I Netflixed the first four episodes of the 1970s drama "Family," which I remember watching with my mom and loving. (Seasons one and two are on DVD now, woo!) You may remember it best for the cast -- Kristy McNichol as Buddy, Meredith Baxter as Nancy, and Matthew Broderick's dad, James, as their dad, Doug Lawrence. (Baxter was recast, I discovered by watching the first four shows...the original sister was brunette.)
It's just a classy drama, which is why I was kind of shocked that Aaron Spelling's name is all over it. Family members have actual conversations. They don't do cliched or slapsticky things (well, not too often). The kids are actually spread out in age (I think they begin at 21, 17, and 11, or something), which was much more relatable to me and the families I knew than the stairstep ages of "The Brady Bunch." Kristy McNichol's character is an aunt even though she's only about 11 -- I became an aunt at just 10 months myself.
It's also just dripping with 1970s. Wearing seatbelts is optional. Pregnant women drink. Sada Thompson, as mom Kate Lawrence, confesses she didn't want all her pregnancies and actually made an apointment to have an abortion (of course Kristy McNichol's character overhears this, whoops). Moms don't drive giant SUVs, they drive station wagons, and yet still manage to fit everyone and everything in them just fine. It's a wonderful show, and after just half an episode, I seem to have gotten Rob hooked on it, too.
It's just a classy drama, which is why I was kind of shocked that Aaron Spelling's name is all over it. Family members have actual conversations. They don't do cliched or slapsticky things (well, not too often). The kids are actually spread out in age (I think they begin at 21, 17, and 11, or something), which was much more relatable to me and the families I knew than the stairstep ages of "The Brady Bunch." Kristy McNichol's character is an aunt even though she's only about 11 -- I became an aunt at just 10 months myself.
It's also just dripping with 1970s. Wearing seatbelts is optional. Pregnant women drink. Sada Thompson, as mom Kate Lawrence, confesses she didn't want all her pregnancies and actually made an apointment to have an abortion (of course Kristy McNichol's character overhears this, whoops). Moms don't drive giant SUVs, they drive station wagons, and yet still manage to fit everyone and everything in them just fine. It's a wonderful show, and after just half an episode, I seem to have gotten Rob hooked on it, too.
2 comments:
Oh my gosh, that was my fav-or-ite show! Then they got, whatsername, Quinn Cummings? and jumped the shark.
Wow, I had forgotten about that show. Thanks for reminding me! I'm off to Netflix.
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