“Brothers & Sisters”: Dysfunctional, yet realistic

The words drama and family go together like Britney and bizarre. But you haven’t seen family drama until you’ve tuned in to ABC’s witty new series “Brothers & Sisters.”

Meet the Walkers. This convoluted family tree begins with patriarch William Walker, who only makes a brief appearance in the first episode before suffering a heart attack and dying, leaving his adult family to pick up the pieces of his shattered legacy.

Interrupting their grief process is the revelation that their husband and father had kept a mistress for over twenty years, an affair which had even produced a child.

The news rocks the family, especially William’s wife, Nora. She is grief-stricken over her husband’s death, but must say goodbye to his bittersweet memory. Part of her mourning process includes enrolling in a creative writing course, where she partakes in the cathartic act of putting her tangled emotions to pen and paper.

Sarah, who is William and Nora’s oldest child, was appointed president of her late father’s company, but she must face inherited problems with the company’s finances while her marriage struggles.

Kitty is a conservative pundit who appeared on a political talk show before beginning work with her boyfriend, the senator from California. She must try to justify her ideology in a family full of Democrats.

Tommy is happily married, but when he and his wife decide to have children they discover that he is infertile. His wife Julia was artificially inseminated with the sperm of Tommy’s brothers Kevin and Justin and became pregnant.

Kevin is a top lawyer who happens to be gay. He is known as a “serial dater,” and just ended a relationship with a soap opera star who didn’t want to come out of the closet for the sake of his acting career. Kevin does not care for his sister’s boyfriend, as the senator voted against samesex marriage.

Justin, the youngest child, just got back from Iraq and got word that he’s scheduled to be deployed again. He is savoring every moment of his civilian life while also dealing with drug rehabilitation.

Throw into the mix Rebecca, William’s illegitimate child, and the recipe for drama grows.

Think that’s complicated? Well that’s just an overview. But don’t sweat it: ABC offers back episodes from the series on ABC. com, so you can rewind time and catch every pivotal moment.

The realistic interactions between characters will have you laughing and crying, sometimes simultaneously. Some situations seem outlandish until you suddenly find a parallel in your own life.

The show, wrapping up its first season on the network, features stellar performances by the celebrated veteran of television and film Sally Field, as well as “Ally McBeal” alum Calista Flockhart and Rachel Griffiths, best known for her role on the HBO series “Six Feet Under.”

Make sure to catch this vibrant, refreshingly genuine new series on ABC. “Brothers & Sisters” airs on Sunday nights at 9 p.m. Central Time.