB Network dramedy series Gilmore Girls and Sarah Braverman on Parenthood.-Early life:...
would replace Tierney in the upcoming series.
Parenthood was expected to premiere March 1, 2010, and air on Monday nights at 9:00 p.m. However, after the cancellation of The Jay Leno Show
The Jay Leno Show
The Jay Leno Show is an American comedy show created by and starring Jay Leno, that aired from September 14, 2009 to February 9, 2010 on NBC following the May 29, 2009 conclusion of Leno's first tenure as host of The Tonight Show...
, NBC moved the premiere to March 2, 2010, at 10:00 p.m.
The series premiere of Parenthood was dedicated to the memory of Nora O'Brien, a Vice President at NBC, who died at age 44 on April 29, 2009 after collapsing because of an aneurysm
Aneurysm
An aneurysm or aneurism is a localized, blood-filled balloon-like bulge in the wall of a blood vessel. Aneurysms can commonly occur in arteries at the base of the brain and an aortic aneurysm occurs in the main artery carrying blood from the left ventricle of the heart...
on the set of Parenthood in Berkeley, California
Berkeley, California
Berkeley is a city on the east shore of the San Francisco Bay in Northern California, United States. Its neighbors to the south are the cities of Oakland and Emeryville. To the north is the city of Albany and the unincorporated community of Kensington...
. Two other shows, Warehouse 13
Warehouse 13
Warehouse 13 is an American fantasy television series that premiered on July 7, 2009 on the Syfy network.Executive-produced by Jack Kenny and David Simkins, the dramatic comedy from Universal Media Studios has been described as borrowing much from 1980s television series Friday the 13th: The...
and Sanctuary
Sanctuary
A sanctuary is any place of safety. They may be categorized into human and non-human .- Religious sanctuary :A religious sanctuary can be a sacred place , or a consecrated area of a church or temple around its tabernacle or altar.- Sanctuary as a sacred place :#Sanctuary as a sacred place:#:In...
, are also dedicated to her memory.
Parenthood pilot episode was filmed in Northern California
Northern California
Northern California is the northern portion of the U.S. state of California. The San Francisco Bay Area , and Sacramento as well as its metropolitan area are the main population centers...
, using local crews, while the rest of the series will be filmed in Los Angeles.
On April 20, 2010 Parenthood was renewed for a second season by NBC, as reported by Variety. The second season premiered on Tuesday, September 14, 2010.
It was announced on November 15, 2010 that Parenthood would be moving to Mondays at 10/9c beginning March 7.
However, because of an overhaul of NBC's Law & Order: Los Angeles
Law & Order: Los Angeles
Law & Order: LA, originally titled Law & Order: Los Angeles, is an American police procedural and legal drama television series set in Los Angeles, where it was produced...
leading to an indefinite hiatus, the network announced on January 18, 2011 that Parenthood would remain in the Tuesday at 10/9c time slot.
On May 12, 2011, Parenthood was renewed for a third season, and premiered on September 13 at 10:00.
Soundtrack
On August 31, 2010, Arrival Records/Scion Music Group released a soundtrack for the first season of Parenthood. The soundtrack consists of 10 songs including the theme song for Parenthood, "Forever YoungForever Young (Bob Dylan song)
"Forever Young" is a song by Bob Dylan. The song first appeared on Dylan's 1974 album Planet Waves.- Analysis :In the notes for the 2007 album titled DYLAN, Bill Flanagan had the following to say about "Forever Young":...
" by Bob Dylan
Bob Dylan
Bob Dylan is an American singer-songwriter, musician, poet, film director and painter. He has been a major and profoundly influential figure in popular music and culture for five decades. Much of his most celebrated work dates from the 1960s when he was an informal chronicler and a seemingly...
, and the international theme, "When We Were Young" by Lucy Schwartz. The soundtrack also includes a cover of "Forever Young" performed by John Doe
John Doe (musician)
John Doe is an American singer, songwriter, actor, poet and bass player. Doe founded the much-praised L.A. punk band X, of which he is still an active member. His musical performances and compositions span the rock, country and folk music genres...
and Lucy Schwartz.
Andrew McMahon
Andrew McMahon
Andrew Ross McMahon is a singer/songwriter. He is the vocalist, pianist and primary songwriter for the bands Something Corporate and Jack's Mannequin; he also performs solo.-Early life:...
, of the band Jack's Mannequin
Jack's Mannequin
Jack's Mannequin is an American rock band formed in 2004, originally hailing from Orange County, California. The band began as a side project of Andrew McMahon, the frontman for Something Corporate, and is composed of guitarist Bobby Anderson, bassist Mikey "The Kid" Wagner, and drummer Jay...
, revealed in speaking about the band's album, People and Things
People and Things
- Track listing :1. "My Racing Thoughts" - 4:16 2. "Release Me" - 3:163. "Television" - 3:374. "Amy, I" - 3:335. "Hey Hey Hey " - 3:376. "People, Running" - 3:407. "Amelia Jean" - 2:548. "Platform Fire" - 3:319. "Hostage" - 4:27...
