Brothers & Sisters (2006 TV series)

Brothers & Sisters
The title card of the television program "Brothers and Sisters" consists of the words "brothers" and "sisters" written in black letters over a pink ampersand ("&").
Genre Family drama
Serial drama
Created by Jon Robin Baitz
Starring Dave Annable
Kerris Dorsey
Sally Field
Calista Flockhart
Balthazar Getty
Rachel Griffiths
Rob Lowe
Sarah Jane Morris
John Pyper-Ferguson
Ron Rifkin
Matthew Rhys
Emily VanCamp
Patricia Wettig
Maxwell Perry Cotton
Luke Macfarlane
Luke Grimes
Gilles Marini
Narrated by Sally Field (season 5)
Composer(s) Blake Neely
Country of origin United States
Original language(s) English
No. of seasons 5
No. of episodes 109 (list of episodes)
Production
Executive producer(s) Jon Robin Baitz
Greg Berlanti
Ken Olin
Mark B. Perry
David Marshall Grant
Monica Owusu-Breen
Alison Schapker
Molly Newman
Michael Morris
Sally Field
Sarah Caplan
Marti Noxon
Producer(s) Michael Morris
Nicole Carrasco
David Marshall Grant
Sherri Cooper-Landsman
Liz Tigelaar
Michael Foley
Running time 42–43 minutes
Production company(s) Berlanti Television
After Portsmouth
Touchstone Television (2006–07)
ABC Studios (2007–11)
Distributor Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment
Disney–ABC Domestic Television
Release
Original network ABC
Picture format 480i (SDTV),
1080i (HDTV)
Original release September 24, 2006 (2006-09-24) – May 8, 2011 (2011-05-08)
Website abc.go.com/shows/brothers-and-sisters

Brothers & Sisters is an American television drama series that centers on the Walker family and their lives in Los Angeles and Pasadena, California. It aired for five seasons on ABC from September 24, 2006 to May 8, 2011.[1] It aired, for its entire run, in a Sunday night timeslot after Desperate Housewives.

Brothers & Sisters features an ensemble cast led by Sally Field as Nora Walker, with Rachel Griffiths as Sarah, Calista Flockhart as Kitty, Balthazar Getty as Tommy, Matthew Rhys as Kevin and Dave Annable as Justin Walker, her grown children. Patricia Wettig co-starred as Holly Harper, with Emily VanCamp later joining the cast as Rebecca Harper, as well as Ron Rifkin as Saul Holden. Field won both a Primetime Emmy Award and a Screen Actors Guild Award for her performances throughout the series, as well as Griffiths receiving nominations for two Primetime Emmy Awards and two Golden Globe Awards for her portrayal.

Overview

Premise

The series revolves around the lives and problems of the wealthy Walker family in the wake of the death of family patriarch William Walker (Tom Skerritt), the founder of the family business Ojai Foods. The family consists of wife and mother Nora Walker (Sally Field) who must deal with revelations about her husband's infidelity, and her children Sarah (Rachel Griffiths) and Tommy (Balthazar Getty), both married executives at Ojai Foods, Kitty (Calista Flockhart), a conservative activist, Kevin (Matthew Rhys), a gay lawyer, and youngest sibling Justin (Dave Annable), who has recently returned from the Afghan War with a substance abuse problem. They were joined by Nora's brother Saul (Ron Rifkin) and Holly Harper (Patricia Wettig), William's mistress. Plotlines typically revolved around the romantic relationships of the family, their business fortunes, especially with regard to the control of Ojai Foods, and the relationship between the siblings. Most conflicts were resolved with a renewed call for family unity and a lot of wine.

Plot points

The show's narrative launched with the death of William Walker at Kitty's birthday party. His death causes a number of secrets from his life to be revealed—secrets that impact the remainder of his family and which include the introduction of William's mistress Holly Harper and her daughter Rebecca.

