You must watch..."Switched at Birth"

Sooo...I’ve been enjoying the new ABC Family summer drama Switched at Birth.  Like…really enjoying.  This is a concept that could have gone SO wrong and SO bad/cheesy.  But honestly, when the show is at its best it reminds me of Gilmore Girls (an old favorite of mine).  Especially Bay, one of the main characters (the actress actually WAS on Gilmore Girls).  She is full of witty little one liners/references like “You’re not a plot twist in a Mark Twain novel.”  Ah, so Gilmore Girls…it’s not for everyone, but I think it’s funny and I love it.

On that note, I think one of the best things the show does is use humor heavily.  Let’s face it, the show is dealing with some heavy issues – having your child switched at birth, your child going deaf, alcohol/gambling addictions, and (of course) typical teen/dating/sex stuff.  Without humor to even out all these things, I would probably be gagging every other scene.  Instead, this show legitimately makes me laugh out loud (and yes, get a little misty eyed at some points).  Something to remember if you’re writing your own family drama with some serious stuff in it…don’t skimp on the humor!

I also think, the show avoids the melodrama by pulling back and trying to show instead of tell or skipping conversations that would likely be long winded and overly dramatic.  Sure, there are still some big emotional scenes and monologues, but not every scene is like that which is such a relief.  I think the fact that many of the characters are signing while talking (or sometimes only signing) helps to add a little distance between the characters and the drama.  If one character only signs and the other doesn’t understand the signs, that buries the super serious moments a little by adding another layer to the scene.  Instead of just: two characters fight, the scene might be...two characters try to fight, but they can’t completely understand each other.  This definitely makes for more interesting viewing.

Another thing I love is the way teens are portrayed.  This is a show where teens are intelligent…in a realistic way.  Sure, they sometimes fight/care about dumb high school issues/boyfriends/petty things, but they’re smart, they do homework, they like art and music and have well thought out things to say.  It’s just so nice and refreshing to see a show that focuses on a couple high school girls that isn’t all catty fights and dumb boy problems.

I think a lot of the credit goes to the writers and especially to Vanessa Marano who plays Bay and Katie Leclerc who plays Daphne.  All I can say is…WOW, these ladies are both outstanding…seriously, two stars in the making.

I think my only criticism of the show would be that the glossy ABC Family look kinda negates the economic clash that’s supposed to be going on.  It’s hard to see one family as poor and the other as incredibly rich when everyone dresses nicely and even the “bad” neighborhood doesn’t look so “bad.”  Also, I don’t think I’ve seen any show that really nails teasing/bullying by teens in a totally believable way that doesn’t make me roll my eyes/doesn’t feel super on the nose.  But, whatevs, I can tell the show tries hard to make the point but also pull back a little.

Overall, Switched at Birth is really doing something right, and I’d love to see more family dramas written like it on TV.  You can catch the latest episode tonight (Monday) on ABC Family, or catch up on Hulu.