Brothers & Sisters - TV Fanatic

ABC Axes Six Shows

matt@mediavine.com (Matt Richenthal) — Fri, 13 May 2011 17:13:47 EST

ABC brought the axe down on a number of shows today, some new, others that were more established and popular. The six casualties were:

V
No Ordinary Family
Mr. Sunshine
Brothers & Sisters
Off the Map
Detroit 1-8-7

The network also announced official pick-ups for 12 new shows. They include Charlie's Angels and a new comedy from Tim Allen.

Visit TV Fanatic throughout next week, as ABC and all other networks officially present their fall schedules. We'll be posting new descriptions, scoops and trailers live from the Upfronts in New York!

Brothers & Sisters Season Finale Review: It's Never Too Late ...

steve@iscribelimited.com (Steve Marsi) — Mon, 09 May 2011 06:33:11 EST

... to be what you might have been. - George Eliot

With the requisite pre-wedding chaos, twists and tear-jerking moments abound from endearing characters, Brothers & Sisters concluded its fifth season Sunday.

The amusingly-titled "Walker Down the Aisle" featured Tommy doing just that, returning to escort his big sister as she tied the knot for a second time with Luc.

There's a lot going on elsewhere on relationship fronts. Saul is worried about going to the next level with Jonathan, while Justin has strong feelings for Tyler.

Oh, and Kitty is pregnant with Seth’s baby. [crickets]

Before the wedding, Luc is thrown off when his mom, Gabriela, arrives without his dad, who he was expecting to see with his mother for the first time in, oh, decades.

Luc frets that something happened he's unaware of, while Paige's boyfriend is allowed at the reception but not the wedding, and Brody is persona non grata, period.

That all-encompassing ban doesn’t stop him from creeping, parking outside the church just to get a glimpse of Sarah on her big day. That is his daughter, after all.

Just before the ceremony, father and daughter meet and share a moment.

The necklace she’s wearing is the same one Brody gave to Nora. Sarah feels like she’s going to fall, but her dad promises to catch her if she does. Cue river of tears!

Brody fills in for Tommy to give away his daughter at the ceremony, and Sarah is once again a beautiful bride as she exchanges vows with Luc. It's pretty wonderful.

At the reception, Luc learns that his dad is broke.

Gabriela didn’t want to negatively impact the image her son’s always had of him, but now that she's come clean about that, Luc's image of her has improved greatly.

As the reception kicks into gear, the surprises keep coming. Namely that Kitty is actually excited about her pregnancy. Seth has some serious reservations, though.

Mainly he's worried about how it will affect Kitty and her health. The guy seems to really care about her. It will be interesting to see where this goes next season.

Meanwhile, Jonathan asks Saul to marry him and he agrees! Bad form to get engaged at someone else's wedding, but how can you not be happy for the guy?

Justin has a bit of a breakthrough with Tyler, who had been trying to keep her failed marriage a secret, but is now happy just to be with Justin. They're sweet.

After Kevin, Tommy, Saul, Scotty and Cooper join Luc on an impromptu rendition of “Baby, I Need Your Lovin’”, Sarah is stunned when her sister shows up.

Her half-sister Lori Lynn, as in Brody’s other daughter. Awkward!

Still, it seems Sarah has come to grips with the changes in her life and is embracing them come what may. Just look at the way she and Brody danced together.

In a poignant ending, Nora closes out the night with a voiceover laced with reflection upon the past and a look ahead to the brighter days just in front of us.

Not surprisingly, this seemed constructed to potentially close out the whole series, should ABC not bring it back, while also leaving open options for next year.

What did you think of the Brothers & Sisters season finale, and the fifth season as a whole? Do you want to see it come back in the fall? Discuss below.

Brothers & Sisters Review: "For Better or For Worse"

steve@iscribelimited.com (Steve Marsi) — Mon, 02 May 2011 06:30:45 EST

The Walkers confronted their latest paternity/maternity scandals last night in "For Better or For Worse," with the requisite twists, turns and emotional turmoil.

Sarah made it quite clear that she doesn't want her real father, Brody, in her life. Or Nora's. This puts Sarah's widowed mother in a difficult situation, clearly.

