I just finished watching Parenthood, and while I enjoyed the show, I have a lot of opinions about the characters—some of which may not be widely agreed with, but here we go.

Max

I could not stand Max. Yes, he has autism, but he’s high-functioning and capable of learning socially appropriate behaviors. His parents let him get away with everything. Every time my husband walked in while I was watching, Max was being a jerk about something different.

•	The printer fiasco was entirely his fault, yet Kristina completely invalidated Sarah, who was in the right.

•	The Dylan situation was horrible. Instead of stepping in to address Max’s inappropriate behavior, Kristina just apologized to him about how hard life is. No—being neurodivergent doesn’t mean you get to harass people.

•	Saying it “wouldn’t matter if Amber died” after the car crash and telling Amber she’ll be a terrible mother just because he didn’t get to go to Alcatraz? Awful.

•	He needed a better behavioral aide after Gabby, or at the very least, some discipline.

Adam

He is so controlling but also a complete pushover when it comes to his immediate family. I still don’t understand why he and Crosby turned down the Luncheonette offer. • He butts into everything. When Zeek had a medical emergency in Vegas, the way he harassed Sarah over the phone was horrible—yelling at her while she was trying to deal with doctors.

•	He can’t tell his kids no. Haddie should not have gone to Cornell; they couldn’t afford it. Max got away with way too much.

Kristina

She was such a drama queen and inserted herself into every aspect of her children’s lives. • She never said no to Max and let him get away with everything.

•	She literally created an entire school for her own kid—which, great, but not every parent has the means to do that just because their child struggles.

•	Also, what happened to the teacher who was originally supposed to run the school? Somehow, Kristina and then Adam ended up as headmasters? That whole thing made no sense.

Haddie

I felt sorry for her. She lived in Max’s shadow, and her parents treated her like a child when it suited them but expected her to be responsible otherwise. • She got a little spoiled/entitled. As I said, she should not have gone to Cornell.

•	The Alex situation really pissed me off. I liked Alex—he was a great guy—but he was 19, living on his own, working full-time, in AA, and emancipated. Meanwhile, Haddie was a 16-year-old high school student. She needed to be at least 18 for that relationship to make sense. Kristina and Adam should have said no—but of course, they never say no to their kids.

Nora

She was just a kid. She started to develop a little personality toward the end, which was nice.

Sarah

She was a bit of a mess. I liked her, but she seemed more focused on finding a man than getting her life in order. That said, she was ultimately a good mom and was there for her kids when it really mattered.

Amber

For the most part, I liked Amber. She went off the rails for a bit but, given her circumstances, she actually did pretty well for herself.

Drew

Loved Drew. He was a total teenage heartthrob and a genuinely good character. He always had other people’s best interests at heart, though for a main character, he didn’t get as much screen time as I expected.

Julia

I really liked Julia, but I have no idea how they were suddenly fine financially after she quit her high-paying job—especially since Joel hadn’t worked for so long.

•	The whole situation with the other dad was blown way out of proportion.

Joel

Loved him, but he completely overreacted to Julia’s situation with that dad. The fact that their whole marriage fell apart over it was devastating.

•	If Julia had been bonding with a woman in the same way, no one would have batted an eye (except for maybe that slightly-too-long kiss).

•	They’re ultimately great parents, but they spoiled Sydney for way too long. At least they eventually realized their mistakes.

Sydney

She was definitely spoiled at first—couldn’t handle losing, always got her way—but she actually grew a lot as a character.

•	She took Victor’s adoption surprisingly well, considering how much it changed her entire life. She needed some guidance, but ultimately, she was just a kid going through a big adjustment.

•	Julia and Joel should have said no to her more often.

Victor

He struggled at first, but once he settled in, he was barely an issue. Honestly, it felt too easy—like they started to show an accurate adoption storyline but then just resolved everything overnight.

•	I also agree with others that his Latino heritage should have been acknowledged more.

Zeek

I hated him in the first season or two, but he really grew on me. He became an amazing character and was always there for his family.

•	I don’t understand how their money problems just disappeared after being such a huge issue early on.

•	I really thought he was going to have the heart surgery once baby Zeek was born. I was so sad when he passed—I cried like a baby in that final scene.

Millie

She was lovely—always putting everyone else first. Her going on that overseas trip was unexpected but necessary for her character. Even though she was a main character, she was mostly a non-issue.

