Article by Craig Byrne
For the past twelve weeks, Life Unexpected has been a gem of a show that I have thoroughly enjoyed, even though I’m not a part of The CW’s target demographic.
Through a friend I was able to see the pilot a few months early, back under one of its earlier titles, Parental Discretion Advised. I was quickly surprised by the series’ many layers and elements – and the incredible work of the show’s cast, which features Britt Robertson, Shiri Appleby, Kristoffer Polaha, and Kerr Smith.
In this world where shows in the vein of Gossip Girl, 90210, and Melrose Place rule the roost at The CW, where some of the characters seem to exist only to create drama and sleep together, Life Unexpected has had heart. Yes, there is sex (that’s how Lux came into being in the first place). Yes, there are self-absorbed characters. And yes, there is drama. But creator Liz Tigelaar and the show’s cast and crew have brought us a show where characters do make mistakes. At any given week, you ARE going to dislike Character X or Character Y, and hey, that’s okay. They’ll probably redeem themselves. Even the ones like Bug, where you, like some of the characters on the show, might be quick to give up on.
The other important factor for Life Unexpected‘s critical success is chemistry. Somehow, Shiri Appleby as Cate can appear to be equally interested in Kerr Smith’s reliable Ryan or Kristoffer Polaha’s wild child Baze. She does it in such a way that you, like the character, don’t know what’s coming next, and it’s a rare mix that I don’t see much on television.
The show can hit you over the head a little with the drama for drama’s sake; but then again, the show is just that – a drama. I actually think it got to a better balance as the first season went on; the drama became less heavy-handed as time went on, though it could be that I just was so invested in the characters by that point I wasn’t bothered anymore.
Unfortunately, the show’s ratings aren’t totally as high as what The CW seems to want. The show has already moved timeslots, including being put up against Chuck in its final days. The successful Wednesday rerun – which probably should have moved to 9PM once Top Model returned – was eliminated, right as a lot of people were discovering the show and finding their Monday nights too crowded.
I know there are “Save Our Show” polls out there on several different websites. I’m not taking sides. Though I will say that Life Unexpected is one of two series where I will be extremely disappointed if they don’t return for another year. (The other is V). I want to see what happens next. I don’t know if Cate and Ryan get married tonight, but if they do, I want to see how Baze will react. How will Ryan cope with joining that “family?” Where’s Jones going to go if Austin Butler leaves for Betwixt? Will we see Cate’s dad again, unless he returns in the season finale? If there is no second year, I will seriously feel cheated to have none of these questions answered.
So far, Life Unexpected is one of only two “bubble” shows for The CW that is not yet renewed, the other being One Tree Hill. So there’s the choice: Pick up the newcomer show which has a long life ahead of it, or something that’s been on for so many years that it’s got to be expensive. I know what I’d pick.
Check the show out. If tonight’s season finale is already over where you are, look for it on CWTV.com, iTunes, and other legal outlets. When the DVD comes out, give it a try. You don’t have to be a woman to enjoy this – it’s a fun show for everyone, and deserves a little more time to really bloom. If you have checked it out already, good for you! Leave some comments, especially if you’re also a fan.
3 Comments
Totally agree, this show really needs to be picked up for a second season. I was surprised at how good it was and it has really hooked me. The actors are all quite good as well and, as you said, even if a character makes you mad one week, they’ll probably end up redeeming themselves the next. Sometimes Cate bothers the crap out of me, but sometimes I really like her and feel bad for her. Lux has been more of a teenage brat in recent episodes, but I still also enjoy her a lot as well. I agree that they kind of do this whole “drama for the sake of drama” thing and some of those can be seen coming from a mile away, but it’s still enjoyable.
I find this show to be like Gilmore Girls. Not exactly the same and, in my opinion, no where near as good. However, it’s a good family show/family drama. I can’t really think of many shows right now that are like that. For years we had 7th Heaven and Gilmore Girls to fill that role, but I really can’t think of a recent show, or one on right now (other than LUX) that has filled that void. I think it’s a type of show that is needed. I find LUX to be a breath of fresh air for the CW and something they really need if they want to stay in the game (it’s called variety, Dawn, latch onto it).
I haven’t seen the finale yet as I was busy watching Alias, so I’ll have to watch it on the CW’s website. Here’s hoping it’s good, that Ryan and Cate get married (I really like Ryan and I don’t want him to be hurt again), and that the CW wakes up and renews this good, viable show.
disagree that there has to be a choice of One Tree Hill or Life Unexpected, they can pick both and group them they are in the same fitting, wish they would i think gossip girl should go and they have other slots available such as the Wed slot they give to repeats.
The CW needs to be AGGRESSIVE this Fall. They finally have a stable of quality shows PEOPLE WANT to watch, and both OTH and LUX are favorites. Renew both, and find a place/slot to keep fresh episodes on the air, much like this season. There’s no reason this has to be an either/or choice between the two.
The pilot development slate looks strong, so hopefully the Wed. 9pm and Fri. 9pm slots will no longer be wasted with repeats of reality shows (the most worthless use of network space imaginable).
CW has momentum on all nights right now, and they must step up and keep all fan bases happy, along with adding a hit or two in the vein of Vampire Diaries. That’s the only way to survive, when so many shows are long-in-the-tooth.