''Parenthood'' is an American family
comedy-drama
Comedy drama, also known by the portmanteau ''dramedy'', is a genre of dramatic works that combines elements of comedy and drama. The modern, scripted-television examples tend to have more humorous bits than simple comic relief seen in a typical ...
television series developed by
Jason Katims
Jason Katims (born November 30, 1960) is an American television writer, producer, and playwright. He is best known as the creator of several television series, including '' Relativity'' (1996), '' Roswell'' (1999–2002), '' Friday Night Lights' ...
and produced by
Imagine Television
Imagine may refer to:
* Imagination
Music Albums
* ''Imagine'' (Armin van Buuren album), 2008
* ''Imagine'' (Eva Cassidy album), 2002
* ''Imagine'' (Janice Vidal album), 2012
* ''Imagine'' (John Lennon album), 1971
** ''Imagine: John Lennon ...
and
Universal Television
Universal Television LLC (abbreviated as UTV) is an American television production company that is a subsidiary of Universal Studio Group, a division of Comcast's NBCUniversal. It serves as the network television production arm of NBC; a predeces ...
for
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an American English-language commercial broadcast television and radio network. The flagship property of the NBC Entertainment division of NBCUniversal, a division of Comcast, its headquarters are l ...
. The show tells of the Braverman clan, consisting of an older couple, their four children, and their families.
Loosely based on the
1989 film of the same name, the series is the second adaptation of the film to air on television, preceded by the
1990–91 TV series, which also aired on NBC. Following the release of ''
Friday Night Lights'', Katims approached
Ron Howard
Ronald William Howard (born March 1, 1954) is an American director, producer, screenwriter, and actor. He first came to prominence as a child actor, guest-starring in several television series, including an episode of ''The Twilight Zone''. He ...
and
Brian Grazer
Brian Thomas Grazer (born July 12, 1951) is an American film and television producer and writer. He founded Imagine Entertainment in 1986 with Ron Howard. The films they produced have grossed over $15 billion. Grazer was personally nominated f ...
with the idea of creating an updated, modern adaptation of the 1989 film and bringing it to television.
The series ran for six seasons from March 6, 2010 to January 29, 2015. The series was well received by television critics and earned several nominations and awards, including one Vision Award, a
Critics' Choice Television Award
The Critics' Choice Television Awards are accolades that are presented annually by the Critics Choice Association (CCA). They were established in 2011, and the first ceremony was held on June 20, 2011, and streamed live on VH1.com. The fourt ...
, two
Television Academy Honors
The Academy of Television Arts & Sciences (ATAS), also colloquially known as the Television Academy, is a professional honorary organization dedicated to the advancement of the television industry in the United States. It is a 501(c)(6) non-prof ...
awards, four
Young Artist Award
The Young Artist Award (originally known as the Youth in Film Award) is an accolade presented by the Young Artist Foundation, a nonprofit organization founded in 1978 to honor excellence of youth performers, and to provide scholarships for young ...
s, and three Entertainment Industries Council PRISM Awards. Despite positive reviews, the series never gained a strong audience; the pilot received the highest audience figures, with ratings declining thereafter.
The sixth and final season, consisting of 13 episodes, premiered on September 25, 2014.
The series finale aired on January 29, 2015.
Series overview
The series is set in
Berkeley, California
Berkeley ( ) is a city on the eastern shore of San Francisco Bay in northern Alameda County, California, United States. It is named after the 18th-century Irish bishop and philosopher George Berkeley. It borders the cities of Oakland and Emer ...
on the east shore of the San Francisco Bay. The show revolves around three generations of the Braverman family: the patriarch Ezekiel "Zeek" Braverman, the matriarch Camille Braverman, and the families of their four children Adam, Sarah, Crosby, and Julia. Adam is married to Kristina and they have three children, Haddie, Max and Nora. Max is diagnosed with
Asperger's
Asperger syndrome (AS), also known as Asperger's, is a former neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by significant difficulties in social interaction and nonverbal communication, along with restricted and repetitive patterns of behavio ...
. Sarah is divorced from Seth and has two teen children, Amber and Drew. Crosby is married to Jasmine and has a son, Jabbar, and a daughter Aida. Julia is married to Joel and has a daughter, Sydney, and a son, Victor, whom they adopted after finding themselves unable to conceive a second child.
Cast and characters
*
Peter Krause
Peter William Krause (; born August 12, 1965) is an American actor, director, and producer. He has played lead roles in multiple television series, portraying Casey McCall on '' Sports Night'' (1998–2000), Nate Fisher on '' Six Feet Under'' ( ...
as Adam Braverman
*
Lauren Graham as Sarah Braverman
*
Dax Shepard as Crosby Braverman
*
Monica Potter
Monica Gregg Potter (née Brokaw; born June 30, 1971) is an American actress. She is known for her starring roles in the films ''Con Air'' (1997), ''Patch Adams (film), Patch Adams'' (1998), and ''Along Came a Spider (film), Along Came a Spider'' ...
as Kristina Braverman
*
Erika Christensen
Erika Jane Christensen (born August 19, 1982) is an American actress and singer whose filmography includes roles in ''Traffic'' (2000), '' Swimfan'' (2002), ''The Banger Sisters'' (2002), ''The Perfect Score'' (2004), ''Flightplan'' (2005), '' ...
as Julia Braverman-Graham
*
Sam Jaeger
Samuel Heath Jaeger (born January 29, 1977) is an American actor and screenwriter.
