The daughter Lux runs away from everything and can't have a normal conversation without acting self righteous and childish it just really bugged me that character existed! Her mom is no different! She allowed her daughter to treat her any ole way. Not appealing for a mother to have no back bone or any type of correction. Otherwise, I loved all the other characters.
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brooksdelores10 June 2018
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anjalidhir055 February 2010Love the show. At the moment, there aren't many other shows like this on TV. Mainly crime, or shows like gossip girl, and although they are good in their own right, this adds something different to the mix. It is comparable to Gilmore girls, in my opinion. The acting is good and the script is fantastic. It is a family friendly show, early teens and adults alike can enjoy it.There have only been a few episodes of the show released, but I look forward to the next one each week. It's rare for me to anticipate the next episode for shows, as many of the better ones get cancelled so here's to hoping there are many more seasons to come.
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superaudreysaves24 February 2010When I first heard this show being compared to Juno and Gilmore Girls, I had to give it a chance. I was kind of expecting it to be a show TRYING to be like Juno and Gilmore Girls, and that was going to be obvious in the worst possible way, but I couldn't resist watching it.
And now I'm hooked. In the best possible way. Life Unexpected has succeeded in being it's own show, although I do think the comparisons are appropriate. Despite the plot being the main selling point in the commercials, it is a very character-driven show (which is good, because how slowly can you burn out the "just met my daughter" thing? Not very slowly...) One complaint I did have, though, is that it cheeses out at the end of almost every episode. This can be looked at two ways. One being that it's cheesy, and the other being that each episode is like it's own little movie, and while connected to the whole series, independent. I love movies. So I chose the second way and now I love that, too.
All in all, Life Unexpected is a really good show. It's been a while since I've seen one of those and I'm so excited to get a new hour of it every week. -
onetallfoo2 February 2010This show may not be completely realistic, but it isn't real to begin with, so that's not a problem. You have to go into this as you would any other TV show or movie, with a willing suspension of disbelief, meaning you buy into the story and characters. If you're willing to believe, you are in for a treat. The show is light hearted, even though it deals with some dramatic issues. It sprinkles humor in with serious plots, making for a charming mix.
I really like the characters, and feel they have a great connection with each other. Lux is a streetwise kid who can handle herself, but is totally sweet. Baze is far from an ideal father, but he's completely hilarious and tries hard. Cate wouldn't seem it, but has a very maternal side, and is getting the hang of parenthood and she goes.
The show is all about learning who you really are, and who you need to become. In a small way, it actual has me looking at myself, which I think is amazing from such a young show. It's still getting its legs, but with a bit more time, this show could be something great. I think it's a nice change from other shows on CW, because it deals with an older age group, and feels less like high school.
Watch the Life Unexpected for yourself, and don't compare it to other shows, just judge it as its own show. Remember to go in willing to belief, and you might just get sucked in by its charm. -
gazzalere19 January 2010Life Unexpected from CBS & Warner Bros channel The CW is about a 15-year-old girl trying to get herself emancipated to get away from the foster care system. Before I heard about this show I was hooked on another CW show One Tree Hill but then "Life Unexpected" popped up and I just thought "I have to watch this" because not only does it look different but from previews it looks exciting.
From the opening of the first scene right up to that finale of the first episode you can really feel the emotion that our main character Lux, played by Brittany Robertson is putting out to the audience followed closely behind her co-characters Cate Cassidy, played by Shiri Appleby and Nate, played by Kristoffer Polaha. By the way let's not forget the amazing Karr Smith who plays a love interest Ryan Thomas who ultimately gets caught up in the deep history as it unfolds.
At the end of the day without saying to much on the story of a young girl whose been thrown around the foster system for way too long before wanting to become emancipated I'm just going to leave you with one final thing Whenever possible try and catch the first episode of this truly emotional and fulfilling new show, then you'll just want more and more episodes as the story unfolds, I honestly think there's a bright future for "Life Unexpected" catch it Monday's 9/8c on The CW. -
brusimm13 December 2009Life UneXpected from The CW is about a 15-year-old girl trying to get herself emancipated to get away from the foster care system.
