I first noticed the preview for the new NBC show, The New Normal, sometime this summer. Immediately I honed in on the characters and the front and center plot of a couple beginning their family in an alternative way. A show about a family that causes you to question not only “what is a family” but also “how do families begin” sounded intriguing.
Then I saw that the parents and creators of the show were Ryan Murphy and Ali Adler. Ryan is probably a name you immediately recognize from Nip/Tuck and Glee fame. But Ali you might not instantly know. Ali is the ex wife of Sara Gilbert (yes, from Roseanne). Together they created and parented children.
This means that the storyline was in good hands, familiar hands, been there/ done that hands. I was on board.
I watched the premiere episode earlier this week and loved it. Last night was episode two and the magic was still there.
OBVIOUSLY there is lingo and moments that will make anyone that has been through fertility treatments sigh. The world will never stop using the word “implant” incorrectly.
There are also moments where you will gasp and think, “holy shit! Did they just SAY that?? On tv?!!” It’s biting and smart dialogue.
Yes, there are stereotypes of many character types in the show – but as I found myself gasping with laughter over some of the VERY un PC stuff coming out of Ellen Barkin’s Nanna’s mouth I realized that in my life? I know these people. I was laughing because in the midst of total and complete OMG dialogue I recognized truth.
For those of you that don’t know the story, and I will be brief here as I don’t want to spoil any plots, it follows the creation of a family. A woman and her Grey Garden’s quoting tween becomes connected with David and Bryan who are on a quest to become parents.
One of the reasons that I was so excited about the show in the first place is that I don’t believe that there is such a thing as a normal family. My family doesn’t look like your family and your family doesn’t look like your neighbor’s family and your neighbor’s family doesn’t look like my family. And yet? We are families.
[And a family doesn't mean "must come with a child". When my Mother and Grandmother and I lived together we were a family. We were a package - all of us connected and combined.]
My son’s family is not “normal”. He lives in a multi-generational home. He has a Mama and a Lolly and a Mary (our cat) and a Marsh Road (our car). He is loved. THAT is normal.
I wish this show so much success because I want more people to see new normal families.
Have you watched the show? What did you think? Here is an extended preview:
image in post from The New Normal press material found online
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I haven’t seen it but am logging into my online TiVo account this minute to create a season pass. And that’s without watching the trailer yet. Thank you!
I haven’t watched episode 2 yet, but I watched the pilot and loved it! It really spoke to me as well, and as much as I love the sharp dialogue and occasional off-color jokes, it was the surprisingly sweet heart of the show that captured me. That aspect, along with the alternate family set-ups, is reminiscent of Modern Family- another show I love. And you gotta love the sweet and loving single mom willing to do big things to help her child. Sound familiar?
I LOVED it, un PCness and all!
I haven’t seen it, but I thought it looked good. And I juuust had a conversation about how there is no “normal” family with a few friends.
I totally think the little girl stole the show – I watched it for the first time last night. But I don’t know that I cared for any of the other characters at all. I might give it another watch, because the story line is enthralling.
I watched it with some preconceived bias b/c I LOVE Modern Family and my first reaction to promos was that it would be a bad imitation. But we watched the first two episodes last night and cracked up the whole time. The Grey Gardens impersonation slays me! I also liked it since we are dealing w/infertility and growing our family in non-conventional ways so that part is of course interesting to me.
I am so upset I missed the premiere but it’s been added to my DVR. Can’t wait to see it.
Im with you, it’s not hard to get fertility lingo correct, it’s all very accessible. I cringe everytime I hear “implant”, how can so many still get it sooo terribly wrong??
We watched the first two eps and really liked it…it’s actually better than I had thought it might be. Ryan Murphy can go either way for me, but I too found the Ali Adler thing reassuring.
Obviously things have changed all over the world, and there is a lot of talk these days about those changes. A controversial TV show is a reflection of the times, and certainly it is appropriate to an open discussion. I liked All In The Family when it was on for that reason, but I can’t say the same for the way this show brings up the issues, or how it centers around ONE issue. My Dish coworker saw it too and wasn’t too fond. Really, what made watching seem less tedious is that I watched it commercial free in only 20 minutes. I used my Auto Hop on my PrimeTime Anytime recording which was is the best way to watch. I plan to watch any future episodes that way if I give the show another chance, so I can still watch something else to redeem the evening.
This looks great! I’m not a TV person but sometimes I think I could be. This is one of them. If I had cable, I’d definitely make an effort to watch.
I SO wanted to like it, but the pilot just wasn’t funny. They were trying too hard. Episode 2 was better, and I just LOVE Shania. J’dore!
I will keep watching it, because I support it, but I just hope the writing a d directing gets better and less cliche.
Some food for thought?
http://www.avidly.org/2012/09/18/the-new-normal-normal-and-normaller/
my husband and I loved it. I just loved how they took a fresh look at a gay couple and didn’t make them a stereotype. there were a few really sweet moments when you could see the love between the couple. I can’t wait for the next episode.
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