[Preface: In readying myself for "Family", I was ready for the absolute worst.
Except for the snooty servants, describing the family "is in need of a lot of work", "loud", and "decorum is completely out with this group", (including the "unforgivable" sin of  reinserting the soiled napkin back in the napkin ring at the end of dinner )[;-) nothing really upset me.

The I-As were not Goombas, and yes, they were out of their "element", but which of us would not be, on that estate, with such a snooty staff.

Yes, the NY accent grated on me, and I had difficulty warming up to any of them yet,
and I was a little "off put" by Aunt Donna, who proclaimed herself a "proud bitch".
I wasn't captivated, but I wasn't appalled.

What did you think?]
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Excerpted from Adam Buckman's NY Post article, that follows in full.
Brief Excerpts from the Los Angeles Times by Scott Sandell.

ITALIANS take it on the chin once again .... family members decide how far they each should go to cheat their loved ones out of a fortune...the family - which happens to be Italian-American  - comes across as an unfortunate stereotype... (actions) illustrate just how low-class and gauche the family are.... family conflict  is underscored by the sound of a thinly disguised tarantella....

Even the lettering in the show's title is reminiscent of "The Godfather.".... the staff amusing discusses the family's lack of experience in upper-crust etiquette....the whole thing sounds like CBS's reality-TV version of "The Beverly Hillbillies," roundly booed by rural Americans.... some Italian-Americans might want to mount a protest of their own, or head for the hills.
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BACKSTABBING AND BAD FORM: IT'S ALL FOR SHOW IN THE FAMILY.
By Scott Sandell
Times Staff Writer
March 4, 2003

If "Big Brother" and "The Sopranos" were able to conceive a child, their 10-headed offspring would be ABC's "The Family."

The latest "reality" offering, specifically identified as an Italian American,  middle-class family, puts them in the lap of luxury: a 20,000-square-foot mansion on a 40-acre Palm Beach estate...

This paradise has a major hitch: During the family members' 10-week stay, they will compete against one another for a $1-million prize, testing whether blood is "thicker than money," as ABC terms this experiment in backstabbing....

There is no indication that any of the 10 members of the extended family here is any way connected with the Mafia. Given that they are extremely Italian and from the New York-New Jersey area ... well, that's apparently evidence enough to justify giving the show a "Sopranos"-"Godfather" vibe, down to the font of the title credits.

As far as we know, none of the competitions involves horses' heads or cement galoshes. But there's something about this program that's fishier than a steaming bowl of cioppino.

Backstabbing and bad form: It's all for show in 'The Family'
http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/printedition/calendar/
la-et-tips4mar04001448,1,4939380.story?coll=la%2Dheadlines%2Dcalendar
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NEW YORK HILLBILLIES

The NY Post
By Adam Buckman
March 4, 2003

Money-hungry: Family members decide how far they each should go to cheat their loved ones in "The Family."

ITALIANS take it on the chin once again in ABC's new reality series "The Family." This is the show that takes 10 members of a middle-class American family and deposits them in the midst of opulence - in this case, a Palm Beach estate - where they'll compete for possession of a $1 million "trust."

It premieres tonight with bronzed bon vivant George Hamilton as host.

I've come across worse ideas for a reality show. The gimmick here can be
summed up in three words - blood or money - as viewers are invited to watch
as family members decide how far they each should go to cheat their loved
ones out of a fortune.

Tonight's premiere is not without entertainment value, but at the same time,
the family - which happens to be Italian-American with various members from
Brooklyn, Staten Island, Manhattan and Jersey - comes across as an
unfortunate stereotype.

When Aunt Donna instructs the snooty French chef, to lay in supplies of sauce
and braciole for the mansion, he snobbishly rolls his eyes.

It's meant to illustrate just how low-class and gauche Aunt Donna and her
family are when they say they prefer their macaroni over Chef Franck's frog's
legs. (Well, who wouldn't?)

Family conflict in "The Family" is underscored at one point by the sound of a
thinly disguised tarantella, and even the lettering in the show's title is
reminiscent of "The Godfather."

Like other reality shows, "The Family" is designed to eliminate one
contestant each week following a series of competitions.

The loser is selected by a panel known as the Board of Trustees, whose
identity is unknown to the participants, but revealed to the audience as the
members of the estate's staff - including the chef, a prissy social
secretary, a tough-as-nails housekeeper and a stone-faced butler.

In tonight's premiere, the so-called competitions are the biggest weaknesses.
As in past reality shows - particularly "The Mole" on ABC - I found tonight's
face-offs to be utterly unfathomable. I understood neither how they worked
nor why they came out the way they did.

Among the show's strengths are the mildly amusing scenes in which the staff
discusses the family's lack of experience in upper-crust etiquette.

The whole thing sounds more than a little like CBS's plan to produce a
reality-TV version of "The Beverly Hillbillies," a concept that's been
roundly booed by rural Americans.

After watching "The Family," some Italian-Americans might want to mount a
protest of their own, or head for the hills.

NYPOST.COM Entertainment: NEW YORK HILLBILLIES By ADAM BUCKMAN
http://nypost.com/entertainment/69903.htm
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