"Happy Family" (2003) TV series 2003-2004

Director:

Pamela Fryman

Writers:

David Guarascio (writer)
Moses Port (writer)

Seasons:

1

Release Date:

9 September 2003 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy

Tagline:

It's what happens when the kids move out... but never leave.

Plot:

A couple has three twentysomething children who refuse to move out of their home.

Cast

John Larroquette	...	Peter Brennan (22 episodes, 2003-2004)
Christine Baranski	...	Annie Brennan (22 episodes, 2003-2004)

Runtime:

USA:30 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Certification:

Australia:PG | Canada:PG

Filming Locations:

Burbank, California, USA

Company:

NBC Studios

Quotes:

Peter Brennan: You know if you really want to worry about something, how about asking why your daughter is wearing a cocktail dress to play Scrabble with her parents.

Are Larroquette and Baranski slumming?

I'll leave that question up to the individual viewer. This show is by no means a masterpiece, but it could grow into something special. The situation itself is funny, though they will (of course) need to go somewhere with it. The individual lives of the three offspring will need to develop as the show goes on or it will quickly grow old, though the underlying personalities should fuel new situations. I like the extra layer of the story which results from the fact that each of the parents has a clear favorite among the children. Peter prefers Todd, the eldest child, to the point that he was initially in denial about Todd's "2-woman problem." Annie, on the other hand, strongly favors younger son Tim (I loved how horrified she was upon seeing that Tim's new much-older lover was allowing him to drink soda before bedtime). This also contributes to daughter Sara's pathetic self-image.