Decision time on Parenthood
Moving on, major decisions and a momentous occasion all bring the Bravermans together in tonight’s season finale of Parenthood.
It’s unfortunate that Parenthood is ending its season so early, seeing as most season finales are scheduled for May. But it’s been a banner season for the Braverman family, filled with the usual trials and triumphs, humour and bittersweet moments. Easily one of the best, and underrated, shows on TV right now, tonight’s season finale does not disappoint.
Expect to laugh and shed a few tears as the unexpected realities of life hit home. Sarah (Lauren Graham) makes a difficult decision about her future, which may or may not include moving to New York with her boyfriend, played by Jason Ritter; brothers Crosby (Dax Shepard) and Adam (Peter Krause) decide whether to continue making music with their recording studio; and Julia (Erika Christensen) and Joel (Sam Jaeger) try to put the pieces of their life back together after the emotional ups and downs of trying to adopt a child.
But — spoiler alert! — amid all of the drama, there is something to celebrate as Crosby and Jasmine (Joy Bryant) finally get married. After two seasons of hoping for a reunion of the offbeat couple, who have a son together, last week’s episode finally saw Jasmine propose to Crosby.
“There’s always drama. You’re not going to get through an episode of Parenthood without feeling bad about your family . . . and then loving your family,” said Sarah Ramos, who plays Adam and Kristina’s teenage daughter, Haddie.
“The most fun is thinking that everything is fine, and then suddenly, something super-serious happens and you’re all emotional,” Ramos said during on-set interviews back in October.
Potter, Ramos’s TV mom, jumped in: “It’s so like real life.”
Parenthood pulls at the heartstrings, but it also knows when to pull back and avoid overt sentimentality and cliche. NBC hasn’t said whether Parenthood will return for a fourth season, but chances are good it will. Then again, this is NBC we’re talking about, a network not always known for making sound decisions. A few cases in point: cancelling Law & Order and Law & Order: Los Angeles; suspending Community; cancelling Freaks and Geeks (I know it was more than a decade ago, but it still hurts); NOT cancelling Whitney; and bringing back Fear Factor.
(Global – 8 p.m., NBC – 11 p.m.)