Lauren Graham learned the fine art of storytelling on 'The Late Late Show' (Weeknights, 12:37AM ET on CBS), and she certainly proved she was a master at the tease.

When asked if she'd been to a strip club, she replied, "Yes. A long time ago. The end." Now doesn't that just beg for more details?

But when pressed for them, she simply made some up, though it didn't seem to bother Craig Ferguson one bit. This lead to Graham realizing she would be a terrible stripper, as she lacks the "weird guts" they must have.

Lauren Graham had a great summer vacation in Venice in between seasons of 'Parenthood,' but she'd rather not say too much about it. It's not that she's too private a person, it's just that her boyfriend is Peter Krause, who plays Adam Braverman, her TV brother, on 'Parenthood.' She thought that might be too much for the Friday morning audience on 'Today' (weekdays, 7AM on NBC).

"I went with my boyfriend, I just don't like to talk about it because I don't want to freak people out," said Graham. It was pointed out to her that Krause is her brother. "Oh my god! Wait! What? Look, it's America. My boyfriend is my brother. You can do anything you want."

It was a little unfair for Michael when he and his wife, Dora, were participants on 'The Marriage Ref' (Sun., 10PM ET on NBC). Their problem boiled down to a classic difference between the sexes, which mean the panel was more than likely going to vote down gender lines.

With Lauren Graham, Colin Quinn and Mary J. Blige sitting on the stage, Michael was outnumbered, and he knew it.

The issue was one of shopping. Michael hated it and didn't want to do it, but Dora wanted him to come with her and be supportive of how she liked to shop. Quinn backed Michael, though he took it further than even Michael probably was intending.

The news last week that NBC had renewed 'Parenthood' for a second season was not a big surprise. Yes, the show had a rocky start, considering that it was forced into a midseason premiere because producers had to recast actress Maura Tierney's role while she was battling breast cancer. But since then, it has been well-received and even bested its main competition Tuesdays at 10PM ET, 'The Good Wife,' a few times in the ratings. So there was every reason for NBC to give the Ron Howard/Brian Grazer production a second season. It earned it.

The show has actually been getting better. It's on its way to becoming a hit, and with just a few changes in the season to come, it could succeed. We've narrowed it down to four specifics, our suggestions for how 'Parenthood' could get even better than it is right now. Read our list and then weigh in with your thoughts.

On 'Parenthood' (Tue., 10PM ET on NBC) a father attends his son's birthday party, but things don't go exactly as planned. Absentee dad Crosby (Dax Shehard) shows up for son Jabbar's birthday. But Crosby has missed most of his kid's childhood, and his extended family is not exactly pleased when he arrives at the party.

Watch the video after the jump.

(S01E07) "Would you boys like to come over for a play date?" - Yoga girl to Crosby

I love 'Parenthood.' Yes, there's a lot of people to keep track of, but it's all good. The show has some great players, but really, all I need is Peter Krause and Lauren Graham. And Dax Shepard and Jason Ritter. He reminds me of his dad, which makes me both happy and sad, but mostly happy.

The kids on this show are awesome, too -- Max Burkholder, Mae Whitman, Tyree Brown ... ok, since I'm filling in for Danny, I'll stop crushing on all the actors and get to the review. Follow me after the jump.

(S01E06) "Wow, Crosby, you're a dad." - Zeek, after hearing about Crosby's son for the first time

I'll admit it. 'Parenthood' has been a hard show to read. It tries very hard to connect the audience with the human drama of the American family, but at the same time, it expects you to understand and appreciate every problem they come across.

It drags you through their cornfield of sadness and expects you to come out feeling as happy and reserved as the characters do in the end. It makes me wish life actually worked this way. Then it just makes me angrier.

(S01E05) It's really getting hard to watch 'Parenthood,' and not in a "Gee, this show is so painfully real that it makes me question the true nature of love and family devotion" kind of way.

It's quite the opposite.

The seams are really starting to show as the episodes try to stretch across an entire season. It now feels so unbelievable because of the lackluster characters and dialogue that I'm starting to feel just as bored as the people look on the screen.

(S01E04) If you are watching 'Parenthood' with the idea of learning anything about how to be a parent, you should consider finding another form of education. The Bravermans seem to be more about how not to parent or "how to get lucky and not screw up our children too much" school of learning. Every week is a lesson in how parents can really make a muddle of their parenting.

Adam and Kristina's attention this week shifted from Max to Haddie. Sarah's advice to Adam was so rigid -- practically lock up your daughter and don't let her out of the house. Considering Sarah's troubled relationship with Amber, why was Adam listening?

They never actually said the word on 'Seinfeld,' but it was all out in the open on 'Parenthood' (Tue., 10PM ET on NBC). Well, sort of.

"Under no circumstances are you to talk to Drew about the ...," said Sarah, with her dad Zeek ending the sentence, " ... masturbation."

It's just awkward all the way around, especially when Zeek actually did talk to Drew about it, while Drew was in the shower. "When it comes to testosterone, the Braverman men are blessed with an abundance of riches," yelled Zeek through the shower curtain.

Thanks, grandpa, good to know. Now please leave.

(S01E02) "I can deal with anything: disease, illness, broken bone. Give me something I can fix, but I don't know how to deal with this. This is for life." - Adam to Kristina after learning that Max has Asperger's Syndrome

Ferris Bueller once said, "Life moves by pretty fast. If you don't stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it."

And while that bit of movie trivia is actually true (unlike say "Stupid is as stupid does" or "Pain don't hurt"), if actual life went at the speed that 'Parenthood' does, stopping to look at it would require some kind of anti-lock braking system.

(S01E01) There are moments in 'Parenthood' that are so uncomfortably realistic that you might think it's a re-telling of the PBS series 'The Loud Family.' Yes, it's that real in some ways, but is it entertaining and inviting? Would you want to keep up with the Bravermans week after week? That depends. The show offers promise, but it's a jell-o that's yet to be jelled.

It would be hard for any series to go wrong with Lauren Graham and Peter Krause and Craig T. Nelson top-lining the cast. They all acquit themselves well, although the characters are all under more pressure than a pressure cooking with a faulty lid. You just sense explosions around every corner. And that's the way it is with a lot of pilots, especially where there's so large a cast.

We always knew Lauren Graham did something interesting during her time off. "I started to get a little itchy, and when I get itchy, I turn to crafts!" she said giddily.

In particular, weird iPhone crafts where the 'Parenthood' star adds bizarre stuff to peoples' faces, like wacky hats and wigs and such. Ellen DeGeneres didn't seem the least bit amused about all this. And after this interview on 'The Ellen DeGeneres Show' (weekdays, syndicated), we're convinced that Graham spends most of her free time drinking.

Watch the video after the jump.

After what has been a long time coming, NBC's new version of 'Parenthood' is finally premiering tomorrow night. And if the anticipation wasn't already high, TV Squad received an unexpected, very nice little invitation to tune in from Opie himself. Or Richie Cunningham if you prefer.

Yes, that's right, Ron Howard, the executive producer of 'Parenthood,' did a handful of shout-outs to the media and we were included. Aren't we special?