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Monday, January 18, 2010: Life Unexpected

by Angel Cohn January 18, 2010 6:08 AM
Monday, January 18, 2010: Life Unexpected

I was completely prepared to hate this show with a seemingly cloying plot. Then I sat down and watched the advanced screener and was completely charmed. The gist is that a popular morning show DJ Cate (Shiri Appleby) and a cute bartender Nate "Baze" Bazile (Kristoffer Polaha) hooked up way back in high school. She had a baby and gave it up for adoption and then 15-years later that kid Lux (Britt Robertson) comes looking for them because she's desperate to get out of the foster care system and she wants them to sign emancipation papers.

Well, as often happens on these shows, nothing goes exactly that smoothly and soon Cate and Nate are all mixed up in each other's lives. Oh, Dawson's Creek's Jack (aka Kerr Smith) is playing Cate's current beau. Again, it sounds ridiculous, but then again, I rolled my eyes when I heard the plot of Everwood and I ended up watching that show religiously. This has that same sort of family vibe. It's surprisingly sweet, the girl being named Lux only bothered me for like 30 minutes, and it is definitely worth a look.

Life Unexpected premieres tonight at 9 PM on the CW

9 Comments

January 18, 2010 5:35 PM
Beth
Reply

The very basic plot of this show is so ridiculous that I can't even contemplate watching it. There is simply no *possible* way that a healthy, white newborn girl does not get immediately adopted, even in 1994.

January 18, 2010 5:47 PM
lola
Reply
replied to comment from Beth

uh, ya, there is. do you know how many "healthy, white, newborn girl"s are go into the system?

January 18, 2010 6:01 PM
Nick
Reply
replied to comment from Beth

She's actually supposed to have been born with a heart defect, which was why she wasn't adopted. Guess the writers agreed with your assessment of foster care. :-)

January 18, 2010 6:25 PM
Beth
Reply

Lola, you are just simply wrong. It can take years for qualified parents to get a healthy white baby.

Nick, thanks for the info - I didn't realize that she supposed to have been born with a heart defect. That does change things.

January 18, 2010 7:15 PM
Joanne
Reply

Wasn't this a Lifetime movie starring Nancy McKeon? If not, it should have been. I'll pass.

January 19, 2010 4:49 AM
Erin Leigh
Reply

As an adoptee - no fucking thank you. Just the trailer managed to piss me off and annoy me - I don't even know where to begin.

There are people saying that they like it - I wonder if any of them are adopted or are foster kids?

January 19, 2010 8:19 AM
Marcy
Reply

I am adopted, and I have to say, I really enjoyed this show - But I am sure everyone will have their own opinions based on their own personal experiences.

January 19, 2010 1:09 PM
Liz
Reply

I thought the pilot was well done. Brittany looks a little old to be 16 and Shiri is a bit young, but the characters were engaging enough to get me past it.

January 20, 2010 10:34 PM
Beausaber
Reply

"I wonder if any of them are adopted or are foster kids?"

Liz Tiglear, one of the show's creators was. Sure you're just not projecting your anger?

As for being ridiculous, no more than such CW staples Gossip Girls or 90210 - don't get me going about One Tree Hill - and probably a darn bit less.

"Brittany looks a little old to be 16 and Shiri is a bit young, but the characters were engaging enough to get me past it."

Shiri is 31 or 32 and she's supposed to have had Lux at the age of 16, so with Lux just turned 16, that's just about dead on.

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