What About Brian - TV-PG
TV Rating: TV-PG
Network: ABC, SOAPnet Cast: Rosanna Arquette, Matt Davis, Barry Watson
Genre: Drama
Available on: 
DVDDownload
Common Sense Note
Parents need to know that all the main characters of this adult-oriented series are in their 30s and still have plenty of angst. They engage in adult conversations about topics like pre-marital sex and the pros and cons of an open marriage.
Families with teens can talk about what it feels like to be single. What's it like when your friends start dating and you haven't found a match? Are you jealous? Happy for them? Worried that it won't happen to you? Which of the characters do you relate to most? Where do you see yourself, relationship-wise, when you're they're age?
Common Sense Review
Reviewed By: Lucy Maher
ABC's hour-long drama WHAT ABOUT BRIAN tells the story of a bachelor who finds himself the odd man out among his group of paired-off friends.
Barry Watson (7th Heaven) stars as Brian O'Hara, a friendly, handsome 34-year-old entrepreneur searching for Mrs. Right. Brian's friends -- pals Dave (Rick Gomez) and Deena (Amanda Detmer), a married couple with three kids; just-married sister Nic (Rosanna Arquette) and brother-in-law Angelo (Raoul Bova); newly engaged best friend Adam (Matthew Davis) and his fiancée Marjorie (Sarah Lancaster); and bickering lovebirds Ivy (Amanda Foreman) and Jimmy (Jason George) -- include him in everything they do, but at the same time they wonder why he hasn't settled down.
This, in turn, causes Brian to second-guess his romantic choices (including "car girl," an unbalanced woman Brian starts dating after involving her in a fender bender), and question whether or not his single status is due to the fact that he's got a crush on Marjorie.
Though Brian sees his friends' lives as picture-perfect, he soon finds that looks can be deceiving. Dave struggles with Deena's desire for an open marriage, while 40-something Nic suffers a miscarriage and wonders if she waited too long to have kids.
What About Brianis smartly written and very well-acted, and the storylines are entertaining (not surprising, considering the show is executive produced by J.J. Abrams, the man behind Felicity, Alias, and Lost). Still, though nothing in the series is especially objectionable, the subject matter might fly over the head of teens younger than 16. For example, in a subtly funny opening scene, the group tries to figure out who will drive to the movies. All the couples volunteer to drive Brian, which makes him feel like a child.
Viewers who enjoy What About Brian might also like Felicity (available on DVD), Friends, and Modern Men.
Rate It!
| Content | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| CS | adults | kids | ||
Sexual ContentOne of the couples discusses having an open marriage, and another character is asked if he's sleeping with his girlfriend. Relationships are a central theme of the show. |
 |
|
||
Violence |
 |
|
||
Language |
|
|
||
Message |
|
|
||
Social Behavior |
 |
 |
||
Commercialism |
|
|
||
Drug/Alcohol/TobaccoThere is social drinking. |
|
|
||
