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Main Stars Bonnie Bedelia as
As the calm and winning matriarch of the Braverman family, Camille likes to keep the fridge full, the house tidy enough, and her family happy and peaceful. But Camille's elegant exterior belies a much stronger underbelly, crafted from years of dealing with her willful husband and four adult children. When her eldest daughter moves back in, the tectonic plates of the Braverman family dynamics begin to shift -- and Camille must finally face the growing crevices in her marriage. Max is Adam and Kristina's eight-year-old son. He is sweet but quirky and recently his parents find out it's going to be much more difficult raising him than they had anticipated. Dealing with Max means relying on the love and support of each and every member of the Braverman family. They say it takes a village to raise a child. This has never been more true than in the case of Max.
The 5 year old boy Crosby found out about in the pilot episode and bonded with quickly.
Camille and Zeek's golden child, Julia seems to have it all -- beauty, brains, love and success. She's a talented lawyer at a top corporate firm while her loving husband, Joel, supports her ambitions as a stay-at-home dad to their adorable daughter, Sydney. Julia sometimes applies her competitive spirit to the world of parenting. Her Type-A personality makes it difficult for her to let go and relax. Julia's go-getting personality and by-the-book approach is the opposite of her sister Sarah's, but when the chips are down, they turn to one another for support. As a working mom, Julia's often torn between the demands of the office and her desire to be with her family. Julia feels her role as the main influence on her daughter's life slipping away so she goes out of her way to put her personal stamp on raising her daughter. Julia instills in Sydney what she loved about her own childhood and begins to discover other ways she'd prefer the apple of her eye to fall a little further from the Braverman tree.
Sarah is the second oldest Braverman and though she always knew she'd never be "the successful one," at 38 she at least thought she'd have more to her name than a deadbeat rocker ex-husband and a car she not-so-affectionately refers to as "The Crapmobile." Sarah is intensely devoted to her two teenage children, Amber and Drew, who are defiant and withdrawn respectively, and seemingly hell bent on not reaching their full potential and making the same mistakes their mother did. So Sarah loads up the Crapmobile and heads to the only place left to turn... home. Moving back in with Mom and Dad means letting her pride take a hit, but Sarah hopes it'll be worth it to give her kids a new start. And though her pride keeps her from admitting it aloud, she dreams of finding a new start for herself too. At 14, Drew is Sarah's youngest. He's a sensitive soul in desperate need of a male role model. And some privacy. Drew is in the unfortunate position of entering his teen angst years while living in a house that's so packed to the gills with his grandparents, mom, and sister, the only place he can ever be truly be alone is the shower. Drew's absentee father has prepared him for a lifetime of letdown and he copes by becoming sullen and withdrawn. Sarah hopes that being surrounded by her strong, though often annoying, family will finally give Drew the emotional stability he desperately deserves. And craves. Julia's good-looking, loyal husband and Sydney's stay-at-home dad. A real hit among the moms in the carpool line, Joel is secure in his role as Mr. Mom. His round-the-clock, capable fathering allows Julia to maintain her focus on climbing the corporate ladder. Though he's 100% committed to the job of raising his daughter, he sometimes finds himself starved for adult interaction. He finds the companionship he needs in Racquel, an attractive supermom whose comfortable relationship with Joel and Sydney rubs Julia the wrong way.
Adam is the firstborn Braverman child and, in many ways, the glue that holds this large and colorful family together. He'd walk through fire for any one of them, and they know it, which is why they constantly seek out his advice and help. On the surface Adam is affable, humane and dependable. But scratch that surface and you'll discover a high-strung and neurotic lunatic driven beyond reason to have a normal, happy family. Working in a corporate environment, Adam contends with cold-blooded colleagues and ambitious underlings. But his greatest challenge will always be at home as he and wife Kristina struggle to raise their son Max, a sensitive kid who proves to be more of a handful than most eight year olds, and Haddie, their increasingly willful teenage daughter. Xolo Mariduena as
Victor was introduce to Julia and Joel at the end of Season 3, they adopted the 12 year old boy after trying for another baby for much of the season. Craig T. Nelson as
The gregarious patriarch of the Braverman family, Zeek has tried his hand at almost everything. From a soldier in Vietnam to activist hippie, from aspiring actor to shrewd entrepreneur, nothing has stuck longer than a few years. Except, of course, being a father -- although at times, Zeek feels like he's still learning to do even that. From trying to guide his favorite daughter Sarah back to the safety of the family home, to trying to accept his eccentric grandson Max for who he is, Zeek often has to try several wrong routes to get to the right one. But when he finally does, this headstrong man reveals a sensitive side that surprises everyone around him... even himself.
