Parenthood – Episode 5.01 – It Has to Be Now – PREVIEW

It’s a brand new day for the Bravermans, and for “Parenthood.”

Constantly on the bubble despite its critical acclaim, the family drama was rewarded for its ratings rise last year with a full 22-episode order, the first since season two. It’s also getting NBC’s premier drama time slot – Thursday nights at 10PM.

But if the creative team is feeling any pressure, it doesn’t show in “It Has to Be Now,” a breezy season premiere that will satisfy its hungry fans and nicely sets the table for the drama ahead.

It’s been nearly nine months since we last saw the Bravermans so, naturally, Crosby (Dax Shepard) and Jasmine (Joy Bryant) are welcoming their baby into the world. The lack of sleep leads to bickering between the two, but the new arrival also provides some of the episode’s best comedic beats, such as Zeek (Craig T. Nelson) wondering if his light-skinned granddaughter is actually albino and Crosby frantically waving Adam (Peter Krause) into his car as he drives the baby past his house.

Coming off her cancer crisis, Kristina (Monica Potter) is committed to living in the now, but after receiving an intriguing professional offer from a familiar face, she finds her new attitude challenged by Adam. I liked that, even if the story arc has mostly wrapped up, what Kristina went through last season still informs who she is now (her noting that she can’t officially be called cured for five years was a nice touch). The decision she ends up making is a little far-fetched, but I’m curious to see how it unfolds.

Meanwhile, immediately after jinxing themselves about a great year ahead, Julia (Erika Christensen) finds herself struggling to get back into the workforce while Joel (Sam Jaeger) lands a major contract with Pete (“Lost” star Sonya Walger), a beautiful architect who practically has “potential home wrecker” stamped on her forehead. Hopefully “Parenthood” will sidestep the clichés of this set-up, although I already found the “Oh hey, it turns out Pete is a woman!” thing a little cheap for this show.

And, of course, a new year means a new status quo for Sarah (Lauren Graham), who we find at another new job with another potential love interest (Josh Stamberg of “Drop Dead Diva”). She’s also dealing with Drew (Miles Heizer) being off at college by pestering Amber (Mae Whitman), whose relationship with Ryan (Matt Lauria) provides the premiere’s most romantic moment.

Also back, after some awkward exposition, is Hank (Ray Romano). His exasperation with all things Braverman tickles me and his potentially mentoring Max (Max Burkholder) in photography should happily lead to more scenes of that.

So while it doesn’t hit the dramatic highs of the show’s greatest hours, “Parenthood” is still as warm and authentic as ever.

The season premiere of “Parenthood” airs Thursday September 26th at 10PM EST/9PM CST on NBC.