Life and career
Jaeger was born in Perrysburg, Ohio, the son of LeAnne (née Graening) and Charles Jaeger. He is the youngest of four children. He graduated from ...
as Joel Graham
* Savannah Paige Rae as Sydney Graham
*
Sarah Ramos as Haddie Braverman (main seasons 1–3; recurring season 4; guest seasons 5 & 6)
*
Max Burkholder
Maxwell Henry Wolf Burkholder (born November 1, 1997) is an American actor most notable for his role as Max Braverman in the comedic television drama on NBC, '' Parenthood''. Prior to that, he became known as a voice actor for his roles as Chom ...
as Max Braverman
*
Joy Bryant
Joy Bryant is an American actress, businesswoman and fashion model. She has appeared in numerous films and television since beginning her acting career in 2001. She has received two NAACP Image Award nominations, and one Screen Actors Guild Award ...
as Jasmine Trussell
*
Miles Heizer
Miles Dominic Heizer (born May 16, 1994) is an American actor. On television, he is known for portraying Alex Standall in the Netflix original series ''13 Reasons Why'' and Drew Holt in the NBC drama series '' Parenthood''. He has also appeared i ...
as Drew Holt
*
Mae Whitman
Mae Margaret Whitman (born June 9, 1988) is an American actress and singer. She began acting in commercials as a child, making her film debut at the age of six in the romantic drama '' When a Man Loves a Woman'' (1994). She achieved recognition as ...
as Amber Holt
*
Bonnie Bedelia
Bonnie Bedelia Culkin (born ) is an American actress. After beginning her career in theatre in the 1960s, Bedelia starred in the CBS daytime soap opera ''Love of Life'' and made her film debut in ''The Gypsy Moths''. Bedelia subsequently appeare ...
as Camille Braverman
*
Craig T. Nelson
Craig Theodore Nelson (born April 4, 1944) is an American actor. He is known for his roles as Hayden Fox in the sitcom ''Coach'' (for which he won a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series), Deputy Ward Wilson in the 19 ...
as Ezekiel "Zeek" Braverman
* Tyree Brown as Jabbar Trussell (recurring season 1; main seasons 2–6)
*
Xolo Maridueña
Xolo Maridueña (; born June 9, 2001) is an American actor. His roles include Miguel Diaz in the Netflix series ''Cobra Kai'', Victor Graham in the NBC TV series '' Parenthood'', and Jaime Reyes / Blue Beetle in the upcoming DC Extended Univer ...
as Victor Graham (guest season 3; main seasons 4–6)
Production
Development
''Parenthood'' is based on the
1989 film of the same name, co-written and directed by
Ron Howard
Ronald William Howard (born March 1, 1954) is an American director, producer, screenwriter, and actor. He first came to prominence as a child actor, guest-starring in several television series, including an episode of ''The Twilight Zone''. He ...
. Following the release of the film, a
television series
A television show – or simply TV show – is any content produced for viewing on a television set which can be broadcast via over-the-air, satellite television, satellite, or cable television, cable, excluding breaking news, television adverti ...
was created and aired in 1990 on
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an American English-language commercial broadcast television and radio network. The flagship property of the NBC Entertainment division of NBCUniversal, a division of Comcast, its headquarters are l ...
but turned out to be unsuccessful and was cancelled after one season. Nearly two decades later,
Jason Katims
Jason Katims (born November 30, 1960) is an American television writer, producer, and playwright. He is best known as the creator of several television series, including '' Relativity'' (1996), '' Roswell'' (1999–2002), '' Friday Night Lights' ...
, the
showrunner
A showrunner (or colloquially a helmer) is the top-level executive producer of a television series production who has creative and management authority through combining the responsibilities of employer and, in comedy or dramas, typically also th ...
of ''
Friday Night Lights'', met with Howard and
Brian Grazer
Brian Thomas Grazer (born July 12, 1951) is an American film and television producer and writer. He founded Imagine Entertainment in 1986 with Ron Howard. The films they produced have grossed over $15 billion. Grazer was personally nominated f ...
to ask them to readapt the film on television, which they accepted though they were reluctant at first.
The show was given the
green-light
To green-light is to give permission to proceed with a project. The term is a reference to the green traffic signal, indicating "go ahead".
Film industry
In the context of the film and television industries, to green-light something is to ...
from NBC in January 2009, and Katims finished writing the pilot script in early 2009.