Lux, played by Brittany Robertson (Swingtown) has been put through the ringer with with the foster care system and needs to get away. She needs to become emancipated.
Her biological dad, Nate "Baze" Bazile is played by Kristoffer Polaha (ad Men, Valentine, North Shore) and her mom, Cate Cassidy is played by Shiri Appleby (ER, Six Degrees, Roswell).
Through one turn or another Lux is put in the temporary custody of her biological parents (Don't worry, you'll see why).
~ Life UneXpected is written by Liz Tigelaar (Brothers & Sisters, What About Brian) and directed by Gary Fleder (Life on Mars, October Road).
These two have teamed up to bring quite the heart warming tale of a wayward like teen who rediscovers her biological parents. Neither live with each other and this tale of two different people, three counting Lux, hits nerves in a good way with this journey they are embarking on.
The plot pulls you in from the start and keeps you hooked. It has great interaction between characters. Nothing feels forced, everything flows.
The caveat: You need to like shows like this to appreciate it. That being said, I don't think you'll be disappointed. -
ElessarAndurilS10 July 2016I'd say that Life Unexpected was a 6 but I have to give it a point for a good basis to the story. Unfortunately the writers fumbled the story repeatedly and had a child who was passed through the foster system, winding up with her real parents turn out to be more mature than the parents and really not messed up from the system at all. The up side is the show is entertaining in its stories, the down side is they have good stories written in left and write yet blow the writing and execution of the story repeatedly. Still leaves the show entertaining for 25 episodes, but no question why it was canned after 2 seasons. The miracle of having a foster child who is trying to get herself emancipated get in touch with her biological parents to sign some papers to allow it because when given up for adoption she never wound up being adopted is a heart warming basis for a show. Kid tossed around by system without notifying the biological parents it was even happening is a stretch, but a good starting point. The problem is the parents are still emotionally where they were in high school when the child, LEX, was conceived.
So the show continually fumbles the ball in telling the story of how the parents go to any lengths to incorporate their daughter back in their life but in the process botch every attempt by acting like teenagers in their 30's. It leaves the daughter coming off as the one causing the parents to mature but in a painfully clumsy fashion. That would actually be good for the first half of season 1 if they corrected it, but it is a problem that plagues the show for the duration and the anchor that drags it down. Still entertaining to a degree for 26 episodes, but the writers blew this as it should have written itself. -
indiacarless22 March 2010Love this show!
Watched Shiri in 'Roswell', Kerr in 'Dawson's Creek' and wondered if they could pull it off as a couple. They do.
Shiri's character Kate is forced to face the child she gave up almost 16 years ago. Lux (Brittany) has spent those years bouncing through the foster home system and she's excellent as a young woman who struggles to fit into this new family.
Rafi is perfect as Bug, Lux's boyfriend who struggles with many issues himself.
I've not seen Kristoffer's previous work but he's great as Lux's father who's struggling to be a father as he grows up himself.
Each week's episode brings me to tears, sometimes of joy and sometimes of sadness - then I have to wait another week for the next episode!