Other main storylines throughout the series include the personal, political (usually through Robert and Kitty's and later Kevin's careers) and professional lives of Nora and all the brothers and sisters; their relationships with each other; interaction with Rebecca and her mother (William's mistress) Holly; and the running of the family business Ojai Foods—which is mostly looked after by Saul, Sarah and Tommy along with Holly and Rebecca from season 3 onwards. After the family sells Ojai Foods, Scotty and Saul open a restaurant and Nora begins working at a radio station which Sarah decides to buy.

Main characters

Walker Family

Other main characters

Cast members

Main cast

Actor Role Seasons
1 2 3 4 5
Ron RifkinSaul HoldenMain
Sally FieldNora WalkerMain
Calista FlockhartKitty McCallisterMain
Rachel GriffithsSarah WalkerMain
Balthazar GettyTommy WalkerMain Guest
Matthew RhysKevin WalkerMain
Dave AnnableJustin WalkerMain
Patricia WettigHolly HarperMain
Emily VanCampRebecca HarperMain Guest
Rob LoweRobert McCallister Recurring Main
Luke MacfarlaneScotty Wandell RecurringMain
Kerris DorseyPaige WhedonMain Recurring
Maxwell Perry CottonCooper Whedon RecurringMain Recurring
John Pyper-FergusonJoe WhedonMain Recurring
Sarah Jane MorrisJulia WalkerMain Guest
Luke GrimesRyan Lafferty GuestMain
Gilles MariniLuc Laurent GuestMain

Recurring cast

Actor Role Duration
John Apicella Frank Season 5
Amy Aquino Dr. Joan Avadon Season 4
Beau Bridges Nick Brody Season 5
Max Burkholder Jack McCallister Season 1, 2, 3
Luc Charbonnier Ben Tyler Season 3
Richard Chamberlain Jonathan Byrold Season 5
Peter Coyote Mark August Season 1
Jeremy Davidson Jack Randall Season 5
Ryan Devlin Seth Whitley Season 5
Marika Dominczyk Tyler Altamirano Season 1, 5
Justine Dorsey Sophie McCallister Season 1, 2, 3
Edwina Findley Jill Season 5
Peter Gerety Dennis York Season 4
Danny Glover Isaac Marshall Season 2
Nigel Havers Roger Grant Season 3, 4
Josh Hopkins Warren Salter Season 1
Jay Karnes Roy Scovell Season 4
Matt Letscher Alec Tyler Season 3, 4
Jason Lewis Chad Barry Season 1, 3
Will McCormack Ethan Tavis Season 3
Denis O'Hare Travis March Season 2, 4
Ken Olin David Caplan Season 2, 3, 4, 5
Roxy Olin Michelle McCormack Season 1, 4, 5
Eric Christian Olsen Kyle DeWitt Season 3
Tyler Posey Gabe Whedon Season 1
Keri Lynn Pratt Amber Trachtenberg Season 1
Isabella Rae Thomas Olivia Season 5
Emily Rose Lena Branigan Season 2
Matthew Settle Jonathan Sellers Season 1
Tom Skerritt William Walker Season 1, 2, 3, 4
Sonja Sohn Trish Evans Season 3
Jon Tenney Simon Craig Season 4
John Terry Karl West Season 5
Steven Weber Graham Finch Season 2, 3
Treat Williams David Morton Season 1
Eric Winter Jason McCallister Season 1, 2
Odette Yustman Annie Miller Season 5

Episodes

SeasonEpisodesOriginally aired
First airedLast aired
123September 24, 2006 (2006-09-24)May 20, 2007 (2007-05-20)
216September 30, 2007 (2007-09-30)May 11, 2008 (2008-05-11)
324September 28, 2008 (2008-09-28)May 10, 2009 (2009-05-10)
424September 27, 2009 (2009-09-27)May 16, 2010 (2010-05-16)
522September 26, 2010 (2010-09-26)May 8, 2011 (2011-05-08)

Season 1 (2006–07)

Most of the season focuses on The Walkers dealing with the loss of William Walker and the secrets uncovered by his death, most notably the discovery of Holly Harper, a woman he had an affair with, and her daughter Rebecca. The season also introduces the audience to the lives of the Walker siblings who must deal with their jobs, turbulent love lives and each other.