We flash back to decades earlier, when Nora faced another difficult Brody situation. She broke the news to him that William Walker asked her to marry him.

She and Brody had powerful feelings for one another even then.

Meanwhile, the life of Justin Walker may not involve questions of paternity, but it is getting more and more complicated as he receives a blast from the past as well.

Remember Tyler? The girl he fell out of the treehouse with naked?

That was classic. Anyway, she just happens to work at the hotel where Sarah and Luc are getting married. What are the odds. After Justin apologizes for how things ended, the two agree to meet up after Luc’s bachelor party later.

No way that could become a problem ...

Naturally, Sarah and Kitty, who makes a rare appearance this week, make plans to crash the bachelor party. Right. Because that happens. We'll give Sarah a pass, though.

She's reeling from all the Brody drama, even wondering if her mom would choose a guy over her. Not a question a mother of five typically gets from her grown daughter.

Time for another flashback, this one to the day Sarah was born, when William convinced Brody that Sarah would be better off with him as her dad and Brody walked away.

That was awfully calculated, but clearly it helped keep the secret for 35-plus years.

Luc’s cousins are living it up at the bachelor party but the Walkers are way too worried about their kids, their fiance, their ex-fling, etc. Put down the phones, you guys!

Soon they have a real crisis to respond to, when Olivia runs back to the group home, upset that Kevin and Scotty jumped right into dad duty with Michelle's baby Daniel.

Having felt like an outsider for so long, she now feels like one again, unwanted in her own home. The guys convince her that she's wanted and needed more than ever.

Back at the hotel, Tyler is waiting for Justin ... and waiting to tell him a secret. No love child this time (you honestly never know on this show). But she’s separated.

Married, but separated. Tyler barely speaks to her husband. She shares a kiss with Justin and you can't help but wonder whether this is the good break she covets.

As the episode concludes, Sarah decides to talk it out with Nora, which may have gone better had she not found her asleep in Brody's arms. That's gonna be awkward ...

What did you think of this week's B&S? Discuss below.

Brothers & Sisters Review: "Father Unknown"

steve@iscribelimited.com (Steve Marsi) — Mon, 25 Apr 2011 06:32:41 EST

A whole mess of Walker family secrets were revealed in last night's Brothers & Sisters episode, "Father Unknown" - even by the ABC drama's exceedingly high standards!

We begin with Nora, who is understandably still shaken up by the whole Brody situation. Her Brody situation. She doesn't even know that Brody could be Sarah’s father.

Well, until Justin blurts it out and the race for the secret DNA test is on.

Nora has one of Brody’s old hats; now they need a sample from Sarah. Remember when they pulled out a piece of Rebecca's hair back in the day? So much DNA drama.

This plays out alongside a SECOND parental mystery, one Justin is also caught in the middle of. He agrees, at Kevin's request, to keep the Michelle situation on the DL.

Kevin and Scotty desperately try to track their possible surrogate baby mama down.

They learn through their P.I. that Michelle has a boy named Daniel. However, she's disappeared into the wind for now ... until Scotty gets a text message from her.

Afraid they will take her baby away, Michelle is hesitant to meet the guys. Without telling his husband, Scotty assures his friend that they will work something out.

Kevin answers a follow-up phone call from Michelle and loses his mind, of course, sparking fear in Michelle and causing her to cut off all contact with both men.

All the secret-keeping is taking its toll on Justin. He comes clean to his mom about Sarah’s secret cruise plans AND that Michelle may have had Kevin's child.

Justin goes on to tell Kevin about Brody potentially being Sarah’s father.

Nora and Kevin need a drink, and so do we. This is an awful lot of info to process in the span of one episode, with the stakes seemingly rising by the minute.

The test results come back and Brody is, in fact, the father of Sarah. Nora takes it in stride, at least for the moment. He's gone and that's all there is to it.

How Sarah reacts will be another story. Somehow taking it in stride is now what we expect, nor do we expect we've seen the last of Beau Bridges' Brody.

Then comes the surprise twist in the Michelle situation. Justin arrives with baby Daniel in tow. Michelle came to his house, left the baby and just took off.

Kevin and Scotty are stunned, as is Olivia, who's going to want to know why this baby suddenly showed up. Kevin and Scotty are going to have their hands full.