I will be buying this on DVD - love this show! -
Feeny09025 February 2010When I saw the previews for this show in the fall, I was really excited. It looked like a great family drama, and Kristoffer Polaha is one of my favorite actors who is so underrated (and a really nice guy in real life). I am generally happy with the show and its portrayal of the tension that comes with forcing characters into an awkward and difficult situation. I think Brittany Robertson is (1) age appropriate for the role and (2) accurately depicting a mature kind of teen angst, which is more than I can say for a lot of actors her age or portraying a character her age. Shiri Appleby and Kerr Smith...now don't get me wrong, I have been a faithful viewer of the CW (formerly the WB) for a LONG time, meaning I went through the Roswell and Dawson's Creek phases. I liked both the actors well enough. I have seen them in other productions and thought they did a decent job. So I am relatively confident that my opinion they were not the right actors for the characters they were given is not biased. I believe Shiri Appleby can pull off selfish/neurotic/and insecure part of her character...but I feel like it would be a better show if she were more likable, part of it is that the character history has not been fully revealed, but I think part of it is in the portrayal. Same thing with Kerr Smith - do I believe him as a young, moderately good looking, slightly masochistic in a lovable way kind of guy? Not really. Neither actor seems to have enough depth, which means their characters have no heart, and it is difficult to relate to them. Now - I understand that there is supposed to be a certain amount of immaturity with the adult characters that balances with Lux's "maturity". But the actors don't make their actions seem genuinely altruistic. When you look at Baze and Lux, I think you get better a sense of why the feel and behave the way they do. You don't get that kind of understanding from Cate and Ryan. That being said, it is a good drama. It has those unsatisfying arguments that you have with your parents and friends. Everyone learns as they go. It is not quite as well written as Gilmore Girls, but has the same emotional baggage (and when in real life do we ever find the words we want to say when we're upset?). Overall - I'll keep watching and hope that the Cate and Ryan characters find some soul and grit that I can grasp onto.
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slimmy565615 October 2010I didn't expect this at all, At my age i nomally don't watch stuff like this but im so glad i stumbled on this. The acting is top notch, The writing is top notch.
Don't expect complex in depth storys, there just normal happy story with a bit of drama and comerdy thrown in for good measure (just about right for the times we live in). luk's is so belevable in her character you really believe she lived through it (well clearly brittany robertson is very good young actress) i am expecting great things from her in the future. i remember shiri from roswell even the she was hot now,,,,im sure get what i mean. And Kristoffer Polaha is great haven't seen him in anything else but im impressed.
To conclude im hooked, i just hope the networks give this a chance to evolve im so sure this show has legs to run and run. Go on give a chance you really wont be disappointed . -
lori10152 February 2010When i heard that it was being compared to Gilmore Girls i had to watch it. But when i watched it i wasn't that impressed, because i love Gilmore Girls too much. Don't get me wrong the show is good, but I feel Gilmore Girls is a lot better. i would compare this to more like Secret Life of the American Teenager. Anyways the acting is OK/good just like in the Secret Life of the American Teenagen. There are sometimes when i feel the actors are being a little amateurish. the story line is good though, but they should still work on it. but I do believe that this is a fresh new show for TV that we been needing. I am glad that the setting is in Oregon instead of New York and other big cities just like how Gilmore Girls did it. This show has good potential though and it is that kind of show that when you see one episode you have to watch the rest to see what happens.
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ana_luisa_slb10 May 2010I started watching this TV show and I just couldn't stop till episode 12. It's the most promising show I've seen since "Gilmore girls". The plot is about a girl, Lux, who at 15 years old found her biological parents (who conceived her at the age of 16 and gave her for adoption) and starts a relationship with them. The actors are wonderful and the characters are great. I can't say who is the more interesting one. They are sweet, funny and it's amazing to watch the development of the connection between the three of them. I just hope that this show continues for many seasons. It's a mixing of drama and comedy in its best shape and it's rare to watch such a moving story on TV.
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picklelips725 May 2012Its quite engaging watching these characters who are supposed to be adults operating at the maturity level of teenagers. In that respect, this show is realistic; there are a vast number of adults in our culture that never develop past early formal operational cognitive stages or pre/ conventional moral stages. These characters are forced to evolve when their biological daughter seeks them out and they are court ordered to be temporary guardians. Its also entertaining (yet painful at times) to watch these characters get caught up in deception after deception; every character lies there way out of tight-spots only to have it blow-up in their face later. You would think having so much experience with deception they might learn how to use it effectively. Teenagers should like this show because the adults seem to be falling all over themselves to seek approval from the child. It could serve as an "what not to do in this situation" exemplar. The parents do grow (slowly) into their parental shoes and it is fun to watch. Acting is better than good-enough for this kind of light-hearted drama. Production value is above average. Stories are a step above average, no clichés like drug-use or teen-pregnancy.
