Fox’s newest drama is a bit of a gamble.
Almost Family stars Brittany Snow as Julia, an only child, who learns that her father (Timothy Hutton), a famed fertility doctor, has been using his own genetic material to help his patients conceive, resulting in a whole bunch of new half-siblings she never knew about. Her dad is sent to prison on sexual assault charges, represented by his newly known daughter Edie (Megalyn Echikunwoke), while Roxy (Emily Osment) is excited to get to know her new family.
It’s a lot, to say the least.
Reviewers have struggled with the series, which is dealing with a real-life crime that has actually happened a handful of times, but seems unsure of what tone to use. Is it a show about sisters finding each other in unlikely circumstances, or about the realities of how victims would handle discovering how wronged they have been? Is it a serious exploration of a serious crime, or a show that would name its second episode, “Related AF,” which it did?
There’s even the possibility that Julia slept with one of her half-siblings, who is also married, just to make things truly horrific.
Snow, Osment, and Echikunwoke are all delightful, but there’s something squeam-inducing about the concept that makes it really hard to have a good time while these new sisters are trying to find their groove with each other in the wake of learning something devastatingly life-changing. It’s hard for us to tell how we feel after this one episode, but how are you feeling?
We want to know your thoughts on the new series. Did you feel the same way, that the tone didn’t match the subject matter? Or are you digging the lighter approach and looking forward to watching Julia, Edie, and Roxy bond? Vote below!
Almost Family airs Wednesdays at 9 p.m. on Fox.