Life as We Know It (TV series)

Premise

Set at Woodrow Wilson High School in Seattle, Washington, the series follows three best friends: Dino Whitman, a star ice hockey player whose mother has an affair with his coach; Ben Connor, who becomes interested in academic star Sue Miller while hiding his past affair with a teacher; and Jonathan Fields, a clumsy jokester attracted to Deborah Tynan. Characters break the fourth wall, stepping out of scenes to address the camera as action continues in slow motion behind them.

Production

Jeff Judah and Gabe Sachs, previously involved with Freaks and Geeks and Undeclared, created the series. ABC ordered a full season in June 2004. Filming took place in Vancouver, British Columbia and Seattle, Washington, with exterior shots at Point Grey Secondary School in Vancouver. Production was handled by Sachs-Judah Productions and (ca)bloom! in association with Touchstone Television, a Disney-owned sibling of ABC.

Reception

On Rotten Tomatoes, the series holds a 73% rating from 22 reviews, with a consensus calling it risqué but nuanced in its portrayal of relationships. Variety described it as a sly, sweet look at high school likely to become a cult favorite. Entertainment Weekly's Gillian Flynn praised its off-putting frankness.

John Doyle of The Globe and Mail noted it avoids romanticizing or sensationalizing teen life, focusing on formative experiences. PopMatters' Samantha Bornemann found some plots predictable, particularly the teacher affair storyline, but valued the show's small moments of communication and decency. The Parents Television Council protested the October 2004 episode as sexually charged.

Cancellation

ABC pulled Life as We Know It from its lineup during November sweeps, though MTV aired reruns to good ratings in November and December 2004. The network cancelled the series in January 2005, leaving two episodes unaired. A DVD release later included those episodes. The show aired internationally after cancellation: in Brazil on Sony Entertainment Television from June 13, 2005; in New Zealand on TV2 from December 2005, where poor ratings led to rescheduling and the final two episodes aired in reverse order; in the Philippines on Studio 23; in Portugal on SIC Radical; in Hong Kong on TVB Pearl; across Asia on STAR World; in South Africa on M-Net, where complaints followed its end and it was replayed in a morning slot; in Sweden on Kanal 5 during autumn and winter 2006; in Australia on the Seven Network and FOX8; in Ireland on RTE2 from mid-January 2007; and in Norway from August 2006, where it was cancelled after eight episodes.

Did You Know?

• The complete series DVD includes audio commentaries, deleted scenes, outtakes, and a producer's photo gallery.
• In New Zealand, the show replaced Veronica Mars and was later rescheduled to midnight Saturday slots.
• In South Africa, M-Net received a large number of complaints from subscribers when the series ended.