Crosby

A bit of a mess but really turned his life around.

•	The Gabby situation sucked, but I’m glad he and Jasmine worked things out.

•	He was so dumb to turn down the Luncheonette offer—especially considering how much they struggled in the last season.

Jasmine

I hated her at first. Keeping Jabbar from Crosby for so long and the way she treated him was awful.

•	Her mom and brother were insufferable.

•	But I did grow to love her, and in the end, she and Crosby were great together.

That’s it—my (probably unpopular) Parenthood opinions! Let me know what you think. Did I get anything totally wrong?

She said more than once that her life was a mess. She has no money, no job, she sleeps on a futon and has no partner. What can she possibly give to her child?

If she had gone through with the adoption and Julia and Joel would've kept her baby, he obviously would've had a much better life. 🤷

Love this show! Saw it when it originally aired and am on my 3rd re-watch. Bob Little…running for city council. Does the size of this campaign track? I’m not really in to American politics. But it feels wild to me that Kristina has a full time job through this campaign with enough of a budget to hire Amber as an assistant. When there are scenes in the campaign office, it is always buzzing with many, many people. It just feels like maybe a campaign for city counsellors would not be this well-funded? Realistic, or does this fall under “willing suspension of disbelief”?!

I liked in her Season 1 but why does she have to sleep with every guy that shows even a little bit of interest in her? She is such a burden to everyone that gives her a chance. I keep thinking to myself what does everyone else see in her despite fucking it all up all the time! Sarah is so supportive of her choices and Kristina also has helped her a lot (I’m starting Season 3). I feel like everyone just forgets what she did the previous time. Also, everyone just sleeping with people they work with is INSANE. (Amber and Bob Little, then Amber and that musician guy, Sarah and Gordon, Rachel kisses Adam, Lilly and Crosby). Now every time there’s a new character in the workplace I immediately know they’re gonna sleep with something. I try to put myself in Amber’s shoes and boy my Asian parents would skin me alive if I were her.

I'm sure this has been discussed to death here but what kind of absolute LA LA LAND are Adam and Kristina living in to think that Sarah was in the wrong for kicking Max off the printer??? I think we can all agree it's great that Max found a hobby with photography and Hank as a mentor of sorts, but at the end of the day Hank's studio is a place of business where he and Sarah actually work to make a living. The main reason that I think they are so wrong was because it was not a day that Max usually goes to the studio. They specifically noted that it was Wednesday and Max doesn't usually come by on Wednesdays, and that his parents said if it's okay with Hank then it's okay with them. So let's just stop right there because according to what they said that should be the end of it. Hank was not okay with it even though he was kind of being a pushover for a second. He tells Max that he can do it tomorrow then even agrees with Sarah that next week would be better. If Max usually came over on Wednesdays and it was part of his set routine then that would be a completely different story and I would agree with Kristina that in that instance Sarah just "doesn't get it". But that was not the case here. Max needs to learn that people are not beholden to him to drop whatever they are doing out of nowhere to please him, especially with something like this where they had a strict deadline. For me this is where I completely turn on Adam and Kristina. Everything leading up to this (Even asking strangers to switch out candles on Halloween) has been somewhat understandable enough as they're just advocating (aggressively) for their son. But in this instance they are literally so entitled it's not even funny.

I'm still mid episode in s3e14 when Adam and Kristina talk to Haddie about essentially they cannot afford to send her to Cornell. Why wasn't this discussed before she applied? At least Kristina was somewhat involved in her preparing for college, so it wasn't a surprise that she applied to this school (perhaps even other Ivy Leagues). I know she ultimately gets to go but it leaves me with a bad taste in my mouth to not have a conversation about what were the actual alternatives before just to try and pull the carpet from under her afterwards.

Hi all! Quick PSA that if you hate the show and the characters, no one is forcing you to join the sub! Ever since the show has been available to stream on more sites, the negativity has gotten out of control. Criticism can be valid but hating on everything is annoying. Thanks!

Okay! Maybe I missed some parts of some episodes but I have some doubts about season 3, can anyone help me?

1. What happened to Seth, Amber offered her apartment and he never appeared in the series again?

2. About Bob little: amber leaves Crosby's wedding to find him, he states that she has a job there with him as his assistant and the first episode of season 4 is she being a waitress in her uncles' business? What ???? And what about rachel??? Kristina begged her to be fired and she just disappears!!

