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"Parenthood"

A man hires a young assistant who has a habit of dressing in a provocative way. The man is married; he feels drawn to the assistant. On a rainy night, he drives the assistant home, walks her to her door, and offers a consoling hug. The assistant goes for a kiss. The man pulls away; he is fully innocent, right? Or maybe not?

A child with Asperger's wants to sit with his cousin. The two get along; the seating arrangement really works for both kids. Except that the rigidity of the arrangement becomes problematic. How do you explain to the child with Asperger's that his friend has a lower "rigidity-tolerance"? Do you use the word "Asperger's"? What should a child know--and not know--about himself?

"Parenthood" has reasonably low stakes, by TV standards. No one is going to blow up the White House. No one is a spy; no one is mole.

And yet the situations are compelling. You almost feel that you're watching a thriller. This is because the scenarios are so close-to-the bone; nearly everyone has had a marital squabble or told a half-truth to a friend. It's also because the writers do stuch a fine job staying "in the shadows"; much of any conversation is in a gray area, and we can never really know everything that is happening behind another set of eyes.

The TV critic Emily Nussbaum said that "Parenthood" really addresses how a system works--how faulty parts can be ignored, until they can't. How the person at the top can set a tone without realizing he has set a tone. How secrets and lies are inevitable, even when intentions are admirable.

When "Parenthood" aired, Nussbaum called it one of only two great network dramas in recent history. (The other was "The Good Wife.") I agree. I can't stop thinking about the Bravermans. Well, I can--but they tend to creep back into my thoughts. The show has been a nice "discovery" for me (it never did especially well with viewers, despite strong reviews, for six seasons)--and I really recommend it (at least Season Three, which is the one I jumped to, on a Times recommendation).

On its best nights, "Parenthood" helps me see my own situation a bit more clearly, and that feeling is both entertaining and like a small dose of therapy. Recommended.
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