Interview with TV writer Liz Tigelaar, creator of "Life Unexpected" - Part 13: The Bitter Questions

Part 1 - Breaking in as an assistant
Part 2 - First Staff Writer Job on "American Dreams"
Part 3 - How Do I Get an Agent?
Part 4 - Selling a Pilot
Part 5 - Personal Themes in Writing
Part 6 - Genesis of "Life Unexpected"
Part 7 - First-Time Showrunner
Part 8 - Developing the second year of LUX
Part 9 - Dealing with network notes
Part 10 - Controversial LUX storylines
Part 11 - LUX lives on
Part 12 - Network overall deal, working on Once Upon a Time and Revenge

I confess, I'm a big fan of Inside the Actor's Studio.  It's my goal with these interviews to hopefully explore the craft of writing as well as James Lipton probes his subjects on the craft of acting.  To that end, I plan on concluding each interview with "The Bitter Questions," a series of serious and silly questions that will hopefully allow the writers to reveal something unexpected about themselves.

This segment also has what might be my favorite moment from Liz Tigelaar.  See if you can guess what it is.


And that's a wrap on Liz Tigelaar!  I hope you enjoyed this interview as much as I did.  Huge thanks goes out to Liz for being so generous with her time AND being willing to put up with being interviewed by a puppet.  You can follow Liz on Twitter at @LizTigelaar.

Also, I highly recommend two Nerdist podcasts on which Liz appears.  There's a little bit of overlap in the discussions there and in this interview, but because I'd heard one of these and saw a report on the other before I interviewed Liz, I made a conscious effort to not ask Liz too many of the same questions.

This podcast also features writers Robert Hewitt Wolfe (Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, Alphas) and Dana Gould (The Simpsons.)  There's a lot of great writing insight, but also a lot of funny moments among the group too.  It's an hour and twenty minutes, but it feels like half that.

Meanwhile, this podcast is a recording of a panel from the ATX Television Festival earlier this year and in addition to Liz, it features Jane Espenson (Once Upon a Time; Husbands; BSG; Buffy) and Erica Messer (showrunner, Criminal Minds).  The topic: "Women on TV."  Yes, they wade into the issue of gender politics in Hollywood.

Interview with TV writer Liz Tigelaar, creator of "Life Unexpected" - Part 11: LUX lives on

Part 1 - Breaking in as an assistant
Part 2 - First Staff Writer Job on "American Dreams"
Part 3 - How Do I Get an Agent?
Part 4 - Selling a Pilot
Part 5 - Personal Themes in Writing
Part 6 - Genesis of "Life Unexpected"
Part 7 - First-Time Showrunner
Part 8 - Developing the second year of LUX
Part 9 - Dealing with network notes
Part 10 - Controversial LUX storylines


This was one segment of my Liz Tigelaar interview that very nearly didn't make the final cut, but the more I thought about it, the more I realize it speaks to one element that every writer should strive to bring to their work: passion.

I've followed Liz on Twitter for a while, and one thing I noticed is that in the year that followed LUX's cancellation, Liz and the cast tweeted each other frequently, often referencing the fun they had on the show, or lamenting that they weren't still working together every day.  It was a little like seeing an incredibly close-knit group of high school or college friends dealing with the fact that they all had to go off and live their own lives now.

My own observation is that that sadness underscores the really deep connection that all involved had with the material and with each other.  I don't get the sense that this was "just a job" for any of them.  Sometimes writers and actors tire of their material and when the end comes, they're ready to move on.  Or there may be writers who can churn out episode after episode with the same characters, but are dispassionate about the show.  Maybe they're good at figuring out what sells, or what people are willing to watch and they

But the best writers give all their heart to the material, whether it's a series, a feature film, or even a short film.  When you talk to Liz Tigelaar about Life Unexpected, there's no doubt that she loved that show.  In fact, as I say to her at the start of this clip, I wouldn't be surprised if the show still lives on in her head, with seasons full of untold stories about those characters.



I hope that every one of you gets the joy from your writing that Liz clearly did from hers.  And if you don't, ask yourself why.  If you can't connect to your own work that deeply, how is anyone else going to be able to?