Casting
Erika Christensen
Erika Jane Christensen (born August 19, 1982) is an American actress and singer whose filmography includes roles in ''Traffic'' (2000), '' Swimfan'' (2002), ''The Banger Sisters'' (2002), ''The Perfect Score'' (2004), ''Flightplan'' (2005), '' ...
was the first actress to land a role in the pilot in early March 2009. By the end of the month,
Peter Krause
Peter William Krause (; born August 12, 1965) is an American actor, director, and producer. He has played lead roles in multiple television series, portraying Casey McCall on '' Sports Night'' (1998–2000), Nate Fisher on '' Six Feet Under'' ( ...
,
Maura Tierney
Maura Therese Tierney (born February 3, 1965) is an American film, stage, and television actress. She is best known for her roles as Lisa Miller on the sitcom ''NewsRadio'' (1995–1999), Abby Lockhart on the medical drama '' ER'' (1999–2009), ...
,
Dax Shepard,
Mae Whitman
Mae Margaret Whitman (born June 9, 1988) is an American actress and singer. She began acting in commercials as a child, making her film debut at the age of six in the romantic drama '' When a Man Loves a Woman'' (1994). She achieved recognition as ...
,
Sarah Ramos and
Craig T. Nelson
Craig Theodore Nelson (born April 4, 1944) is an American actor. He is known for his roles as Hayden Fox in the sitcom ''Coach'' (for which he won a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series), Deputy Ward Wilson in the 19 ...
were all attached to the drama. Nelson came aboard the project after passing on the role of the grandfather in ''
Modern Family
''Modern Family'' is an American family sitcom television series created by Christopher Lloyd and Steven Levitan for the American Broadcasting Company. It ran for 11 seasons, from September 23, 2009, to April 8, 2020. It follows the lives of thr ...
''. In April,
Max Burkholder
Maxwell Henry Wolf Burkholder (born November 1, 1997) is an American actor most notable for his role as Max Braverman in the comedic television drama on NBC, '' Parenthood''. Prior to that, he became known as a voice actor for his roles as Chom ...
was chosen to portray Peter Krause's son. In that same month
Bonnie Bedelia
Bonnie Bedelia Culkin (born ) is an American actress. After beginning her career in theatre in the 1960s, Bedelia starred in the CBS daytime soap opera ''Love of Life'' and made her film debut in ''The Gypsy Moths''. Bedelia subsequently appeare ...
,
Sam Jaeger
Samuel Heath Jaeger (born January 29, 1977) is an American actor and screenwriter.
Life and career
Jaeger was born in Perrysburg, Ohio, the son of LeAnne (née Graening) and Charles Jaeger. He is the youngest of four children. He graduated from ...
and
Monica Potter
Monica Gregg Potter (née Brokaw; born June 30, 1971) is an American actress. She is known for her starring roles in the films ''Con Air'' (1997), ''Patch Adams (film), Patch Adams'' (1998), and ''Along Came a Spider (film), Along Came a Spider'' ...
were cast.
Diane Farr
Diane Farr (born September 7, 1969) is an American actress, producer, and writer. She is known for her roles as the FBI agent Megan Reeves in the CBS television series '' Numb3rs'' and the firefighter Laura Miles in '' Rescue Me''.
Life and ca ...
was originally chosen as Kristina Braverman, but she quickly left the series due to scheduling conflicts with ''
Californication Californication may refer to:
*Californication (word)
''Californication'' is a portmanteau of California and fornication, appearing in ''Time'' on May 6, 1966 and written about on August 21, 1972, additionally seen on bumper stickers in the U.S. ...
'' and was replaced by Potter.
The series 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 due to Tierney's
breast cancer
Breast cancer is cancer that develops from breast tissue. Signs of breast cancer may include a lump in the breast, a change in breast shape, dimpling of the skin, milk rejection, fluid coming from the nipple, a newly inverted nipple, or a re ...
diagnosis.
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 reported that
Lauren Graham would replace Tierney in the upcoming series.
Helen Hunt had been approached, but she and NBC could not come to a financial deal. The pilot was reshot in November.
Max Burkholder, who portrays a boy who has
Asperger's
Asperger syndrome (AS), also known as Asperger's, is a former neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by significant difficulties in social interaction and nonverbal communication, along with restricted and repetitive patterns of behavio ...
, explained how they ensure his portrayal is accurate:
Ray Romano
Raymond Albert Romano (born December 21, 1957) is an American stand-up comedian, actor and screenwriter. He is best known for his role as Ray Barone on the CBS sitcom '' Everybody Loves Raymond'', for which he received an Emmy Award, and as t ...
joined the cast, in the role of Hank Rizzoli on September 11, 2012. The role was specifically created for him after he expressed his love for the show and met with Katims on the set of ''Friday Night Lights''.
Filming
Production for the first season began in 2009 with Katims as
executive producer
Executive producer (EP) is one of the top positions in the making of a commercial entertainment product. Depending on the medium, the executive producer may be concerned with management accounting or associated with legal issues (like copyrights o ...
, serving as showrunner and
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. In fictional comedy o ...
; he also directed a few episodes later in the series. The pilot episode was filmed in
Northern California
Northern California (colloquially known as NorCal) is a geographic and cultural region that generally comprises the northern portion of the U.S. state of California. Spanning the state's northernmost 48 counties, its main population centers incl ...
