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Brothers & Sisters
SERIES: ABC, Sunday 10:00p (60 minutes)


7.7

based on 27 reviews
read critic reviews
how did we calculate this?

based on 143 votes
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Get more information on this show at TV.com.

Starring Calista Flockhart, Rachel Griffiths, Sally Field, Ron Rifkin, Patricia Wettig, Balthazar Getty, Dave Annable, and Matthew Rhys

Anticipated more for its cast than its original premise, this soapy drama follows the lives and loves of members of a wealthy California family.

GENRE(S):	Drama, Soap Opera
CREATED BY:	Jon Robin Baitz
FIRST AIR DATE:	September 24, 2006

All critic scores are converted to a 100-point scale. If a critic does not indicate a score, we assign a score based on the general impression given by the text of the review. Learn more...

Baltimore Sun David Zurawik

A network series potentially good enough to be on HBO.

Wall Street Journal Dorothy Rabinowitz

There are precious few signs of trouble or uncertainty in the polished, instantaneously seductive finished product on display in its first episode.

USA Today Robert Bianco

TV desperately needs a straightforward drama that explores family dynamics without some imposed gimmick, and Brothers & Sisters could just be the show to fill that bill.

San Francisco Chronicle Tim Goodman

The promise of grown up storytelling is alluring. This is a series to watch to see if it grows.

Detroit Free Press Mike Duffy

With fun, familiar faces like Field, Flockhart and Griffiths on board, attending a family reunion with the Walkers every Sunday could be a lively, entertaining way to end the weekend.

New York Post Linda Stasi

Once "Brothers & Sisters" gets started, it works, and it works well.

Chicago Tribune Maureen Ryan

Meeting the Walker clan and getting a glimpse at their personal lives... is like being led to a table of tantalizing appetizers. Even as you take a sample of these introductory delights, you’re wondering whether the main course will live up to your expectations.

New York Magazine John Leonard

Despite cast changes, rewrites, and producer musical chairs, this brainy soap checks in with promise.

TV Guide Matt Roush

On the glossy surface, it’s an earnestly predictable but impeccably produced soap opera. [13 Sep 2006]

The New York Times Alessandra Stanley

Ms. Flockhart... is not convincing as a woman of conviction. And that is too bad, because “Brothers and Sisters” has wit and grace.

Pittsburgh Post-Gazette Rob Owen

"Brothers & Sisters" may find a way to streamline its storytelling and allow viewers to more easily sort out the huge cast of characters (there are at least 10 series regulars), or it may remain an unwieldy mess. Time will tell.

Orlando Sentinel Hal Boedeker

What should be a juicy family soap opera -- the family in question owns a food company -- comes off as a blah banquet.

Entertainment Weekly Gillian Flynn

The pilot was reshot, and it shows--the timing lurches and scenes grind into each other. [22 Sep 2006, p.90]

Los Angeles Times Paul Brownfield

The pilot has a "Steel Magnolias" feel to it: Too many stars, too many faces, too many names, a cornucopia of character business.

Newsday Verne Gay

The good news is that "Brothers & Sisters" isn't even remotely a disaster. The bad news is that it isn't even remotely a success either.

New York Daily News David Hinckley

"Brothers & Sisters" establishes itself as little more than a family gathering you should have no interest in attending. Their dialogue sounds real, but not much of it sounds interesting.

Hollywood Reporter Barry Garron

"Brothers & Sisters"... has all the traditional themes of unhappy marriage, unmet parental expectations, unexpected financial chicanery and (possibly) unfaithfulness. It deals with them convincingly, though not with any great depth or insight.

Newark Star-Ledger Alan Sepinwall

A work in progress.

Seattle Post-Intelligencer Melanie McFarland

File this under "We'll See."

Philadelphia Daily News Ellen Gray

Based on the first episode... we're talking predictable prime-time soap.

People Weekly Tom Gliatto

The show wants to mix in big themes (politics, money) with a family soap opera, but it just feels bloated and vague. [25 Sep 2006, p.43]

Chicago Sun-Times Doug Elfman

A clutter of clunky dialogue that sucks the life out of [Flockhart] and other usually skilled actors.

Time James Poniewozik

It's the sort of talky tedious drama that is far less intelligent than it clearly thinks it is.

Variety Brian Lowry

The show seems as if it desperately yearns to be a worthy companion to "Housewives" but lacks the requisite bite, despite political references meant to feel edgy that prove mostly banal.

San Jose Mercury News Charlie McCollum

An incoherent, almost unwatchable mess.

Washington Post Tom Shales

If you're looking for the deep emotional truths that the creators of ABC's would-be heart-tugger imagine they're after, well, pro wrestling might be a good choice.

Boston Globe Matthew Gilbert

Not a single note in the premiere of "Brothers & Sisters" rings true.

The average user rating for this tv show is 7.7 (out of 10) based on 143 User Votes
Note: User votes are NOT included in the Metascore calculation.

Racheli G. gave it a10:
An amazing drama, from the kind we don't have any more on TV. A great acting from all the cast and well scripted show. I cant wait for the next episode, especially now that Justin and Rebbecca are together.

Terry K gave it a3:
JUMP THE SHARK ALERT!! I am a big fan of the show, but this was the best they could do after how many months?!? I know it is drama, but great drama adheres believably close to gritty reality (i.e., The Sopranos) For example, in an economic climate like this, most of America WISHES they had the Walker family's problems. Almost all plot lines in this episode used action vehicles that did not ring true. For example, someone with the gravitas attributed to them as Nora Walker (Sally Field) is willing to risk the ruin of the family business, so that they don't hurt the gay lawyer brother's feelings or chance for partner at a top LA law firm. Wow!!! Kevin Walker is making a fortune (by Main Street America standards) as a senior associate (you can see what a partner makes by looking at that beach house) and everyone has a hissy fit and blames Tommy Walker who is trying to save the family business company (when it was HE who saved the business when Saul and Sarah who took out the $20 M loan they couldn't repay). Also, what happened to Kitty Walker-McAllister's conservative bent? Shouldn't she have defended (or at least appreciated) Tommy's predicament- being pro business, etc. This show is dangerously close to "Jumping the Shark;" the plot lines make views have disdain for their plight instead of sympathy ; this episode indicates a series perceptively drifting away from being a drama ALMOST worthy of HBO to a 2008 version of Dynasty.........sad. Fire the writers, or threaten their jobs; in this economy, THAT should get their creative juices flowing. ;-)

G L gave it a10:
Love the show!! Rob Lowe should stay on permanently!! Chemistry between him and Calista is amazing!

Anne N gave it a10:
Loved it! Absolutely great cast. Didn't think I could ever watch Rob Lowe again after his sex debacle with the 15 year old, but i get past it. Sally Fields carries it, I think. She is just so wonderful to watch perform. And, Glover, ain't bad.

Jane gave it a10:
One of the best TV show, remind us how important family is and how it should be. Regardless how we are, who we are.... good quality show and wonderful casts

Mike T gave it a1:
Predictable and aweful. One retarded cathartic moment after another. The jokes are flat and the acting sucks.

Susan L. gave it an8:
An upper middle-class family warts and all. Good stuff.

Brothers & Sisters SERIES: ABC, Sunday 10:00p (60 minutes)

Brothers & Sisters
SERIES: ABC, Sunday 10:00p (60 minutes)