Parenthood (2010 TV series)

Parenthood
File:Parenthood.png
Genre	Family drama Serial drama
Created by	Ron Howard
Developed by	Jason Katims
Starring	Peter Krause Lauren Graham Dax Shepard Monica Potter Erika Christensen Sam Jaeger Savannah Paige Rae Sarah Ramos Max Burkholder Joy Bryant Miles Heizer Mae Whitman Bonnie Bedelia Craig T. Nelson Tyree Brown Xolo Mariduena
Opening theme	"Forever Young" by Bob Dylan "When We Were Young" by Lucy Schwartz (international version)
Composer(s)	Jon Ehrlich & Jason Derlatka
Country of origin	United States
Original language(s)	English
No. of seasons	6
No. of episodes	103 (list of episodes)
Production
Executive producer(s)	Ron Howard Brian Grazer Jason Katims Lawrence Trilling Sarah Watson David Nevins
Producer(s)	Dylan K. Massin Patrick Ward Jessica Goldberg
Production location(s)	Berkeley, California
Running time	43 minutes
Production company(s)	True Jack Productions Imagine Television Universal Media Studios (season 1) Universal Television (seasons 2-6) Open 4 Business Productions
Distributor	NBCUniversal Television Distribution
Release
Original network	NBC
Picture format	1080i (16:9 HDTV)
Original release	March 2, 2010 (2010-03-02) – January 29, 2015 (2015-01-29)
Chronology
Preceded by	Parenthood (1989 film) Parenthood (1990)
External links
Website

Parenthood is an American television drama series developed by Jason Katims and produced by Imagine Television and Universal Television for NBC. The show tells of the Braverman clan, which comprises an older couple, their four children, and their families. One of the grandchildren depicted has Asperger syndrome, which has gained attention throughout the press.

Loosely based on the 1989 film of the same title, 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 on the heels of the critically acclaimed TV series Friday Night Lights, Katims approached Ron Howard and Brian Grazer 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 2, 2010 to January 29, 2015. The series has been well received by television critics and earned several nominations and awards, including one Vision Award, a Critics' Choice Television Award, two Television Academy Honors awards, four Young Artist Awards, and three Entertainment Industries Council PRISM Awards. Despite strong reviews, the series never gained a strong audience; the pilot received the highest audience figures, with ratings declining thereafter.

On May 11, 2014, Parenthood was renewed for a sixth and final season, consisting of 13 episodes. The final season premiered on September 25, 2014. The series finale aired on January 29, 2015.

Overview

Main article: List of Parenthood episodes

The series is set in Berkeley, California on the east shore of the San Francisco Bay (but is filmed primarily in Los Angeles). The show revolves around three generations of the Braverman family: the patriarch 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 children: Haddie, Max, and (later during the series) Nora. Sarah is divorced and has two teen children, Amber and Drew. Crosby has a son Jabbar with girlfriend Jasmine (they marry in Season 3) and later a daughter Aida. Julia is married to Joel and has a daughter Sydney and (later in the series they adopt) a son Victor.

Cast and characters

Main cast

See also: List of Parenthood characters

Actor	Character	Seasons
		1	2	3	4	5	6
Peter Krause	Adam Braverman	Main
Lauren Graham	Sarah Braverman	Main
Dax Shepard	Crosby Braverman	Main
Monica Potter	Kristina Braverman	Main
Erika Christensen	Julia Braverman-Graham	Main
Sam Jaeger	Joel Graham	Main
Bonnie Bedelia	Camille Braverman	Main
Craig T. Nelson	Zeek Braverman	Main
Joy Bryant	Jasmine Trussell	Main
Mae Whitman	Amber Holt	Main
Miles Heizer	Drew Holt	Main
Sarah Ramos	Haddie Braverman	Main			Recurring	Guest
Max Burkholder	Max Braverman	Main
Savannah Paige Rae	Sydney Graham	Main
Tyree Brown	Jabbar Trussell	Recurring	Main
Xolo Mariduena	Victor Graham			Guest	Main

