NBC’s Parenthood ran for six seasons and over 100 episodes. The series developed a family out of the cast, both on screen and off.
It was a heartwarming drama, covering relatable and emotional storylines about parenting, adoption, autism, and cancer.
We miss family dramas like this that often had you crying and laughing in the same episode.
When the series began, it featured recognizable faces like Lauren Graham and Craig T. Nelson.
Other actors became more familiar and went on to appear in additional projects after this.
Parenthood celebrated its 15th anniversary in March 2025, so we decided to see what the cast has been doing lately.
Peter Krause as Adam Braverman
Peter Krause is no stranger to Hollywood, having starred in HBO’s critically acclaimed Six Feet Under and ABC’s Dirty Sexy Money before leading Parenthood.
He played Adam Braverman, the oldest Braverman child, who his entire family depended on way too often.
He’s seen as dependable and stable, and the most significant risk he took was restoring the Lunchenette and transforming it into a recording studio with his brother, Crosby.
Adam showed his dedication to his family when he dealt with his wife’s cancer and his son’s Asperger’s syndrome. How much can one man handle?
While Krause was successful before Parenthood, his career cruised after that. He charmed us with dashing good looks and a “bad boy” aura when he starred in The Catch and then led 9-1-1 for eight seasons.
We’re still not over 9-1-1 killing Bobby Nash. He was the grounding force and father-figure, and Bobby and Athena were the heart of the series. While we would love for him to return, we also hope he’ll find another role soon.
In addition to his television roles, he narrated the documentary “Citizen Hearst” about William Randolph Hearst in September 2021.
He and Lauren Graham dated for 11 years. The couple broke up in 2021.
Lauren Graham as Sarah Braverman
Lauren Graham already had an extensive career before Parenthood. She met her co-star and longtime boyfriend Peter Krause on Caroline in the City. They dated for 11 years until 2021.
Graham was most well-known for portraying Lorelai Gilmore on the television series Gilmore Girls.
She almost seemed typecast in Parenthood and Gilmore Girls as a loving single mom whose life was chaotic.
Sarah Braverman was the epitome of a hot mess, and her children learned those tendencies from their mom.
She moved home at the beginning of Parenthood because she had financial issues, and it took a long time to find her passion.
She was fearful to believe that good things could happen, and often self-destructed in relationships. While she and Hank were an unlikely pair, they worked, though.
After Parenthood ended, Graham reprised her role as Lorelai Gilmore in Gilmore Girls: A Year in the Life.
She also appeared in Zoey’s Extraordinary Playlist, where viewers raved about her performance as Joan before she unexpectedly departed, with Joan leaving for Singapore. We learned later that it was due to scheduling conflicts, as she also starred in The Mighty Ducks: Game Changers.
Graham has been busy, appearing in movies such as Middle School: The Years of My Life and The Best Christmas Pageant Ever. She’s scheduled to appear in the dark comedy Twinless, alongside Dylan O’Brien, Abbott Elementary‘s Chris Perfetti, Tasha Smith, and François Arnaud.
It shouldn’t come as a surprise that Graham became a successful author, captivating readers with her witty charm. She has one fiction novel, Someday, Someday, Maybe, and three books of humorous essays.
Dax Shepard as Crosby Braverman
Dax Shepard had quite an impressive acting career before landing a series regular role on Parenthood. He starred in several films, including the 2010 romantic comedy When in Rome, where he met his future wife, Kristen Bell.
He portrayed the fun-loving but somewhat irresponsible Crosby Braverman. He wanted to chase wild dreams.
He was the child who related best to his father, and Crosby grew to be a loving father to his young son, Jabbar, whom he had not known about beforehand.
Crosby didn’t deal with domestic bliss well at first and cheated on Jasmine. It wasn’t until he realized what he had lost that he reformed.
Crosby became a different person in the second half of the series as he fought for his family and demonstrated the significance the Lunchemette held for him.
Shepard was nominated for a People’s Choice Award in 2015 for his portrayal of Crosby.
Since Parenthood, Shepard has begun hosting more shows, including Top Gear America and Family Game Night. He also wrote, directed, and starred in the 2017 remake of CHIPS, and starred in Netflix’s The Ranch.
In 2018, Shepherd launched the podcast “Armchair Expert,” which has featured hundreds of celebrity guests. In 2024, it was the 8th most popular podcast on Spotify in the United States.
