Forever young! Parenthood made a family out of its cast — both on screen and off. Although the stars have moved on to other career opportunities, they remain close-knit.
The NBC drama ran for six seasons from March 2010 to January 2015 and became known as a tearjerker for its story lines on cancer, marriage, bullying and, of course, parenting. Peter Krause (Adam Braverman), Lauren Graham (Sarah Braverman), Dax Shepard (Crosby Braverman) and Erika Christensen (Julia Braverman-Graham) played siblings, while Monica Potter (Kristina Braverman), Craig T. Nelson (Zeek Braverman), Mae Whitman (Amber Holt) and more talented actors made up the branches of the family tree.
Krause, for his part, assured fans in March 2016 that he is still in touch with his former costars — not just Graham, whom he began dating while filming the critically acclaimed series. “It was just a fun set,” he told HuffPost Live. “Very collaborative, we all really loved each other. I’m in contact with all of the people on the show.”
He continued: “I still see Dax a lot and Mae. Every now and then I’ll have a text back and forth with Craig T. … And I’m really proud of Max Burkholder, who was accepted into Harvard. And he’s a great actor. What a fantastic job he did in that role. Great kid.”
While viewers likely cannot imagine other actors in the roles of the beloved Bravermans, Shepard initially turned down the part of Crosby to be with wife Kristen Bell. “I chose her, which blew my mind,” he revealed during a March 2019 episode of his “Armchair Expert” podcast. “I got offered Parenthood — I hadn’t acted in a long time, no one was offering me anything — and they said, ‘This show shoots in Philadelphia,’ and I said, ‘There’s no way I can be in this relationship and move to Philadelphia.’”
The Bless This Mess alum noted it “was certainly the first time in my life that I had ever” passed on an acting opportunity. “I couldn’t believe I was doing that,” he said, adding that he “very much wanted to be on that show” and thought the idea of living in Philadelphia was “very appealing.”
When production moved to Los Angeles, Shepard was able to accept the role. “What’s so ironic is you make a decision like that and then, weirdly, you’re rewarded,” he explained.
Scroll through the gallery below to see where the cast of Parenthood is today!