“Parenthood,” which routinely makes me laugh and cry, is masterminded by the same guy who masterminded “Friday Night Lights.” It could be NBC’s highest-rated drama.
When we last left the Bravermans way back in February:
* Crosby married Jasmine after he tended to her marshmallow burn. IF you know what I mean.
* Sarah’s son Drew boned his girlfriend during the wedding party.
* Sarah’s daughter Amber decided to go back to work with her almost-boyfriend, city council candidate Bob Little.
* Adam’s daughter Haddie got into Cornell.
* Adam’s son Max befriended another differently abled kid.
* Sarah got proposed to by a high school teacher.
* Adam engineered a deal to sell Crosby’s recording studio, an act that would make them both millionaires.
* Julia and Joel adopted Victor, who looked like he might be older than daughter Sydney.
NBC says of the fourth season premiere, “Family Portrait”:
The Braverman family gathers for a family portrait before Haddie departs for college, while Kristina, Adam and Max have a hard time digesting the new change. Meanwhile, Julia and Joel struggle to adjust to their newly adopted son's behavior and worry about their family's future. Newlyweds Jasmine and Crosby disagree on the spiritual beliefs they should teach Jabbar. Mark proves his commitment to Sarah by altering a Braverman tradition, while she attempts to prove her worth as an assistant to photographer Hank Rizzoli. Also, Amber navigates a new job at The Luncheonette.
Notes in the text invisible:
* The season premiere picks up about five months after Crosby’s wedding.
* City council candidate Bob Little is not referenced at all in the first two episodes. Did the election already happen? If Kristina is still working for him, this goes unmentioned.
* In any case, Amber is no longer working for Bob Little. (She’s hanging around handsome rock stars instead.)
* Adam and Crosby are not millionaires this season, but somehow $60,000 was still scraped together to pay for Haddie’s first year at Cornell.
* We learn early on in the season opener that Sarah did give Mark an answer to his proposal.
* Photographer Hank Rizzoli is played by Ray Romano. He’s back next week, a recurring player. I like his character a lot. Though he doesn’t really blossom until next week, he does get perhaps the funniest line of the premiere: “No, leave it.” Made me laugh.
* The “Braverman tradition” referenced in the logline was precipitated by an old girlfriend of Crosby’s.
* Drew’s storyline doesn’t really get going until next week’s installment.
* The episode ends with Haddie getting on a plane to New York. She’s not around next week; has Sarah Ramos has left the series? Or does the second episode’s cliffhanger bring her back?
* Next week: a face familiar to fans of “Big Love.”
10 p.m. Tuesday. NBC.
Tonight’s fifth season premiere of “Sons of Anarchy” sees Jimmy Smits and Harold Perrineau join the cast.
It’s a great ride featuring unexpected incident and an unforgettable father/daughter scene.
Series mastermind Kurt Sutter may cry like a little bitch every time this show fails to pick up an Emmy nomination, but he did some fine scripting for tonight’s installment.
Keep your eye on Kim Coates as Tig Trager.
10 p.m. Tuesday. FX.
Also premiering tonight:
Bomb Girls (10pm Reelz)
Go On (9pm NBC)
Last week's Democratic National Convention was a boon to MSNBC and its Rachel Maddow-anchored coverage, while Fox News ratings shriveled up to almost nothing.
Tuesdays, July 24-Sept. 4, 2012
(adults 18-49; previous weeks in parentheses; repeats in gray)
2.7 (2.8) (2.4) (2.4) (0.9) (0.9) (2.5) MasterChef
2.6 (---) (---) (---) (---) (---) (2.6) Hell’s Kitchen
1.2 (0.8) (1.0) (1.0) (---) (---) (---) Counting Cars
1.2 (---) (---) (---) (---) (---) (---) DNC NBC
1.2 (1.2) (1.2) (1.1) (1.0) (1.0) (1.1) NCIS
1.1 (---) (---) (---) (---) (---) (---) DNC MSNBC
1.1 (1.7) (1.4) (1.6) (1.4) (1.2) (1.0) Teen Mom
1.0 (0.8) (1.0) (0.9) (0.9) (---) (0.8) Dance Moms
1.0 (1.1) (1.1) (1.1) (0.9) (1.0) (1.1) NCIS LA
1.0 (0.9) (1.1) (0.9) (---) (0.9) (0.9) White Collar
0.9 (---) (---) (---) (---) (---) (---) DNC CNN
0.9 (0.9) (0.8) (1.0) (0.8) (0.9) (0.8) Hardcore Pawn
0.9 (0.7) (0.9) (0.8) (---) (---) (---) Top Gear
0.8 (0.7) (0.9) (0.9) (---) (0.7) (1.0) Covert Affairs
0.8 (0.7) (---) (0.8) (0.7) (0.5) (0.8) The Daily Show
0.8 (---) (---) (---) (---) (---) (---) DNC ABC
0.8 (0.7) (0.8) (---) (---) (---) (---) Face Off
0.8 (0.6) (0.8) (0.6) (---) (---) (---) Happy Endings
0.8 (0.8) (0.8) (0.8) (0.7) (0.6) (0.8) The Middle
0.8 (---) (---) (---) (---) (---) (---) Pawn Stars
0.7 (---) (---) (---) (---) (---) (---) DNC CBS
0.7 (0.8) (0.8) (0.8) (0.6) (0.5) (0.7) Last Man Standing
0.6 (0.5) (0.6) (0.6) (0.4) (0.4) (---) Chopped
0.6 (0.6) (---) (0.5) (0.5) (0.3) (0.6) Colbert Report
0.6 (0.5) (0.4) (0.4) (0.4) (0.3) (0.5) Conan
0.6 (0.5) (0.6) (0.6) (---) (---) (---) Don’t Trust/Bitch
0.5 (0.7) (---) (---) (---) (---) (---) Abby & Brittany
0.5 (---) (---) (---) (---) (---) (---) Coma
0.5 (---) (---) (---) (---) (---) (---) Flipping Out
0.5 (0.5) (0.5) (0.6) (0.6) (1.0) (1.4) Tosh.0
0.4 (---) (---) (---) (---) (---) (---) DNC Fox News
0.4 (0.4) (0.4) (0.4) (0.3) (---) (0.4) House Hunters
0.4 (---) (---) (---) (---) (---) (---) Property Virgins
0.4 (0.4) (0.5) (0.5) (---) (---) (---) Week Women Went
0.3 (0.5) (0.2) (---) (---) (---) (0.2) Hannity
0.3 (0.4) (0.4) (0.3) (---) (---) (0.4) House Hunters Intl
0.3 (---) (---) (---) (---) (---) (---) Love It Or List It
0.3 (0.6) (---) (---) (---) (---) (---) 19 Kids/Counting
0.3 (0.4) (0.3) (0.3) (---) (---) (0.3) O’Reilly Factor
0.2 (0.2) (---) (---) (---) (---) (---) The Next