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I liked the idea of the dysfunctional family trying to fix itself along the way, with family members trying to grow and to better themselves.
However, the writers failed to live up to the story's potential. It's very hard to like the characters and to root for them when all they do - episode after episode - is lie to each other, engage in passive-aggressive behavior and endless rantings, then get depressed and complain about how miserable they are and how everybody is against them.
And the characters who should be raising our sympathy, the mother-daughter duo, are actually the most obnoxious ones, while the men in their lives seem to have resigned themselves with the role of "the whipped". -
carnes8714 May 2010i think this is the best TV show i have ever seen. And i look at many. Love the story, it feels real. They have problems, many people have, and the show takes up an impotent problem. And i think theirs a good way to show people that there is kids out there ho need a home and a family. Im hope that this shoe will start up at season 2. I have shown this show to 10 of my friend, and they all love it. Sow this TV series is worth watching. If you like to watch one tree hill, or parenthood, you will love this seri to. You fall in love whit the actors, lucks plays an amazing part same dos kate and baze. You feel whit them when you are watching the TV series,,
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timtam-1442126 February 2021I think they really really really need to bring this show back I am still watching 10 years on let's make it happen it helped me so much I was in a dark time and the show made me happy.
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chimeskd17 September 2011Found this show on Netflix. Watched both seasons in 3 days. I was hooked from episode 1. I cried on almost every episode in season 1. This is not your typical family/teen drama (which I usually don't watch). I loved all the characters and the actors/actresses were excellent. You really believed the roles and the story line. In some ways it made me take a step back and look at my family...appreciating everything that we have even more! This show makes you think. It makes you feel. It makes you cry (a lot) but it also filled with humor. Give it a chance, an open mind, and you'll be hooked...even for the 2 episodes it offers.
I just wish they hadn't canceled the show which led to a rushed ending. Watching this story unfold would've have been a great love affair! Well, at least now I can focus on cleaning my house instead! =)
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The show is great if you see the whole picture. I only think that the main problem is with the basics. In real life if a quarterback sleeps with a random girl who he denies later and that girl has a child sixteen years later he wouldn't be in love with that girl. It would have been much more real if he wouldn't give a crap about her just wanted to know his daughter and by the time he would have realized what a great woman she is and the fell in love with her. It would have been reasonable for her to still have feelings for him but not the other way around, not with him denying it to happened back then. I mean he doesn't really knew her. And i really don't like how Ryan turned out in the second season or how upset Kate got when she found out about Julia while she did worse. And i kinda feel that the writers wanted everyone to have someone at the that they made some weird and rush choices. I know they didn't want to end it and they rushed to an end so i am pretty sure they planned Ryan and Kate together and Julia as just another drama, and maybe the would have found someone other for Baze, and Math too. But don't get me wrong, i liked it, how it showed us the upside thing about the whole foster care and how bad it can get. And all the other thing were well written, the actors and actresses were the best. I really love the show except the rushed ending.
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jacobus-1871023 May 2015The only episode I hated was the last episode. I wanted to be part of the characters lives for another couple of seasons and the abrupt ending really upset me.
The show managed to deal with really sensitive and emotional content without losing my interest. They were able to make me feel sorry, sad, hopeful, angry and helpless in many cases all in the same episode.
How a show this good can fall through the cracks and fizzle out after two seasons is beyond me.
I really wanted to go through the rest of Luxes journey to adulthood with her. I loved her character and am going to miss her. -
m-4782628 April 2021Season two has the merit of bringing closure to the series. But it got overly dramatic and very soap opera-ish there. Still, it is a good drama, one I used to watch with other CW shows of that time. And I thought that crossover episode with One Tree Hill, was the best thing writers came up with. It was back when the network was flourishing, and for that reason only, it many flaws can easily be ignored. The ease you got into the series each weeks, the cast, the music and some of the storylines, made it one of my favorite CW dramedies.