, using local crews, while the rest of the series was filmed in Los Angeles.
As in Katims's other show, ''
Friday Night Lights'', three cameras were used for shooting, placed at both sides of a scene. There usually were no
table read
The read-through, table-read, or table work is a stage of film, television, radio, and theatre production when an organized reading around a table of the screenplay or script by the actors with speaking parts is conducted.
In addition to the ca ...
s prior to the filming of an episode, a process often used in other television shows.
Broadcast history
In the aftermath of Maura Tierney's departure, the premiere date that was originally set for September 23, 2009,
was moved to March 1, 2010, at 9:00 p.m., but it was again delayed to the following day at 10:00 p.m. in the aftermath of ''
The Jay Leno Show
''The Jay Leno Show'' is a talk show created and hosted by Jay Leno. Premiering on NBC on September 14, 2009, the program aired on weeknights at 10:00 p.m. ET/ PT through February 9, 2010. The program was modeled upon the format of a late ...
'' cancellation and
2010 Tonight Show conflict
The 2010 ''Tonight Show'' conflict was a media and public relations conflict involving the American television network NBC and two of its late-night talk show hosts, Conan O'Brien and Jay Leno, over the timeslot and hosting duties of long-runn ...
, requiring the return of scripted programming to the later time slot. The series premiered on March 2, 2010, at 10:00 p.m., on
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an American English-language commercial broadcast television and radio network. The flagship property of the NBC Entertainment division of NBCUniversal, a division of Comcast, its headquarters are l ...
, following ''
The Biggest Loser
''The Biggest Loser'' is a reality television format which started with the American TV show ''The Biggest Loser'' in 2004. The show centers on overweight and obese contestants attempting to lose the most weight; the winner receives a cash prize. ...
''. The series premiere was dedicated to the memory of Nora O'Brien, a vice president at NBC, who died on the set of ''Parenthood'' on April 29, 2009, after collapsing from an
aneurysm
An aneurysm is an outward bulging, likened to a bubble or balloon, caused by a localized, abnormal, weak spot on a blood vessel wall. Aneurysms may be a result of a hereditary condition or an acquired disease. Aneurysms can also be a nidus (s ...
.
On April 20, 2010, ''Parenthood'' was renewed for a second season by NBC, as reported by ''Variety''. The second season premiered September 14, 2010. Later that year on November 15, it was announced that ''Parenthood'' would be moving to Mondays at 10/9c beginning March 7. However, due to an overhaul of NBC's ''
Law & Order: Los Angeles'' putting the show on an indefinite hiatus, the network announced on January 18, 2011, that ''Parenthood'' would remain in the Tuesday 10/9c time slot.
On May 12, 2011, ''Parenthood'' was renewed for a third season and premiered at 10:00 p.m. on September 13. On May 10, 2012, NBC renewed ''Parenthood'' for a 15-episode fourth season. On April 26, 2013, NBC renewed ''Parenthood'' for a fifth season, with 22 episodes.
On May 11, 2014, NBC renewed ''Parenthood'' for a sixth and final season, with 13 episodes,
after a stand-off with the cast which has seen their episode guarantee reduced.
On April 3, 2015,
NickMom, a block carried as part of the American cable network
Nick Jr.
Nick Jr. (known on-air as the Nick Jr. Channel) is an American pay television channel spun off from Nickelodeon's long-running programming block of the same name. It is run by Paramount Global through its networks division's Kids and Family Gr ...
, began to carry the series in
cable syndication, mainly as part of weekend and weeknight blocks, until it ended operations on September 28, 2015. The rights have since moved to
UP (which also carries ''
Gilmore Girls
''Gilmore Girls'' is an American comedy-drama television series created by Amy Sherman-Palladino and starring Lauren Graham (Lorelai Gilmore) and Alexis Bledel (Rory Gilmore). The show debuted on October 5, 2000, on The WB and became a flagshi ...
'' repeats), uniting both of Lauren Graham's main series on the same network for cable syndication.
Beginning on December 15, 2015, all six seasons of ''Parenthood'' were available for streaming on
Netflix
Netflix, Inc. is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service and production company based in Los Gatos, California. Founded in 1997 by Reed Hastings and Marc Randolph in Scotts Valley, California, it offers a fil ...
. ''Parenthood'' was removed from Netflix on September 25, 2019.
In August 2016, Katims was interviewed by
TV Line
''TVLine'' is a website devoted to information, news, and spoilers of television programs.
History
In late 2010, ''Entertainment Weekly''s Michael Ausiello announced that he would be leaving ''EW'' after nearly two years in their employ to est ...
about a potential revival of the series. He said:
"It would start at the moment when I feel like I have a story to tell," he admitted. "But the whole thing about ''Parenthood'' is the kids get a little older and their lives change and then there's more story to tell. I feel like that will happen at some point. And then it will be a question of, logistically, can we get the actors ack togetherat the same time? And then we have to ind an outletthat wants to irit."