Shepard is married to actress Kristen Bell. The couple owns Hello Bello, a trendy online baby boutique. It’s not uncommon for them to appear in each other’s projects.
Erika Christensen as Julia Braverman-Graham
Erika Christensen has an extensive career and made a splash when she appeared in the movie Traffic as a teenager.
She played Julia Braverman-Graham, who was the youngest of the Braverman children. She often approached things by the book and struggled when they didn’t go as planned.
Naturally, life threw her curveballs, especially when she and her husband, Joel, couldn’t conceive. We saw Julia’s resolve break while they tried to adopt a baby. They ended up getting a young boy, who had difficulty initially adjusting.
Julia struggled to maintain her identity after quitting her job and becoming a stay-at-home mom. It was a pivotal arc for her.
Since Parenthood ended, Christensen has starred in four music videos, including the Black Eyed Peas “Where’s the Love?” and Bootstraps’ “Whenever You’re Around,” directed by Sam Jaeger.
Christensen booked several other roles, but they only lasted one season: Wicked City and Ten Days in the Valley.
While Christensen has stayed busy, she didn’t book another long series regular role until ABC’s Will Trent as Angie Polaski. Since it premiered in 2023, she has brought a layered subtext to the role as one of the series’ most complex characters and strongest performers.
Christensen has been married to cyclist Cole Maness since September 2015. They have two daughters.
In May 2023, she was among the celebrity honorees to receive the Mark of Excellence award at the Annual Medinova NY Dinner Gala. They raised funds for healthcare in Haiti’s underserved communities.
Craig T. Nelson as Zeek Braverman
Long before he joined the cast of Parenthood, Graig T. Nelson was a film and TV legend, appearing in classics like Poltergeist, Troop Beverly Hills, and Coach.
Zeek was the patriarch of the Braverman family.
While much of the series focused on the children, we learned that Zeek was a flawed man who had made a few bad investments and had an affair before the series began.
That was probably why he related better to Crosby and Sarah, his carefree children. Zeek did not like to compromise, sometimes interfering with his marriage to Camille.
Zeek bonded better with his grandchildren in many ways, showing tough love to Amber or teaching Victor when he needed someone to believe in him.
Since Parenthood, Nelson has starred as Dale Ballard in Young Sheldon and in the CBS hit comedy, George & Mandy’s First Marriage.
He has continued his film career, reprising his role as Bob Barr in The Incredibles 2 and starring as Bruce Jutsum in the Book Club movies.
He’s a lifelong Green Bay Packers fan and recently sang the National Anthem at Lambeau Field.
Bonnie Bedelia as Camille Braverman
Like her co-star, Bonnie Bedelia was a film icon and had acted alongside Bruce Willis in the first Die Hard films and Harrison Ford in Presumed Innocent.
She later turned to television, where she’s known for portraying Capt. Kate McCafferty in Lifetime‘s incredibly underrated cop procedural The Division.
Camille was the glue that kept the Braverman family together, but she grew weary of that role and wanted Zeek and her to have their dreams once their children were grown.
It was one of their biggest disagreements because he was a homebody, and she craved new adventures.
After Zeek died, we saw Camille sightseeing in France, where he had promised to take her.
She ultimately returned to her family, but she craved balance.
Since Parenthood ended, Bedelia reprised her role as Latrelle Williamson in A Very Sordid Wedding, where she won an award for Best Actress at the FilmOut Festival.
Bedelia has starred in several films and series since Parenthood ended, including Netflix‘s The Noel Diary and Prime Video’s Panic.
Monica Potter as Kristina Braverman
Monica Potter had quite the illustrious career before Parenthood, appearing in films like Patch Adams and Along Came A Spider.
Kristina was a loving and supportive wife and mother. She strived to make things easier for Max, which was often met with resistance at public schools.
When Max struggled in middle school, Kristina created a charter school for children with learning difficulties to thrive better.
We all cried when Kristina was diagnosed with cancer since she had always helped everyone else, but it highlighted how much her family would do for her, too.
Potter garnered lots of attention for Kristina’s cancer storyline and even won a Critics’ Choice Television Award for Best Supporting Actress.
After Parenthood, she and her family appeared in the HGTV reality series Welcome Back Potter, chronicling their restoration of her childhood home, thirty years after they sold it.