Did she really just abandon their son and split? So they've gone to these great lengths to take in Olivia, and now the biological child they wanted is theirs.

Interesting, albeit highly unrealistic. Think we'll ever see Michelle again, or was this it? Could the baby later be revealed to NOT be theirs? So many possibilities.

While all this was going on, Saul suggested Luc and Sarah sign a prenup. Not happening. Although there was the mistaking of a pile of sheet music for said prenup.

You don't see that every day.

What did you think of this week's Brothers & Sisters? Will stuff really hit the fan next week? Are you enjoying the storylines playing out this spring?

Brothers & Sisters Review: So Many Paternity Mysteries!

steve@iscribelimited.com (Steve Marsi) — Mon, 18 Apr 2011 08:06:27 EST

The Walker family has more secrets than the CIA. On Sunday's Brothers & Sisters, Brody and Michelle contributed new paternity mysteries to the ever-evolving Walker lore.

Beau Bridges' Brody is smitten with Nora. That's so great, except on B&S, it's never that simple. Cue Justin catching Brody sweating in the kitchen. Like, really sweating.

While Brody woos Nora and invites her to join him as he manages a baseball team in Fresno, Justin’s paramedic partner hacks a computer to peep Brody’s medical records.

It turns out Brody's got a clean bill of health, but ASTOUNDINGLY, Justin uncovers an even bigger secret. Brody totally lied about the possibility that he could be Sarah’s dad.

I've always liked this show and its characters, but at a certain point it gets hard to take paternity mysteries seriously. The first time, sure. The second? Eh. The THIRD?

Justin wants Brody to tell his mom the truth, but he’s afraid of what that will do to the relationship. Meanwhile, Nora says she’ll go to Fresno with Brody. The plot thickens!

In the end, you knew Nora wasn't going to Fresno and you knew Beau Bridges wasn't staying put. So this gave Brody the out that he needs, and he leaves as she sleeps.

Sarah is better off thinking William is her father, he believes, and even if Brody’s departure will crush Nora, she has her family to get her through. A little disappointing.

In other questionable paternity news, Scotty runs into Michelle on the street. It's strange to see Roxy Olin back after her mom, Patricia Wettig, left the show this year.

Wouldn't you know it, she's very scattered and reluctant to talk! Scotty worries that she blames herself for the miscarriage, but clearly it's something else eating her.

Olivia overhears and has serious concerns, but those are quickly assuaged compared to what they think is up with Michelle, and glean through trademark sleuthing.

Tracking her down at the airport, Kevin and Scotty are halted as they try to stop Michelle, holding a baby in her arms as she disappears out of sight. Such melodrama!

Do we think Michelle really had their baby after all and kept it for herself? That's the obvious implication here, and a very predictable one as soon as she reappeared.

Once again, Brothers & Sisters goes back to the well of the child whose lineage has yet to be established. This could go in a number of directions, but just feels forced.

Meanwhile, Sarah is going crazy at the thought of unloading her house in just one week, and completely rearranges Luc's art studio. That's just the tip of the iceberg.

Despite the success of his art show, Luc is upset because Sarah put the house on the market without bothering to mention it. It's his home too, and he's totally right.

For now, the sale is on hold. At least these two seem to connect and communicate well despite ups and downs and the obvious obstacles a young relationship faces.

Next week, Justin keeps the closely guarded secret about Sarah, while Scotty makes a shocking discovery that will bring a new life into the Walker family fold.

Thoughts? Too much paternity mystery drama or just what the doctor ordered?

Brothers & Sisters Review: Never Say Never ...

steve@iscribelimited.com (Steve Marsi) — Mon, 11 Apr 2011 07:43:45 EST

Brothers & Sisters returned to ABC with a two-hour episode this week.

Did "Olivia's Choice" and "Never Say Never" make up for lost time and right the ship, or sputter as much of this season has so far? I'd say somewhere in between.

No sooner did the episode begin than another wrench was thrown into Kevin and Scotty's plan for domestic bliss. Olivia's brother, Brian, is filing for custody of her.

