We Got Netflix Covered: High Anxiety, Clueless Teens And The Power Of The Schwartz…

Television Pick: Life Unexpected (2010-2011)

The teen/YA program genre has shifted directions in a major way over the past few years. Whereas shows like 7th Heaven and Dawson’s Creek dominated, nowadays the over-the-top nature of series such as Pretty Little Liars and The Vampire Diaries have captured the attention of young audiences. Although this shift in viewership has left many a program out to die, perhaps no program got the shaft quite as bad as The CW’s Life Unexpected.

Running on the network from 2010 to 2011, Life Unexpected centers on orphaned teenager named Lux (Britt Robertson). Given up at birth by her young mother, Lux has spent years going through the foster care system, until she reaches the age of 16, when she decides to become an emancipated minor. In order to do this, however, she will need to track down her biological mother and father.

Lux first meets Nathaniel “Baze” Bazile (Kristoffer Polaha), the former High School quarterback turned proprietor of the Open Bar, a drinking establishment he also happens to live above. After the two get some quality bonding time together, Baze takes Lux to meet her mother, radio station anchor Cate Cassidy (Shiri Appleby). Although the two have trouble getting along at first, Lux and Cate eventually begin to bond. Regardless of the fact that she managed to track down her biological parents, though, a judge declares that Lux isn’t ready for emancipation and grants temporary joint custody of her to Cate and Baze.

Listen, hear me out for a second now. I understand that this kind of sounds like your typical, schlocky CW garbage. And at times, it can be. However, underneath its absurd exterior lies a warm and pleasant little drama. While the performances are good enough, especially when compared to their network peers, the real pleasure of the show comes from the mind of writer Liz Tigelaar. Tigelaar, who has worked on series such as Bates Motel and Brothers and Sisters, crafts some excellent dialogue and scenes that do a lot to make sure that annoying archetypes, such as the “wise beyond her years teen” aren’t such a nuisance.

I understand that Life Unexpected is a bit of a hard sell. I know it was a show that aired on The CW and not even one of the wacky, outlandish ones that are full of unintentional humor. What you will find here, though, is a quaint and pleasant little drama that deserved more time to fully develop before meeting an untimely demise.