The Counting Crows wrote the song “Mrs. Potter’s Lullaby about an imaginary version of her since they hadn’t met yet, but then they unexpectedly met soon after, and she got to watch them record that song.
You can watch Potter in Goliath Seasons 3 and 4 on Prime Video.
Joy Bryant as Jasmine Trussell
Joy Bryant’s breakthrough role was in Denzel Washington’s 2002 film Antwone Fisher. She acted in several other films before starring in Parenthood, her first television role.
Jasmine is not seen as much as some other spouses, but she was a loving mother who put Jabbar first, even when she was not with Crosby.
After she learns of his one-night stand with Gaby, she tries dating other people, but realizes she still loves him.
Her biggest fault was that she revealed too much about their life to her mother, making Crosby look bad. It was hard to cut those ties.
While at Parenthood, Bryant hosted her talk show, Across the Board with Joy Bryant. She interviewed many celebrities, including her co-stars, and they engaged in various outdoor activities.
In 2013, Bryant was nominated for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series at the NAACP Awards.
She has appeared in many shows since Parenthood, including Rosewood opposite Morris Chestnut and Station 19‘s Jaina Ortiz, Ballers, and Trinkets. She also just appeared as Helen Grace in Roku’s spellbinding, magical series The Spiderwick Chronicles.
Bryant has also dabbled behind the camera. In 2021, she and Samantha Taylor Pickett created Hot Sauce, a production company with a three-year deal with Sony Pictures.
Sam Jaeger as Joel Graham
Sam Jaeger starred in many films and television shows before Parenthood, including ABC’s Eli Stone.
Joel Graham was the husband and father we all wanted. He was devoted to Julia and was a stay-at-home dad with Sydney for years.
While Joel often seemed dedicated to raising Sydney and helping Victor adjust to their family, he craved adult conversation. Things didn’t go as well when he returned to work, and Julia became the stay-at-home parent.
We saw a different side of Joel, though it was difficult to fault his anger, and he and Julia learned to put the children first. Joel was still the best one to reach Victor.
The series knew how to do a slow burn, allowing Joel and Julia to reunite slowly during Parenthood Season 6.
In 2019, Jaeger reunited with his on-screen wife, Erika Christensen, when he directed Bootstraps’ “Whenever You’re Around” music video.
Their music had been featured on Parenthood before, and he was friends with the lead singer, Jordan Beckett, making it an easy transition for Jaeger and Christensen to appear in the video, too.
Since Parenthood, Jaeger has appeared in many television series, including Law & Order True Crime: The Menendez Murders, Tell Me a Story, and Why Women Kill.
He recently finished playing Mark Tuello on The Handmaid’s Tale, which recently aired its series finale.
Jason Ritter as Mark Cyr
Jason Ritter started off in teen films and starred in the CBS family drama Joan of Arcadia.
Ritter portrayed Sarah’s (Lauren Graham’s) on-and-off-again love interest, Mark, in the first several seasons of Parenthood.
While they had chemistry, Sarah grew cautious of their relationship, as she didn’t want to embarrass her children, given that Mark was a decade younger and Amber’s teacher.
Sarah’s love triangle with Mark and Hank was a pivotal part of the series.
Since Parenthood, Ritter’s acting career has blossomed even more. He led the heartwarming, escapist series Kevin (Probably) Saves the World, but it was cancelled after only one season.
Ritter reunited with another person on this list, Michael B. Jordan, when they worked together on Netflix’s Raising Dion. It was a fantastic, fun series about a kid who becomes a superhero.
He also joined Frozen II’s voice cast since he was a man of many talents.
Ritter currently stars on CBS’s critically acclaimed hit series Matlock as Julian Markston. He plays an unassuming lawyer and is one of the suspects in the season’s big mystery.
Ritter is happily and proudly married to Yellowjackets’ Melanie Lynskey. You can often find Ritter on social media, engaging with fans, dancing on TikTok, and overall providing joy.
Ray Romano as Hank Rizzoli
Ray Romano is most well-known for starring in the iconic CBS sitcom Everybody Loves Raymond. My mom loved it, and I’ve seen many episodes.
Like many guest stars, Romano loved Parenthood and had expressed his love of the series to creator Jason Katims.
While many fans initially disliked Hank, his social awkwardness led to one of his more meaningful connections—mentoring Max.
When he spent more time with Max, Hank wondered if he shared the same tendencies and researched Asperger’s syndrome.