Soundtracks
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 Young" by
Bob Dylan
Bob Dylan (legally Robert Dylan, born Robert Allen Zimmerman, May 24, 1941) is an American singer-songwriter. Often regarded as one of the greatest songwriters of all time, Dylan has been a major figure in popular culture during a career sp ...
, and the international theme, "When We Were Young" by
Lucy Schwartz
Lucy Nicole Schwartz (born December 7, 1989) is an American singer and songwriter from Los Angeles, California. She has become well known for writing and performing original songs for film and TV, including songs for '' The Twilight Saga: Break ...
. The soundtrack also includes a cover of "Forever Young" performed by
John Doe
John Doe (male) and Jane Doe (female) are multiple-use placeholder names that are used when the true name of a person is unknown or is being intentionally concealed. In the context of law enforcement in the United States, such names are often ...
and Lucy Schwartz.
Andrew McMahon
Andrew Ross McMahon (born September 3, 1982) is an American singer-songwriter. He was the vocalist, pianist and primary lyricist for the bands Something Corporate and main songwriter for Jack's Mannequin and performs solo both under his own nam ...
, of the band
Jack's Mannequin
Jack's Mannequin was an American rock band formed in 2004, hailing from Orange County, California. The band originally began as a solo project for Andrew McMahon, the frontman of Something Corporate.
The band was signed to Maverick Records and re ...
, 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
Jack's Mannequin was an American rock band formed in 2004, hailing from Orange County, California. The band originally began as a solo project for Andrew McMahon, the frontman of Something Corporate.
The band was signed to Maverick Records and re ...
's third album, ''People and Things''.
; Track listing
# "
Forever Young" –
Bob Dylan
Bob Dylan (legally Robert Dylan, born Robert Allen Zimmerman, May 24, 1941) is an American singer-songwriter. Often regarded as one of the greatest songwriters of all time, Dylan has been a major figure in popular culture during a career sp ...
# "Darlin' Do Not Fear" –
Brett Dennen
Brett Michael Dennen (born October 28, 1979) is an American folk/pop singer-songwriter from Central California. His seventh studio album, ''See the World'' was released in July 2021.
Early life
Dennen grew up in Central Valley, California in a s ...
# "Colors" –
Amos Lee
Amos Lee (born Ryan Anthony Massaro, June 20, 1977) is an American singer-songwriter whose musical style encompasses folk, rock, and soul. He was born in Philadelphia and graduated from the University of South Carolina with a degree in English ...
# "Kick Drum Heart" –
The Avett Brothers
The Avett Brothers are an American folk rock band from Concord, North Carolina. The band is made up of two brothers, Scott Avett ( banjo, lead vocals, guitar, piano, kick-drum) and Seth Avett (guitar, lead vocals, piano, hi-hat) along with Bob ...
# "
Put Your Records On
"Put Your Records On" is a song by English singer Corinne Bailey Rae from her self-titled debut studio album (2006). Written by Bailey Rae, John Beck, and Steve Chrisanthou, it was released as the album's second single in February and early Mar ...
" –
Corinne Bailey Rae
Corinne Jacqueline Bailey Rae (; born 26 February 1979) is an English singer and songwriter. She is best known for her 2006 single "Put Your Records On". Bailey Rae was named the number-one predicted breakthrough act of 2006 in an annual BBC po ...
# "In My Dreams" –
Eels
Eels are ray-finned fish belonging to the order Anguilliformes (), which consists of eight suborders, 19 families, 111 genera, and about 800 species. Eels undergo considerable development from the early larval stage to the eventual adult stage ...
# "Change of Time" –
Josh Ritter
Josh Ritter (born October 21, 1976) is an American singer, songwriter, musician, and author who performs and records with the Royal City Band. Ritter is known for his distinctive Americana style and narrative lyrics. In 2006, he was named one of ...
# "When We Were Young" –
Lucy Schwartz
Lucy Nicole Schwartz (born December 7, 1989) is an American singer and songwriter from Los Angeles, California. She has become well known for writing and performing original songs for film and TV, including songs for '' The Twilight Saga: Break ...
# "In These Arms" –
The Swell Season
The Swell Season is a folk rock duo formed by Irish musician Glen Hansard and Czech singer and pianist Markéta Irglová. "The Swell Season" name is derived from Hansard's favourite novel by Josef Škvorecký from 1975 bearing the same title. ...
# "Solitaire" –
Wilco
Wilco is an American alternative rock band based in Chicago, Illinois. The band was formed in 1994 by the remaining members of alternative country group Uncle Tupelo following singer Jay Farrar's departure. Wilco's lineup changed frequently dur ...
# "Let It Be Me" –
Ray LaMontagne
Raymond Charles Jack LaMontagne (; born June 18, 1973) is an American singer-songwriter and musician. LaMontagne has released eight studio albums: ''Trouble'', ''Till the Sun Turns Black'', '' Gossip in the Grain'', ''God Willin' & the Creek Don' ...
