Life Unexpected
Photo Credit: creativecommons.org
March 9, 2010
Alex Bolino, Staff Reporter
Many still feel the loss of the great show that was Gilmore Girls. If you are one of these people, you might be interested in watching an amazing new show, which has recently begun on the CW.
Life Unexpected has been compared to Gilmore Girls and Everwood by multiple critics. It airs Monday nights at 9 on the CW is already quite a hit. In fact, its premiere brought in more ratings than any other CW show in that time slot in over a year.
The show’s protagonist, Lux, is a 15-year-old girl who spent her youth being bounced around among undesirable foster homes after receiving treatments for a heart condition that she was born with. When she decides to become emancipated, Lux learns that she must have the signatures of her birth parents, who never legally gave up their rights to her custody. To try and save time, she sets off to find those parents and get their signatures personally.
The first parent she meets is Nate Bazile, or Baze, a 32-year-old man who never really grew up. He was a football star in high school and currently lives with two roommates in an apartment above the bar that his father financed for him. After learning of her existence and spending a day to get to know Lux, Baze signs the papers she needs and takes her to find her mother, Cate.
Cate Cassidy, Lux’s biological mother, is a star on the radio show, “Morning Madness,” with her fiancé, Ryan. She got pregnant after a winter formal in high school and kept her pregnancy a secret from everyone, except Baze, who never found out that she decided to keep the baby. Cate had been assured that because Lux was a baby, she would be adopted quickly. For this reason, she was shocked to hear about Lux’s situation.
Lux, likewise, was surprised to learn the identity of her mother. Since she was a child, Lux listened to Cate’s radio show. It was the only constant in her life as she was being moved from foster home to foster home.
After receiving the necessary signatures, Lux attends her emancipation hearing, in the company of her biological parents. Because she does not possess a steady job or home, Lux is denied her request for emancipation and is instead put into the custody of her parents, as their signatures were never notarized, and were therefore invalid.
The initial negative reactions of Cate and Baze were too much for Lux to handle, and after attempting to return to foster care, a plan was worked out that put her into shared custody between her parents. However, after a visit from social services, Cate was awarded primary custody of Lux due to Baze’s living situation and unstable paycheck.
The show focuses on the growing process that both Lux and her parents are going through. Lux has to learn to be able to depend on someone other than herself, while Cate and Baze must learn how to be suitable parents. Cate has to overcome her fears of trust and commitment, and Baze must work to mature and get his life in order.
These serious developments are intertwined with quirky stories of Cate and Baze learning to deal with Lux’s other life and delinquent boyfriend, Bug. Lux must learn to adjust to a new school and both Baze and Cate need to deal with their own parents.
Life Unexpected is a great show and if you haven’t yet watched it, you can catch up on previous episodes at www.cwtv.com.
Presentation students, in particular, have an extra reason to watch Life Unexpected. Its co-producer, MaryBeth Basile, was part of the Presentation class of 1995. In addition to producing Life Unexpected, she was also the associate producer of October Road and an assistant on the shows The Evidence and Blind Justice, which aired on ABC.
After graduating from Presentation, Mary Beth attended University of San Diego with a major in Communications and a minor in English. In deciding upon her current career path, Mary Beth did an internship at a studio during her senior year of college. It was during that internship that she figured out exactly what she wanted to do. That is why she recommends an internship for anyone who is interested in the business. She says, “An internship can provide invaluable experience. You get to know how the business works, and you meet people who can help you get a job when you’re ready.”
After school, she began her career as an assistant, where she worked for for Renny Harlin for 2 ½ years and then Gary Fleder for 3 ½ years. She is currently running Gary Fleder’s company.
As a producer, Mary Beth has many roles. She is involved in developing the script with the writer, helping choose the cast, approving wardrobe, working with the editors of the show, picking music for various episodes, working with sound mixers, and working with the studio and network. When the show isn’t in production, her hours are 9 a.m.-7p.m. However, when it is in production, her hours are extremely long and she has to work during weekends.
Life Unexpected is filmed in Vancouver, but its writers are in Los Angeles. So, Mary Beth spends most of her time in LA, but also has to travel to Vancouver. When she is in Canada, she sees the cast on a daily basis. In fact, now that the first season of the show has wrapped, she, as well as the creator of the show, get together with the cast to watch the show on Monday nights. She says, “Last week, we all went over to Shiri Appleby’s house (Cate). It’s a really fun group of actors.”
As to the question of her future, Mary Beth says, “Ideally, I’d like to continue producing more shows. I started out solely working in film. The move into T.V. wasn’t planned. But I’ve really enjoyed it, and would love to continue producing.”
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