, that the song "Casting Lines" was written after he was contacted by producers of the show as a possible theme song for the series. After recording the song and sending it to producers, he was told they appreciated his efforts but they had selected "Forever Young
Forever Young (Bob Dylan song)
"Forever Young" is a song by Bob Dylan. The song first appeared on Dylan's 1974 album Planet Waves.- Analysis :In the notes for the 2007 album titled DYLAN, Bill Flanagan had the following to say about "Forever Young":...
" as the show's theme song. The song does appear on Jack's Mannequin
Jack's Mannequin
Jack's Mannequin is an American rock band formed in 2004, originally hailing from Orange County, California. The band began as a side project of Andrew McMahon, the frontman for Something Corporate, and is composed of guitarist Bobby Anderson, bassist Mikey "The Kid" Wagner, and drummer Jay...
's third album, People and Things
People and Things
- Track listing :1. "My Racing Thoughts" - 4:16 2. "Release Me" - 3:163. "Television" - 3:374. "Amy, I" - 3:335. "Hey Hey Hey " - 3:376. "People, Running" - 3:407. "Amelia Jean" - 2:548. "Platform Fire" - 3:319. "Hostage" - 4:27...
.
Reception
Parenthood itself received mostly positive to mixed reviews, scoring a 61 out of 100 on MetacriticMetacritic
Metacritic.com is a website that collates reviews of music albums, games, movies, TV shows and DVDs. For each product, a numerical score from each review is obtained and the total is averaged. An excerpt of each review is provided along with a hyperlink to the source. Three colour codes of Green,...
. Newark Star Ledger's Alan Sepinwall wrote that "Like the movie that inspired it, Parenthood isn’t an instant classic, but it’s smart and warm and knowing, and it casts its net so wide that at least part of it should connect with you." While Ken Tucker of Entertainment Weekly
Entertainment Weekly
Entertainment Weekly is an American magazine, published by the Time division of Time Warner, that covers film, television, music, broadway theatre, books and popular culture...
wrote, "Parenthood isn't better than Modern Family
Modern Family
Modern Family is an American television comedy series created by Christopher Lloyd and Steven Levitan, which debuted on ABC on September 23, 2009. Lloyd and Levitan serve as showrunner and executive producers, under their Levitan-Lloyd Productions label...
, but it's different—it's its own creation, thanks to the deft touch and careful characterizations developed by executive producer Jason Katims and his writers."
Episodes
| Season | Episodes | Timeslot (EST Eastern Time Zone The Eastern Time Zone of the United States and Canada is a time zone that falls mostly along the east coast of North America. Its UTC time offset is −5 hrs during standard time and −4 hrs during daylight saving time... ) |
Original Airing | Rank | Viewers (in millions) |
18-49 Ratings |
18-49 Ratings Rank |
||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season Premiere | Season Finale | TV Season | |||||||
| 1 Parenthood (season 1) The first season of the NBC comedy-drama series Parenthood premiered on March 2, 2010 and ended on May 25, 2010, it consisted of 13 episodes... |
13 | Tuesday 10:00 PM | May 25, 2010 | 2009–10 2009–2010 United States network television schedule The following is the 2009–2010 network television schedule for the five major English-language commercial broadcast networks in the United States. The schedule covers primetime hours from September 2009 through May 2010. The schedule is followed by a list per network of returning series, new... |
#71 | 6.39 | 3.3/8 | #36 | |
| 2 Parenthood (season 2) Parenthood second season officially premiered on September 14, 2010 and ended on April 19, 2011, it consisted of 22 episodes. Season two is set to be released on DVD in Region 4 on September 7, 2011.-Main cast:* Peter Krause as Adam Braverman... |
22 | September 14, 2010 | April 19, 2011 | 2010–11 2010–2011 United States network television schedule The following is the 2010–2011 network television schedule for the five major English language commercial broadcast networks in the United States. The schedule covers primetime hours from September 2010 through May 2011. The schedule is followed by a list per network of returning series, new... |
#77 | 6.87 | 2.8 | #51 | |
| 3 Parenthood (season 3) The third season of the American television series Parenthood officially premiered on September 13, 2011. This season will consist of 18 episodes.- Main cast :* Peter Krause as Adam Braverman* Lauren Graham as Sarah Braverman* Dax Shepard as Crosby Braverman... |
18 | September 13, 2011 | February 28, 2012 | 2011–12 2011–12 United States network television schedule The 2011–2012 network television schedule for the five major English commercial broadcast networks in the United States covers primetime hours from September 2011 through May 2012... |
TBA | TBA | TBA | TBA | |
DVD release
| DVD Name | Region 1 Release Date | Region 2 Release Date | Region 4 Release Date | Ep # | Discs | Additional Information |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season 1 | August 31, 2010 | July 11, 2011 | December 1, 2010 | 13 | 3 | Deleted scenes, Extended episodes, Episode commentary with Executive Producer Jason Katims and "Get To Know Your Parents" featurette. |
| Season 2 | August 30, 2011 | TBA | September 7, 2011 | 22 | 6 | TBA |