Recurring cast

• Jason Ritter as Mark Cyr (season 1-6)
• Marguerite Moreau as Katie (season 1)
• Minka Kelly as Gabby (season 1–2)
• Brittany Ishibashi as Grace Woo (season 1-2)
• Tina Lifford as Renee Trussell (season 1–6)
• John Corbett as Seth Holt (season 2-3, 5)
• Michael B. Jordan as Alex (season 2-3)
• Tom Amandes as Dr. Pelikan (season 1-2, 5)
• Asher Book as Steve Williams (season 1)
• Mike O'Malley as Jim Kazinsky (season 1)
• William Baldwin as Gordon Flint (season 2)
• JC Gonzalez as Frat Boy (season 2)
• Richard Dreyfuss as Gilliam (season 2)
• Skyler Day as Amy Ellis (season 3-5)
• D. B. Woodside as Dr. Joe Prestridge (season 3)
• Alexandra Daddario as Rachel (season 3)
• Rosa Salazar as Zoe DeHaven (season 3)
• Courtney Ford as Lily (season 3)
• Mia Allan and Ella Allan as Nora Braverman (season 4-6)
• Ray Romano as Hank Rizzoli (season 4-6)
• Rose Abdoo as Gwen Chambers (season 4-5)
• Hayden Byerly as Micah Watson (season 4-5)
• Matt Lauria as Ryan York (season 4-6)
• Betsy Brandt as Sandy (season 4, 6)
• Courtney Grosbeck as Ruby Rizzoli (season 4-6)
• Lyndon Smith as Natalie (season 5-6)
• Jurnee Smollett-Bell as Heather Hall (season 5)
• Tyson Ritter as Oliver Rome (season 5-6)
• David Denman as Ed Brooks (season 5)
• Sonya Walger as Meredith Peet (season 5)
• Josh Stamberg as Carl Fletcher (season 5)
• Ally Ioannides as Dylan Jones (season 6)

Production

Development

Parenthood is based on the 1989 film of the same name, co-written and directed by Ron Howard. Following the release of the film, a television series was created and aired in 1990 on NBC but turned out to be unsuccessful and was cancelled after one season. Nearly two decades later, Jason Katims, the showrunner of Friday Night Lights, met with Howard and Brian Grazer 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 from NBC in January 2009 and Katims finished writing the pilot script in early 2009.

Casting

Erika Christensen was the first actress to land a role in the pilot in early March 2009. By the end of the month, Peter Krause, Maura Tierney, Dax Shepard, Mae Whitman, Sarah Ramos and Craig T. Nelson were all attached to the drama. Nelson came aboard the project after passing on the role of the grandfather in Modern Family. In April, Max Burkholder was chosen to portray Peter Krause's son. In that same month Bonnie Bedelia, Sam Jaeger and Monica Potter were cast. Diane Farr was originally chosen as Kristina Braverman but she quickly left the series due to scheduling conflicts with Californication 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 actress Maura Tierney's breast cancer. 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 syndrome, explained how they ensure his portrayal is accurate:

When I was first auditioning, they brought in a doctor who specializes in children with Asperger's and he told us the basic stuff. Then, since we started shooting, every couple of episodes I have a meeting with the executive producer, and the director of the episodes, and sometimes some of the writers, and a doctor specializing in Asperger's and we just talk about what Max would be doing in certain situations, like how he would react to certain things and if everyone was over here doing this, what would Max be doing?

Ray Romano joined the cast 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, serving as showrunner and head writer; he also directed a few episodes later in the series. The pilot episode was filmed in Northern California, using local crews, while the rest of the series was filmed in Los Angeles.

As in Katims' other show, Friday Night Lights, three cameras were used for shooting, placed at both sides of a scene. There usually were no table reads prior to the filming of an episode, a process otherwise 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. after The Jay Leno Show was cancelled. The series premiered on March 2, 2010, at 10:00 p.m., on NBC, following The Biggest Loser. 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.

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., began to carry the series in cable syndication, mainly as part of weekend and weeknight blocks, until it ended operations on September 28, 2015.

