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Why Sam Jaeger Is Skeptical a Parenthood Reboot Could Work

In an exclusive interview with E! News, The Handmaid's Tale star Sam Jaeger teased potential plans for a Parenthood reboot—and why it might not make sense in the first place.

By Daniel Trainor Oct 23, 2022 2:00 PMTags
Watch: Sam Jaeger on the Possibility of a Parenthood Reboot

Don't hold out hope for an invite to the Braverman family reunion. 

The saga of the Bravermans—including Sarah (Lauren Graham), Adam (Peter Krause), Crosby (Dax Shepard), Kristina (Monica Potter) and Julia (Erika Christensen)—played out on all six seasons of NBC's beloved drama Parenthood, which ran from 2010 to 2015. 

Sam Jaeger, who played Julia's husband Joel Graham on the show, warns fans that a potential reboot or reunion might not make a whole lot of sense, seeing as—spoiler alert!—Braverman patriarch Zeek (Craig T. Nelson) died in the series finale.

"I don't know what a Parenthood show looks like without Craig T., you know?" Sam exclusively told E! News. "That was a necessary end to our series."

Sam, who currently stars as U.S government operative Mark Tuello on Hulu's The Handmaid's Tale and recently starred in Netflix's Devil in Ohio, said any potential reboot talk is firmly in the hands of Parenthood creator Jason Katims

If the occasion does arise, Sam teased that a certain decades-spanning 2014 movie could potentially serve as inspiration.

"When we left the series, Boyhood, the movie by [Richard] Linklater had just come out," Sam said, "and [Jason] thought, ‘Well, maybe that's what we do. We come back every 10 years and see what the Bravermans are up to.'"

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Parenthood Cast Then and Now

OK, that would place a Parenthood reunion in 2025 when Tyree Brown, who played Crosby and Jasmine Trussell's (Joy Bryant) son Jabbar, turns 21 years old.

We're suddenly feeling ancient.

Sam urged that if some kind of reboot happens, he would "want it to be as good as what it was," so the bar is high. 

But have no fear, he's hoping to see it through.

"I'd be willing to do it," Sam said. "I love all those people. I'd do it in a heartbeat."

John Lamparski/Getty Images

While we hold out hope for a Parenthood reunion, catch Sam in new episodes of The Handmaid's Tale, which drop Wednesdays on Hulu.

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