# "Forever Young" –
John Doe
John Doe (male) and Jane Doe (female) are multiple-use placeholder names that are used when the true name of a person is unknown or is being intentionally concealed. In the context of law enforcement in the United States, such names are often ...
and Lucy Schwartz
A second soundtrack was released on October 8, 2013, through J-2 Music. It was produced by Jason Katims and
Liza Richardson
Liza Richardson is a music supervisor for numerous films and TV shows, and served as a DJ at KNON then KERA in Dallas, Texas, then KCRW, an eclectic music and NPR news radio station based in Santa Monica, California. She frequently publishes playl ...
among others and features songs heard from the second to the fourth season.
; Track listing
# "Dance In The Graveyards" -
Delta Rae
Delta Rae ( ) is an American folk rock band formed in Durham, North Carolina. The band consists of three siblings Ian Hölljes (vocals and guitar), Eric Hölljes (vocals, guitar, piano and keys) and Brittany Hölljes (vocals), as well as Elizab ...
# "If I Had A Boat" -
Lyle Lovett
Lyle Pearce Lovett (born November 1, 1957) Lyle Lovett Pageat Allmusic – Lovett's Genre and Styles. Retrieved February 2, 2007 is an American singer, songwriter, actor and record producer. Active since 1980, he has recorded 13 albums and relea ...
# "
Piece Of My Heart
"Piece of My Heart" is a romantic soul love song written by Jerry Ragovoy and Bert Berns, originally recorded by Erma Franklin in 1967. Franklin's single peaked in December 1967 at number 10 on the ''Billboard'' Hot Rhythm & Blues Singles char ...
" (Live Recording) -
CeeLo Green
Thomas DeCarlo Callaway - Burton (born May 30, 1975), known professionally as CeeLo Green (or Cee Lo Green), is an American singer, songwriter, rapper, record producer and actor. He is known for his work in hip hop and R&B, including the Gnarls ...
# "What I Wouldn't Do" -
A Fine Frenzy
# "Man On Fire (Little Daylight Remix)" -
Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros
Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros is an American folk rock band formed in Los Angeles, California, in 2005. The group is led by singer Alex Ebert. The band's name is based on a story Ebert wrote in his youth, about a messianic figure named E ...
# "Honey I'll Try" - Emile Millar
# "Take A Bow" -
Greg Laswell
Greg Laswell (born April 26, 1974) is an American musician, recording engineer, and record producer from San Diego, California. He attended high school at Valley Christian High School in Cerritos, California. He has released 7 studio albums: '' ...
# "Hard Times (Come Again No More)" -
Brett Dennen
Brett Michael Dennen (born October 28, 1979) is an American folk/pop singer-songwriter from Central California. His seventh studio album, ''See the World'' was released in July 2021.
Early life
Dennen grew up in Central Valley, California in a s ...
# "Lady Adelaide" -
Benjamin Gibbard
Benjamin ( he, ''Bīnyāmīn''; "Son of (the) right") blue letter bible: https://www.blueletterbible.org/lexicon/h3225/kjv/wlc/0-1/ H3225 - yāmîn - Strong's Hebrew Lexicon (kjv) was the last of the two sons of Jacob and Rachel (Jacob's thir ...
# "My My Love" -
Joshua Radin
Joshua Radin (born June 14, 1974) is an American singer-songwriter. He has recorded nine studio albums, and his songs have been used in a number of films and TV series. His most successful album, ''Simple Times'', was released in 2008.
Beginnin ...
# "High Hope" -
Glen Hansard
Glen Hansard (born 21 April 1970) is an Irish singer-songwriter, musician and actor. Since 1990, he has been the frontman of the Irish rock band The Frames, with whom he has released six studio albums, four of which have charted in the top ten ...
Reception
Critical response
''Parenthood's'' first season received generally positive reviews from critics, scoring a 61 out of 100 on the review aggregator
Metacritic
Metacritic is a website that review aggregator, aggregates reviews of films, TV shows, music albums, video games and formerly, books. For each product, the scores from each review are averaged (a weighted arithmetic mean, weighted average). M ...
. Alessandra Stanley of ''
The New York Times
''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...
'' said ''Parenthood'' is "unexpectedly compelling" despite being reminiscent of ''
Brothers & Sisters''. She praised the writing and the cast and described the show as "a coming-of-age drama for all ages".
Alan Sepinwall
Alan Sepinwall (born October 19, 1973) is an American television reviewer and writer. He spent 14 years as a columnist with ''The Star-Ledger'' in Newark until leaving the newspaper in 2010 to work for the entertainment news website HitFix. He th ...
, writing for ''
The Star-Ledger
''The Star-Ledger'' is the largest circulated newspaper in the U.S. state of New Jersey and is based in Newark. It is a sister paper to ''The Jersey Journal'' of Jersey City, ''The Times'' of Trenton and the '' Staten Island Advance'', all of wh ...
'' in
Newark
Newark most commonly refers to:
* Newark, New Jersey, city in the United States
* Newark Liberty International Airport, New Jersey; a major air hub in the New York metropolitan area
Newark may also refer to:
Places Canada
* Niagara-on-the ...
