Life Goes On (TV series)

Did You Know?

• In September 2021, a possible follow-up series with Kellie Martin, Chad Lowe and Nkechi Okoro Carroll producing was reported; in January 2022, NBC gave a pilot commitment for a new series with Martin returning as star.
• The show's producers received a constant trickle of letters each week from viewers who thought the opening credits' shot of the dog dropping his empty bowl was cruel.
• Corky's girlfriend Amanda Swanson, who also had Down syndrome, was played by Andrea Friedman.

Cast and characters

Bill Smitrovich played Andrew "Drew" Thatcher, husband of Libby and father of Paige, Corky, and Becca. Drew coached Special Olympics and worked in construction before entering the restaurant business. Patti LuPone played Elizabeth "Libby" Thatcher, Drew's wife and mother of Corky and Becca, who had been a singer and actress; she gave birth to a fourth child, Nicholas, at the end of season 2. Paige Thatcher, Drew's daughter and Libby's stepdaughter, was played by Monique Lanier in season 1 and by Tracey Needham in seasons 2 through 4.

Chris Burke played Charles "Corky" Thatcher, the middle child with Down syndrome who took mostly regular high school classes. Kellie Martin played Rebecca "Becca" Thatcher, the younger sister who was socially awkward. Tommy Puett played Tyler Benchfield, Corky's best friend and Becca's first boyfriend, who died from drinking and driving. Chad Lowe played Jesse McKenna, Becca's second boyfriend.

Ray Buktenica played Jerry Berkson, Libby's eccentric boss who later became a partner in Drew's restaurant. Tanya Fenmore played Maxie, Becca's best friend. Michele Matheson played Rona Lieberman, a popular girl and Becca's rival. David Byrd played Hans, a German immigrant chef. Mary Page Keller played Gina Giordano, Libby's sister.

Overview

The drama centered on the Thatcher family, whose son Corky has Down syndrome and whose daughter Becca was academically successful but socially awkward. Patti LuPone, known for theatrical roles, played mother Libby; Bill Smitrovich played father Drew. Eldest sister Paige was played by Monique Lanier in the first season and by Tracey Needham thereafter. The show is set in the Chicago suburb Glenbrook, Illinois, a name blending Glenview and Northbrook.

Each episode's opening credits ended with a shot of the family dog, Arnold, dropping his empty food bowl; in the final episode, a bag of dog food spilled from a cabinet in response to viewer letters. During the first season, the main focus was on Corky and the family's efforts to integrate him into regular society after years of special classes. The Thatchers enrolled Corky in a regular high school despite the principal's demand for an alternative program.

Tyler Benchfield, who had a brother with Down syndrome, appeared in the first three seasons. Corky later worked as a movie theater usher, found a girlfriend with Down syndrome named Amanda Swanson, and married her by the series' end.

Broadcast history and U.S. television ratings

The series reached Canadian audiences through the Crossroads Television System, while New Zealand viewers caught it on Saturday afternoons via TVNZ's Channel 2. In the United States, reruns appeared on The Family Channel, FX, and PAX TV. When Argentina's Telefe network broadcast the show in 1993, the main character's name, Corky, transformed into a local slur targeting individuals with mental disabilities.

Home media

The first season of Life Goes On came out on DVD in Region 1 on May 9, 2006, from Warner Home Video. Because licensing the Beatles' "Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da" was too expensive, the DVD replaced it with a new theme song, "Life Goes On," except for the pilot episode. It is unknown if the other three seasons will ever be released.