Kevin and Scotty have no choice but to appear before a judge, which goes horribly wrong once they learn that Brian is not a fan of the fact that they're gay dads.

Who would have guessed that Lily would be the unlikely hero in this adoption saga? The missing dog brought home a companion, which Nora welcomed in with open arms.

Olivia sees a bit of herself in the dog and how she was embraced unconditionally by the Walkers, telling the judge as much. Naturally, the judge rules for Kevin and Scotty.

After some words from Nora, Brian cools off and even joins Olivia and her two dads for dinner. Happy as this was for everyone involved, it seemed to end a little smoothly.

Showing up out of nowhere and being so against them, it's hard to believe Brian came around so fast. A little melodramatic, but that's B&S for you. It was very sweet.

Good thing Lily was found by the time Brody came back. More on that briefly.

Luc's going to be busting his tail 10 hours a day now at the gallery so the wedding plans need to get cracking. Sarah seems like she's dragging her feet just a little there.

Kitty is yearning for Seth, but he's dating someone named Berklee. Great name. Sarah convinces her to crash Seth's date with her and Luc serving as backup. Fun stuff.

While Seth figured out what this romantic black ops team was up to and pulled the plug, he ended up giving Berklee the heave-ho later, clearing the way for a Kitty kiss.

A bit of a cheesy way to bring these too back together, but we do enjoy Ryan Devlin's character and Sarah's complete lack of subtlety, so we'll consider this a success.

Brody's back in town and Nora's thrilled about it, but things take a turn for the worse for an entirely unrelated reason. Nora receives word that her mother passed away.

Due to contractual situations with ABC prior obligations, Tommy and Kitty won’t be there at the funeral, but the rest of the Walker kids are asked to speak at the service.

Ida was never too fond of Kevin, in his mind, so he's not a fan of the idea. Meanwhile, Nora goes into freakish Nora mode, planning up a storm, while Saul is crushed.

Nora's struggles with the eulogy dovetailed with her difficulties resolving the situation with Brody, who she says left her long ago to chase his own dreams, but who is back now.

For the moment. Will he stay? With a little coaxing from Sarah, Broady decides he's going to step up and chase his dreams once again - only this time right here in Pasadena.

Brody steps up to take her home after Nora breaks down post-eulogy. Only then does he admit that he didn't just come back for Lily, but for Nora too. Touching and poignant.

Ida's passing touched everyone in their own way.

Justin fears he may end up just like her, never finding someone after losing a spouse. He's also turning 30 this week, which Kevin reminds him is just the start of a new chapter.

Finally, Ida left behind was a letter addressed to Saul, which he feels will reveal how ashamed she was of him for being gay. In reality, all she wanted was for him to be happy.

Perhaps with Jonathan, he finally can be. And perhaps Scotty's mom, who was trying to overcompensate by doting on Olivia, can finally make things right with her own son.

"Never Say Never" was an appropriate title for an episode all about longing for things that the characters felt eluded them long ago, but which they still have a chance to grasp.

Family is family, and even though no one's perfect, the Walkers past and present have done what they can. That's worthy of a toast, and a reasonably strong double episode.

Do you agree? Share your thoughts below.

Brothers & Sisters Sneak Peek: Dinner, Interrupted

steve@iscribelimited.com (Steve Marsi) — Tue, 05 Apr 2011 10:21:32 EST

Brothers & Sisters returns from its long hiatus this Sunday, April 10, with a two-hour episode, technically split into two parts, "Olivia's Choice" and "Never Say Never."

As the Walkers struggle to decide what's best for young Olivia, emotions are also running high for Nora and Saul, who find out their mother, Ida, has passed away.

And then there's Kitty, international woman of mystery. Here's a two-and-a-half-minute sneak peek from the episode, featuring the well-traveled Walker sibling ...

Brothers & Sisters - April 10 Sneak Peek

ABC Announces Season Finale Air Dates

matt@tvfanatic.com (TV Fanatic Staff) — Tue, 22 Mar 2011 14:45:54 EST

When will your favorite ABC sitcoms and dramas bid farewell for the summer? The network has released the following season finale calendar...

