Switched At Birth on DVD
From the studio that brought you “The Secret Life of the American Teenager” comes a two-hour movie of the week concept that is jam-packed into to 435 minutes of 10 regular season episodes.
Switched At Birth, Volume One
ABC Family
The series follows the poignant, at times gut-wrenching drama experienced by two teenage girls who suddenly realize the family they were raised by isn’t the one they were born to. Think the idea sounds a bit preposterous? Then you have never been a new parent. Trust me, the fear of wondering if your child might somehow be switched while you are in the hospital is more common than you think. But this series is more about the affect on the girls than the parents, and that just adds to the drama.
Bay Kennish grew up the daughter of a stay-at-home mom and a former pro baseball player dad, and they do alright for themselves in Kansas. Daphne Vasquez has a totally different childhood experience. For one thing she is deaf. She lives in Missouri with her single mother and grandmother who struggle to make ends meet.
Once the error in family identities is revealed the fun (or drama as the case may be) begins as these two teenage girls must face the day to day trials and tribulations of everyday teenage girl drama, like boys and friendship while renegotiating their family relationships.
Switched at Birth involves some mature themes and is appropriately rated TV-14. It is probably not the right choice for younger kids, who won’t be interested in it anyway. And it might not capture the attention of adults…other than those who have teenage daughters. But for the junior high to high school crowd, you could do a lot worse.
The DVD set comes with superb Dolby 5:1 surround sound and is configured for widescreen display, but don’t look for any special features, because there aren’t any.
Check out our interview with series star, Katie Leclerc.
