Tell-Tale TV Series Premiere Panels: The Family

ABC’s latest drama, The Family, follows the lives of the Warren family and the investigation surrounding their son. The world thought Adam Warren was murdered by a neighbor until he stumbled into a police precinct ten years later. The investigation into what happened to Adam has been re-opened, and now, there’s the suspicion that maybe Adam isn’t who he says he is.

Our panelists are:

• Lauren Busser, contributing writer for Tell-Tale TV
• Caralynn Lippo, contributing writer for Tell-Tale TV
• Allison Nichols, contributing writer for Tell-Tale TV

Give it to me straight. What did you think of the premiere?

Lauren: I was left a little lukewarm with this show. It had a very strong start but then very quickly began to rely on tropes. I get the feeling that there is a lot more to the story but I feel like I can start to see its trajectory. By the end of the episode I had it pegged as The Orphan combined with Resurrection. Maybe on Sunday, my opinion will change depending on what else they reveal.

Allison: I enjoyed it. I’m definitely interested in the mystery of whether or not the kid really is Adam. Of course, I’ve also gotten to a point with ABC where anytime there’s a twisty show, I know it’s most likely going to be drawn out and end up in a twisted mess. I’d like to think that won’t happen here, but I’m already trying to mentally prepare for it.

Caralynn: I’m still undecided. It’s not the type of show I’d typically watch, but I was intrigued because of the premise (I really liked the movie The Deep End of the Ocean, which is basically this minus all the twistiness and intrigue). The performances were very strong, but it was a little melodramatic, and some of the twists so far are actually very predictable. I’ll keep watching until it either becomes too ridiculous or until I actually start to like it, I think.

What’s the show’s biggest problem?

Lauren: Some of the legal procedure feels rushed. They get Adam’s DNA test back within 24 hours and apparently a doctor ran it? Wouldn’t a crime lab take care of that for chain of evidence? What did they compare it to? I get the feeling that if they are this sloppy with this detail others will fall apart. The beginning was way too easy. The Family also relies on some old tropes. For instance, the scene where Willa breaking into Hank’s house. By the end of the episode, I was certain that her intention was something completely different than what I originally intended, but as I was watching I just thought: “Haven’t I seen this scene before? Somewhere?” I am questioning if they are going to be able to turn it on its head.

Allison: Like Lauren said, there are a lot of predictable aspects. The father having an affair with the Detective was one of them. I was rolling my eyes during it, and it was obvious that this was going to happen. The show needs to be mindful of how many twists it throws at us. As long as they are executed properly and we are given answers, a lot of twists is fine. We just can’t get crazy.

Caralynn: I agree with both Lauren and Allison, some of the developments are predictable and silly. The sexual tension between the father and the detective was telegraphed SO HARD right off the bat that when they hooked up I was just, like, “duh.” I also could care less about the detective right now. I don’t know what it is, but so far she just seems very “woe is me” and is just feeling super sorry for herself (and having a very inappropriate affair), so it’s hard to sympathize with her. And I think she’s supposed to be a secondary protagonist, so relating to her is probably going to be a big part of getting into this show.

What/Who do you want to see more of?

Lauren: I want to see more of Hank. I like the way they put his story of being a recently freed, wrongly-accused man against that of the family. I think that part was really interesting given that they were also neighbors. I also want to see more of Danny, the oldest son, because I liked his role as the Cassandra figure. He seems to have figured out that something else is wrong but no one believes him because he is imperfect due to his drinking. He’s sort of the Cassandra figure: he has the gift of prophecy but also the curse of not being believed.

Allison: I love Danny, which might be partially because he’s played by Zach Gilford. Even though Danny has fallen apart after what happened to his brother, he’s the only one willing to consider the possibility that Adam isn’t the one who came home to them. Danny is a skeptical drunk, and he is a little broken inside, but I love him.

Caralynn: Danny is really interesting, and his development in the aftermath of his younger brother’s kidnapping is really engaging. He just kind of fell apart, which makes sense. I want to know more about him, how he got to this dark place, etc. Also, he’s super attractive, so that definitely helps. I also want to see more of the Red Pine’s lesbian lifestyle blogger working him for her paper’s angle. That was probably the most intriguing aspect of the premiere and I want to see how that all develops. I suspect that as she realizes there’s more to the story she’ll become more of an ally than someone just looking for a “scoop” but who knows.

What was your favorite moment/quote?

Lauren: My favorite moment was the very beginning right up until Adam points to a picture of him as a nine-year-old and says: “I’m him.”

Allison: I really loved the first moment of doubt that the kid was not Adam. Danny’s innocent comment about how Adam hated eggs was something so small, but it immediately made you question whether or not the kid is who he said he was. It was a great way to have everyone start to doubt Adam. Plus, the more you think about it, the stranger it is that Adam’s family would make something that they know Adam hated.

Caralynn: I enjoyed the entire opening montage, culminating in Adam identifying himself at the police station. I thought that was really well done. In general, the cuts between the flashbacks to the immediate aftermath of Adam’s kidnapping and the immediate aftermath of Adam’s return were really well done.

What did you think of the premiere of The Family? Will you be sticking around? Leave your thoughts in a comment below.

The Family airs Sunday nights at 9/8c on ABC.