"Everwood" is one of the bravest shows on network TV, because it allows its characters to be jerks.

Just like the people you run into every day. Including the people in your families.

Which means that the characters in "Everwood" seem real. So real you want to strangle them one minute and hug them the next.

Tonight's episode of the made-in-Utah drama (8 p.m., WB/Ch. 30) opens with someone we've never seen before. Hannah's (Sarah Drew) mother (Jayne Brook) comes to town to deliver the sad news that Hannah's father has died.

Not that the news is unexpected. He's been terminally ill for years, which is why Hannah came to Everwood in the first place. But it comes as a shock to the girl — and leaves Bright (Chris Pratt) nonplussed.

The Bright-Hannah romance has been one of opposites attracting. Hannah is younger, sweet, innocent and determined to stay that way until she's married. Bright (who has never been overly bright) hasn't ever had a relationship with a girl that went much beyond sex.

But he really loves Hannah, and she really loves him. And, while he's no role model for the behavior parents want to see in their kids, she is — a point re-emphasized tonight.

Her father's death marks a turning point for Hannah and Bright. And Hannah and her mother. Because, like real teenagers — even real good teenagers — Hannah has seen everything that has happened in her family from her point of view. And misjudged her mother.

Part of growing up is learning that. And Ephram (Gregory Smith) still has a lot of growing up to do, because he's had such a hard time dealing with the fact that his father, Andy (Treat Williams), isn't perfect.

But then neither is Ephram. His lingering feelings for ex-girlfriend Amy (Emily VanCamp) cause him to act like, well, a big jerk toward his roommate, Reid (Justin Baldoni), who Amy currently has a crush on. (OK, this might be the least realistic part of tonight's episode. Reid is extraordinarily patient with Ephram. But then he is a bit older and more mature.)

And just when you want to give Ephram a good shake, he demonstrates he is growing up by helping someone else's family. And, in turn, learning something about his own.

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"It's amazing," Ephram tells his father. "All this time I thought you were the worst dad in the world. Turns out — not so much."

"Gee, I'm touched. Thank you," Andy says, proving he's learned a few things too.

In its fourth season, "Everwood" remains the best family drama on TV. We should be proud it's produced here in Utah.


E-mail: pierce@desnews.com

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