Television: Must See Tuesday TV: NBC’s Parenthood

NBC’s Parenthood debuted tonight (Tuesday) and it did not disappoint.  The show was the replacement for The Jay Leno Show at their 10pm time slot.

Back in 1989, Ron Howard directed Parenthood, a charming family movie about the extended Buckman clan and the trials and tribulations of raising children. The light-hearted film was a box office success and stars a diverse cast including Steve Martin, Tom Hulce, Rick Moranis, Martha Plimpton, Keanu Reeves, Jason Robards, Mary Steenburgen, Dianne Wiest, and Joaquin Phoenix. The movie was nominated for two Academy Awards, with Wiest being nominated for Best Supporting Actress and composer Randy Newman landing a Best Song nomination.

NBC tried to make a Parenthood movie in 1991.  It lasted all of 12 episodes.  (It was written by Joss Whedon before he did Buffy The Vampire slayer and the cast did include a young actor by the name of Leonardo DiCaprio)

20 years later, the show is back and here are some great reasons to watch, starting with the cast:

Peter Krause (Six Feet Under), Lauren Graham (Gillmore Girls), Craig T. Nelson (Coach), Dax Shepard (MTV’s Punked), Bonnie Bedelia, Monica Potter (Patch Adams), Erika Christensen and Mae Whitman.

Parenthood is produced by Ron Howard and Brian Grazier.  It is also produced by Jason Katims who did Friday Night Lights, one of the greatest shows ever on television.

Expect some amazing performances- especially from scene-stealers Krause and Nelson.  The tension between the father and son is incredible and these are as good of actors as you will find.  Also, Graham (who replaced Maura Tierney when she was diagnosed with cancer) is an actor who truly shines and takes the audience through the joys and disappointments of being a single mother.

Parenthood- Tuesdays at 10pm on NBC.

You can catch up on tonight’s episode on HULU:

Here’s a link to Inside Parenthood on NBC.

http://www.nbc.com/parenthood/video/clips/inside-parenthood/1198341