Damn You, Opie.

It's all Ron Howard's fault.

"Parenthood" is one of those films I can watch everytime it's on.  If you don't like Steve Martin, don't worry - it's got Tom Hulce.  Don't like Mary Steenburgen?  The next scene has Dianne Wiest.  Can't relate to the "perfect yuppy" family? Wait 'til you see what one of the kids finds during a blackout and you'll realize that NONE of these families have it all together.  Just like real life.

So when I heard that "Parenthood" was gonna be made into a TV show a few years ago, I was ready to watch.  Sure the families were different and the actors and characters had been changed but Ron Howard was still involved.  I've been watching since the pilot and, while not every storyline is a home run, if you just wait a few minutes, it will change ... just like in the movie.  Just like in real life.

Well, last week I got worried.  It felt like one of the characters was being given a storyline that was gonna feel false and cheap.  A lead character was given breast cancer.  She already has plenty on her plate - a child who just left for college, another with Asperger's, an infant, a very distracted husband - and this new story could've gone horribly wrong.

Instead, as the Awesome Fiance and I watched, I found myself pausing the show and saying "she's feeling like no one is listening", "he should just let her vent and not say anything", "the doctor she sees isn't a debate she wants to have".  And, over the course of the show, the Awesome Fiance started asking me "what's she thinking about now" or "how is she feeling" and, just like the movie did so long ago, it reflected real life.

But - fair warning - if anyone gets Parkinson's, I'm removing "Parenthood" from our TiVo.