Sarah still had feelings for Mark, but she saw the kindness Hank showed her family, and their relationship grew. Hank was caring and old-fashioned in asking Zeek’s permission to marry Sarah and prioritizing her children.
Romano has starred in several TV series since Parenthood ended, including Get Shorty and No Good Deed. He starred in the Netflix film Paddington.
He also starred in several other films, including the romantic comedy The Big Sick and the mob drama The Irishman.
You can see Romano next in the Ice Age 6 movie, coming in 2026, where he’ll reprise the role of Manny.
Mae Whitman as Amber Holt
Mae Whitman began her acting career playing children in films such as When a Man Loves a Woman and Independence Day, before appearing on series like State of Grace.
Amber Holt experienced one of the best character evolutions on Parenthood. She started as a rebellious teenager, who went down the wrong path until she was in a horrific car accident and shown tough love by Zeek.
While she didn’t change overnight, working at her uncle’s recording studio helped blossom her musical talent.
She fell in love with Ryan, a troubled veteran, and their relationship taught Amber a lot about the endurance of love.
Whitman also worked as a voice actor, appearing in films such as the Tinker Bell series, Young Justice, and The Owl House.
She reunited with her Tinkerbell co-star Christina Hendricks in NBC’s Good Girls, and they and Retta made us laugh for four seasons as three moms who get in over their heads with money laundering and the criminal life while trying to support their families.
Whitman starred in several movies, including The DUFF. She reunited with Parenthood co-star Dax Shepard in the 2017 remake of CHiPs.
In August 2024, Whitman gave birth to a baby boy she named Miles after her on-screen brother, calling him her best friend. The baby’s father is Carlos Valdes, her Up Here co-star.
Miles Heizer as Drew Holt
Miles Heizer guest-starred on several shows, including Bones and ER.
On Parenthood, Drew Holt was the typical younger sibling, who struggled with his parents’ divorce and didn’t have many of his storylines until he had his first girlfriend, Amy.
Their relationship was angsty as they navigated first love, right down to sleeping together and teen pregnancy.
Drew handled the grave situation and accompanied her when she had an abortion, only breaking down in his mother’s arms later.
He often had to be the strong one for his mother and sister, and that was one of the few times we saw him break down.
Heizer came out when he was 19 and participated in Coach’s “Pride is Where You Find It” campaign in 2021. He wanted to showcase the merchandise and advocate for the LGBTQ community.
Heizer has appeared in several films and shows, including Love, Simon and the controversial, acclaimed Netflix series 13 Reasons Why based on the novel.
He recently starred in the independent comedy film Ex-Husbands with Griffin Dunne and James Norton.
You can next see Heizer in Netflix’s The Corps, a dramedy about a young gay teen’s journey when he joins the Marines.
Sarah Ramos as Haddie Braverman
Sarah Ramos garnered attention for portraying Patty Pryor on the NBC drama American Dreams in the early 2000s.
Haddie Braverman was the oldest child of Adam and Kristina. She was the golden child, who followed all the rules and strived to make things easier for her parents since they were so involved with Max’s issues.
Haddie often got the short end of the stick with stories. Her main stories were about her relationship with Alex (Michael B. Jordan) and his family and legal issues.
Even when Haddie started dating Lauren and came out to her family, it seemed rushed and lacked focus, but by then, she only popped in for visits.
Ramos also appeared in the film The Perks of Being a Wallflower, along with her co-star Mae Whitman.
Since Parenthood, Ramos has appeared in many Hallmark films and television series, including the NBC supernatural series Midnight, Texas.
You can also see her in The Bear playing the fastidious, calm, cool, and collected under pressure and efficient hospitality expert, Jessica.
She currently stars as Dr. Caitlin Lenox on Chicago Med. While Lenox started off as a polarizing character, she eventually evolves into someone who is very compelling as the series explores her neurodivergency.
Ramos was also busy in other mediums and participated in Acting for a Cause, which raised money for charities. She participated in a live reading of classic plays and portrayed Lady Bracknell from Oscar Wilde’s The Importance of Being Earnest.
Max Burkholder as Max Braverman
Burkholder guest-starred in several shows before Parenthood, including playing Jack McCallister on Brothers & Sisters.
Max Braverman was diagnosed with Asperger’s syndrome during Parenthood Season 1.
