Life As We Know It
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Life As We Know It was an American television teen drama on the ABC network during the 2004-2005 season. It was created by Gabe Sachs and Jeff Judah. The series was based on the novel Doing It by British writer Melvin Burgess.
Set at Woodrow Wilson High School in Seattle, Washington, Life As We Know It's lead was Dino Whitman (Sean Faris), a star ice hockey player. He had an uneasy relationship with his girlfriend, Jackie Bradford (Missy Peregrym), a soccer player. Jackie's best friend was Sue Miller (Jessica Lucas), a very competitive academic star. His best friends were Ben Connor (Jon Foster), who was carrying on an affair with a teacher, Monica Young (Marguerite Moreau); and Jonathan Fields (Chris Lowell), a nervous soul, especially about his girlfriend, Deborah Tynan (Kelly Osbourne). Jonathan was made even more nervous by Deborah's mother, a nurse, sitting him down for a frank and graphic discussion about sex and its consequences.
Dino's parents' marriage fell apart after his mother had an affair with his hockey coach. His father, Michael, was played by D.B. Sweeney and his mother, Annie, was played by Lisa Darr. Coach Dave Scott was played by Martin Cummins.
Character Asiding
The show broke the fourth wall by having characters step out of the scene--which proceeded behind them in slow motion--and directly address the camera. The device was referred to as "freeze-talking" in recaps of the pilot and second episodes by the website Television Without Pity.
Critical Acclaims
Variety called it "a sly, sweet look at high school . . . so good that you immediately make room on your shelf for the cult-fave DVD because you know this is the kind of show that gets cancelled after five episodes." TV Guide, however, disliked "the show's relentless obsession with sex", saying Life As We Know It "is Dawson's Love Canal or Mind of the Obsessive Horndog, as sweaty and anxious in its depiction of male adolescent cravings as it is trite and predictable in its gooey soap opera."
Filming Locations
The show was filmed in Vancouver, British Columbia, by Sachs-Judah Productions and (ca)bloom!, in association with Touchstone Television, a corporate sibling of ABC, both owned by The Walt Disney Company. It originally aired on Thursdays from 9 to 10 P.M., premiering on October 7, 2004. Pulled during November sweeps, the show was rerun on MTV to good ratings in November and December 2004 but ultimately was cancelled by ABC. The series, including two previously unaired episodes, was released on DVD in the United States in 2005.
Cancellation
Life aired abroad after its American cancellation. In New Zealand, the show premiered in December 2005 on TV2, scheduled against America's Next Top Model. Its lead-in was Veronica Mars, another American import, but was cancelled after four episodes because of poor ratings.
Life was also shown in the Philippines in the free cable channel Studio 23. While there were reruns after the initial showing, the last 2 DVD episodes weren't released. In Portugal it is shown on SIC Radical cable channel and is popular among teenagers and young adults. In Hong Kong, it is shown on TVB Pearl and In Asia, it is shown on Star World.
Trivia
- The theme song was "Sooner or Later", performed by Michael Tolcher.
- As the show was cancelled, the official site is gone as well.
- Characters Greta and Zoe are named after the executive producers' dogs, Greta and Zoe.
- Sean Faris and Martin Cummins also appeared together again on show Reunion.
- Most of all scenes of the carnival are shot at inside a Vancouver church.
- Missy Peregrym got the role as Jackie by commenting on Sean Faris of whom he was wearing slippers during the audition read through.
Characters
Sean Faris as Dino WhitmanJon Foster as Ben Connor
Chris Lowell as Jonathan Fields
Missy Peregrym as Jackie Bradford
Jessica Lucas as Sue Miller
Kelly Osbourne as Deborah Tynan
Lisa Darr as Annie Whitman
D.B. Sweeney as Michael Whitman
Marguerite Moreau as Monica Young
Sarah Strange as Mia Tynan
Martin Cummins as Coach Dave Scott
Evan Smith as Max Whitman
Jessica Harmon as Zoe
References
- Josef Adalian. "'Geeks' duo bonds with Touchstone". Daily Variety. June 10, 2004.
- Josef Adalian. "ABC's new lease on 'Life'". Daily Variety. December 8, 2004.
- Ann Donahue. Review of Life As We Know It. Daily Variety. October 6, 2004.
- Virginia Heffernan. "What (Sex) Boys (Sex) Think (Sex) About." The New York Times. October 7, 2004.
- Matt Roush. "Down, Boys!". TV Guide. October 10, 2004.
External links
- [Life As We Know It] recaps from Television Without Pity
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