It still doesn’t feel completely realistic and there are occasional blunders, but NBC’s Parenthood apparently is doing well enough that it has been renewed for a second season.
The show, which is set in Berkeley, stars Peter Krause, Lauren Graham, Craig T. Nelson, Dax Shepard, Erika Christensen, and Bonnie Bedelia.
NBC entertainment chief Angela Bromstad said in a statement that the network was gratified to bring back this “multi-layered and compelling series about an extended American family.”
Apparently, the real reason is that well-to-do people are watching the show, according to the Los Angeles Times. “The network said the show has one of the highest concentrations of homes with incomes of over $100,000 in the adults 18-49 demographic,” according to the Times. Obviously that translates into advertising dollars.
When the show first came on, Berkeleyside pointed out that it didn’t really feel like Berkeley. The characters were too white, their houses were too big, the women didn’t dress in baggy Eileen Fisher clothes, and the high school looked nothing like Berkeley High.
In a shot a few weeks ago, a yellow school bus was painted “Marin County School District.” Well, that was a gaffe since Berkeley is in Alameda County.
But recently the producers have been inserting Peet’s distinctive tribal/ethnic coffee cups into random scenes to lend a sense of authenticity.
And one of the sons discovered he had a five-year old multiracial son that he never knew about. Now that feels realistic.
Perhaps Berkeleyside should take the initiative and tell the producers what aspects of Berkeley life they can put in the show to make it feel more like our city. What would you add?
