(S01E01) I had an early look at this one a couple weeks ago, and finally premiere day is here. The Brothers & Sisters writers face a tough problem with the launch of the show. There is just so much information to convey to give the viewer an idea of who all of these people are. It leads to what sometimes feels like a rushed episode. This also means that most of the happenings around the family in this episode are set-ups for future arcs that will involve the characters. Sarah (Rachel Griffiths) and Tommy (Balthazar Getty) discovering the financial shenanigans of Uncle Saul (Ron Rifkin), Justin's (Dave Annable) hangups from his past, and Kitty's (Calista Flockhart) relationship with her mother (Sally Field) are all clearly things that we will be looking at closer as the show moves along. For me though, the highlight of this episode was the confrontation between Kitty and her mother.
I am curious to see where things are headed with Kitty's new job. It certainly looks like they are setting up the possibility for some kind of a romantic entanglement. At this point I get the feeling that things are going to remain more family focused, but I could see further exploration of the show coming into play at some point.
And of course, there is also the development that I couldn't talk about in the early look. The death of William Walker (Tom Skerritt). This both surprised and disappointed me the first time I saw it. I was surprised that they would bring in such a big name only to kill the character off right away. And I was disappointed because I really like Tom Skerritt and would have liked to see more of him. I suspect we'll see Saul taking over much of the duties left behind with the death of William.
The numbers for the premiere weren't bad, but weren't great. Brothers & Sisters lost a good chunk of that Desperate Housewives lead-in and came in second to Without A Trace in the time slot. While not the crazy Grey's Anatomy numbers, they were respectable. It should be enough to give ABC some confidence in letting the show brew an audience. It's still too early to call, but there might be something here.
Giveaways reminder: Office, Eli Stone, Supernatural, South Park
Giveaway Thursday: Tickets to the New York Television Festival ... all of it!
I miss the media-friendly John McCain - VIDEOS
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
9-25-2006 @ 6:51PM
Beth said...
I have to say my sister and I LOVED this show! Our father died 2 years ago. We have 5 siblings. A right winger, left winger, a gay, a couple crazy, a couple who wont talk to our mom. Our mom is as they say bat sh*t crazy! It's nice to watch a show that is just as out there as our real family is!
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9-25-2006 @ 7:00PM
Brett said...
Can I come over for Thanksgiving dinner Beth? I'm a tree hugging crazy liberal with a beard halfway down my chest. I think I'd fit right in. :D
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9-25-2006 @ 7:19PM
Beth said...
Brett.. you can come over if you promise to be nice to my mom's newest internet boyfriend, my lesbien sister who can't keep a job and my brother who is in college to be a Lutheran minister!!
If there was one thing about the show that doesn't seem to ring true... my family isn't as succesful and "pretty" as the family in "Brothers & Sisters"! But with the exception of The Office... TV doesn't represent the look of real life. (IMO) Also my father didn't die with a scandal hanging over him. That is all we would need! Haha
I actually dropped my little sister off at the Amtrack station this morning yelling at her to call our mother as I peeled out of the parking lot!! When I got home I watched the show on DVR and laughed at how it mirrored our family.
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9-25-2006 @ 11:32PM
Martha said...
While Brothers and Sisters may have lost in overall households it came in #3 in overall households and #3 in 18-49 where as Without a Trace was tied in #7 for the all coveted demographic.
I think it's safe to say Brothers and Sisters did very well last night considering all of the problems with production and rewriting. If it can keep the audience with it and away from Without a Trace...I suppose we'll see.
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9-25-2006 @ 11:59PM
Pamela said...
I am thrilled to see a show that doesn't include forensic investigations, hot shot lawyers or supernatural themes---a family, at last, with characters and plot lines that we might care about and believe. The cast is great, especially good to see Rachel Griffiths again (loved Six Feet Under). I'm very interested in politics so the theme is great, too. I hope it is successful.
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9-26-2006 @ 6:09PM
Tony C said...
I too was very surprised at the appearance of Tom Skerritt, because he was never hyped (or even mentioned) at all in the big promotional buildup.
So, while it didn't completely surprise me when he started feeling chest pains and fell into the swimming pool, I half expected it. I don't remember what his billing was in the credits, but I'm sure it was probably "Special Guest Star".
What completely irked me, however, was the promo for episode two, which they ran during the closing credits. The voiceover mentions a family going through the death of a beloved family member and they even blip a quick shot of a scene in a cemetary.
The point is *we didn't know* that the father was dead for sure -- it was a cliff hanger! Unless the pilot was originally intended as a two hour premiere, ABC completely blew the storyline by telling us of his fate.
Who knows though... Maybe he'll show up in flashbacks or as someone for the family members to talk to post-humously. But that would be too Six Feet Under-ish, wouldn't it...?
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10-05-2006 @ 6:01PM
cathy said...
who sings the theme song to this show?!?!?1...i LOVE It and cant find in anywhere!!!
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10-10-2006 @ 10:41AM
DK said...
Nickelback - Far Away...this one?
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11-20-2006 @ 3:42PM
kat said...
This tv show has me in tears every time i watch it,I feel its hits right at home with most of its topics .All the actors are wonderful and i cant wait to see it very Sunday night.
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