Parenthood (NBC)

Based on the 1989 film of the same name, PARENTHOOD concerns the day-to-day dramas of the sprawling Braverman family, centering on the spawn of patriarch Zeke (Craig T. Nelson) and matriarch Camille (Bonnie Bedelia). Because married oldest son Adam (Peter Krause) seems to have it all together, he often serves as the de facto "Mr. Fix-It" for his three younger siblings: single mom Sarah (Lauren Graham), free-spirited Crosby (Dax Shepard) and workaholic Julia (Erika Christensen). But every now and then, even Adam needs a little parental guidance. In the midst of these thirtysomethings' various dramas are the kids they're raising, including a young boy with Asperger's syndrome and brooding teens.

This isn't the first time someone tried to make Ron Howard's critically acclaimed family dramedy into a television series. (Another version aired under the same title in 1990 but was promptly canceled due to low ratings, despite the presence of promising young stars like Leonardo DiCaprio and Thora Birch.) But all signs point to this incarnation of the franchise being a series with real staying power.

Because Howard and longtime producing partner Brian Grazer are at the helm, Parenthood seems to be getting the care and feeding it deserves -- and the cast is peppered with proven performers who can deliver the goods.