More Brothers and Sisters

I love my Brothers and Sisters and by that I mean the American drama, not my four brothers and singular sister. Oh, did that sound bad?! Just quietly, my real-life brothers and sisters couldn't be better, but that would just make for a boring, soppy story. And that's pretty much what all my brothers think of the TV series in question. Last Christmas when I was watching the DVDs for hours on end, I copped a lot of flack for my viewing choices, or choice (singular), as it was.

Admittedly, Brothers and Sisters is a very American, very over the top, very pretentious show centred around the wealthy Walker family. But, but, but, I just love the mix of so many different personalities in one family and the dynamic it creates. And did I mention the amazing cast? Starting with our very own Rachel Griffiths (playing Sarah), and not forgetting Calista Flockhart (Kitty), Sally Field (Nora), Balthazar Getty (Tommy), Dave Annable (Justin), Matthew Rhys (Kevin) and Rob Lowe (Robert)... and I havent' even mentioned half their partners yet. I love them all. They do a lot of silly things, but they're like family - you know what they're like and you love them anyway (as long as you can moan endlessly about them to your mum or brothers and sisters).

As much as I loathe to be sucked into a TV show, with this one I'm in too deep. I first saw it on free-to-air TV and knowing my viewing habits, probably caught it in the middle of the season. Not one to reserve a day and time for a TV show, I picked up season one on DVD. Once the second season DVD came out, I needed to share the love and recruit some followers so my DVDs started doing the rounds. My sister won't even return some of them and I have a sneaking suspician that the housemates that also fell under its spell may have them clutched to their chests to this day.

One friend got so sucked in with me that we got told off for anti-social behaviour by our partners. They threatened one-episode-per-day restrictions which we baulked at, until we realised that a season could run out in days and all we were left with was a sad, empty feeling. Enter the Internet where US dramas are available months before they air in Australia. Warning: you'll have to say goodbye to your monthly download limit.

Brothers and Sisters is now up to it's fourth season, currently showing on the 7 network at 9.30pm Monday. As my inability to committ to a TV show is deep-seated*, it remains to be seen whether I'll be tuning in each week. One thing is a given, I will watch every episode at least once.

*Television was not a part of my childhood as my parents preferred us to be playing outside or doing something creative inside. Mostly I read books. A lot. At one stage, my parents got rid of the TV altogether but I don't even remember. My childhood friends remember it much more than I do. I guess it was wierd to them not to watch cartoons or play on a Playstation every afternoon. The little amount of television we watched became a family occasion. As daggy as it sounds (and is), I remember us all watching Hey, hey, it's Saturday together. And later it was Seachange. I'm not even going to bring up The Bill or Parkinson! The worst thing to come out of this is that every so often I hear people reminiscing about old TV shows and I have no idea what they're talking about. And I'm not very good at Super Mario (or any video game). Neither of these things bother me. Just don't ask me how I fell in love with someone who adores having a TV so big that it overwhelms any room you put it in!