So confusing. I confess that I leave the series running while I do other things but until the last episode of season 3 the campaign was still in progress!

Anyway, what do you guys think?

First time watching this show.. (about to end S2) anyways Haddie has it tough with her parents man. I feel like most if not all of her choices are not respected. I’ll accept the Alex situation for the obvious reasons but I just cant help but feel sorry for her. Kristina centres herself around everything & Adam overdoes the protective dad shit and it kills meeee. Generally Haddie seems like she has a good head on her shoulders..

I’m on S2E19, and is it just me, or do Haddie and Amber go from terrible haircut to terrible haircut? Haddie especially gets sabotaged lol, but neither complement the actors’ faces very well and just get worse as time goes on

Does it ever get better?

I can't find any posts about this so here it goes. The scene when they're in the hospital getting a scan done to see if the baby is healthy etc and the nurse asks them if they would like to know the gender. They broke down and said they had a son with Asperger's and that they were sacred to have a boy because the chances of an autism diagnosis are much higher than that of a girl. It really annoyed me because 'girl' autism goes unnoticed and undiagnosed for many of the sufferers. Maybe it's just triggered (no doubt about it actually) my own experience with it. I'm a transman with 'girl' autism and my little brother has been diagnosed since being a child, much like Max. I've suffered with mental health, breakdowns, shutdowns and burnout for as long as I can remember but up until recently connected all the dots to having autism. Also it made me think as to when Sydney went to the Dr who diagnosed Max and they told Joel and Julia that she was just gifted but the next scene had Kristina and Adam talking about Max's elastic band ball and how Kristina didn't tell them because she didn't want to scare them. It was a perfect opportunity to show how autism can present itself in different ways.

Anyways it had me wanting to shout at the tv. I could go on but I'm going to leave it there and ask what everyone else's thoughts are on the matter?

I’m sorry I know it’s not his fault but I could NOT have the patience and mental strength to deal with all that. I’m female(23) and this show has actually scared the shit out of me to want to be a parent because Kristina and Adam did everything right and you can’t predict stuff like Asperger’s I guess and that scares me so much because I could NOT be that patient with a violent aggressive child.

Please tell me I’m not alone 😭 this isn’t offense to anyone dealing with serious spectrum or mental issues, I commend people who are care takers and the people who go through it but it just ain’t for me seems very very draining and there’s never an end to it.

In every show I watch I like to pay attention to the casting and how much effort was put to make the family actually LOOK like a family. I’ve just started S4 (first time watcher) and I don’t find any resemblance between any kid with their parents EXCEPT for Crosby and Zeek. When those 2 share a scene together they look so much like father and son to me, much more than any other braverman kid with Zeek. I don’t know if it’s just me who thinks this, but it was thought a random thought I wanted to share :)

I may get heavily downvoted for this. Any Crosby and Gaby shippers when this first came out? I love their chem (ik what happened was so wrong) and idk what the future holds but i wanna see more of it. Also love love haddie and alex i better see them married by the end of the show lmao.

**discussing things from season 1 and 2

I'm a grown adult and I'm still team Haddie over her parents. The way they handle things like Adam freaking out about the bra was so gross. When Haddie pointed out the double standard of Adam taking Drew to see a girl at the dance while not letting her leave the house because of her bra. And then he was like, "you're right it's not fair" (yes!) then followed by "the world isn't fair" (efffff that).

Now I'm on season 2 with the Alex drama. Even if their fears are valid, they handled it in a way that pretty much guaranteed Haddie would keep seeing him and lie about it.Then they take her bedroom door off? Gross.

Anyone spot any inside jokes in the series? I will start:

Where Hank says “I like Joel, the good Joel, not the bad one!”- probably referring to the complete about face character change of season 5!

Guys, there's a song that plays in an episode of the show that I can't remember what it is.

Does anyone remember the scene where Mark Cyr gives a book to Sarah, it was a book they had in common? I remember the music plays in this scene.

I am currently in S2E2 and find it so funny how all the adult cast members are acting like kids except Adam. Starting from Sarah arguing with Adam for stealing her idea to Julia beefing with her daughter's classmates/parents 🤦‍♂️

I just binged the show now that it's on Netflix for the first time like many of us here. I did love seeing the huge family together and seeing their dynamics with each other. Though I gotta say I was so so disappointed in the writing for the Braverman as spouses.

