Parenthood whilst based on the film starring steve martin is actually nothing remotely like it. Its not a comedy but a very serious drama that deals with very serious issues.
Craig T Nelson is fab as Zeke, old family patriarch and the very lovely Bonnie Bedelia plays his long suffering wife. Together they have 4 children, Adam, Sarah, Julia and Crosby. They also have 6 grandchildren, Amber, Drew, Haddie, Max, Sydney and Jabar.
There are great actors playing the other parts, Peter Krause, Lauren Graham, Monica Potter (who i still reckon looks like julia roberts), Erika Christensen, Dax Shephard who is best known for his roles on Punk'd and yet manages to pull off serious acting quite spectacularly, Mae Whitman i think is the stand out actor on this show for me, her role as troubled and tormented teen Amber really does break your heart.
There are recurring guest appearances from Jason Ritter, William Baldwin, Minka Kelly, John Corbett who all deliver great performances.
This isnt your stereotypical family drama where everyone is perfect and nothing ever goes wrong, you see divorces, abuse, separation, dealing with teenagers, a young member diagnosed with asperbergers syndrome and the effects it has on the whole family, a couple struggling to conceieve a child, family role dynamics and the very real issue of what kids go through in a divorce and all the issues are dealt with in a very real, very normal way and everyone will see at least some of their family in it.
There are some funny light hearted moments in it and its not all serious all the time, it will make you smile, it will make you laugh and it will make you cry but it is one of the best cast ensembles you will see on television, its on par with brothers and sisters for me.
Worth every penny you spend on it, i have now seen both seasons and i will definitely recommend this for your shelf if you havent seen it.