5 Reasons Everyone Should Be Watching Brothers & Sisters

As far as I can remember, this is the first year in awhile that I am really loving Sunday night TV. With Discovery's special eye-opening series Planet Earth (which I've raved about before), the return of Entourage and Ari's fuming and hysterical ways, and ABC's new family hit Brothers & Sisters, I've ended my weekends on a good note recently, instead of wishing for more free time to play. And although staying up for Brothers & Sisters, which airs at 10 pm/ET, is tough some weeks and forces me to wait until the next day when I can fast-forward through all the agonizing commercials, I truly believe this is one of the top new shows - in fact, the top on my list - on television and everyone should be tuning in. Here's why:
5. If you don't have a big, overbearing family, you'll sink right into the complex nature of this one and feel grateful for your manageable relatives while watching a well constructed cast maneuver jaw-dropping obstacles combined with everyday worries.
4. Sally Field is as frantic as ever. I'm talking Steel Magnolias-screaming-in-the-cemetery frantic. She's brilliant as both the mama bear of this kooky clan and the grieving widow who's navigating choppy waters all around.
3. There's something to be said for writers who can explain relationships in such a brutally honest way. From the relationships between these very different siblings to their closeness (or distance) to their mother to their personal love lives that fluctuate between utter happiness and complete devastation, I applaud the writing in these scenes, tackling both private emotions and fights that air enough dirty laundry to dress all of California.
2. Rob Lowe looks damn good in a suit. As Senator Robert McCallister, Lowe is polished (well past his St. Elmo's Fire days), honest and warm and let's face it, he peaked my interest in Calista Flockhart again. Their on-screen relationship always leads me to announce, "I love them together!" after almost every episode.
1. With a lack of truly entertaining family dramas and the rise of more science/fantasy/action series ( Heroes, Lost, Jericho), ABC hit the nail on the head with a comfortable assembly of convincing actors, story lines that tear into the meaty, guilty, embarrassing angles of family, adding in politics, sexuality, parenting, careers and the ultimate-but-seemingly-impossible goal of creating a happy existence, even with storm clouds looming overhead.
Watch it. Trust me. You can check out past episodes here. And hear what creator Jon Robin Baitz has to say here.