Literally each single one of them has had inappropriate "connections" or "accidents" with someone or the other. It seems everytime the writers were stuck, they decided to throw one of them in the cheating pool

They started off strong in the earlier season with having the parents cheat on each other (Yes, I'm counting Camille as a cheater too).

Then we obviously have Crosby with his girlfriend who wants to desperately have a child but he's straight up lying to her about his own kid and just leading her on. Then cheating on Jasmine with Gaby in the later season.

We have Sarah who is never happy with the guy she's in a relationship with and always thinking the grass is greener on the other side. It just sucked how nobody made her realize this about herself at any point in the show.

We have Adam who I will say is probably the best of the bunch but they even had to have him be kissed by his employee. (I forget her name)

And then Julia and Joel. Like what even was that whole story line??? I didn't watch the show back when it first aired but you could tell that the writers just wanted to throw some drama is there so did them so so F-ing DIRTYYY. They were such a good couple but then they had to go and have Joel be an asshole to Julia for no reason. And have her kiss Ed.... Whyyy. An absolute shitshow of a storyline. Easily my most hated one.

Honorary mentions-

Joel for getting kissed by the other mom in school and hiding it from Julia (again, whyee)

Anddd Amber, not for cheating on her boyfriend, but cheating on her cousin by sleeping with Steve

This is just an appreciation post to the Parenthood Pals podcast. If you love the show, this is a great listen. I’ve listened to it twice through now, and it’s even become a rewatch companion. It’s available wherever you get your podcasts.

I’m in an episode where Kristina and Adam go out on a special hotel date when she’s going through chemotherapy. In it, a guy is hitting on Kristina and after she says it made her feel so good because she’s “34 not 27.” And doing the math, she’s 34… but Haddie is 18? She didn’t have her at 16?

I know it’s just a show and there will be inconsistencies but it’s funny that no one was like wait no she can’t be that young?

Super random but… I‘ve been wondering for days who he reminds me of… and there‘s a scene where he looked in a particular way and I finally got it - Emily VanCamp (the girl from Everwood… anyone?)

Does anyone else see it?? Haven’t found that being discussed anywhere so I came here for validation lol

I’m watching this again for the first time since it originally aired. It’s a little dated, but I love it just as much as I remember.

However, I’m super confused by Amber’s hair in season two. It looks like someone chopped at it with blunt scissors or maybe it’s a really terrible wig. She’s absolutely stunning, even with the hair, as she always is but I’m still confused about what happened to it. Anyone know what was going on with it? Did she cut it for another role or something? I just keep staring it in every episode…

On the episode where Sarah brings Max back because he lost it over not being able to use the printer. AND when Kristina was on Max's side and mad at Sarah for not letting Max use the printer when she has A JOB TO DO???!!! And Adam just goes along with what Kristina says?! Wtf!!

I just finished watching the show for the first time and Zeer definitely is the best character in the show imo He has great character development Yes, he has made some mistakes but that's everyone

I'd love to know if y'all agree with me or if someone is a better character for you?

Ps. It was a tough decision between him and Camille but I just feel like Zeek has better growth in the show and he really left a mark in everyone's life

I feel like Julia and Joel (and rest of the family) did nothing to acknowledge that Victor is latino. There was one scene where Julia was learning Spanish and then we never saw that again. I'd have loved to see them try to learn about his culture.

Watching for the first time, on season 3 ep 10 and omg Adam is such a dick😂 he belittles Kristina’s feelings so much it drives me crazy!

I have seen other american movies and tv shows as well and whenever there is dance involved, its either very over the top choreographed dance sequence or whatever it is that Adam does. Why is there no middle ground? And why do they always have to name every move(the sprinkler thing)? Just move your body. They make it so unnecessarily complicated. Its just dance. Move your hips. Catch the beat. I'm sorry for going on a rant there but its really weird from an outsiders perspective.

Is it me or do all the characters fall in love soo fast? Before they have dated a week they are already in love?? I love the many realistic aspects of this show but this is definitely not one of them..

I'm watching S2 E14 "A House Divided" and I'm wondering what song does Zeek sing when he's camping with Max, while he's asleep? 🤔

It sounds familiar, but I just can't recognize it.