Taking part in the wild family dinners that are a constant staple on NBC's 'Parenthood' could be intimidating to some, but not Erika Christensen.

The 29-year-old actress, who plays straitlaced lawyer Julia Braverman-Graham on the NBC drama, has three brothers and a sister-in-law and intimately understands the complicated dynamics that come with growing up in a big family.

"To me, it just feels kind of comfortable, this group that inherently has ties that won't really break," she told AOL TV in advance of 'Parenthood''s third season premiere (Tue., Sept. 13, 10PM ET on NBC). "The underlying love is really nice because you know if you have a spat, it doesn't matter. I feel the same way about the characters and the actors [on 'Parenthood'] -- we all know we're in it for the long haul, so any differences we may have, we know that we're going to get through them somehow. You just have to."

Actually, Christensen and her costars are close both literally and figuratively -- many of them live within two miles of one another, and she's known Dax Shepard, who plays her brother Crosby, for a decade.

Below, Christensen shares with AOL TV what those crazy Braverman dinners are actually like, which guest star the 'Parenthood' cast is most excited to welcome back and what's in store for Julia and her husband, Joel, as they attempt to adopt a baby.

On 'Jimmy Kimmel Live' (weeknights, 12AM ET on ABC), the host put Nancy Grace to the test. If she was so skilled at deciphering truth from lie, she'd show the audience how it's done on fellow guest Dax Shepard from 'Parenthood,' who was seated beside her.

He told her two things about himself, but only one was true. "I am an off-road race car driver. I went to UCLA on a basketball scholarship." Grace guessed the latter was false. "Is that because I didn't say the word 'scholarship' correctly?" joked Shepard.

Then on to the next test: Shepard asked the legal pundit if there was any action he could take against a Thai restaurant that gave him food poisoning. "I'm not sure that I can isolate it was actually the Thai food that poisoned you," she said.

"I keep a very good food journal for my diet," Shepard told her. Grace replied, "He's lying about the food journal!" And indeed he was.

Kristen Bell and her fiancé Dax Shepard are so obsessed with 'Jersey Shore,' they've actually considered stalking the cast, Bell admitted on 'Lopez Tonight' (weeknights, 12AM ET on TBS).

When the reality series was filming in Miami, "We had a legit conversation [saying] ... 'Do we fly to Miami?' And it wasn't like a, 'Should we fly to Miami,'" Bell explained. "It was like a, 'What weekends do you have free?' conversation."

"We were watching an episode a couple weeks ago and Dax said, 'In my will, I'm gonna leave you to Pauly D.'" Apparently, (if that were possible) Bell said she'd be "happy to go to Pauly D!"

She's also met Nicole "Snooki" Polizzi and adores her. Hey, MTV, sounds like Bell and Shepard are prime candidates for 'Jersey' cameos...

'Parenthood' (Tue., 10PM ET on NBC) deals with family drama and generational conflict. Through all the dysfunction, one man is the rock-steady leader of the Braverman clan. That man is Adam Braverman -- father, husband, employee. But what happens when this "rock" finds himself in a very hard place?

[Warning: Spoiler alert.]

Adam (Peter Krause) is facing trouble at home and at work. He has a boss who doesn't respect him, a kid suffering from a developmental disorder, and an occasionally overbearing wife. Adam's eight-year-old son Max (Max Burkholder) has Asperger's syndrome -- a form of autism which makes it hard for him to interact socially.

When Adam and his dad (Craig T. Nelson) go to the supermarket, Max sees a stranger put seventeen items in the "10 Items or Less" checkout lane. Max starts patiently removing the seven extra items, one by one -- and over and over again. The annoyed stranger yells, complains, then snaps and calls Max a "retard." Which is when Adam also snaps -- and decides he's not gonna be a nice guy anymore.

At a big Braverman family dinner, he says, "Parents, siblings, nieces, nephews, I have -- or rather, we have -- an announcement to make..." Jasmine interjects: "We're getting married!"

Everyone is shocked. There's a round of applause and many hugs. Kristina Braverman says, "Jasmine, welcome to crazytown." Crosby and Jasmine's 5-year-old son Jabbar is excited about getting to wear a tuxedo at the wedding. "I just never thought this day would come," says family matriarch Camille.

Dressing up on Halloween can make you feel like a different person. If you pretend to be a vampire, or a cowboy, or a sexy nurse, then you take on that role for the night. On 'Parenthood' (Tue., 10PM ET on NBC), a couple plays dress-up for the evening. But then it leads to something real.

[Warning: Spoiler alert.]

After their son goes to bed, Crosby (Dax Shepard) and Jasmine (Joy Bryant) sneak downstairs to chomp on their kid's Halloween candy. They're still wearing their costumes: Crosby is daring stuntman Evel Knievel; Jasmine is Indian maiden Pocahontas.