Julia and Joel's adorable, angelic 5-year-old daughter. Sydney's at that age where she's a sponge to outside influences, including her best friend Harmony and Harmony's free-spirited mom, Racquel. With Joel at home with her full time, Sydney's becoming more of a Daddy's girl every day, which causes Julia to put more pressure on herself to carve out significant bonding time with her little girl.
Kristina Braverman might have married into the large, messy Braverman family but having been with Adam since their early college years, she's certainly earned her central position in the clan's daily dynamic. Kristina, a constant source of stability and support for anyone who needs it, is a wise, and quietly forceful woman who loves her husband and children deeply and with incredible strength. With her straight-A teenage daughter Haddie who's testing the waters of her independence, her eight-year-old son Max, whose inability to adjust socially has her worried, and her husband Adam, who's just beginning to cope with the reality of it all, Kristina's fearless spirit and boundless energy are proving to be essential tools in keeping her head above water. So much for getting back to that career she's put on hold till her kids were at school full-time... for now at least.
The 15-year-old precocious daughter of Adam and Kristina, for years Haddie felt the need to be the quintessential good girl to compensate "for all the weirdness" surrounding her brother. This meant getting high marks at school while being low-maintenance at home. However this compulsion to be perfect is taking its toll and the cracks are starting to show. Boys. Drugs. Sex. These are just some of the perils of adolescence Haddie is beginning to discover.
Clean-cut. Responsible. Driven. None of these would be used to describe Crosby Braverman. The youngest of the Braverman brood, Crosby is 31 going on 22. His longtime girlfriend, Katie, is putting on the pressure to settle down and start a family. Crosby has always been a charming rogue content to coast through life but as Katie's pressure mounts, he begins to wonder how long he can hold off on growing up.
Sixteen. Rebellious. Willful. And seemingly determined to end her scholastic career as soon as the state will allow. Amber's only interest at present is her boyfriend, an oft-shirtless teenage delinquent and wanna-be rock star. It's all too familiar territory for Sarah, who doesn't want to see her daughter make the same mistakes she made years ago. She uproots Amber from her dead-end Fresno life and into her grandparent's house to start anew. Deep down Amber wants the clean slate her mom is trying to give her. Unfortunately, Amber's wild-child reputation is not so easily left behind and her mistakes continue to haunt her even as she tries to start over. Guest Stars Sarah's high school boyfriend, they hook up right after Sarah returns home but it doesn't last when Sarah breaks it off, even though Jim has been carrying a tourch for Sarah for the last 20 years.
Friend of Adam and Kristina, with husband Phil she has a son, Noel who also has Asperger's Syndrome.
Friend of Adam and Kristina, with wife Suze he has a son, Noel who also has Asperger's Syndrome.
Max's behaviorally aid. She is helping Max and his family cope with Asperger's Syndrome. During Season 2 she spends one night with Crosby, shortly after she leaves. Amber's English teach and Sarah's short term love interest in season 1. They broke up when Sarah realized Ambers feelings and it would be too hard to manage the situation. During season 3 Sarah and Mark reunite and he proposes to her in the seaosn final. Season 4 Jason was inculded as part of the main cast for the show. Adam's boss and Sarah's potential love interest in season 2. Sarah ex husband. He returned in season 2 to be a part of Drew and Amber's life. During Season 3 Seth returns drunk, soon after he goes to rehab with Sarah's help. Note Seth was played by Darin Heames in the pilot episode. Haddie's love interest, he was homeless but now works at the Community Volunteer Centre which help him get back onto his feet. He is also a reformed alcoholic (which Adam and Kristina have a problem with.) but he is now sober. During Season 3 he breaks up with Haddie. In season 3 Zoe works at Julia's law offices selling coffee from a cart, when Julia notices she is pregnant. During the season they are in the process of adopting her unborn baby. Hank was introduced in season 4 as Sarah's new boss after she lies her way into a job as his photographic assistant. He is also a potential love interest for Sarah, causing problems with her engagement to Mark at the end of season 3. Note eliments of this page are the property of NBC, no copyright infingment intended. |
