Long Story Short

If your family drama cannot be "Modern Family" or "Brothers and Sisters," then what can it be? It almost inevitably will be NBC's "Parenthood," a mid-season, post-Olympic experiment boldly launched in February, 2010. The "Parenthood" experiment tests the hypothesis that good writers and actors can find the middle ground between "Modern Family's" understated but outrageous satire and "Brothers and Sisters'" intensity. Producers Ron Howard and Brian Grazer are re-working the basic premise of Parenthood, the 1989 movie starring Steve Martin as a frazzled father trying with all his might to do the right thing for everyone he loves. The New York Times accurately observes, "'Parenthood,' with its polished scripts and beautifully shot exteriors, seems like a last gasp of television past," big-big production values and a cast of small-screen all-stars including Craig T. Nelson, Bonnie Bedelia, and Lauren Graham. "Parenthood's" plots and dialogue exploit the irony in everyday family life, winning empathetic laughs and wry smiles where other teams might push too hard for punchlines. Some of the dialogue has the same brilliant serrated edge that distinguished "Gilmore Girls," but, as Lauren Graham points out, "I do not have to talk so fast." Like all good comedy, the teasing and quirkiness are fundamentally good-natured, and every episode features at least one weep-worthy segment. Because "Parenthood" is not "Modern Family" or "Brothers and Sisters," it has become the rarest of rare productions at NBC"”a hit.

The Chris Gethard Show is a comedy and variety television show that premiered in 2011. It was created by comedian Chris Gethard and features a mix of comedy sketches, interviews, and performances from musicians and comedians. The show has been described as "weird," "experimental," and "unpredictable," and has developed a cult following over the years.

Family Tree is a comedy television series that aired on HBO and BBC Two in 2013. The show was created by Christopher Guest and Jim Piddock and starred Chris O'Dowd as Tom Chadwick, a young man who sets out to trace his family's genealogy after inheriting a mysterious box of belongings from his great-aunt.

Georgia Chamberlain knows she can act. In fact she is the most confident person around and considered to be one of those "larger than life" kinda people. Georgia Chamberlain is ably played by Raven-Symone (That's so Raven, Sunny With a Chance) who was actually born in Georgia. She has moved to New York to pursue her dreams which include becoming an actress. Her best friend Jo Pye is played by Majandra Delfino (Men of a Certain Age, Life As We Know It), who is more the science "geek" type. The two women are trying to make it in the "big city" and we've seen that story idea before but this time around the women seem tougher and even more determined to make it! Georgia's Aunt Honey (Loretta Devine from Grey's Anatomy, For Colored Girls) is somewhat of a nymphomaniac and loves to brag about her exploits to the young women and also doles out advice while listening to their problems. This is actually light hearted fun television in a family format.

"Psych TV Show" features slick psychic crime-fighter with no psychic gifts. Unlike most basic cable networks, USA has generated many of its own hit shows on the strength of excellent characters and situations enhanced by exceptional writing. As bigger networks go into hibernation between seasons, USA wisely introduces its powerhouse programming. Among the network's original scripted dramas, "Psych TV show" has become one of the favorites. Walking the margin between crime drama and satire with tongue very deeply in cheek, "Psych TV series" stars James Roday as a fast-talking, exceptionally observant private investigator who manages to persuade the Santa Barbara police that he actually is a psychic. The backstory shows the tension between father and son, and it emphasizes how dad trained Shawn to pay attention to the most minute details, coincidences, and anomalies in everything he observes. Acute powers of observation easily pass for mystic revelations, and a healthy dose of wise-cracking charisma seals the deal. Over the objections of his disapproving police officer father, law enforcement officials reluctantly hire Shawn Spencer, psychic, to assist with solving their most challenging cases. Of course, Spenser and his reluctant sidekick Gus, brilliantly brought to life by Dule Hill, succeed where others fail.

Seth Rogen plays a movie-obsessed studio head navigating Hollywood chaos in this sharp Apple TV+ comedy. A loving valentine to cinema wrapped in industry satire.