Parenthood (the tv show)
Last week was the final episode of the NBC show Parenthood. To the regular cynical tv watcher Parenthood appears on the surface to be a lame show about one annoying family. Which in all reality it was, but for some reason I really enjoyed watching it. I was not a die hard fan who watched it every week or recorded it. I watched it when it premiered and then kinda lost track of it but was happy to see it when I happened to be sitting on the couch Thursday evenings or would see it on Netflix or Hulu.
Over the years I would mention the show to friends and came to learn that lots of people actually watched the show. I remember confessing to one of my college roommates that I could count on crying each and every episode. There was always some sort of conflict (divorce, cancer, family strife, etc.) or some sort of sappy resolution or moment that was relatable that made me get a bit weepy. It was a bit of a game Mike and I played to see if either one of us was crying at any given plot twist in the show. With so many characters in the family and on the show there was always someone or something you could relate to.
There was definitely an underground/unexpected fanship for the show. This became most obvious when I found a slew of Buzzfeed articles about the characters and plot lines. My all time favorite article is from a few years back- it was a power ranking of the Bravermans (the family on the show) and called out the worst/best part of each character. No one was super likable they were all just very similar to people you know or those in your own family.
Most recently after having Mo I binged on this final season and caught up with the characters. And over the weekend we sat down in bed and watched the last episode. I cried! And I realized I was going to miss these characters- it was really embarrassing. So in short, if you find yourself at home with a baby or the flu- go ahead and binge on Parenthood you might like it.
xx Ly