In Hong Kong's standard 300 sq ft two-bedroom flat, the number of occupants often stands in inverse proportion to their quality of life. With an overall population density of 6,300 people per square kilometre, it is not surprising our city has the world's lowest birth rate: 0.9 per woman of child-bearing age (according to the 2006 by-census). If we had any more babies, where on God's reclaimed land would we raise them? Space is not as tight in the United States, which might explain the size of families on American TV shows. See, for instance, Brothers & Sisters (Star World, Tuesdays at 10pm) and Big Love (right; HBO On Demand this month, and debuting tomorrow on HBO Signature at 10pm). While the socio-economic circumstances of the fictitious families are states apart - Brothers is set in an affluent Los Angeles suburb and Big Love in Utah's Mormon country - both shows extol the benefits of a large family. The Brothers & Sisters pilot is quick paced - almost too sketchy - with lots of surprises revealed within the first 20 minutes. One of the sisters, Kitty, a talk-show host played by Calista Flockhart (Ally McBeal), wants to be the anchor of the story, but her emotionally constipated reactions to her family soon raise doubt about her connections with them. The show warms up, thanks in no small part to the luminous Sally Field, who won an Emmy for her role as Nora Walker, beloved wife of William and loving mother of five. Field's Nora, who is alternately emotionally vulnerable and manipulative, butts heads brilliantly with daddy's girl Kitty. Through a couple of highly charged exchanges, we realise Nora blames Kitty for the psychological problems suffered by Justin, the youngest sibling, after his time on the battlefields of Afghanistan. If you think a wife and five children touch the limits of domestic bliss, try three wives and seven children. Bill Henrickson (Bill Paxton) has. The fortysomething husband to Barb (Jeanne Tripplehorn), Nicolette (Chloe Sevigny) and Margene (Ginnifer Goodwin) in HBO's Big Love was raised in the fictional breakaway Mormon compound of Juniper Creek. After 18 years of conventional marriage to Barb in a Salt Lake City suburb, Bill gave in to his upbringing and embraced a different kind of family dynamic. Co-creators Mark Olsen and Will Scheffer spent more than two years researching the series' premise so they could fairly portray polygamy - officially abandoned by Mormon communities in 1890 - without being judgmental. However, despite the many trials and tribulations that lie ahead for the extended family, the initial impression is of Bill living out a modern American male fantasy. In an interview promoting the show Paxton says: 'If I lived 1,000 or 2,000 years ago and I was a healthy buck ... I probably would have had several wives.' Back in the real world - and in a real family - the Biography Channel brings us quality over quantity in a tribute to the achievements of golfer Tiger Woods and his parents, Earl and Kultida Woods, with Biography: Tiger Woods (TVB Pearl, Wednesday at 8.30pm). ESPN sports anchor Mike Tirico says: 'Earl set out to raise his son to be an agent of change, a world-class person and then to be a world-class golfer.' This look at the amazing journey the father and son took to glory is a must-see, not least for anyone who wants to make something of themselves - or their offspring.