, 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."
Ken Tucker
Kenneth Tucker is an American arts, music and television critic, magazine editor, and non-fiction book writer.
Early life and education
Tucker was born in Manhattan, New York City, New York, and raised in Stamford, Connecticut. He earned a ...
of ''
Entertainment Weekly
''Entertainment Weekly'' (sometimes abbreviated as ''EW'') is an American digital-only entertainment magazine based in New York City, published by Dotdash Meredith, that covers film, television, music, Broadway theatre, books, and popular cul ...
'' wrote, "''Parenthood'' isn't better than ''
Modern Family
''Modern Family'' is an American family sitcom television series created by Christopher Lloyd and Steven Levitan for the American Broadcasting Company. It ran for 11 seasons, from September 23, 2009, to April 8, 2020. It follows the lives of thr ...
'', 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."
Following the second season's premiere, Tucker of ''Entertainment Weekly'' wrote: "As the series has proceeded, what initially looked like a bunch of talented but disparate actors has cohered into a believable clan." ''
The Huffington Post
''HuffPost'' (formerly ''The Huffington Post'' until 2017 and sometimes abbreviated ''HuffPo'') is an American progressive news website, with localized and international editions. The site offers news, satire, blogs, and original content, and ...
'' Maureen Ryan called it a "solidly rewarding drama" which is "something to treasure on the TV schedule". ''Parenthood'' was furthermore praised for the way it tackles Asperger's. The moment during which Kristina and Adam explain to Max he has the syndrome was listed in ''
TV Guide
TV Guide is an American digital media company that provides television program
Television, sometimes shortened to TV, is a telecommunication medium for transmitting moving images and sound. The term can refer to a television set, or t ...
'' Top TV Moments of 2011.
Regarding the third season, ''
The New Yorker
''The New Yorker'' is an American weekly magazine featuring journalism, commentary, criticism, essays, fiction, satire, cartoons, and poetry. Founded as a weekly in 1925, the magazine is published 47 times annually, with five of these issues ...
'' writer Emily Nussbaum noted the show's positive development saying that it "has become stronger with each season". She deemed ''Parenthood'' one of only two great dramas on network television next to ''
The Good Wife
''The Good Wife'' is an American legal and political drama television series that aired on CBS from September 22, 2009, to May 8, 2016. It focuses on Alicia Florrick, the wife of the Cook County State's Attorney, who returns to her career in law ...
'' and cited its ability to be warm and sentimental without being dumb as one of its strengths. Sheri Levine of ''
The Vancouver Sun
The ''Vancouver Sun'', also known as the ''Sun'', is a daily broadsheet newspaper based in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. The newspaper is currently published by the Pacific Newspaper Group, a division of Postmedia Network. Published si ...
'' wrote, "The cast moves effortlessly from providing serious, thoughtful answers to cracking jokes and allowing the funny moments to shine through. It's almost as though art is imitating life, or life imitating art." ''
TIME magazine
''Time'' (stylized in all caps) is an American news magazine based in New York City. For nearly a century, it was published weekly, but starting in March 2020 it transitioned to every other week. It was first published in New York City on Mar ...
'' columnist
James Poniewozik
James "Jim" Poniewozik (; born July 12, 1968) is an American journalist and television critic. He is the chief TV critic for ''The New York Times''. Earlier in his career, he wrote ''Time'' magazine's ''Tuned In'' column for 16 years.
Early life
...
wrote that the show's "third and fourth seasons have elevated it to one of TV's best because of how it has hit a memorable theme from ''
FNL'': the idea of how community can be, inseparably, both a burden and indispensable support."
Upon the fourth-season premiere, ''
The Washington Post
''The Washington Post'' (also known as the ''Post'' and, informally, ''WaPo'') is an American daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C. It is the most widely circulated newspaper within the Washington metropolitan area and has a large nati ...
'' TV columnist Jen Chaney called the show "a perfect piece of 'reali-scapism': A television show that tackles subjects many of us confront in our own lives and dips all of it in just enough escapism to make it enjoyable to watch." Rachel Stein of
Television Without Pity
Television Without Pity (often abbreviated TWoP) was a website that provided detailed recaps of select television dramas, situation comedies and reality TV shows along with discussion forums. These recaps were written with sarcastic criticism an ...
felt that the show "possesses the same family bonding that
Lorelai and
Rory
Rory is a given name of Gaelic origin. It is an anglicisation of the ga, Ruairí/''Ruaidhrí'' and gd, Ruairidh and is common to the Irish, Highland Scots and their diasporas. for the given name "Rory". The meaning of the name is "red king", ...
[of ''
Gilmore Girls
''Gilmore Girls'' is an American comedy-drama television series created by Amy Sherman-Palladino and starring Lauren Graham (Lorelai Gilmore) and Alexis Bledel (Rory Gilmore). The show debuted on October 5, 2000, on The WB and became a flagshi ...