Part 12 - Network overall deal, working on Once Upon a Time and Revenge
Part 13 - The Bitter Questions

Interview with TV writer Liz Tigelaar, creator of "Life Unexpected" - Part 10: Controversial LUX storylines

Part 1 - Breaking in as an assistant
Part 2 - First Staff Writer Job on "American Dreams"
Part 3 - How Do I Get an Agent?
Part 4 - Selling a Pilot
Part 5 - Personal Themes in Writing
Part 6 - Genesis of "Life Unexpected"
Part 7 - First-Time Showrunner
Part 8 - Developing the second year of LUX
Part 9 - Dealing with network notes

Regular readers of this blog will know that I've watched many a teen drama in my day.  They'll probably also remember that there are certain tropes of those shows that drive me nuts.  And one that really, really gets under my skin when it turns up is when one of the teen characters has an illicit affair with one of their teachers.  Considering how repugnant such an act is in the real world, it always disturbs me when television aimed at teen viewers romanticizes such an act.

I didn't mince words when I discussed my feelings about Life Unexpected's foray into that territory.  But it's important to remember that that post was written mid-season.  Liz Tigelaar hadn't shown all of her cards yet.  We somewhat explain this in the interview, but I want to make sure that everyone's clear on the context.  After several episodes of exploring Lux's attraction to her teacher, the storyline veers into exploring the abuse Lux suffered in one of her foster homes.

Without getting too deep into the plot complications, I'll just explain that at one point, Lux is being pressured to take the stand against her former foster father.  If she doesn't, her friend could end up facing assault charges.  Lux resists for a while, but when she does eventually testify, she drops a bombshell on the courtroom.  Her foster father (whom her friend is accused of assualting) sexually abused Lux when she was in his care.  The result is one of Britt Robertson's best-acted scenes in the series.

There's also a wonderfully nuanced reaction from the actor playing the teacher, as he silently realizes that Lux's attraction to him is very likely the result of what was done to her.  He realizes how wrong this affair is before she does. To my recollection, I've never seen the student/teacher affair plot handled that way, with the romantic fantasy suddenly ripped away to expose the sordid, horrifying reasons why this kind of thing happens in real life.

In this segment, Liz talks about arriving at that plot.



Part 11 - LUX lives on
Part 12 - Network overall deal, working on Once Upon a Time and Revenge
Part 13 - The Bitter Questions

Interview with TV writer Liz Tigelaar, creator of "Life Unexpected" - Part 9: Dealing with network notes

Part 1 - Breaking in as an assistant
Part 2 - First Staff Writer Job on "American Dreams"
Part 3 - How Do I Get an Agent?
Part 4 - Selling a Pilot
Part 5 - Personal Themes in Writing
Part 6 - Genesis of "Life Unexpected"
Part 7 - First-Time Showrunner
Part 8 - Developing the second year of LUX

Network notes.  Is there anything that a writer dreads more?  After all, we've been conditioned to think of everything that went wrong with our favorite shows as being something that was forced on the creators by a meddling network.  Specifically in the case of Life Unexpected, it seems that there were concessions that were forced on Liz Tigelaar and her team.

Interestingly, when I asked Liz about the process, she chose to focus on the positive.  And in some ways, maybe that's a saner, healthier way to look at it rather than grumble over all the things that got ruined.



Part 10 - Controversial LUX storylines
Part 11 - LUX lives on
Part 12 - Network overall deal, working on Once Upon a Time and Revenge
Part 13 - The Bitter Questions

Interview with TV writer Liz Tigelaar, creator of "Life Unexpected" - Part 8: Developing the second year of LUX

Part 1 - Breaking in as an assistant
Part 2 - First Staff Writer Job on "American Dreams"
Part 3 - How Do I Get an Agent?
Part 4 - Selling a Pilot
Part 5 - Personal Themes in Writing
Part 6 - Genesis of "Life Unexpected"
Part 7 - First-Time Showrunner

And we're finally here.  Some of you may remember a long piece I wrote about Life Unexpected when it was midway through its second season.  I had really been a fan of the series and its potential during the first season, but upon its return, I couldn't help but feel that some of my favorite aspects of the show had been shunted aside.  At the same time, new elements left me... well... disappointed.

