Brothers And Sisters - Seasons 1 to 4 DVD Box Set

RRP: £108.99

Best Price: £49.99

Much of the current crop of TV drama is led almost entirely by premise - it’s concept that sells, be it time-travelling cop or drug-addicted therapist, there’s always a gimmick, a hook that drags you in before you even see the titles. It’s a rarity that a show gets made which doesn’t claim to have a clear sales pitch - and even more rare that the show in question attracts an all-star, award winning cast and goes on to critical acclaim.

Brothers and Sisters is about the Walker family and it really is as simple as that. When the patriarch passes away in episode one, the family react, fight, fall out, and gradually begin to uncover a catalogue of secrets that just might tear the family apart. Despite its simplicity, though, it’s a drama that takes a long, deep look into the heart of what makes families - real life families - stay together and, with a subtle and intelligent script, it’s the performances that make the family utterly fascinating.

Stealing most of the show, Sally Field stars as Nora - wife of deceased William (Tom Skerritt) and a woman on the cusp of finding out she wasn’t her husband’s only love. It’s a performance that’s somewhere between two extremes, a woman fragile and broken but presenting an image of absolute resilience for the sake of her children. As mentioned before, though, it’s a cast that most shows would envy - Rachel Griffiths (Six Feet Under) plays oldest sibling Sarah, Calista Flockhart (Ally McBeal) plays daddy’s girl Kitty and Rob Lowe (The West Wing) features as suspicious senator and love interest Robert McCallister. Together, they turn even the slowest of plots into stunning character stories which are truly memorable.

Brothers and Sisters isn’t high-octane TV, far from it, but that’s to say nothing of its quality. Co-produced by acclaimed playwright Jon Robin Baitz, it’s clear that a certain theatrical pacing has made it to the screen - a more measured, pensive approach that gives the gifted cast an opportunity to breathe, to leave gaps, to find the detail beneath their characters’ surfaces. It creates something not quite like the rest of American TV - normality. No big pitch, no gimmick, just a family going through the joys and disappointments of life - together.

This DVD set features seasons one to four in their entirety and is an ideal way to get started on this smart, subtle piece of drama.