If you want to hook me on a TV drama, you don’t have to go for vampires, mobsters, or lifestyles of the rich and famous.
tnocs.com contributing author chuck small
Tell me the stories of a family, with attention to detail and believable characters played by actors who balance strength and subtlety.
If you want to throw in great music and pop-culture references, even better.
We’re coming near the end of NBC’s This Is Us, a series that has done all this for six seasons, and while I’ve enjoyed it (or at least most of it – every series has its “off” episodes), it’s just one of many I’ve liked.
Here’s a half-dozen that kept my attention enough to get the series on DVD when available.
Family (1976-1980, ABC)
For a show with a title so generic, this series was anything but – built on strong storytelling by creator Jay Presson Allen and initially produced by Mike Nichols, it told the tales of the Lawrences, an upper-middle-class California clan. What stands out is consistently strong acting from James Broderick (known today as the late father of Matthew) and Sada Thompson as parents Doug and Kate, and Meredith Baxter Birney, Gary Frank and Kristy McNichol as their offspring, Nancy, Willie and Buddy.
Sadly, while its first two seasons were released on DVD, later ones were not. What DVD viewers learn (or remember) is that Baxter Birney was not the first Nancy; brunette Elayne Heilveil was in season one, bringing a low-key vibe that contrasted with Baxter Birney’s tempestuous version. We also learn that another Lawrence sibling, Timmy (for whom Nancy’s child is named) died in an accident five years earlier. (In 1976, my dad wouldn’t have allowed 12-year-old me to be up late enough to watch season one. By the time I was watching it, this sibling wasn’t referenced.)
McNichol is a revelation, authentic and supportive as preteen Buddy. As her role led McNichol to stardom, Buddy would be thrust into lead storylines with varying degrees of success. Frank’s Willie earns a lot of respect from me for being committed to finding his own path (although the show does acknowledge the family’s relative financial privilege). And the relationship between the Lawrence parents is clearly loving but full of undercurrents that keep them from being boring.
Musically, the only thing to note is that the series theme from Season 2 on is not the same as the basic piano of the initial season.
thirtysomething (1987-1991, ABC)
This series’ lifespan was roughly a decade after that of Family, and just like Family, accurately captures the ’70s vibe, so too does this series distill the essence of the ’80s.
Loads of think-pieces abound concerning this seminal series (“seminal” in the way that its creators, Marshall Herskovitz and Edward Zwick, went on to create many other shows, and its cast later spread out all over TV – currently Ken Olin, this series’ Michael, is a director on This Is Us).
To me, what thirtysomething did so well was broaden the notion of family drama beyond blood relationships to friendships, acquaintances, affairs and co-workers, often showing the meaningful emotional connections between them.
Its third-season episode “Strangers” was culturally notable for being the first network series to show two men in bed together, but in true thirtysomething fashion, Russell and Peter are there having a meaningful conversation . (Seriously, I did like that the gay characters were portrayed as emotionally resonant, and complicated, as the straight ones.)
This series made it completely onto DVD, although collectors had to be patient for the final two seasons.
Musically, yes, there’s a storyline with Melissa working on a Carly Simon project, and yes, J.D. Souther of “You’re Only Lonely” and Souther-Hillman-Furay note has a significant acting role in season three as a co-worker of Hope’s to whom she feels a growing attraction. But the most significant musical contribution is the consistent acoustic, folky presence of the show’s soundtrack created by W.G. Snuffy Walden.
China Beach (1988-1991, ABC)
For a series not about music per se, it sure featured plenty of it – so much so that the production of the DVD set was delayed for years over rights to the dozens of Vietnam-era songs showcased throughout episodes (some of which were replaced on DVD). This series, about an American evacuation hospital in Vietnam in the late 1960s, pushed “family drama” to its limits, being about a dozen or so individuals who become family through the trauma of daily survival amid war.
By the series’ end, when a time jump takes the characters into the ’80s, the “family” portion becomes more literal. With John Sacret Young as executive producer, the series remained committed to showing the toll war takes on survivors as well as those who died.
It rightly made stars out of Dana Delany (McMurphy) and Marg Helgenberger (KC) and burnished the credentials of Michael Boatman (Beckett), Concetta Tomei (Lila), Troy Evans (Sarge), Jeff Kober (Dodger) and Robert Picardo (Dr. Richard).
