Parenthood stole our hearts in 2010 when we were introduced to the Braverman family — a reinterpretation of the Buckman family from the 1989 Steve Martin movie of the same name. Over the course of six emotion-filled seasons, the Parenthood cast took us on a journey of life experiences across three generations, primarily the four Braverman children — Adam (Peter Krause), Sarah (Lauren Graham), Crosby (Dax Shepard) and Julia (Erika Christensen). With Lauren Graham recently joining the Mighty Ducks: Game Changers cast, what else have the Bravermans been up to since 2015?
Peter Krause (Adam Braverman)
After playing the oldest Braverman brother Adam on Parenthood, Peter Krause went on to star as Benjamin Jones on ABC’s The Catch. He also made a guest appearance on Parenthood sister and real-life partner Lauren Graham’s Gilmore Girls: A Year in the Life as a Park Ranger who adamantly kept Graham’s Lorelai Gilmore from embarking on an ill-advised camping trip. Currently you can find the Six Feet Under alum on the Fox action drama 9-1-1 as fire captain Bobby Nash.
Lauren Graham (Sarah Braverman)
Lauren Graham is in the midst of an epic reboot, starring as Alex Morrow opposite Emilio Estevez’s Gordon Bombay in The Mighty Ducks: Game Changers. Since the end of Parenthood, this Braverman sister has also reprised her career role as Lorelai Gilmore on Gilmore Girls: A Year in the Life and played Zoey’s boss Joan on Zoey’s Extraordinary Playlist. You can hear Graham voicing the titular character’s mother Oxana on the Disney animated series Vampirina. Graham has also taken her talents off-screen, penning a best-selling novel, Someday, Someday, Maybe, as well as a memoir, Talking as Fast as I Can: From Gilmore Girls to Gilmore Girls. And since real-life love Peter Krause cameoed on the Gilmore Girls revival, could an appearance on Krause’s 9-1-1 be in the cards? Ryan Murphy says they’ve discussed it.
Dax Shepard (Crosby Braverman)
Dax Shepard has stayed busy since his trouble-making days as Crosby Braverman, starring opposite Lake Bell in Bless This Mess and as Luke in The Ranch. He’ll lend his voice to the A-list cast of Paw Patrol: The Movie, which is set for an August release. The former Punk’d jokester has also taken a turn behind the camera, writing, directing and starring in 2017’s CHiPs, a buddy cop movie based on the classic TV series. But of all his projects, Shepard has really seemed to find his niche with his podcast Armchair Expert, which he started in 2018, interviewing wife Kristen Bell as his first guest. Speaking of Bell, the hilarious couple is set to go head-to-head in the new family game show Family Game Fight.
Erika Christensen (Julia Braverman-Graham)
Erika Christensen hasn’t replicated the on-screen success she had prior to playing Julia Braverman-Graham on Parenthood, but she’s still notched some acting credits, playing Betty Beaumontaine on ABC's short-lived 2015 series Wicked City. She has also been seen in TV movies including Hallmark’s Anything for Love and Lifetime’s To Have and to Hold. In 2019 she reunited with Parenthood husband Sam Jaeger in the music video for Bootstraps’ “Whenever You’re Around,” which was directed by Jaeger. Christensen has two major roles coming up, co-starring with Zoe Kravitz in KIMI and joining an ensemble in Cheaper by the Dozen, a reboot of the 2003 comedy that starred Steve Martin (hmm, that sounds familiar).
Craig T. Nelson (Zeek Braverman)
Since serving as the Braverman patriarch, Craig T. Nelson has found some work on the big screen, reprising his role as the voice of Mr. Incredible on Incredibles 2. He played Matthew McConaughey’s father in 2006’s Gold and played Bruce in the naughty comedy Book Club. The former Coach star has recently returned to familiar territory, as he can be seen as Coach Dale Ballard on the Big Bang Theory spinoff Young Sheldon. Up next, Craig T. Nelson is teaming up with son Noah Nelson to star in the Cold War spy thriller The Operative.
Bonnie Bedelia (Camille Braverman)
Since her days as Camille Braverman, Bonnie Bedelia has dipped her toes in the heart-warming world of holiday movies, appearing in Christmas on the Coast and A Joyous Christmas. The Die Hard alum also landed a recurring role as Eva Booker, Kiefer Sutherland’s supportive mother-in-law on Season 2 of Designated Survivor.
Monica Potter (Kristina Braverman)
Monica Potter hasn’t done much acting since her days as Kristina Braverman, appearing as a series regular in the 2017 CBS drama Wisdom of the Crowd, playing Alex Hale. Potter was actually seen a lot more in the world of reality television. She and her family were on an episode of Celebrity Family Feud in 2015, followed by an HGTV series called Welcome Back Potter the following year. Her skin care business, Monica Potter Home, was featured on an episode of CNBC’s The Profit in 2017.
