LIFE UNEXPECTED costs $45 to shoot.
Okay, not exactly! But with the network’s smallest ensemble this side of SUPERNATURAL and no special effects to speak of, we’d be shocked to discover that LIFE UNEXPECTED wasn’t the network’s most affordable scripted series. Seriously. Just how tight was the CW when it came to holding on to those proverbial purse strings throughout the series’ initial 13 episode run? There wasn’t even enough room in the budget to invite Cate’s sister Abby — who came down with a mysterious case of food poisoning — to the wedding, let alone Bug and Jones.
It has earned it.
Simply put, LIFE UNEXPECTED has succeeded on all levels. Both in the creative department, where creator Liz Tigelaar and Co. successfully crafted a world in which we care enough to spend more time in that we’re writing this post. And in the ratings one, as the series continues to outdraw the far more expensive and extravagantly hyped GOSSIP GIRL with virtually no marketing budget and promotion to speak of. (See: Exhibit A, Exhibit B and Exhibit C.)
LIFE UNEXPECTED sends a positive message.
In fact, not since 7th HEAVEN has a show on the CW so beautifully counterbalanced the endless parade of inexplicably thin twenty-somethings making a string of very poor decisions on the likes of GOSSIP GIRL, ONE TREE HILL, 90210, AMERICA’S NEXT TOP MODEL, HIGH SOCIETY and MELROSE PLACE.
Cliffhanger Much!
Although we wouldn’t go as far as to say that last night’s ending was quite that unexpected, Liz Tigelaar wasn’t kidding when she teased that, “we’re definitely airing on the side of season rather than series finale.” Did Cate choose the right “love?” Will Ryan regret stepping up and saying “I Do?” Is Lux going to find herself caught in the middle? And most importantly of all, is Baze’s clunker covered by State Farm? These are just a few of the questions we hope to find answers to come next season. And let’s face it CW…
You owe us.
EVERWOOD, VERONICA MARS, GROSSE POINTE, JACK & BOBBY and PRIVILEGED. Memo to Dawn Ostroff, we have a memory like an elephant! Honestly, we never forget. So how about throwing us a bone for once and not canceling our favorite show your network currently has to offer. Please! 