In the realm of television, it's usually impossible to focus on one entertainment style for long periods of time. To combat this epidemic, television writers and producers have recently created the jam-packed, tear-jerking genre of "dramedy." These shows have more plot in their pilots than most successful programs have in an entire season; the new ABC show "Brothers and Sisters" is a prime example of one of these over-dramatic and ridiculously over-developed dramedies.
"Brothers and Sisters" focuses on the Los Angeles-based Walker family, with now-New Yorker Kitty (Calista Flockhart), a budding 38-year-old political commentator, at the forefront of the family portrait - a family portrait that includes no less than five siblings.
Her older sister Sarah (Rachel Griffiths) is experiencing marital troubles and struggles to keep her work and family life intact. Sarah and her husband have not been doing much "touching" as of late, a not-so-subtle foreshadowing of his repressed homosexuality, something that should surface in the next few weeks in an attempt to shock viewers.
Youngest sibling Justin (Dave Annable), perhaps the most intriguing child, is a pot-smoking veteran of the war in Afghanistan and an embarrassment to most of the family. Unfortunately, the captivating Justin becomes a vehicle through which the show addresses post-Sept. 11 concerns and questions as whether or not a bipartisan family can function.
Tommy (Balthazar Getty), with his average girlfriend, is the most normal sibling of all, while Kevin (Matthew Rhys) is the gay son accepted by his family but still insecure around his mother. This family's matriarch, Nora (Sally Field), cares for her family but misleads them, refusing to reconcile a tumultuous relationship with her daughter with whom she has not spoken for years.
Lastly, there is the father, William (Tom Skerritt), who, despite his old age, is conducting an exciting affair and Uncle Saul (Ron Rifkin), the money-laundering head honcho of the family business. With this complex web of characters, the first half hour of the show involves sex and thinly veiled innuendo.
Somehow, almost every family member has a current lover, an ex-lover and a future lover. The scenes from next week's episode promise even more drama with just five intriguing words: "I wish I was dead!"
With this intricate plotline, "Brothers and Sisters" should be constantly surprising, yet it manages to defy this expectation. The show is both melodramatic in its premise and excruciatingly predictable in its dialogue. More than once, the average viewer can easily guess what the next line will be. While this may be a confidence boost for viewers at home, it soon becomes monotonous and watching begins to feel like a chore.
Co-creator and writer Jon Robin Baitz hasn't honed his TV writing skills; if the lines were predictable but well-written, one could forgive, but alas, the cliches come at you full-force during the first 60 minutes of "Brothers and Sisters," a bad sign for the rest of the season to come.
The show still manages some strong performances. Flockhart and Field do the best that they can with their ridiculous lines, and Rifkin and Skerritt are able actors, which is to be expected, (any "Alias" fan knows how talented Rifkin can be on the small screen). The other cast members do not stand out or, in Griffith's case, are lacking in talent and give no depth to what should be profound and emotional scenes.
Every show needs a bit of drama, but so many plots with so many characters are overwhelming. One needs a family tree simply to sort out one brunette brother from the next. All families have some hectic moments and confusing experiences, but it seems unrealistic for there to be so many in such a short time. "7th Heaven," the sappy, painfully over-the-top WB (may you rest in peace) dramedy had a similar dysfunctional dynamic.
The majority of siblings do fight and have serious differences, but these "Brothers and Sisters" go through too much dysfunction in too little time.