The initial eight-episode summer season was, in part, about a musician – specifically, USO singer Laurette Barber (Chloe Webb), who finds in her short time on the beach romance, friendship and purpose as well as a harrowing, firsthand look at war. The DVD boxed set contains detailed notes that include the key songs in each episode, right up through the two-hour finale’s devastating use of Michael McDonald’s “I Can Let Go Now” at the Vietnam Veterans Memorial. Still, for most “China Beach” fans the song most associated with the series is Diana Ross and the Supremes’ “Reflections,” a No. 2 Billboard hit that was the show’s theme song for every episode except one (which featured Eric Burdon and Katrina and the Waves doing “We Gotta Get Out of This Place”).
My So-Called Life (1994-1995, ABC)
The DVD set is fittingly subtitled The Complete Series, since the show (created by Winnie Holzman and produced by thirtysomething’s Zwick and Herskovitz) didn’t survive to a second season.
That was a real shame. It took the conventions of Family and thirtysomething and spun them into a fresh look at adolescence in the ’90s. Claire Danes, the show’s lead as high-schooler Angela Chase, rightly propelled into other film and TV work, and Jared Leto, Devon Gummersall and Wilson Cruz also made their initial marks here. (Leto would later earn attention and acclaim in the music world in Thirty Seconds to Mars.)
Musically, the series is a primer to alternate rock and pop in the mid-’90s; a soundtrack released during the show’s brief run featured tracks by Archers of Loaf, The Lemonheads, Sonic Youth and Buffalo Tom, as well as a Juliana Hatfield track (“Make It Home”) that was featured prominently in a pivotal episode, “So-Called Angels.” Those who don’t have the DVDs but want to check the series out can find it streaming on Hulu.
Any Day Now (1998-2002, Lifetime)
ABC wasn’t the only network to feature family dramas. Cable outlet Lifetime tried a different approach with this series featuring Annie Potts and Lorraine Toussaint.
Set in Birmingham, Ala., the parallel stories of young white Mary Elizabeth and young black Rene in the ’60s and the women they’ve become by the late ’90s are emotionally resonant and frank in their depiction of racism. The dominant racist slur is used periodically both in past and present-day scenes, and a two-part episode dissects the ways the word has been and continues to be used. Amid the contemporary and decades-old storylines, there’s drama in both M.E. and Rene’s families as well as between the two women.
The show was stereotyped as “television for women,” perhaps because that was the network’s own tagline in the early ’90s. Still, it presaged a host of 21 st century dramas featuring multiracial casts and storylines. (It’s not available on DVD, but its episodes have been uploaded to YouTube.)
Music played a background role in both the ’60s and contemporary storylines. The theme song is Lori Perry’s version of the Burt Bacharach composition originally recorded by Chuck Jackson and remade in the ’80s by Ronnie Milsap.
American Dreams (2002-2005, NBC)
The last in this set owes a lot to its predecessors. Like Family, this drama tells the story of a clan – this time, the Irish Catholic Pryors of Philadelphia. Like China Beach and Any Day Now, the ’60s play a key role in American Dreams – but unlike the other series, this one is fully set in that decade.
Like My So-Called Life, the principal character is a teen, Meg Pryor (Brittany Snow), who becomes a regular dancer on American Bandstand. Like thirtysomething, storylines develop outside the lead family. Like Any Day Now, a key is the personal and societal relationships between the white Pryors and the black Walkers, the family of Henry, who works in and later co-owns the store of Meg’s father.
Unlike its predecessors, music is in the forefront of American Dreams. Meg’s role on Bandstand (a series that, in reality, left Philadelphia for Los Angeles in 1964) is a key part of seasons one and two set in 1963-65. Singers perform at a record store, a coffeehouse and a college campus. Top 40 songs are in the background throughout, posing a similar DVD licensing issue to that of “China Beach.” (Only season one of “American Dreams” ever made it to DVD.)
Created by Jonathan Prince and executive produced by Dick Clark, the series inventively used contemporary artists to play hitmakers of the ’60s performing on Bandstand (e.g., Michelle Branch as Lesley Gore, Ashanti as Dionne Warwick, and Kelly Rowland as Martha Reeves). And like China Beach and My-So Called Life, a soundtrack CD came out from this series, including its great theme song, “Generation,” from former Tonic lead Emerson Hart.
