A "Family Affair" to Remember

I can still recall the chill that ran down my spine when I first heard that the WB was going to mount a remake of "Family Affair," the gentle, sickeningly sweet sitcom of the sixties. The press release promised a re-visiting of the premise with a decidedly updated focus. Uh-oh.

The reviews of the program were not kind. Unfunny. Lifeless. Hammy. Well, since most viewers on Thursday evenings are tuned to either NBC's "Friends" or CBS' "Survivor," not many people will ever know. But I, for one, will miss "Family Affair," which seems doomed to be discarded and forgotten after this season.

Gary Cole plays Bill Davis. Cole is making a career, these days, of re-inventing classic television. He played Mike Brady in three films, and recently co-starred in the cinematic remake of "I Spy." Cole plays Uncle Bill pretty straight, however, with none of the sly tongue-in-cheek self-awareness he displayed in "The Brady Bunch." As in the original series, Davis is a swinging single architect, with evidently a thicker black book than Brian Keith enjoyed in 1966. He and his butler, Giles French (played by a delightfully restrained Tim Curry) find their lives turned upside down when he is placed in charge of his sister's orphaned twins (Sasha Pieterse, Jimmy "Jax" Pinchak), soon to be followed by their teen-aged sister Sissy.

Caitlin Wachs plays Sissy, who has been elevated to lead status in the remake, and the decision is a wise one. In the original, Anissa Jones and Johnnie Whittaker mugged mercilessly through the storylines, and Cissy (yes, spelled differently) was frequently seen arriving with shopping bags or leaving with school books. Wachs is clearly a superior young actress who makes the most of the slight material.

Is this revolutionary entertainment? By no means. But there needs to be a place on network television for shows like "Family Affair." My daughter and I look forward to Thursday evenings, because this is the one program that the two of us can watch together unflinchingly. I rarely laugh out loud, but I frequently catch myself smiling.

Sadly WB hasn't given much viewership to the program by its unfortunate scheduling. It will doubtlessly be gone by this summer, probably to make room for the WB's new version of "The Courtship of Eddie's Father." Take this fleeting opportunity to experience this program, new and nostalgic at the same time, and to share it with a youngster you love.

By Bill Wilson

http://accesswdun.com/article/2003/3/182113