Why You Should Catch Up With “The Fosters”

Michael Moccio ’16 / Emertainment Monthly Executive Editor
If you haven’t heard of The Fosters, you’ve probably been living under a rock. This ABC Family show came into the spotlight as last week’s episode aired an on-screen kiss that’s regarded as the youngest same-sex kiss on television. Before you get any ideas, the actors are 14 and 15 and the characters are both 13.

To see showrunners on ABC Family get even more progressive on an already diverse show is nothing short of amazing. Representation in media has been the subject of a debate recently, and showing two teenagers exploring their sexuality tells all the teenagers that are watching that this is okay and that they’re not alone in going through what they’re going through. There’s power in that kind of storytelling.
The thought of going back to the first episode of season 1 and watching all 38 episodes can be incredibly daunting, but it’s more than worth it.
The core of The Fosters has always been about family and how blood doesn’t make a family, love does. This theory is certainly tested throughout the entire series: the family is comprised of two mothers (one from a previous heterosexual marriage, and the other biracial with a half-brother), the biological son of first mother, adopted Hispanic twins, and now a 16-year old girl and 13 year-old boy. In a house with that many people, conflict is bound to arise and the writers of this show know how to balance the conflict with the heart.
This isn’t a show about living happily ever after. There are real relationships and characters on The Fosters, as marriages and relationships are tested. Seeing a show deal with heavy themes like abuse, divorce, loss, and guilt in a way that brings all these characters together will make you feel inspired about a new kind of family.

One of the most profound scenes in the entire series is when Jesus Foster (Jake T. Austin), one of the twins, has a conversation with an elderly man who lives next door. The man says that in his day, all families looked the same and adoptions weren’t talked about—he goes on to say how nice their family is and how they are a family.
At the end of the day, this show is less about pushing boundaries and more about redefining what’s possible. You should catch up on The Fosters because you’ll become so invested in these characters that you’d do anything for them. Every single character, including the recurring ones, all feel like real and three-dimensional characters, and you can tell in these stories that the creators and writers of this show have a lot of heart.
They’re putting something amazing and filled with goodness into the world when they put The Fosters on air every Monday night, and the world can use a little more goodness.
Be sure to catch The Fosters on Mondays at 8 p.m. on ABC Family.