He struggled with bonding with family members and often connected better with his cousin Amber and Hank because they understood his condition and were usually awkward around people.
Max developed an interest in photography from hanging around Hank.
Even though he struggled in a mainstream school, he was intelligent, so Kristina created Chambers Academy, a charter school for students with learning difficulties. He graduated in the series finale.
Burkholder has starred in The Purge movies and as John Bennett in Peacock’s Ted since Parenthood ended.
He has also voiced the role of Matt in Prime Video’s Invincible.
He appeared in Smartypants Season 2 Episode 1 on Dropout, where society members discuss outrageous ideas.
Michael B. Jordan as Alex
Michael B. Jordan met Jason Katims and Matt Lauria on Friday Night Lights.
On Parenthood, he played Haddie’s boyfriend, who tried to make a better life for himself since his family was abusive, and Alex became emancipated.
He showed Haddie’s family that he differed from his family, and he won over her grandmother first.
After Parenthood, Jordan’s acting career skyrocketed. It’s hard to keep up with it. In 2015, he began starring as Adonis Creed, a role he has reprised several times.
Jordan also appeared in Raising Dion. He ventured into the superhero world when he played the primary antagonist in Black Panther and reprised his role as Erik Killmonger in the Black Panther sequel, Wakanda Forever, as well as in Marvel’s What/If?
Jordan has been in several films, including Tom Clancy’s Without Remorse and Denzel Washington’s A Journal for Jordan.
You can see him currently in the horror flick, Sinners. He reunited with Ryan Coogler for the fourth time to star as twins Smoke and Stack in the vampire film that has critics and viewers alike abuzz over its commentary on colonization, race, culture, and so much more.
Time named Jordan one of the 100 most influential people in the world in 2020 and 2023. He was also named People’s Sexiest Man Alive in 2020.
Matt Lauria as Ryan York
Matt Lauria got his start in another Jason Katims series, Friday Night Lights.
Ryan York’s storyline was well done, but it was another way for Lauria to reunite with showrunner Jason Katims.
Ryan struggled with PTSD and other personal issues from serving in the war, and Amber ignored those since she was smitten with new love.
Sometimes, Ryan seemed more focused on being in the Army than on his relationship with Amber.
Even though they broke up, the two managed to co-parent their son, Zeek.
After Parenthood, Lauria’s career flourished, beginning with him leading the martial arts drama Kingdom on DirecTV alongside Frank Grillo.
Lauria reunited with another person on this list, Sam Jaeger, when they both worked on Tell Me a Story.
He also starred in some action movies, including Miss Bala with Gina Rodriguez.
He worked on CBS’s CSI: Vegas as Josh Folsom, and is currently starring as David Callahan on Max’s delightful ’70s crime series Duster.
Xolo Maridueña as Victor Graham
Xolo Maridueña first appeared at the end of Parenthood Season 3 when Julia and Joel were looking to adopt a child. It was his first acting job.
It was one of the most realistic TV adoptions since it’s difficult for an older child to adapt to an established family.
You felt for Victor as he tried to adjust and become one of the Bravermans. It seemed like a constant struggle as he fell behind in school, or he wanted to know his birth family to see where he belonged.
Maridueña was the last of the child actors to advance his career since Parenthood ended.
He has starred in the leading role of Miguel Diaz on Netflix’s Cobra Kai since the series originated in 2018. The series signed off with its final season, but previously, it had been a massive success and a prime example of IP at its best.
It was a fantastic addition to The Karate Kid franchise, broadening the scope of the audience and bringing it to a whole new generation.
He and his co-star, Jacob Bertrand, co-host a podcast called “Lone Lobos” on iHeartMedia, where you can learn more about them and the pop culture they’re into.
Maridueña also recently starred in the 2023 DC film, Blue Beetle, and loved portraying the first Latino superhero.
He’s another Parenthood star who has voiced characters on Prime Video’s Invincible.
He will voice Brainy Smurf in the July 2025 release of The Smurfs.
Tyree Brown and Savannah Paige Rae
Tyree Brown (Jabbar Trussell Braverman) and Savannah Paige Rae (Sydney Graham) started acting in Parenthood at a young age.
Neither has appeared much onscreen since, though they occasionally post on social media. Brown has lent his voice to animation.
Paige Rae guest starred in Grey’s Anatomy and played Steve Carrell and Tina Fey’s daughter in Date Night.
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