I am one to be very cautious when watching a teen-drama on ABC Family. After all "Pretty Little Liars" isn't the most enthralling teen murder-mystery show and "Secret Life" just wasn't sophisticated enough to be smart TV fare. However, ABC Family has blown me away with it's brand-new television series "The Fosters." The show starts off telling the story of Callie, a girl in foster care, she's just getting out of juvie and is now sent (her younger brother Jude will join her) to live with another foster family but this one is a little bit different from her other homes. The house is made-up of three other teenagers: Brandon, the biological son of his mom from a previous marriage; Mariana and her brother Jesus, twin Latino teenagers who were adopted when they were children; and we round it up with Lena and Stef, a bi-racial lesbian couple raising the children together. Stef is Brandon's biological mother but that doesn't stop him from referring to Lena as mom too. So now Callie is in this whole new situation that is something she never even considered possible until now. Now the insane weekday mornings getting ready for school and work can begin.
In the very first episode it is as plain as day that this family isn't the definition of what is considered a "traditional family" but that doesn't matter, people are too busy getting breakfast ready and skateboards out of the kitchen to really care. The show has done an immensely wonderful job at describing how much the definition of family has changed throughout the years. When you think of the perfect family you think of "The Brady Bunch" but as Stef elegantly put it during a conversation with Lena "We're not the Brady Bunch." Instead of being "perfect" they're real which is very refreshing for family drama.
The maturity in this show is also very surprising considering it is a teen drama from ABC Family, which (except in the case of Switched at Birth) usually always ends up being a soap-opera. The writers obviously take their time in crafting convincing characters that we will love and absolutely relate to. But this would definitely end up being a stereotypical, cheesy show if it wasn't for the amazing cast assembled on the screen. Even in it's most melodramatic moments the cast finds a way to keep it one of the most grounded shows on television.
But probably the main reasons to keep watching are because of three women: Maia Mitchell (Callie), Sherri Saum (Lena), and Teri Polo (Stef). Teri Polo and Sherri Saum have natural chemistry that easily transitions on screen with their performances. Both women are equally convincing in their roles as caring mothers raising the five teenagers under one roof and as a loving, married couple who would do anything for each other. To see that kind of affection is inspiring. However, it is Maia Mitchell who steals the show as the reserved and tough Callie. Maia Mitchell brings a subtlety to the role that makes her performance all the more powerful. Maia breaks the stereotype that all foster children are delinquents bent on destroying everything in their path and showing that not all foster kids are like that. She shows that Callie has a wisdom beyond her years because of her experiences in foster care and that she is a capable young woman with true issues from her past. Such honesty is something rarely seen in any young performer these days and to find it in an hour show every week is a dream come true. She definitely has a bright future ahead of her.
In the end, "The Fosters" proves to be a wonderful family-drama about love, trust, and just living life. There was much potential for this to go wrong but also just as much potential for this to go right. And I am pleased to announce that this has gone right indeed. With wonderful performances, smartly written script, and sensitive direction "The Fosters" sores beyond the usual expectations of family-dramas. And yes, Stef was right when she said "We're definitely not the Brady Bunch" and thank God for that.
