The Family (2016 TV series)

The Family is an American thriller television series. It was created by and executive produced by Jenna Bans, former ShondaLand regular writer. The series follows on the return of the mayor's young son, who was presumed dead after disappearing over a decade earlier. The series stars Joan Allen as Claire Warren, the ambitious and manipulative mayor of the fictional city Red Pines, Maine, and matriarch of the Warren family, who announces her candidacy for governor when her son Adam, played by Liam James, returns after having been kidnapped 10 years prior. The series premiered on Thursday, March 3, 2016, on ABC and concluded on Thursday, May 19, 2016.
On May 12, 2016, the series was cancelled after one season.
Production.
Development and filming.
On September 24, 2014, it was announced that ABC bought the original concept of the untitled mystery drama from "Grey's Anatomy" and "Scandal" regular writer Jenna Bans. The series is produced by ABC Studios and Mandeville Television; Bans serves as executive producer with David Hoberman, Todd Lieberman and Laurie Zaks. ABC greenlighted the pilot on January 28, 2015.
The pilot episode, directed by Paul McGuigan, began filming on March 12, 2015, in Vancouver, British Columbia. Later episodes began filming in New York City in September 2015.
Casting.
Casting advertisement began in February 2015. On February 13, Zach Gilford was the first to be announced as a regular cast member, playing the role of the older brother. On February 19 Liam James was cast in the key role of the young son who was presumed dead. On February 25, it was announced that Margot Bingham was cast as one of the female lead roles, playing a police sergeant. On February 25, it was announced that three-time Oscar nominee Joan Allen will play the leading role of mayor and Warren family matriarch. The show would be her first broadcast series regular role after many years starring in movies. On the same day Alison Pill was cast as the mayor's daughter and campaign manager. Floriana Lima was cast as a young reporter. On March 10 it was announced that Andrew McCarthy will play Warren's former neighbor who spent 10 years in prison for Adam's murder. On March 16, it was announced that Rupert Graves was cast in the final series regular role as Claire Warren's husband.
On October 2, 2015, Grant Show joined the series in the major recurring role as the Democratic governor and Claire's rival.
Reception.
"The Family" has received mixed reviews from critics. On Metacritic, the first season holds a score of 58 out of 100, indicating "mixed or average reviews". On Rotten Tomatoes, the show holds a 61% approval rating based on 31 critics with its critical consensus: ""The Family" takes a confusing, convoluted course to solve its central mystery that few will want to follow, despite a game performance from Joan Allen."
The performances of McCarthy, Pill, and Allen have been praised by critics. Stacey Ritzen of "Uproxx" wrote that "the cast all bring their A game, particularly Allen as the ball-busting matriarch and McCarthy, who lends genuine creepiness and dread to the role." Dominic Patten of "Deadline Hollywood" praised Allen's and Pill's performances, and wrote that Pill "delivers a rooted multi-level performance that is pretty big league unto itself". Ellen Gray of "Philadelphia Daily News" praised McCarthy's performance, writing that "while we're waiting to be further mystified, there's plenty to see, including McCarthy's scene-stealing performance as a character who might be as misunderstood as Boo Radley, or might truly be the bogeyman of our worst nightmares."
Other critics slammed the writing and casting. Tim Goodman of "The Hollywood Reporter" called the show, "Poorly written and completely ridiculous." Jeff Jensen of "Entertainment Weekly" gave it a C-, summarizing it as a "sour, formulaic expression of ABC's penchant for buzzy, 'sticky' potboilers." He wrote that the show delivered a "shallow treatment of material that deserves more maturity, more empathy, more savvy about American culture. It shows capacity for interesting ideas but has only meager, cliché imagination for them."