Family trouble, the main theme of the much anticipated ABC show, has led to a fair share of problems on the set, too. This was supposed to be Calista Flockhart's highly mediated comeback to the small screen but the crew is already having major issues to deal with, other than those from the script.

First, one of the leading ladies, Betty Buckley, who was meant to play the matron in the series, has dropped the project and was immediately replaced by Sally Field. But that implied that almost all the footage from the pilot episode had to be reshot with the later arrived actress.

And rumor on location has it that, because of the sudden change, the pilot didn't have the time to make it yet to the editing room. But the worse part is that 'Brothers & Sisters' is scheduled to begin airing on September 24, which means that there is not much time left for editing.

Because one bad thing leads to another, the executive producer, Marti Noxon, left the show on Monday as she couldn't agree with the rest of the producers over the artistic direction. Representatives for the studio Touchstone Television said that Noxon's gesture is not final and that she still is on to work for the show, but the fact that she failed to appear on set since then obviously infirms that.

What seemed as a hit from the very beginning is now a crumbling television drama that stands all chances never to make to the set date of airing. Ironically enough, the producers had so much fate in the series at the beginning that they had it scheduled to debut immediately after the hit 'Desperate Wives', in the coveted Sunday 10 P.M slot.