Being an only child isn't a bad thing, but when you find out you might have hundreds of siblings, life becomes a bit more complicated.

On Almost Family Season 1 Episode 1, we delve into the world of an unscrupulous fertility doctor and the effects of his actions.

Almost Family tries to deal with several issues during it's first hour, but the overall theme is about family and what makes people family.

Julia works for her father, Dr. Leon Bechley, a respected and successful fertilifty doctor.

She's an only child and seemingly adores her father until she learns that he might have "fathered" hundreds of children to give his clients a better chance at bringing a baby into the world.

It's not an easy pill to swallow. She wants to hate her father but also wants to protect him.

She has several issues of her own like not being in a stable relationship and resorting to lunch dates with guys and then having sex with them in the bathroom.

She's looking for fulfillment in all the wrong places. Maybe it's not a man she needs but friends to help put her on the right track.

Rather quickly, she gets her wish in the form of two sisters. One, Edie, is an enemy of sorts because she stole Julia's old boyfriend. The other one is Roxy, an athlete with an attitude.

Julia is quick to accept them both into her world once they learn they're related. However, I'm not necessarily sure I buy how quickly the three become friends.

She barely knows Roxy only having met her in the clinic. And she has a bad history with Edie. Yet, they all come together and by the end of the hour are sitting around the table like old friends.

Along with that, Julia is trying to deal with her father's revelation, Roxy is having problems with her career and her parents, and Edie is having marital problems.

The story and the characters are interesting enough, but whether or not it can sustain its momentum for an entire season is unclear.

And I hate to say it, but where the story might be going is entirely predictable.

Julia and Leon will struggle with their relationship. Julia and Tim might get back together now that Edie has wandered down a different path.

Julia is going to help Roxy with her drug and personality issues. Leon may or may not go to jail.

There will be lawsuits, and other siblings will enter the three main characters' lives providing some texture.

It's not necessarily bad, but it's not fresh either.

The theme of what makes a family is the most appealing. And that's going to be a theme that is heavily explored as the three women delve into their new relationships with each other.

They work well together, and they make a great team, but at the end of the day, will we care?

Julia trying to protect and support her father is understandable. He's her father, and the love a child has for a parent is like no other.

However, as the severity of Leon's activities expand, it might be difficult to have sympathy for her character.

She already has a woe is me complex. She's complained about working for her father, not pursuing her dreams of becoming a doctor herself, and then dealing with her father's current issues.

It's trite and makes her the least interesting out of the three.

Edie isn't any better. Her marriage is faltering. Instead of trying to work things out, she decides to engage in an affair with another woman who turns out to be the prosecuting attorney in Leon's case.

That leaves the door open for Tim and Julia to rekindle their college romance.

Maybe everyone will be happy all around, who knows. But again, who cares?

Roxy is my favorite out of the three, but she's also cliched.

She's a former ex-Olympic athlete with a drug and attitude problem. She doesn't get along with her parents who she thinks are trying to smother her.

Now, she's found two kindred spirits in Julia and Edie who will inevitably help get her life back on track. They might even help her reconnect with her parents.

And in essence, the three of them will become not only blood family but a family -- people you can depend on in times of need.

That's not much to chomp on here especially if there isn't a fresh perspective. And it doesn't appear that a fresh perspective is what we're getting with this series.

What did you think of Almost Family?