The start of "A Friend of the Family" bewilders you with a premise that is stranger than fiction. If you are not previously familiar with the story, you would be confused with amazement that this happened in real life. However, once the shock wears off, the pacing gets a bit dull, and Anna Paquin hamming it up for the camera becomes too much. She is an Oscar winner; I do not know why she now has to contort her facial parts into weird angles. Nevertheless, there is decent acting in this series, particularly from Jake Lacey, Colin Hanks, and Hendrix Yancey as young Jan. Most of all, it is McKenna Grace that keeps me hooked waiting for her appearance starting in episode 5. She is so talented with a bright future, several accolades, and lead roles coming her way. As good as McKenna is though, she cannot save the show from the odd cadence and disjointed threads. Six episodes instead of nine would have been ideal. There is a nice sprinkle of authenticity throughout, thanks to the real survivor Jan Broberg who openly sanctions this show and even has a small acting part in it.
Review of A Friend of the Family
