On Saturday, September 28, FOX and The Wing Soho hosted a private screening of the new series, Almost Family. There was a Q&A with the leading cast members, Brittany Snow, Megalyn Echikunwoke, and Emily Osment following the screening.
Based on the Australian TV series, Sisters, Almost Family follows the thread of a fertility doctor, Leon (Timothy Hutton), who uses his own genetic material to conceive children. He faces the repercussions of this experiment while his only child, Julia Bechley (Brittany Snow), bonds with her newly discovered sisters, Edie (Megalyn Echikunwoke) and Roxy (Emily Osment).
The series is a drama that unpacks layers of identity, family, sexuality, navigating adulthood/relationships, and the science behind being genetically connected. The three main leads create a bond that is believable, fresh, and at times comedic.
On the focus point of the series…
Brittany Snow: “I think that we’re trying to create that there’s this guy who did some bad things and doesn’t really fully understand his actions. But what I love about this show and what I loved when I first read the pilot script is that 10/15 years ago, this type of TV show wouldn’t have even gotten made where a white male doctor is being held accountable for his actions and actually falls from grace and is somebody that is terrible. And yet we see all sides of that. And so, I hope we make sure that we uphold that because I think it’s super important to the show, that this is the focal point: we are the women who are trying to figure out why he did the things he did. It’s not necessarily all about him.”
Megalyn Echikunwoke: “And also, I think we’re hoping that the audience is left to decide for themselves. It’s up to the audience to decide if he’s a hero or a villain, and also maybe two things can be true at once. I think that’s the other really cool thing about the show is that it’s really dealing with the complexities of family and relationships. It’s really complex; it’s not black or white and he can be a hero or a villain at the same time because there are women from real life—doctors who really did this in real life—and some [of the women were] so thankful that they had their child that they were like, it’s ok, I got my baby, I’m not mad. And there are some people who feel raped, and neither of those women are wrong.”
Emily Osment: “Well, that’s the beauty of television. You walk away starting a conversation, thinking about what you saw and if you’re confused about where you may stand by what you just saw…I think that’s the show that we’re making. A show that’s going to spark conversation.”
Following the Q&A, drinks were served along with old fashioned polaroid pictures, branded totes, and brunch bites.
To learn more about how The Wing Soho connects women of various networks, click here.
For more details on Almost Family, which premieres on October 2 on FOX, click here.