The American Family, Redefined

Now that network television dramas have caught up with the changing face of America, diverse families are no longer the sole province of cable TV. And nowhere is that more apparent than on season one of ABC’s Brothers & Sisters (on DVD September 18), which treats its gay characters as it does everyone else – which is to say, they’re just as neurotic.

They’re also overachievers. Matthew Rhys plays adorably anxious corporate lawyer Kevin Walker, whose struggle with shedding his fears and embracing romance is sharply written and entirely relatable. Credit clearly goes to the show’s openly gay executive producers, Greg Berlanti and Jon Robin Baitz. As head writer on Dawson’s Creek, Berlanti, who also created Everwood, was responsible for the first romantic gay kiss on a network drama; Baitz has written for The West Wing and Alias, and was a playwriting finalist for the Pulitzer Prize. It seems these guys know a thing or two about overachieving.

Still, the series isn’t only about Kevin. It’s about the entire Walker family—a brilliant, dynamic group powered by strong women, including the Emmy-nominated Sally Field and Rachel Griffiths, and the deftly comic Calista Flockhart. Rich political discussions about gay marriage, immigration, and the Iraq war thread their way across the family dinner table and through the season. The Walkers are keeping the cultural discussion alive–and making us wish we were part of the clan.

Brothers & Sisters, Season One is available on DVD September 18. (Season Two premieres on ABC September 30.)