May 8
Brothers & Sisters

May 11
Better With You

May 15
Extreme Makeover: Home Edition
Desperate Housewives (two hours)

May 16
Castle

May 19
Wipeout
Grey’s Anatomy
Private Practice

May 24
Dancing With the Stars (two hours)

May 25
The Middle
Modern Family
Cougar Town (one hour)

Emily VanCamp to Star in ABC's "Revenge" Pilot

steve@iscribelimited.com (Steve Marsi) — Tue, 08 Mar 2011 15:06:05 EST

Former Brothers & Sisters star Emily VanCamp is returning to ABC.

As the female lead in the network's potential new primetime drama, Revenge, VanCamp will potentially be back on the same network she left last fall.

Written by Swingtown creator Mike Kelley and directed by Phillip Noyce, the pilot is called a contemporary re-imagening of The Count of Monte Cristo.

Happy (Van)Camper: Emily may land on another ABC show this fall.

From a female perspective, the show focuses on Emily Thorn (VanCamp), a mysterious young woman who comes to the Hamptons to exact revenge.

People who destroyed her family are in for a world of hurt, basically.

VanCamp, who joined Brothers & Sisters midway through the first season, and who also starred on Everwood, left the family drama early in its fifth.

Brothers & Sisters Review: "Home Is Where the Fort Is"

steve@iscribelimited.com (Steve Marsi) — Mon, 07 Mar 2011 06:10:50 EST

When Nora and Sarah fly out to D.C. for Evan’s birthday, they have ulterior motives in mind, as "Home Is Where the Fort Is" finally confirmed why Kitty has been MIA.

Truth is, it's for the same reason many Brothers & Sisters fans expected.

What has she been doing there for six weeks? Is she sleeping with a famous man? Working for the CIA? While there were typical Walker family hijinks, this was serious.

A complication with Kitty’s bone marrow caused her to see a specialist. It looks like everything is back on track now, but why see a specialist and not tell anybody else?

This was a necessary segue into a discussion of worst case scenarios. Being a mom and cancer survivor, she just doesn't want to think about it. But she always must.

Brothers & Sisters is at its best when it takes on real topics such as death, parenthood, adoptions, etc., while letting its characters and their unique individuality shine.

Some episodes this year have felt borderline sitcom-y, but this plot line is right up the show's alley. Kitty announces that it’s time for her to come home. We can't wait.

Another serious, true-to-life and wildly unpredictable issue? Kevin and Scotty's adoption of Olivia. It's official, but Olivia is still a little insecure about it to say the least.

Again, the show did a nice job of this, having her act like a kid in her situation really might. Rather than throwing a fit or going completely off the rails, she built a fort.

A pretty awesome one, too. We'd go to Geckotown to hang out sometime. Still, it's time for our walls to be taken down sometimes if we want to move forward in life.

The writers don't seem to know what to do with Justin these days.

Dave Annable is always great, but it seems like Justin is all over the place lately. Maybe we're being too hard on the show, because that is sort of the character's M.O.

His homeless vet friend is now working at Scotty’s restaurant and also crashing at Justin’s place. Since he moved in, J's been having nightmares and PTSD flare-ups.

He can't save everybody. His biggest fear, on the surface or deep in his subconscious, is that he won't be able to save everybody. That applies to family and Zach.

While PTSD is a very real condition, and something Justin no doubt would struggle with, this seemed more designed to give Justin something to do in this episode.

Zach's moving out, so it'll be interesting to see if this issue lingers for Justin. Will he be able to keep it together at work? Is this the first of many bumps in the road?

Finally, we examine parenthood, or stepfather-hood as it were.

After Paige is asked to a dance by a boy she really likes, Luc won't give her the $50 she wants, and she gives him the cold shoulder because she won't say what it's for.

A bra. It's every dad's nightmare, and every teen girl's too.

Paige was too embarrassed, and later heartbroken when the boy breaks their date. Not the best episode for poor Paige. Luckily, Luc made her feel better in the end.

Not sure if that's setting the best example, taking a spin over to the kid's house armed with eggs, but you do what you have to do in these kind of situations, right?

Luc's got work to do as a parent, but with that kind of effort, he'll work out the kinks. We just hope they show them at the father-daughter dance. That would be so cute.

What did you think of last night's Brothers & Sisters? Discuss!