Since I was 19 when I saw it, the storyline that resonated most with me was when the teenage daughter (Plimpton) took some naughty photos to get developed with her boyfriend (Keanu Reeves!) - that were accidentally picked up by her mother. Yikes. That's the kind of lesson that sticks with a teenager.

Today, of course, any nude photos would be taken by phone and sexted out to everybody on your buddy list within seconds. So I guess times have changed.

As for the "Why now?" question . . . the truth is, they've never stopped trying to remake "Parenthood." A 1990 version with Ed Begley Jr. was critically well received, but didn't last long. Most notably involved:

*a pre-"Buffy the Vampire Slayer" Joss Whedon as a writer on the show;

*a pre-screaming-teenagers Leonardo DiCaprio as one of the kids, and

*a pre-Courteney-Cox David Arquette in the Keanu role.

Over and over, TV has tried to capture both the comedy and agony of family. "The Parent 'Hood" (1995-99), "Life Goes On" (1989-93), "Seventh Heaven" (1996-2007), and most recently "Brothers and Sisters," "The Middle" and "Modern Family."

Now Ron Howard's getting back into the game again with partner Brian Grazer, as well as big names from "Friday Night Lights," "Arrested Development" and "The West Wing." The exquisite Maura Tierney had to bow out due to breast cancer (don't worry - she's well enough now to star in a Los Angeles play), but she's been gamely replaced by Lauren Graham. Basically, it's her "Gilmore Girls" role, except her daughter is a goth rebel instead of a perky overachiever.

The remarkably close Braverman family lives in Berkeley, Calif., in a series of funkily charming homes. The solid cast also includes:

*Craig T. Nelson as Zeek, the gruff patriarch who may be having an affair.

*Bonnie Bedelia as Camille, his wife. We know from "Presumed Innocent" that she *knows how to end an affair.

*Peter Krause as Adam, who learns that his son has Asperger's Syndrome.

*Monica Potter, as his freaking-out wife.

*Erika Christensen as Julia, the lawyer bread-winner in her family, who's worried that her daughter prefers her dad.

*Dax Shepard as Crosby - and how could he be anything but a laid-back music producer who lives on a houseboat with a name like Crosby?

*Joy Bryant as Jasmine, Crosby's ex, who shows up one day to tell him he has a son. A black son. Named Jabar.

*Mae Whitman (who's giving "Juno's" Ellen Page some competition as America's slacker sweetheart) as a teenager who hasn't learned to run from a boyfriend named Damien.

"Parenthood" strikes all the right notes, although it's not yet can't-miss television. It's sweet and funny and heartbreaking, and relatable to the point of cliché. Doesn't it seem like the only way you can show your son that you love him these days is to argue with the ump and get thrown out of his Little League game?

The series drives home the undeniable fact that it takes a village to raise a child. You can pay the village, I suppose, or depend on the kindness of strangers. But family can be one-stop shopping for day care, therapy, advice, criticism and casseroles. And though you may save financially, boy will you pay for it emotionally.