Season 2 (2007–08)

The second season focused mainly on the romantic lives of the Walker siblings. As Kitty and Robert start planning their wedding, Kevin runs into Scotty (his lover from the first season) and they become a couple. Sarah must now deal with her divorce and being a single parent while Tommy and Julia go through serious issues after struggling with the loss of one of their twins. Nora begins a new romance with one of Robert's staff and, along with Rebecca, tries to help Justin regain his life after being injured in the war.

Season 3 (2008–09)

After the discovery that she is not, in fact, a Walker, Rebecca must deal with her new place in the family and her new relationship with Justin which could be in trouble with the appearance of Ryan—William's actual secret child. Kitty and Robert face problems in their marriage as they try to adopt a baby while Kevin and Scotty settle into married life. Nora decides she wants a career of her own after spending most of her life in the back seat and finds a new romance. With Holly becoming a major presence at Ojai. Saul and Sarah decide to quit leading to a new business venture for the eldest Walker sibling, while Tommy turns to drastic measures to take back the family business.

Season 4 (2009–10)

The show was renewed for a fourth season on April 23, 2009.[3] It premiered on September 27, 2009 on ABC.[4]

This season sees Kevin and Scotty decide to start a family while Kitty finds her family may be torn apart when she receives unexpected news that she has lymphoma, cancer of the lymph nodes. Sarah finds love with Luc, a man she met in France who traveled to America to be with her, but the dream doesn't seem to last in her real life. Justin is finding it hard to balance his engagement to Rebecca with his medical school studies, while Rebecca has troubles of her own. After not having their wedding Rebecca comes to find out she is now pregnant with Justin's baby but Rebecca ends up having a miscarriage which causes some more strain on their relationship. While her children go through difficult times Nora must try her hardest to get them through their troubles and Ryan causes trouble for the Walkers and Ojai by teaming up with a man from William's past. Will Holly's obsession with the secrets of Ojai ruin her relationship with David? The season ends with a horrific car crash that leaves Holly severely injured and the fate of Senator Robert McCallister unsure.

Season 5 (2010–11)

Brothers & Sisters was renewed for a fifth and final season on March 5, 2010.[5] It premiered on September 26, 2010 on ABC. The events of the fifth and final season begin one year after the season 4 finale.[6] Rebecca divorced Justin and was written out of the show early in the fifth and final season. A lot has changed for both the characters, and the show's viewers in the final season. The show lost two cast members: Rebecca Harper (Emily VanCamp) and Robert McCallister (Rob Lowe). These two losses were not the only major changes that occurred in season five. The Ojai Foods building, the Walker's family business, is not seen in the final season and many locations are different than in the last season. Kitty no longer lives at the ranch in Santa Barbara, but has moved into a smaller house with her son, Evan, after a short stay at a cottage in Ojai. Kevin and Scotty moved out of their apartment and into a different one which is located above Cafe 429 (the restaurant that Scotty and Saul opened). Cafe 429, and Nora's new workplace – the radio station, are two primary locations where many scenes take place in season five. One location that the audience does not see as much is Nora's house. For four seasons, the family home has been the location where most scenes were shot. That said, all of these changes have been made to fit in with the characters' new lives and chapters.

