PARENTHOOD: PILOT {1990 SERIES} (TV)

Summary

The pilot of this comedy-drama series based on the 1989 film of the same name, about the multigenerational Buckman family and the issues they face while raising their children.

The members of the Buckman extended family gather at the home of Gil and Karen Buckman for the birthday of their oldest member, Great Grandma Greenwell. Gil and Karen are busy raising three children: Kevin, Taylor, and Justin. Kevin, the oldest, has been having anxiety problems and they are trying to prepare him psychologically for his first day back to school. Great Grandma Greenwell arrives along with her daughter Marilyn and her husband Frank; she has been living with them for many years and is constantly arguing with Frank, who seems to resent her presence. Next to arrive are Gil's sister Helen, her children Julie and Garry, and Julie's husband Tod, whom she recently married. Gil's other sister Susan arrives with her husband Nathan and their daughter Patty. All of them are dealing with various issues: Karen is kept constantly awake due to Justin's refusal to sleep, Helen is going out on her first date in two years, and Patty is about to start her first day of preschool. Over dinner, Susan's sentimental toast to Grandma is interrupted when she argues with Frank about him supposedly planning to put her in a retirement home.

The next morning, Gil and Karen are restless, as are the kids. Their various arguments and ruckus die down when Kevin announces that he doesn't want to go to school. He explains to his parents that Frank instilled the idea in him that the other kids will bully him over his anxiety issues, and Gil and Karen try to advise him not to worry about it so much and to enjoy his first day back at school. Meanwhile, Julie is starting college and Tod is worried about her finding another guy on campus; he begins to regret his decision to drop out of college and start a one-man house-painting service. Garry is upset about Helen's upcoming date, fearing that he may gain an abusive stepdad, but she reassures him that no one can come between the two of them. Gil drops Taylor and Kevin off at school, and Kevin walks in forlornly as Gil tries to offer him some last-minute encouragement. Patty and Justin attend preschool, with Nathan and Karen in attendance as well. Nathan tells the preschool teacher that he is an "educational theorist" and starts criticizing her teaching methods.

At work, Gil suffers criticism from his boss for what he deems to be insufficient work during their "crisis." Gil's secretary gets a call from Kevin's school that is apparently urgent, and he rushes down there in a panic, getting stuck in traffic along the way. Nathan gets adversarial with the preschool teacher and proclaims the group to be "vapid and inane," leaving and taking Patty with him. Gil arrives at Kevin's school and bursts into his social studies class, only to discover that the message was a false alarm: it was merely a call from the teacher's assistant to all the parents about an upcoming field trip. Kevin is ridiculed by his fellow students for the arrival of his father, but he and Gil construct an alibi to make it less embarrassing for him. Gil also takes the opportunity to "accidentally" bump into a kid who made fun of Kevin before class lets out. After class, Gil speaks to Kevin alone; he is relieved to learn that not only did Kevin do well during his first day of school, but he also made a new friend.

Helen prepares for her date at a baseball game and Julie criticizes her outfit as being too old-fashioned. Julie is proven correct when her date, Matt, arrives in a t-shirt and beer helmet. Gil and Karen bathe the kids, reflecting on the many challenges involved in being a parent, and learning that Kevin has redirected his object of worry to tornado threats. Helen's date goes poorly: an inebriated Matt passes out, forcing Helen to drag him to his car and drive home, only to become lost and break down in the middle of nowhere. She awakens Matt and berates him, deciding to call for a ride when he tries to proposition her for sex. Marilyn continues to try to moderate the eternal argument between Frank and Great Grandma Greenwell. Their animosity lessens when Greenwell thanks Frank for caring for her after her husband died, and they even create an inside joke between the two of them about Marilyn.

Gil and Kevin talk about his seemingly-constant worries, and Gil reassures him that such sensitivity shows that he is special and has great potential. This puts Kevin's mind at ease. Helen calls Frank to pick her up, and he takes the opportunity to yell at Matt as well. Although they argue on the ride home, they express genuine affection for each other, and Frank reveals that he has been protective of Helen ever since her husband left her. The episode ends as Gil and Karen attempt to have sex, only to be interrupted by Justin. Commercials deleted.

Details

• NETWORK: NBC
• DATE: August 20, 1990 9:00 PM
• RUNNING TIME: 0:47:40
• COLOR/B&W: Color
• CATALOG ID: B:52517
• GENRE: Comedy; Drama
• SUBJECT HEADING: Comedy; Drama
• SERIES RUN: NBC - TV series, 1990-1991
• COMMERCIALS: N/A

CREDITS

• Ron Howard … Executive Producer, Based on characters created by
• Brian Grazer … Executive Producer
• Lowell Ganz … Co-Executive Producer, Writer, Based on characters created by
• Babaloo Mandell … Co-Executive Producer, Writer, Based on characters created by
• Sascha Schneider … Supervising Producer
• Allan Arkush … Producer, Director
• Scott Citron … Associate Producer
• Walter Von Huene … Associate Producer
• Mason Daring … Music by
• Randy Newman … Theme Music by
• Ed Begley Jr. … Cast, Gil Buckman
• Jayne Atkinson … Cast, Karen Buckman
• Max Elliott Slade … Cast, Kevin Buckman
• William Windom … Cast, Frank Buckman
• Sheila MacRae … Cast, Marilyn Buckman
• Mary Jackson … Cast, Great Grandma Greenwell
• Ken Ober … Cast, Nathan Merrick
• Susan Gayle Norman (See also: Susan Norman) … Cast, Susan Buckman Merrick
• Ivyann Schwan … Cast, Patty Merrick
• Maryedith Burrell … Cast, Helen Buckman
• David Arquette … Cast, Tod Hawks
• Bess Meyer … Cast, Julie Buckman Hawks
• Leonardo DiCaprio … Cast, Garry Buckman
• Thora (See also: Thora Birch) … Cast, Taylor Buckman
• Zachary La Voy … Cast, Justin Buckman
• Doug Ballard … Cast
• Isabel Cooley … Cast
• David Ducommun … Cast
• John Hostetter … Cast
• Joe Lerer … Cast
• Kathy Molter … Cast
• Billy O'Sullivan … Cast
• Janne Peters … Cast
• Tritia Setoguchi … Cast
• Tamara Steffen … Cast
• Lyman Ward … Cast