Soundtracks

Parenthood (Original Television Soundtrack)
File:Parenthood Volume 1.jpg
Soundtrack album by Various Artists
Released	August 31, 2010 (Digital), October 5, 2010 (CD)
Genre	Soundtrack
Label	Arrival Records / Scion Music Group
Various Artists chronology
'Parenthood (Television Soundtrack)' (2010) Parenthood (Original Television Soundtrack), Vol. 2 (2013)Parenthood (Original Television Soundtrack), Vol. 22013

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, 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.

Track listing

1. "Forever Young" – Bob Dylan
2. "Darlin' Do Not Fear" – Brett Dennen
3. "Colors" – Amos Lee
4. "Kick Drum Heart" – The Avett Brothers
5. "Put Your Records On" – Corinne Bailey Rae
6. "In My Dreams" – Eels
7. "Change of Time" – Josh Ritter
8. "When We Were Young" – Lucy Schwartz
9. "In These Arms" – The Swell Season
10. "Solitaire" – Wilco
11. "Let It Be Me" – Ray LaMontagne
12. "Forever Young" – John Doe and Lucy Schwartz

Parenthood (Original Television Soundtrack), Vol. 2
File:Parenthood Volume 2.jpg
Soundtrack album by Various Artists
Released	October 8, 2013
Genre	Soundtrack
Label	J-2 Music
Various Artists chronology
Parenthood (Original Television Soundtrack) (2010)Parenthood (Original Television Soundtrack)2010 Parenthood (Original Television Soundtrack), Vol. 2 (2013)

A second soundtrack was released on October 8, 2013, through J-2 Music. It was produced by Jason Katims and Liza Richardson among others and features songs heard from the second to the fourth season.

Track listing

1. "Dance In The Graveyards" - Delta Rae
2. "If I Had A Boat" - Lyle Lovett
3. "Piece Of My Heart" (Live Recording) - CeeLo Green
4. "What I Wouldn't Do" - A Fine Frenzy
5. "Man On Fire (Little Daylight Remix)" - Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros
6. "Honey I'll Try" - Emile Millar
7. "Take A Bow" - Greg Laswell
8. "Hard Times (Come Again No More)" - Brett Dennen
9. "Lady Adelaide" - Benjamin Gibbard
10. "My My Love" - Joshua Radin
11. "High Hope" - Glen Hansard

Reception

Critical response

Parenthood's first season received generally positive reviews from critics, scoring a 61 out of 100 on the review aggregator Metacritic. Alessandra Stanley of The New York Times 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". 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." 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."

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's 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 syndrome. The moment during which Kristina and Adam explain to Max he has the syndrome was listed in TV Guide's Top TV Moments of 2011.

Regarding the third season, The New Yorker 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 and cited its ability to be warm and sentimental without being dumb as one of its strengths. Sheri Levine of The Vancouver Sun 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 columnist James Poniewozik 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 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 felt that the show "possesses the same family bonding that Lorelai and Rory [of Gilmore Girls] 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 Contra Costa Times, The Daily Beast, HitFix, Salon.com, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, TIME magazine, and TV Guide. Writing for The Daily Beast, Jace Lacob highlighted Monica Potter's "breathtaking" performance, whose cancer storyline was "poignant" and "gripping". Alan Sepinwall 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

Season	Time slot (ET)	Episodes	Season premiere		Season finale		TV season	Rank	Viewers (in millions)
			Date	Viewers (in millions)	Date	Viewers (in millions)
1	Tuesday 10:00 pm	13	March 2, 2010	8.10	May 25, 2010	6.04	2009–10	71	6.39
2		22	September 14, 2010	7.60	April 19, 2011	6.32	2010–11	77	6.87
3		18	September 13, 2011	6.29	February 28, 2012	5.16	2011–12	76	6.57
4		15	September 11, 2012	5.48	January 22, 2013	4.87	2012–13	57	7.09
5	Thursday 10:00 pm	22	September 26, 2013	5.06	April 17, 2014	3.99	2013–14	71	6.36
6		13	September 25, 2014	4.26	January 29, 2015	5.46	2014–15	84	6.72