The season starts with Kitty holding on to Robert who has been in a coma for a year since the car accident. Sarah considered selling the new land and water found in Ojai and moving to France with Luc. Kevin has become a low-paid pro-bono lawyer working on family law cases. He and Scotty have also given up on having a child after their surrogate, Michelle, apparently lost the baby. They find Olivia through an adoption agency, and she joins the family. Saul bumps into an old flame, Jonathan, who now campaigns for a HIV+ charity, and reveals that it was Jonathan who infected Saul. Jonathan doesn't even remember it. However, they eventually become a strong couple. Nora has become distant from her family and has taken a secret job as a florist to fill her time, being bullied by her boss, although she soon quits and finds a place as an agony aunt on a radio show. Sarah then later buys the radio station as part of a business venture. Justin, having returned to the war front after Robert's accident, comes home to help fix everyone's problems but has issues of his own after having been separated from Rebecca for a year. Meanwhile, Holly has developed long term memory loss after the accident and is struggling to remember her life and loved ones.[7] Nora's first love, Nick Brody, comes back into her life and they enjoy a passionate romance, until Justin sees Brody's medical records and realizes that he is Sarah's biological father. Scotty bumps into Michelle, who had mysteriously disappeared after claiming to have miscarried, and he and Kevin discover that she actually ran away and gave birth to a healthy baby boy, Daniel. In the series finale, Sarah gets cold feet but in the end, marries Luc. To everyone's surprise, one of Nick Brody's daughters shows up uninvited to the wedding party. Jonathan and Saul decide to get married. Kitty also finds romance after Robert with younger college student Seth Witley. In the series finale, Kitty admits that she's pregnant. Seth is worried about how the pregnancy will affect her health after her cancer. At the hotel for Sarah and Luc's wedding party Justin runs into a former love and boss, Tyler. He finds out she is married but separated from her husband.

DVD releases

Season Episodes Title DVD release date
Region 1 Region 2 Region 4
1 23 The Complete First Season September 18, 2007[8] February 25, 2008[9] October 26, 2007[10]
2 16 The Complete Second Season September 23, 2008[11] March 16, 2009[12] October 28, 2008[13]
3 24 The Complete Third Season September 1, 2009[14] October 19, 2009[15] September 18, 2009[16]
4 24 The Complete Fourth Season August 31, 2010[17] October 11, 2010[18] September 24, 2010[19]
5 22 The Complete Fifth & Final Season August 23, 2011[20] November 14, 2011[21] November 2, 2011[22]

Production

The series is from producer Ken Olin (star of thirtysomething and producer of Alias) and Jon Robin Baitz, one of Broadway's most prominent playwrights (The Substance of Fire). Noted producer Greg Berlanti was also an executive producer and "show-runner" during season one. Berlanti continues to serve on the series as executive producer. Mark B. Perry (The Wonder Years and One Tree Hill) served as the showrunner for twelve episodes before departing the show in the aftermath of the 2007–2008 Writers Guild of America strike. Perry was replaced by Monica Owusu-Breen and Alison Schapker who served as showrunners until they were replaced by David Marshall Grant shortly into season 4.

After the series pilot was shot, and the show was picked up by ABC, the series underwent some moderate changes. Most notably, three of the roles were recast:

The more minor role of Cooper, Sarah and Joe's younger child, was also recast after the pilot episode.

Robert McCallister was the name of a character on a previous Greg Berlanti production, Jack & Bobby, about a boy who grew up to be the President of the United States. As with the Robert McCallister on Brothers & Sisters, the character on Jack & Bobby was a Republican who had a wife named Courtney and a son named Jack.

Brothers & Sisters is produced by Berlanti Television, After Portsmouth, and Touchstone Television (Fall 2006–Spring 2007), which is now ABC Studios (Fall 2007–2011).

On May 13, 2011, ABC announced the series of Brothers & Sisters has been canceled after five seasons.[24]

Syndication

Brothers & Sisters aired on SOAPnet weekdays and also aired local syndication on weekends only until 2012.

Location

Brothers & Sisters was filmed in the Greater Los Angeles area including: Los Angeles, Santa Monica, South Pasadena, Pasadena, and other locations.

Critical reception

Brothers & Sisters's first season received mixed to positive reviews from critics but positive reviews from fans. However, the reviews became warm and earned acclaim even from critics.

