Here and Now Brings Multiracial Gay Drama to HBO

Projects involving Holly Hunter or writer-producer Alan Ball (Six Feet Under, True Blood) always demand attention, but put them together and viewing is practically compulsory. Luckily, HBO's Here and Now, created by Ball and starring the actress, won't disappoint. The story of a multiracial family that's slowly unraveling, the series casts Hunter and Tim Robbins as the parents of four grown children, three of whom were adopted from Colombia, Vietnam, and Senegal.

The Portland-based brood begins to fray when gay son Ramon (Daniel Zovatto) starts seeing things that aren't really there. Mom is losing it; Dad is juggling depression and a mistress; and the hour-long pilot isn't half over before foxy Ramon is rolling around naked with his equally comely love interest. The episode sets up the show as exceptionally promising. Hunter gives her character an immediate richness, Robbins gets a Six Feet-style philosophical monologue about aging, and Ramon introduces his boyfriend to his mother with the line "We put our dicks in each other." Trust us: This is a crew you'll want to hang with.