Accolades

Accolades for Parenthood

Year	Awards Group	Category	Recipient	Result
2010	Casting Society of America	Outstanding Achievement in Casting - Television Pilot - Drama	Carrie Audino, Laura Schiff and Nina Henninger	Nominated
	Teen Choice Awards	Choice TV: Female Breakout Star	Mae Whitman
		Choice TV: Parental Unit	Lauren Graham
	Television Academy Honors	Television with a Conscience		Won
2011	ALMA Awards	Favorite TV Actress - Supporting Role	Sarah Ramos	Nominated
2012
	NAACP Image Award	Outstanding Directing in a Dramatic Series	Ken Whittingham
	Young Artist Awards	Best Performance in a TV series - Supporting Young Actor	Max Burkholder
		Best Performance in a TV series - Guest Starring Young Actor 18-21	Max Ehrich
	Humanitas Prize	60 Minute Category	Episode "Remember Me, I’m The One Who Loves You" (written by Kerry Ehrin)
	NAMIC Vision Awards	Best Drama		Won
	PRISM Awards	Drama Series Episode – Substance Use	Episode "Damage Control"
		Male Performance in a Drama Series Multi-Episode Storyline	Craig T. Nelson
		Drama Series Multi-Episode Storyline – Mental Health	Max's Asperger's
		Performance in a Drama Episode	Lauren Graham	Nominated
	Primetime Emmy Awards	Guest Actor in a Drama Series	Jason Ritter
2013	NAACP Image Award	Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series	Joy Bryant
	Television Academy Honors	Television with a Conscience		Won
	Young Artist Awards	Best Performance in a TV Series - Leading Young Actress	Savannah Paige Rae
		Best Performance in a TV Series - Supporting Young Actor	Tyree Brown
	Critics' Choice Television Awards	Best Supporting Actress in a Drama Series	Monica Potter
	Television Critics Association	Individual Achievement in Drama		Nominated
	People's Choice Awards	Favorite Network TV Drama		Nominated
	Golden Globe Awards	Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actress – Series, Miniseries or Television Film	Monica Potter	Nominated
2014	Young Artist Awards	Best Performance in a TV Series - Supporting Young Actor	Tyree Brown	Nominated
		Best Performance in a TV Series - Supporting Young Actor	Max Burkholder	Won
		Best Performance in a TV Series - Supporting Young Actor	Xolo Mariduena	Nominated
		Best Performance in a TV Series - Supporting Young Actress	Savannah Paige Rae	Nominated
		Outstanding Young Ensemble in a TV Series	Savannah Paige Rae, Tyree Brown, Max Burkholder, Xolo Maridueña	Won
2015	Gracie Awards	Outstanding Female Actor in a Breakthrough Role	Mae Whitman	Won
	NAMIC Vision Awards	Outstanding Drama	Episode "The Pontiac"	Nominated
	5th Critics' Choice Television Awards	Best Supporting Actress in a Drama Series	Mae Whitman	Nominated
		Best Supporting Actor in a Drama Series	Craig T. Nelson	Nominated

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	Featurette: From Page to Screen, Deleted Scenes, Audio Commentaries
Season 3	August 7, 2012	TBA	October 3, 2012	18	4	Deleted storyline featuring Drew, Deleted scenes, Audio commentary on two episodes
Season 4	August 20, 2013	TBA	September 5, 2013	15	3
Season 5	August 19, 2014	TBA	September 4, 2014	22	5
Season 6	May 5, 2015	TBA	September 3, 2015	13	3	Three "Farewell: A Parenthood Retrospective" featurettes: The Braverman Siblings, On Making Parenthood, Reflections on Parenthood
The Complete Series	May 5, 2015	August 10, 2015	TBA	103	23

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. The plot follows the fortunes of the Ferraro family, based in various locations in and around Rome. Principal actors include Giorgio Colangeli as father/grandfather Ettore Ferraro, Licia Maglietta as mother/grandmother Emma and Maya Sansa as daughter/mother Sara.

External links

• Official website
• Parenthood at IMDb
• Parenthood at TV.com
• Parenthood:Autism Community on Facebook
• Tutto può succedere at IMDb

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