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dennis-868-11726313 January 2020Well made and well acted. It's a shame they didn't get a third series. The pilot works really well as a stand alone episode and could have been a TV movie. It is after all a drama not a documentary, I'm amazed at complaints about it being "unrealistic". It's no less realistic that One Tree Hill, The OC, Gilmore Girls or a plethora of other similar drama series. Switched at Birth became increasingly unrealistic, but managed to survive for 7 seasons by ramming "Deaf Culture" down everyone's throats, and rode the diversity ticket.
In fairness I think it could have run for a 3rd series without starting to get silly and desperate for plot lines. But at least they managed to wrap it all up quickly at the end of the last episode.
My only real complaint would be the "Bug" character was just irritating and got in the way of the story. -
Lux is a 15 year old foster kid in Portland. She seeks emancipation. She discovers that her parents are local radio personality Cate Cassidy and aimless Nate Bazile after a one-night stand in high school. The judge decides to grant custody to Cate and Nate instead of emancipation. The problem is that Cate has boyfriend Ryan Thomas and Nate's life is a mess.
I like the three main actors Britt Robertson, Shiri Appleby and Kristoffer Polaha. However I don't always like the three main characters. They are a whiny bunch. There is some good potential but the show keeps getting into its own way. The first season is pretty good but the second season deteriorates and the show gets canceled. -
john-d-sage-865-1368468 October 2010I was looking for a new favourite serial.
To let you know the level of my desires I have enjoyed in no special order:
The Waltons Dallas Dawsons Creek Gilmore Girls
Thus you can tell the level of my mental acuity.
Boy was I surprised. This could so easily have turned into another cold mechanical drama but in my opinion a heart may be beating inside this story. With the brutal cancellation of anything that does not gain instant success it is good to see that sad old gits like myself can still find shows to enjoy and savour -
susieo-7072417 April 2019Children's movies/shows are rated PG for mild humor and action sequences. This show makes reference to sex in literally every single episode. Storyline alone, sure, could be PG. But the word sex is obscenely consistent in all dialogue: you have a 16 yr old girl in her underwear lying in bed with her boyfriend, presumably after sex, references to make-up sex, sex on the radio show, who had sex with who, in addition to the ongoing multitude of relationships where they end up in bed together... I am actually amazed at how they've incorporated so much sex into a show about a teen finding her parents.
To be more clear the sex is not graphic like the newer shows! Just always there.
I know I am seeing the show years after its tv life... but I'm living the Netflix life, and the quest for appropriate young-teen and pre- teen material is never ending. As an adoptee I thought this would be a cool show... and though it's enjoyable in a general sense, I watch it without the kids around. -
jayneenaa28 September 2011This is seriously one of the most ANNOYING shows I have ever watched. There isn't a character on the show who I didn't want to smack in the face at some point. Lux, the main character especially makes me want to grind my teeth. She's the most SELFISH, self-centered, spoiled teenager ever portrayed on TV. She gets away with a lot just by yelling back at her parents after she has done something bad and making them feel bad for being mad at her, when they are totally justified in being mad at her. If I did the things she did when I was her age I would have received some major punishment. She cheated on tests and never got punished for it. She crashed her mom's car and someone else took the blame for her. She threw her best friend Tasha under the bus in one episode and let her take the blame so she wouldn't get in trouble for being in a relationship with a teacher. Seriously what were the writers thinking when they developed this character? Also, this show has way to may long diatribes that get really played out after a while. I start browsing other things on the internet and only half pay attention when that happens, and it happens a lot. Everyone is always yelling at each other and having some uneccessary moral or emotional dilemma or epiphany. It's really as far from real life as you can get. I guess this all wouldn't be a problem if the writing were better and the characters were more likable. Watch this show if you want to stress yourself out unneccesarily. The only reason I keep watching this show is because its kind of like watching a train wreck or slowing down for an accident on the freeway, you just want to see what happens or happened even if its bad.