Ratings

U.S. ratings

Seasonal rankings (based on average total viewers per episode) of Brothers & Sisters on ABC:

Season Timeslot (EDT) Season premiere Season finale TV season Rank Viewers
(in millions)
Viewers High
(in millions)
Viewers Low
(in millions)
18–49 Average 18–49 High 18–49 Low
1 Sunday 10:00PM September 24, 2006 May 20, 2007 2006–2007 #37 11.0[25] 16.10 9.13 4.67[26] 6.2 3.4
2 Sunday 10:00PM September 30, 2007 May 11, 2008 2007–2008 #38 10.7[27] 13.26 8.50 4.22[26] 5.1 3.0
3 Sunday 10:00PM September 28, 2008 May 10, 2009 2008–2009 #33[28] 10.7[28] 12.35 8.84 3.47[26] 4.8 2.8
4 Sunday 10:00PM September 27, 2009 May 16, 2010 2009–2010 #34[29] 10.4[29] 10.78 7.65 2.85[26] 3.7 2.2
5 Sunday 10:00PM September 26, 2010 May 8, 2011 2010–2011 #52 8.2[30] 9.47 5.70 2.60 3.0 1.6

Awards and nominations

Awards and nominations for Brothers & Sisters
Year Award Title Recipient Result
2007 Australian Film Institute Award Best International Actress Rachel Griffiths Nominated
Casting Society of America Award Best Dramatic Episodic Casting Gillian O'Neil, Jeanie Bacharach Nominated
Best Dramatic Pilot Casting Gillian O'Neil, Jeanie Bacharach Won
Emmy Award Outstanding Casting for a Drama Series Gillian O'Neil, Jeanie Bacharach Nominated
Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series Sally Field Won
Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series Rachel Griffiths Nominated
Gold Derby TV Award Best Actress in a Drama Series Sally Field Won
Best Supporting Actress in a Drama Series Rachel Griffiths Nominated
GLAAD Media Award Outstanding Drama Series Won
Peoples Choice Award Favourite New TV Drama Nominated
Satellite Award Best Actress in a Drama Series Sally Field Nominated
Best Supporting Actress in a TV Series, Mini-Series or TV Movie Rachel Griffiths Nominated
Best Drama Series Nominated
Young Artist Award Best Family TV Drama Series Nominated
2008 Australian Film Institute Award Best International Actress Rachel Griffiths Nominated
Casting Society of America Award Best Dramatic Episodic Casting Gillian O'Neil Nominated
Emmy Award Outstanding Casting for a Drama Series Gillian O'Neil, Jeanie Bacharach Nominated
Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series Sally Field Nominated
Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series Rachel Griffiths Nominated
Gold Derby TV Award Best Actress in a Drama Series Sally Field Nominated
Best Actress in a Drama Series Calista Flockhart Nominated
Best Drama Series Nominated
Best Ensemble of the Year Nominated
Best Guest Actor in a Drama Series Danny Glover Nominated
Best Supporting Actor in a Drama Series Matthew Rhys Nominated
Best Supporting Actress in a Drama Series Rachel Griffiths Nominated
GLAAD Media Award Outstanding Drama Series Won
Golden Globe Award Best Actress in a Television Drama Series Sally Field Nominated
Best Supporting Actress in a Series, Mini-Series or Motion Picture made for Television Rachel Griffiths Nominated
Prism Award Best Performance in a Drama Series Dave Annable Won
Best Performance in a Drama Series Sally Field Won
Satellite Award Best Actress in a Drama Series Sally Field Nominated
Screen Actors Guild Award Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Drama Series Sally Field Nominated
2009 Emmy Award Lead Actress in a Drama Series Sally Field Nominated
Gold Derby TV Award Best Actress in a Drama Series Calista Flockhart Nominated
GLAAD Media Award Outstanding Drama Series Won
Golden Globe Award Best Actress in a Drama Series Sally Field Nominated
Best Supporting Actress in a TV Series, Mini-Series or TV Movie Rachel Griffiths Nominated
Screen Actors Guild Award Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Drama Series Sally Field Won
2010 GLAAD Media Award Outstanding Drama Series Won

