More Parenthood Issues

NBC's "Parenthood" has taken quite an interesting turn in the past couple of weeks. While other NBC shows have been failing simply for being on NBC, "Parenthood" continues to be intriguing . . . though not always for the right reasons. I'll explain shortly.

In the latest plot twist, the two Braverman brothers, Adam and Crosby, have apparently switched personalities; the cautious Adam has become more reckless, and the irresponsible Crosby has become the adult in the room. The two brothers have opened a recording studio together, and when they make an attempt at accommodating neo-soul and hip-hop artist Cee Lo Green (who played himself) for a session, Adam is convinced they can pull everything together in a day or two; Crosby, who knows a thing or two about professional recording, is aware of the logistical difficulties involved and gets impatient with Adam for his naïveté. They manage to pull the Cee Lo Green session off, after more than a few hitches, but the married Adam's self-control unravels to the point where he ends up engaged in a passionate kiss with Rachel, his and Crosby's new secretary. Crosby, whose sexual selfishness destroyed his engagement to Jasmine, manages to avoid such temptations. In the next episode, Adam's wife Kristina finds out about his indiscretion. If the pattern holds, the series will go on hiatus for December, and so a huge cliffhanger is in the offing for next Tuesday.

And while all this is going on, Julia is going to adopt the unborn child of the barista girl at her law firm after all. The unwed mother-to-be didn't want to give her baby to anyone she knew personally . . . until she saw first-hand what great parents Julia and her husband were to their little girl.

Now for a more unwelcome turn. For much of the show's existence so far, interracial relationships have been part of the storylines. As noted, Crosby and Jasmine broke up acrimoniously. But Adam's daughter Haddie suddenly found herself unattached when her black boyfriend Alex felt he had no alternative but to break up with her after being arrested for assault. Although cleared of the charges, he decided that his violent past was too much of an impediment in his and Haddie's relationship. Alex has completely disappeared. Meanwhile, Jasmine has begun dating a pediatrician who, like herself, is black, although Crosby is jealous not because of Jasmine but because of his and Jasmine's son, whom he feels is spending way too much time with her new boyfriend. Oh yeah, there have been recent episodes where Joy Bryant, who plays Jasmine, doesn't show up at all - or she makes an appearance that feels more like a walk-on.

I'm suspecting that, despite the increase in the number of interracial unions in America - and even the President of the United States is a product of one - advertisers are still reluctant to sponsor a show that deals with them. Both NBC and the writers and producers of "Parenthood" must have caved in to outside pressure, as the show seems to be deviating further from this once-vital plot device. I'm pining for the days when Norman Lear could put an interracial couple on one of his shows and make viewers like it, but in an age of growing ethnic paranoia, and at a time when NBC is one Nielsen report away from being liquidated, the pressure to avoid the exploration of such relationships on "Parenthood" must be too great for producers Jason Katims, Ron Howard and Brian Grazer to withstand. (Remember, this is all speculation; I can't say for sure that this is the case.)

Oh, yeah, few if any of NBC's other current shows are meeting their ridiculously low expectations . . .but that's another post.