"Parenthood" Trips the Light Fantastic

Parenthood which airs Tuesday nights on NBC, is actually the second TV series to be inspired the 1989 Ron Howard film of the same name.

It was eclipsed both critically and in the ratings last year in its freshman season by another comedy with similar subject matter, "Modern Family."  Even though NBC's take on a family comedy hasn't been a major hit, with its second season it may be starting to hit its stride creatively.

This past Tuesday had grandparent characters Zeek (Craig T. Nelson) and Millie (Bonnie Bedelia) trying to rekindle the romance by taking ballroom dancing lessons.

The scene starts with them bickering and stepping on each other's toes, but in the background you catch notice of a gay couple also on the dance floor.

Eventually, the instructor blows a whistle and tells the students to switch partners. Zeek finds himself face to face with Tony, a graceful male dance partner.

This setup could easily have gone off the rails. The show could have tried scoring some cheap laughs out of two men dancing. (e.g. Remember SYTYCD a couple seasons ago?)

Instead, the show takes this scene in a really interesting direction.   

You can check out the scene below. Personally, it makes me want to maybe tune in to check out more of Parenthood.

Parenthood airs Tuesday nights at 10:00pm EST on NBC