References

  1. "Breaking: ABC Cancels 'Brothers & Sisters' and 'V'", TV Line, May 13, 2011
  2. It's Beginning To Look A Lot Like Christmas... or Hannukkah? Bloggers and Sisters Archived December 11, 2008, at the Wayback Machine.
  3. ABC ANNOUNCES EARLY PICK-UPS FOR NEXT SEASON
  4. "Breaking News — ABC Announces Premiere Dates for Remaining Fall Series". TheFutonCritic.com. Retrieved 2012-07-20.
  5. Exclusive: "'Lost' Returns, 'Brothers & Sisters' Renewed" Archived 2010-03-08 at the Wayback Machine., Hollywood Reporter, March 5, 2010
  6. "Brothers & Sisters" Spoilers: Time Jump Ahead!, TV Fanatic, May 3, 2010
  7. "Emily VanCamp Leaving Brothers & Sisters: Rebecca's "Run Her Course"". TVGuide.com. Retrieved 2013-02-18.
  8. "Brothers & Sisters DVD news: Announcement for Brothers & Sisters – The Complete 1st Season". TVShowsOnDVD.com. Retrieved December 29, 2012.
  9. "Brothers And Sisters – Season 1 [DVD]". Amazon.co.uk. Retrieved December 29, 2012.
  10. "Brothers and Sisters – The Complete 1st Season (6 Disc Set)". ezydvd.com.au. Retrieved January 1, 2013.
  11. "Brothers & Sisters DVD news: Announcement for Brothers & Sisters – The Complete 2nd Season". TVShowsOnDVD.com. Retrieved December 29, 2012.
  12. "Brothers And Sisters – Season 2 [DVD]". Amazon.co.uk. Retrieved December 29, 2012.
  13. "Brothers and Sisters – The Complete 2nd Season (5 Disc Set)". ezydvd.com.au. Retrieved January 1, 2013.
  14. "Brothers & Sisters DVD news: Announcement for Brothers & Sisters – The Complete 3rd Season". TVShowsOnDVD.com. Retrieved December 29, 2012.
  15. "Brothers And Sisters – Season 3 [DVD]". Amazon.co.uk. Retrieved December 29, 2012.
  16. "Brothers and Sisters – The Complete 3rd Season (6 Disc Set)". ezydvd.com.au. Retrieved January 1, 2013.
  17. "Brothers & Sisters DVD news: Announcement for Brothers & Sisters – The Complete 4th Season". TVShowsOnDVD.com. Retrieved December 29, 2012.
  18. "Brothers And Sisters – Season 4 [DVD]". Amazon.co.uk. Retrieved December 29, 2012.
  19. "Brothers and Sisters – The Complete 4th Season (6 Disc Set)". ezydvd.com.au. Retrieved January 1, 2013.
  20. "Brothers & Sisters DVD news: Announcement for Brothers & Sisters – The Complete 5th Season". TVShowsOnDVD.com. Retrieved 2012-03-16.
  21. "Brothers and Sisters – Season 5 [DVD]: Sally Field, Calista Flockhart, Rob Lowe, Sarah Jane Morris, Rachel Griffiths, Balthazar Getty, Dave Annable: Film & TV". Amazon.co.uk. Retrieved 2012-03-16.
  22. "Brothers and Sisters – The Complete 5th and Final Season". ezydvd.com.au. Retrieved 2012-09-25.
  23. "Top This: A Gay Ceremony on ABC's Brothers & Sisters, USA Today, May 11, 2008.
  24. "Brothers & Sisters: Cancelled by ABC; No Season Six", TVSeriesFinale, May 13, 2011
  25. "Hollywood Reporter: 2006–07 primetime wrap". Hollywood Reporter. May 25, 2007. Archived from the original on May 28, 2007.
  26. 1 2 3 4 "The War of 18–49, Brothers & Sisters". Spotted Ratings. 2010-07-25. Retrieved 2011-05-01.
  27. Televisionista: TV Ratings: 2007–2008 Season Top-200
  28. 1 2 "ABC Medianet". ABC Medianet. 2009-05-19. Archived from the original on 2009-06-23. Retrieved 2012-07-20.
  29. 1 2 "Die Season ist vorbei: Amerikas heißeste Liste". quotenmeter.de. 2010-07-05. Retrieved 2010-09-02.
  30. "2010–11 Season Broadcast Primetime Show Viewership Averages — Ratings | TVbytheNumbers". Tvbythenumbers.zap2it.com. 2011-06-01. Retrieved 2012-07-20.

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