The pair seems content, like they've recovered from their past history. Jasmine had a son with Crosby, but she kept this a secret for five years. She felt that Crosby was irresponsible and not ready for fatherhood. But now, the couple are back together again.

The set of 'Parenthood' is like a carnival and a three-ring circus combined. The night I was there to chat with the cast, there was also a big crazy dinner celebration at the Braverman house -- you'll see what that's all about next week, although star Joy Bryant did tease "lots of surprises, new announcements." Hmmm ...


Between scenes, I caught up with stars Erika Christensen and Sam Jaeger to find out if Joel will finally get to bring home the bacon, or if Julia will continue to be the breadwinner. And star Monica Potter cast her dream TV parents for Kristina, which includes a very controversial choice to play her dad. Plus, Bryant and Dax Shepard tried to bribe their TV kid with a trip to Magic Mountain.

We also dished about a cute new guy for Haddie and the castmember that everyone wants to have more scenes with ... any guesses? Watch and see the glorious madness that is 'Parenthood.'

'Parenthood' actor Dax Shepard and fiancée Kristen Bell don't have those "freebie" lists wherein there are a few celebrity hotties each is allowed to sleep with once (if he or she happens to be given the opportunity).

"If I let her sleep with some dude one night, I don't think the dude's gonna be happy with just one night," explained Shepard on 'Chelsea Lately' (weeknights, 11PM ET on E!). "I'll be dealing with some dude for the rest of our lives, probably, because she's that spectacular." Chelsea Handler made him clarify whether she's all-around spectacular -- or just as concerns the bedroom.

However, there is one celebrity they'd both sleep with: Taylor Kitsch (Tim Riggins from 'Friday Night Lights'). "I don't even think that makes me gay either," said Shepard. The host agreed, "A lot of guys and girls want to have sex with him."

Now that I've been back from California for a few days, and have fought off the jet lag (it gets worse as you get older, kids), I've been able to look back and digest what I learned at the TCA tour.

Besides the fact that I've learned my limits to eating salmon and chicken for lunch every day, there were a few things, at least from a TV perspective, that have stuck in my brain since I've gotten back:

1. The networks are relying on procedural dramas more than ever. Perhaps they got scared off by the flame out of 'FlashForward,' or the downward spiral to cancellation by 'Heroes.' But there only seemed to be a couple of new dramas on the networks' fall slates that had any kind of beefy continuing storyline. NBC's 'The Event' is probably the most serialized of the new shows, followed closely by FOX's 'Lone Star.' CBS's 'Blue Bloods' has a serialized element, but as we're finding out, there's an on-set disagreement as to how much that should be emphasized.

The rest of the dramatic slate leans heavily on the procedural, and as I said the other day, they are starting to blend together in my mind. Want evidence of this? Jerry Bruckheimer (pictured above) now has shows on three of the four networks this fall.

There's good parenting and then there's bad parenting. And then there's parenting that leads you directly into conflict with another family. All three of these options seem to be on the table during the season finale of 'Parenthood' (Tue., 10PM ET on NBC).

[Spoiler alert.].

Teenage relationships can be complicated. On 'Parenthood' (Tue., 10PM ET on NBC), Amber (Mae Whitman) makes a questionable decision, which leads to her waking up next to a guy that she probably shouldn't be involved with.

[Spoiler alert.]

How do you hide an affair from your own son?

That's the question on 'Parenthood' (Tue., 10PM ET on NBC). Crosby (Dax Shepard) and Jasmine (Joy Bryant) are about to reconnect.

And by "reconnect," we mean "mess around." But when their son Jabbar pounds on the door, they suddenly have to break it off.

[Possible spoilers ahead]

(S01E09) "Get it off me! Get it off!" - Adam, after discovering that the Victoria's Secret bra is his daughter's and not his wife's

Well, I'm totally with Adam on this one. Sure, Haddie could wear the bra -- there's no crime in a girl wanting to feel pretty -- but I wouldn't let her leave the house with her shirt hanging off her shoulder and her bra strap showing. It's not a double standard! Drew didn't have half his underwear showing!

Besides that, Haddie and her boyfriend were making out on his bed (without her bra on, since she took it off in anger before leaving the house!). And, hello?!! Parents shouldn't let teens be alone in a bedroom with the door closed. Ok, I feel slightly better now.

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.

(S01E08) "I am an irrational hardass with rage issues. Don't piss me off." - Zeek to Damien

First of all, a big Woot! that 'Parenthood' was picked up for a second season. That's awesome! And second, many thanks to Danny Gallagher for allowing me to take over the reviews on this show. Not only do I love it, but my daughter does, too, so it's always fun to watch stuff together.