Contracorriente

"Against the Grain" was a great show, but was mired in a weak NBC Friday Night lineup, and therefore died a slow death. About the trials and tribulations of a high school football coach and his family in Texas, you didn't have to be a football fan to appreciate this show. Great for the family, with the right combination of comedy, drama, and a lesson to be learned. It's a shame a fine program like this gets canned after a half season, and garbage like "Family Matters" lasts for a decade! Furthermore, the girls will like to see a young Ben Affleck, and the guys get to check a out a young Robin Lively!

In my experience, this is the best television series that was ever canceled so quickly.

The premise is that John Terry's character, Ed Clemons, returns home from the hospital at the beginning of the first episode, after recovering from major, life-threatening injuries he'd suffered in a car accident. After surviving such a painful brush with death, Ed finds that his perspective on life has changed dramatically, so he quits his regular job (at a car dealership, if I remember correctly) and searches for more meaningful pursuits. He finds that there is a job opening for the head football coach at his son's high school, and he applies for the job, not knowing what to expect, because it has been years since he last played football himself.

From there the series explored interesting relationships among many characters from various walks of life. There was such potential for a classic series here that I couldn't believe it when NBC replaced this consistently superior and challenging show with "VIPER"!! There are no words currently in existence to describe my chagrin on that day!!!

I remember that near the end of a couple of episodes of "Against the Grain", when I began to feel that the script might have been getting a bit corny or overly sentimental, the writers always shifted gears just in time and accomplished episode endings that were excellent and unexpected, and left you feeling that you had just experienced classic, thoroughly satisfying entertainment (which is becoming somewhat of a rare feeling in this current era of "reality" programming.)

This series was amazing, and it almost seemed too good to be true.....which it turned out to be, I guess. I miss this show a lot, but with the limited number of episodes broadcast (I think it was only eight or nine) I suppose this one will never be released in any home video formats. That is a pity, because more people need to see just how well-balanced between comedy and drama a family series can be, especially one that never abandons its mature, intellectually and emotionally rewarding themes.

I too loved this series and was astounded it disappeared so quickly.

Ed Clemons quit his job as an insurance salesman, his wife Maggie had taken over the business while he was recovering. (His best friend runs the car dealership).

I loved the family dynamics that showed how each person could both need help and give help. My favorite episode is titled "Respect". It was so good to have an example where the parents didn't automatically buy the latest music player for their daughter, the son didn't automatically have sex with the cheerleader because there was an opportunity, the father trusted his wife while wanting to protect her.

What a wonderful program about real family values. I truly hope that someday this short-lived series will be made available on DVD.

I only saw 2 episodes of this series and would love to buy them on DVD. The reunion episode was hilarious showing a bunch of middle age men showing up for a reunion and trying to re-live their glory days. I laughed so hard and it was all clean humor. Please ask that this get put on DVD. This episode was incredible!!

The guys re-played their biggest rivals game.

They stole mascots and played the same pranks I did as a teenager in my own high school. Clean but effective and inspiring.

One of the guys played Ned Ryerson on Groundhog day. He outdid himself in this show. I can't remember any more as it has been 13 years since I saw this show.