Alienated

This show is one well-kept secret that shouldn't be - it's a gem.

As a family counselor, I have had fewer pleasures surfing cable than to happen upon this hilarious west coast comedy about... you guessed it,...family dysfunction. Director Trent Carlson (Delicate Art of Parking), Mark Sawers (Kid's in the Hall) and co-writer Robert Chomiak pack one parenting conundrum after another into each episode with tear-inducing effect. Was there an alien abduction in this quiet little suburban house? Is this the cause of mysterious surges in the sexual urges of daughter, son, dad, and even grandpa? Mom seems immune, but not disinterested. The pace is calculated and the delivery is well timed. With Jonathon Whittaker playing her innocently adolescent husband, Roger, to dead-pan perfection, Sarah-Jane Redmond is a discrete and sober modern wife, responsible yet anxious, the only real adult present. My hat goes off to cast and crew. A thoroughly enjoyable treat.