With a cast including Tom Verica (L.A. Law), Gail O’Grady (China Beach), Will Estes (Blue Bloods) and a grown-up Joey Lawrence (billed as “Joseph,” he’s quite effective in season one as Bandstand producer Michael Brooks), the show brought enough gravitas to balance the teenybopper enthusiasm of the Bandstand storylines. Unfortunately, it was cancelled before it could wrap up Meg’s growth in the challenging late ’60s. A key player in that maturation was her season three boyfriend, Chris, with whom she had sex for the first time. And who played Chris?
None other than Milo Ventimiglia, family patriarch Jack Pearson on This Is Us.
So, what’s your favorite family drama series? And did music play a part in your enjoyment of it?
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Great job!
I barely remember some of these, and I don’t think I watched ANY of them, save an episode here or there, but:
Thanks! Re: Dana Delany. Yes, that Moonlighting episode is classic and will always be what I think of when I hear the Isleys’ “This Old Heart of Mine.”
I didn’t watch any of these either, but was hooked on Northern Exposure. It was sort of a family drama, too, because everyone in the town were stuck with each other.
My husband and I watched the first episode of Northern Exposure for the scenery, and we were instantly hooked. Loved the first few seasons, although it never really recovered from the exit of the main character.
I’m with you on This is Us. I’ve also avoided it because I had a few friends watch it who were all like “omg, crying!” Didn’t think I wanted that in my life.
I first heard of Dana Delaney through her VA work on Superman: The Animated Series, actually! She’s the definitive Lois Lane for me, yes, maybe more than Margot Kidder.
There’s only two of these I’ve heard of; thirtysomething and My So Called Life. Think they were both shown over here on Channel 4, I was too young for thirtysomething and only have vague memories of MSCL. Those memories largely centre around Claire Danes who was my main focus of attention as a shallow teenager.
I don’t think we really do straightforward family ensemble dramas here. I can’t think of any that fit the mould of the six shows you’ve picked out. Not to say there aren’t any, maybe its my memory that’s the problem.
I guess you could call The Crown a family drama but they definitely couldn’t be described as a down to earth everyday family.
I didn’t watch any of these shows, but if we are talking about family shows with great sound tracks, it is hard to leave out The Wonder Years. I don’t know if it has ever been released on DVD, and there haven’t been many reruns on other networks because of those copyright issues mentioned above. An episode of The Wonder Years was the first time that I ever saw John Corbett, a regular on Northern Exposure, which VDog mentioned below.
I’ll second Wonder Years… I binged the entire series on Hulu last year, there are a few song replacements but nothing jarring (aside from the Joe Cocker wannabe on the opening theme). The show itself loses its focus toward the end (and man, does Kevin become unlikeable for a good chunk), but worth it overall.
If you’re a fan of unconventional family dramas, I highly recommend Six Feet Under… Great soundtrack and a stellar cast.
Agreed. It seems like a lot of shows that revolve around children lose focus and make the children unlikable as they age. Stranger Things is a prime example.
I haven’t seen Six Feet Under, but will try to check it out.
I can generally suspend my disbelief just enough to enjoy a program, but when the going got rough, I had always been able to tell myself, “It’s just a TV show.”
Until S3, E20 of “The Wonder Years.”
The episode revolves around the relationship between Kevin and Mr. Collins, his math teacher who pushes him to do better in the subject.
The only spoiler that ‘ll give is that I cried my eyes out.
That episode was a great one. I cried during several episodes of “The Wonder Years,” and this was one of them
I went through the whole series before it went off Netflix, and that episode is definitely a highlight. Another one I remember is when Kevin and Paul have a fight about Kevin leaving Paul out of his team in gym iirc. Won’t give away the ending, but with how they used “You’ve Got a Friend”, it just had me sobbing.
I paid $50 to get Hakeem Olajuwon’s autograph at a shopping center. I was excited to meet somebody I greatly admired, and was disappointed by his rudeness. I didn’t expect him to reach across the table and give me a man hug, but at least shake my hand. My avatar, unbeknownst to me, joined a Danica McKellar fan club. He had an autographed picture of her. We made a trade.
See, my favorite TV drama about family also heavily featured vampires.
Buffy the Vampire Slayer was a postmodern mishmash of genre and moods, including plenty of goofy humor, but still: most of its stylistic trappings were in the service of painting an impressionistic portrait of a teenager growing up and learning to face reality along with her friends and family. Great character arcs and dynamics, some gut wrenching moments as well as some really inspiring ones.