''] had (times 18 for every member of this family), each episode has a lot of purposeful quirk and there's a certain quaintness about life that it captures in the Braverman clan." The season was listed as one of the 10 best seasons of television in 2012 in several publications, including the ''
Cleveland Plain Dealer
''The Plain Dealer'' is the major newspaper of Cleveland, Ohio, United States. In fall 2019, it ranked 23rd in U.S. newspaper circulation, a significant drop since March 2013, when its circulation ranked 17th daily and 15th on Sunday.
As of Ma ...
'', the ''
Contra Costa Times
The ''East Bay Times'' is a daily broadsheet newspaper based in Walnut Creek, California, United States, owned by the Bay Area News Group (BANG), a subsidiary of Media News Group, that serves Contra Costa and Alameda counties, in the East Bay ...
'', ''
The Daily Beast
''The Daily Beast'' is an American news website focused on politics, media, and pop culture. It was founded in 2008.
It has been characterized as a "high-end tabloid" by Noah Shachtman, the site's editor-in-chief from 2018 to 2021. In a 20 ...
'', ''
HitFix
HitFix, or HitFix.com, was an entertainment news website that launched in December 2008 specializing in breaking entertainment news, insider information, and reviews and critiques of film, music, and television. In mid-2010 HitFix crossed the 1,00 ...
'',
Salon.com
''Salon'' is an American politically progressive/ liberal news and opinion website created in 1995. It publishes articles on U.S. politics, culture, and current events.
Content and coverage
''Salon'' covers a variety of topics, including re ...
, the ''
St. Louis Post-Dispatch
The ''St. Louis Post-Dispatch'' is a major regional newspaper based in St. Louis, Missouri, serving the St. Louis metropolitan area. It is the largest daily newspaper in the metropolitan area by circulation, surpassing the ''Belleville News-De ...
'', ''
TIME magazine
''Time'' (stylized in all caps) is an American news magazine based in New York City. For nearly a century, it was published weekly, but starting in March 2020 it transitioned to every other week. It was first published in New York City on Mar ...
'', and ''TV Guide''. Writing for ''The Daily Beast'', Jace Lacob highlighted
Monica Potter
Monica Gregg Potter (née Brokaw; born June 30, 1971) is an American actress. She is known for her starring roles in the films ''Con Air'' (1997), ''Patch Adams (film), Patch Adams'' (1998), and ''Along Came a Spider (film), Along Came a Spider'' ...
's "breathtaking" performance, whose cancer storyline was "poignant" and "gripping".
Alan Sepinwall
Alan Sepinwall (born October 19, 1973) is an American television reviewer and writer. He spent 14 years as a columnist with ''The Star-Ledger'' in Newark until leaving the newspaper in 2010 to work for the entertainment news website HitFix. He th ...
from ''HitFix'' commented: "this season's cancer storyline has brought a lot of what the show does well into even sharper focus, raising the stakes of almost every storyline in the process, and delivering fantastic, honestly tear-jerking performances."
Ratings
Accolades
Home media
Italian adaptation
In December 2015 an adaptation of ''Parenthood'' entitled ''Tutto può succedere'' (''Anything can happen'') began broadcasting on the Italian state TV channel
RaiUno
Rai 1 () is an Italian free-to-air television channel owned and operated by state-owned public broadcaster RAI – Radiotelevisione italiana. It is the company's flagship television channel, and is known for broadcasting mainstream and genera ...
. The plot follows the fortunes of the Ferraro family, based in various locations in and around
Rome
, established_title = Founded
, established_date = 753 BC
, founder = King Romulus (legendary)
, image_map = Map of comune of Rome (metropolitan city of Capital Rome, region Lazio, Italy).svg
, map_caption ...
. Principal actors include
Giorgio Colangeli
Giorgio Colangeli (born 14 December 1949) is an Italian stage, television and film actor.
Life and career
Born in Rome, Colangeli graduated in nuclear physics, then he started a stage career.
After several minor roles, Colangeli's breakout rol ...
as father/grandfather Ettore Ferraro,
Licia Maglietta
Licia Maglietta (born 16 November 1954) is an Italian actress and stage director, known for her work with Italian director Silvio Soldini. Their collaborations include romances ''Bread and Tulips'' (2000) - for which Maglietta won multiple awards ...
as mother/grandmother Emma and
Maya Sansa
Maya Sansa (born 25 September 1975) is an Italian actress.
Early life and career
Maya Sansa was born in Rome the daughter of an Iranian father and an Italian mother. When she was 14, she started to study acting at her high school in Rome the " ...
as daughter/mother Sara.
See also
*
''Touch'' (TV series)
*
List of Parenthood characters
References
External links
Official website*
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Parenthood (2010 Tv Series)
2010 American television series debuts
2015 American television series endings
2010s American LGBT-related drama television series
2010 soundtrack albums
2013 soundtrack albums
English-language television shows
Lesbian-related television shows
NBC original programming
Serial drama television series
Live action television shows based on films
Television series about families
Television series by Universal Television
Television shows set in Berkeley, California
Autism in television
Television shows filmed in Los Angeles
Parenthood (franchise)
Television series by Imagine Entertainment
Television Academy Honors winners