Parenthood is a family drama centered on The Bravermans, so when one Braverman isn’t around to be part of the story, something feels a little off. Unfortunately Sarah Ramos, who plays Haddie Braverman, wasn’t around for much of Season 5. Her storyline echoed her real life in that she went to college (Ramos attends Columbia University), appearing only a few times despite her mom (played by Monica Potter) being diagnosed with cancer.
When we last saw Haddie on the Season 5 finale, she came home with a girlfriend, played by Tavi Gevinson. Parenthood fans (especially lesbian ones) were thrilled, as the show has delved into all kinds of topics and storylines but sexuality had yet to be addressed. Haddie came out to her parents, both of whom were receptive and loving and made a non-issue of their daughter’s new relationship. It was heartwarming and very Braverman.
Unfortunately, it doesn’t seem like we’re going to get much more of Haddie on the final sixth season of Parenthood. Showrunner Jason Katims spoke to AfterEllen after an NBC TCA panel about Sarah Ramos’s limiting schedule.
You know we’re hoping that she comes back – we’re hoping she comes back for the first episode. You know she’s in college, the actress…so it’s about her schedule. So hopefully-we’re hopefully going to get her for the first episode and then we’ll figure it out. So I’m hoping she’ll be able to come back for at least one more over the season so it’ll be something like that.
During a showrunner panel, Jason gave a vague hint as to what fans of the show can expect when the season premieres September 25.
It’s a huge challenge for the family and a kind we haven’t seen before. I felt like I wanted to find something like in Friday Night Lights … with a story we hadn’t seen before. In this case, I wanted to do something that starts at the beginning of the season so the audience tracks us through the entire year…. I feel like were going to be telling a story this year that we haven’t told before. And I’m excited about that.Despite not being a ratings winner for NBC, Parenthood has been beloved by dedicated fans and critics who have pushed for renewal every year. It’s unfortunate that one piece of the Braverman puzzle will be missing for most of its last episodes, especially because there’s so much more from Haddie we’d love to see as both an individual and a member of one of our favorite families.
