BFFL Best Friends For Life

Sally Field is just a phenom. I'm old enough that I remember her from old old TV shows, but none of that would tell you how good she was. It was in Sybil that you really first looked at her onscreen and said "wow".

In her new show, "Brothers and Sisters", she still makes you say "wow". It helps that she is surrounded with actors that all brought their A-game, including Calista Flockhart.

This show about how a large family of wildly varying personalities copes with adversity really has something that almost anyone can relate to. Differing politics, infidelity, impotence, sexual orientation, financial problems and more all get crammed into the lives of this quirky but likable family.

The basic premise is this: Mom and dad have been together forever and have lived a storybook marriage. They have not only raised 5 great kids, but built a thriving business that has allowed them to live a better than average lifestyle, which would include attending fundraising dinners for $25,0000 a table.

All of the kids, except one daughter, have stayed near home. Two work in the business. One is the family lawyer, and the youngest went to war and is having "adjustment" issues since his return.

Then things get interesting: The far-away daughter moves home to pursue a TV gig that happens to be near mom and dad. The dad dies almost as soon as she gets to town. Right after he dies, everyone discovers that dad had a 15 year affair, and that mom knew. Worse yet, dad seems to have embezzled money from his company before he died, which has put the entire business at great financial risk.

One of the sons discovers that he is impotent. The TV daughter ends her long term relationship and tries to discover what she wants. The oldest daughter has to take over the company and steer out of the problems left by her dad. The gay lawyer son finally decides that it might be OK to date. And so on and so on.

The acting is strong all around. The pace is slow often, but the moments that hit you are visceral. If the show can find an audience and stick around a little while, it could be a winner.

Labels: tv