And a great soundtrack to boot! At least once the series got a little cultural traction, we got Bif Naked, Cibo Mato, The Breeders, Amy Mann, and Michelle Branch. Not to mention the Buffy cast themselves for one musical episode…
Buffy, Felicity and Angel (I know … one of these is not like the others) were all appointment viewing in our household, too. And I can see the broad definition of family that I was applying to “China Beach” being useful here, too. I tried to rein in my definition just a little or else I could get into not only these series but shows like Lost, which were amazing too, but a different sort of viewing experience than the ones I cited.
Supernatural couldn’t possibly be described as a family drama, although it does feature brothers. Two impossibly good-looking brothers, but that’s neither here nor there. The point is that the soundtrack was its own character. It leaned hard on classic rock, but there was also some classical, some jazz, some blues, and some alternative. Some dear obsessed soul made a playlist of songs featured on the show.
I haven’t watched the entire show, and I seriously doubt that I will, although I did see all of the first few seasons. But I do think that I will try to get through all 448 songs on the playlist someday.
https://open.spotify.com/playlist/4nE2LWxXeJ3p78qoNAJiJl
As someone who gave up SPN when I got to S7 or S8 in my binging but tuned in for the finale, I can safely assure you it’s not worth finishing lol. I’ll always have a soft spot for the first three seasons, though. It gave me Smallville vibes, and that was also still on early in SPN’S run iirc. I’d watch both every now and again but not often at the time they were on.
The music cues were often incredible! It’s how I discovered Jeff Beck’s version of “Superstitious”.
Then, this just lives rent-free in my head:
https://youtu.be/ATrldRAp5JY
I think that is about how far I got, and the storyline just wasn’t as good anymore. The creator intended it to be just five seasons, but it was extended because it was so popular. It was never as good again. Still, it hung on for TEN more seasons and still had viewers, so good for them.
I believe part of the reason that it kept on for so long is that the cast genuinely enjoyed working together and became good friends. If you like what you do and the people that you do it with, you’re better off than a whole lot of people.
And, of course, any show that introduces someone to Jeff Beck’s “Superstitious” has justified itself.
Yeah, when they got to repetitive angels and demons stuff, that’s where they kinda lost me. I get needing to sustain season-long arcs, but it was getting to be a little much.
The camaraderie several of those cast members shared definitely came across on screen. My brush with the fandom side of things might have been brief, but it was fun for a while. In fact, there’s one fan video made to the tune of a certain Taylor Swift number one that I’m DYING to share when we get there! I think I love it more than the actual song it’s parodying.
I know exactly the one you’re talking about. Can’t wait to read your take on it.
Great choices. As a child of the fifties, I grew up with the families of “Leave It To Beaver”, “the Donna Reed Show”, “Hazel”, “Here”s Daddy” etc. All middle class white families with, quote, “first world problems”. It wasn’t until “All In The Family” (and It’s many spinoffs) “Sanford and Son”, etc. that we got a different view of life.
You’ve led me to a different slant about families on television and I’ll present that down the road.
Lord, what mt58 has wrought!
Hey, I’m just the facilitator. All credit, and all hail, to Chuck, for the great article!
Sounds like you’ve got something cooking, DF?
Chuck’s great article got me to thinking about all the different ways television has featured families and when I get a chance I’ll send a column your way. Have a good one!
Hey, all, finally found some time to comment here! And I must say, I really love what mt has created here, the formatting looks great.
Of these dramas on the list, the only one I caught was My So-Called Life, and that was in high school when Sundance TV decided to re-run it for a time. Maybe unsurprising to y’all who know I’m all about 90s alternative, but it really resonated with me. I related to Angela in particular, as the shy, smart girl who wanted to be seen as more than that. But, I didn’t get those similar experiences she did. I didn’t even dye my hair (but wanted to)!
I also got really obsessed with the Buffalo Tom song they played. Just a great soundtrack overall. And “So-Called Angels” is such an incredibly moving episode, one that made me wonder why they ever would have canceled this. Little bit of a fun fact btw, the actor who played Brian Krakow was also in Dick as Kirsten Dunst’s stoner older brother!
Otherwise…didn’t really grow up with family dramas. Does Degrassi: The Next Generation count lol? I remember one summer just binging all the seasons they showed on MTV, think I got up to the college years. Way more addicting than I care to admit. I even watched some of the new episodes when I was a little bit into college.
