‘Parenthood’ EP Wants Reunion Focused On Amber And Other Braverman Kids As Adults

The “Parenthood” revival series hasn’t been ordered yet, but that isn’t stopped executive producer Jason Katims from thinking about it. Though he is currently working on the new CBS drama “Pure Genius,” Katims hasn’t stopped dreaming of the Bravermans’ future. He revealed that a sequel series would focus on the kids of the original show later in life.

“I’d like to wait long enough so we can look at the family at a truly new stage,” he told the Hollywood Reporter. “We already hinted at that with Mae Whitman’s character having a baby. But it would be cool if that baby got old enough to start telling Amber stories, with Amber as the mom as opposed to being the teenage kid. It’s amazing when you remember how young Amber was in the pilot.”

However, Whitman wouldn’t be the only star in the NBC drama’s reboot. Katims would also like to expore how Max (Max Burkholder) deals with Asperger’s syndrome as an adult. “I’m also personally curious to see how Max does once he’s no longer a kid,” Katims added. “That question resonates with me right now. It’s one thing to talk about people like Max when they’re kids — but what about when they grow up and they are still battling with tough issues?”

Though he has ideas, Katims is not sure if a revival series, reunion or movie will ever come to fruition. “I truly don’t know if it will ever really happen … The actors have very busy careers, busy lives — so finding a time when everyone is available and interested — that’ll be the challenge,” Katims admitted. “But I always start with creative — when we feel like we have a great story to tell, we’ll start from there and see how far we get.”

Getting the actors back would be tricky, but many cast members have made it clear that they want to work together again. They aren’t waiting for a “Parenthood” reunion, though. Lauren Graham will return to another significant job from her past with November’s “Gilmore Girls” revival, and Mae Whitman will guest star in the series.

The “Parenthood” revival certainly wouldn’t be the first show to develop a sequel series with the youngest cast members as parents. The format has been successful on Disney channel with “Girl Meets World” and is being replicated on the upcoming “That’s So Raven” spinoff. Whether it’ll work on a drama is another question, but Katims isn’t planning the series for any time soon. He has previously said that more time needed to pass before the tearjerker drama could be revived.

“It would start at the moment when I feel like I have a story to tell,” Katims explained to TVLine in August. “But the whole thing about ‘Parenthood’ is the kids get a little older and their lives change and then there’s more story to tell.”

That might mean that “Parenthood” fans need to wait a while. It sounds like Katims is no rush to move the series forward before his characters are at the right age.