Sam Jaeger (Joel Graham)
Sam Jaeger is probably best known these days as Mark Tuello, on The Handmaid’s Tale. After recurring as a representative for the U.S. Government-in-Exile in Seasons 2 and 3, Jaeger is joining the cast as a regular in Season 4. Other notable roles since playing Julia Braverman’s husband include Detective Les Zoeller on Law & Order True Crime: The Menendez Murders in 2017, the widower Tim Powell in CBS’ Tell Me a Story in 2018 and as Robert Stanton in Why Women Kill’s first season.
Joy Bryant (Jasmine Trussell)
Joy Bryant found a number of roles after playing Crosby Braverman’s love interest on Parenthood, including Dr. Erica Kincaid on Rosewood and Tabitha’s mother Lori Foster on the Netflix series Trinkets. She portrayed Eleanor Holmes Norton on Good Girls Revolt, which was inspired by a 1970s discrimination lawsuit. Bryant played public defender and football mom Jayda Crawford in Season 4 of Ballers and most recently was a series regular in For Life, as Marie Wallace, the estranged wife of Aaron Wallace. Off screen, Bryant and her husband David Pope own a clothing line, Basic Terrain, that they started in 2015.
Sarah Ramos (Haddie Braverman)
Sarah Ramos, the oldest of the Braverman grandchildren, had a number of small roles post-Haddie, most notably as series regular Creek Lovell on NBC’s Midnight, Texas. She was also recurring as Audrey on Showtime’s The Affair. In 2017 the former child actor played Meg in the move The Boy Downstairs, starring Zosia Mamet, who herself had a small role on Parenthood. And in 2020 Ramos released an exhibition book, Autograph Hound, that chronicles her childhood obsession of taking photos with celebrities. Up next, Ramos is set to play Cheryl Pistono, the girlfriend of Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (coincidentally the inspiration for Jasmine’s son’s name on Parenthood), on HBO’s upcoming series about the 1980s Los Angeles Lakers.
Max Burkholder (Max Braverman)
Since his heart-wrenching portrayal of Max Braverman, who was diagnosed with Autism, Max Burkholder has found the majority of his work in voice acting. He currently voices Oliver Grayson on the Amazon Original animated series Invincible. Burkholder has also done work as numerous characters on episodes of Family Guy and American Dad!
Mae Whitman (Amber Holt)
After portraying Amber for six seasons on Parenthood, Mae Whitman kept the momentum going, starring in The DUFF — which earned her two Teen Choice Award nominations — and opposite Martin Starr in Operator. She has had numerous voice acting jobs, including Dragons: Race to the Edge, DC Super Hero Girls — in which she voiced Batgirl — American Dad!, Young Justice as Wonder Girl and The Owl House as Amity. She is currently the voice of Becky Bot on Apple TV+’s Doug Unplugs and co-stars with Retta and Christina Hendricks on NBC’s Good Girls. Mae Whitman also narrates audiobooks, including The Testaments, the sequel to The Handmaid’s Tale.
Miles Heizer (Drew Holt)
Before Miles Heizer was Alex Standall on 13 Reasons Why, he was Sarah’s son and Amber’s little brother on the full run of Parenthood. Since playing moody Drew, Heizer has portrayed Cal on the heart-warming LGBTQ teen romance Love, Simon and played Tommy in the movie Nerve, alongside Emma Roberts and Dave Franco. Heizer has also done some modeling, being featured in campaigns for GAP and Coach.
Savannah Paige Rae (Sydney Graham)
Savannah Paige Rae began acting at the age of 4, and after her six-season role as Joel and Julia’s daughter Sydney, she didn’t do much acting. Her lone post-Parenthood TV role, however, was a memorable one On Grey’s Anatomy Rae played Winnie, who was involved in a car accident prior to the on-screen death of Derek “McDreamy” Shepherd.
Xolo Maridueña (Victor Graham)
Xolo Maridueña was only 11 years old when he played Victor, the adopted son of Joel and Julia, on Parenthood. Since then, he has had a couple of guest spots on shows including the TV series Rush Hour and Twin Peaks, and then began some voice acting, recurring as Lucas on Netflix’s Fast & Furious Spy Racers and as Zaid on Peacock’s Cleopatra in Space. But Mariduena is likely best known for his latest role, Miguel Diaz, on Netflix’s Cobra Kai.
Tyree Brown (Jabbar Trussell)
Tyree Brown’s audition to play Crosby and Jasmine’s son Jabbar was the first TV audition of the 5-year-old’s career. He’s taken small roles since Parenthood ended, appearing in single episodes of Criminal Minds and Black-ish, as well as in the movie One Nation Under God.
Parenthood definitely left a void in the primetime family drama department when its last episode aired six years ago. And even though the series finale gave us an emotional montage of the Braverman family’s future, I’m wondering if it’s too soon to ask for a reboot that follows the next generation into young adulthood. Everything else gets a reboot, right? Braverman fantasies aside, it’s always a treat to see these actors when they pop up on our screens. Don’t forget to check out (and bookmark) our 2021 TV schedule to keep up with your current favorite shows.