Elated to see you here, @shadowboxer122 ! Thanks for the kind words, and please come visit often!
I will certainly make an effort! This site is a lot kinder on mobile than our other chit-chat location tbh.
In reply to @shadowboxer122 in particular, and everyone in general:
(I am in no way comparing, throwing stones, or being critical of other places.)
From the beginning of this ridiculous adventure, one my prime objectives was to make the user interface, as well as the look-and-feel as pleasant and easy to use as possible. I think about it a lot.
Everyone’s time is valuable, and I have no business asking folks to visit and participate if it’s going to be cumbersome. This is why I ask every Friday in my “Weekend Files” bit: “how am I doing, and how can I make it better?”
I appreciate the compliment, @shadowboxer122 and I always welcome all input and feedback.
I like what you wrote Chuck, I didn’t watch most of those series (“thirthysomething” was indeed broadcasted here, but I didn’t use to watch often the channel that played it and it was late at night, and I only saw a couple of episodes of “American Dreams”).
I tried to watch “This is Us”, but didn’t catch my attention when it was on my cable system and now that it was moved to a streaming service, I wouldn’t pay for it.
Edith! So glad to see you!
I certainly remember my mom being a big fan of thirtysomething, China Beach, and My So Called Life. And I remember usually leaving the living room because I found them uninteresting!
I kinda follow This is Us by reading the recaps, so I know what’s been going on, I’ve probably only watched maybe 3 actual episodes though.
I had to really ponder if I’ve watched family dramas over the years, but I’m hard pressed to come up with any. Now, I certainly recall watching The Waltons and Little House on the Prairie as a kid, but not to the extent I was really invested.
Only show I could come up with of recent times is HBO’s “Succession”. That’s a serious pinball machine of family drama going all over the place (older dad refusing to retire from his media mogul role because he’s not convinced any of his 4 kids are capable of running the business empire, siblings backstabbing among themselves, it’s a riveting mess)
Now, I know it’s nowhere near a traditional family drama, but SyFy’s “Resident Alien” hits all the feels. I laugh like a dope constantly (they had a scene this past season involving a dog and an octopus that was the greatest sight gag I’d seen in years, I could not stop laughing), I marvel at how Asta is the glue that holds this bonkers real/work/extraterrestrial family together, but then they throw in heart tugs with the Sheriff and his partner and their dynamic, or the besties Asta and Darcy with the kind of no holds barred friendship we all wish we had. It’s like “What We Do In The Shadows” – family can ultimately be what you choose it to be, but the family dynamic is still there.
So I guess you could say I like my family dramas disguised as absurd, thought provoking comedies!
My So-Called Life is one of my favorite shows of all time, and one that absolutely rewards multiple viewings. I watched it when MTV reran it in the mid-late ’90s, when I was in my ’20s, and still identified with the teenagers.
Since then I’ve watched it 2 or 3 more times, and with the last several, I’ve identified with the parents. And ths show cuts just as deeply both ways. When you’re watching for it, Patty and Graham’s marriage is just as central to the show as Angela’s longing for Jordan Catalano.
I really wish thirtysomething was streaming somewhere. I recently acquired through methods several seasons. While the interpersonal drama was the center of the show, the business drama was also very well done. Miles Drentel is an indelible character who seems like a predecessor of (or in my headcannon, protege of) Don Draper. The show was also one of the first TV shows that really tried for varied cinematic looks, and played with lighting and directing in ways that weren’t really seen on TV at the time, and presaged the birth of Prestige TV.
Spot on, Eric-J, regarding David Clennon’s Miles Drentel. Like the influence of his character as a template for future cold and calculating bosses, his performance was underrated as well.
I still drop the name for a laugh occasionally, along with a random, “Yo. It’s your art center!” 98% percent of the time, I get a weird stare back, but when someone gets these references, it’s a hilarious moment.
Your focus on Miles reminds me: His character made it over to a full arc on another series by the Zwick/Herskovitz crew, “Once and Again” with Billy Campbell and Sela Ward. It also was really good, and I could have easily included it in this article. Only left it out because I’d already included two series by those creators, music wasn’t as pivotal, and I didn’t want people to think I was on ABC’s payroll. (The one-season “Relativity” was another good one.)
Holy cow, the Miles crossover on Once And Again. I had completely forgotten about that! Another well-written show.
You showed tremendous restraint by leaving out of your excellent article!