So I wrote "An Open Letter to the CW network and Liz Tigelaar," where I detailed a number of my issues.  Mostly I laid the blame at the CW's feet for taking a really sweet and original show and trying to force it into a mold akin to several other shows they were already making.  Looking at it now, I can't help but notice that this post was longer than my average writing, though perhaps even more blunt than normal.

In case you're wondering, Liz saw that post.  In fact, it's probably not unfair to say it played AT LEAST an indirect part in landing me this interview.  For a lot of reasons, I wanted to touch on the challeges of season two, the compromises and network-mandated changes that they had to make.  Those topics are spread over a few interview segments with the first being this one.

I think this offers an interesting window into the give-and-take of producing a show for network TV.  And it's not all bad.  Liz also reminisces about her favorite moments from season two.



Part 9 - Dealing with network notes
Part 10 - Controversial LUX storylines
Part 11 - LUX lives on
Part 12 - Network overall deal, working on Once Upon a Time and Revenge
Part 13 - The Bitter Questions

Interview with TV writer Liz Tigelaar, creator of "Life Unexpected" - Part 7: First-Time Showrunner

Part 1 - Breaking in as an assistant
Part 2 - First Staff Writer Job on "American Dreams"
Part 3 - How Do I Get an Agent?
Part 4 - Selling a Pilot
Part 5 - Personal Themes in Writing
Part 6 - Genesis of "Life Unexpected"

Though Liz Tigelaar had worked in television for many years, it wasn't until 2010's "Life Unexpected" that she had worked her way up to the coveted position of showrunner.  For those who don't know, a showrunner is the person setting the creative direction for the series.  They're the final say (except for the network), they hire the writers and directors and it's their vision that everyone works to implement.  Usually (but not always) this person is the creator of the show as well.

In this segment, we touch on the development of the long-term arcs in the first season and some of the many things that Liz was faced with during her first year as show-runner.  You could probably spend an hour just talking about this element of television production, but Liz's answer here presents an overview of the things she and her writing staff developed during that season.



Part 8 - Developing the second year of LUX
Part 9 - Dealing with network notes
Part 10 - Controversial LUX storylines
Part 11 - LUX lives on
Part 12 - Network overall deal, working on Once Upon a Time and Revenge
Part 13 - The Bitter Questions

Interview with TV writer Liz Tigelaar, creator of "Life Unexpected" - Part 6: Genesis of Life Unexpected

Part 1 - Breaking in as an assistant
Part 2 - First Staff Writer Job on "American Dreams"
Part 3 - How Do I Get an Agent?
Part 4 - Selling a Pilot
Part 5 - Personal Themes in Writing

This next interview clip deals with the origins of Life Unexpected, and so I can understand that those readers unfamiliar with the show might be inclined to skip this clip, but you'd miss out on a fascinating bit of conversation.  Here we discuss where Liz takes inspiration, whether it's from her own life and views, and also how she develops and discovers her themes in writing.

Certainly you'll have more appreciation for this if you're already know the show and the characters, but even if you don't, I think you'll be able to keep up.  I know I'm always fascinated to learn how much of themselves a writer puts into their characters.



Part 7 - First-Time Showrunner
Part 8 - Developing the second year of LUX
Part 9 - Dealing with network notes
Part 10 - Controversial LUX storylines
Part 11 - LUX lives on
Part 12 - Network overall deal, working on Once Upon a Time and Revenge
Part 13 - The Bitter Questions

Interview with TV writer Liz Tigelaar, creator of "Life Unexpected" - Part 1: Breaking in as an assistant

Liz Tigelaar is a prolific television writer who has been working for over a decade.  After getting her start as a writer's assistant on Dawson's Creek, she went on to join the staffs of several successful TV shows, including American Dreams, Kyle XY, What About Brian, Brothers & Sisters, Dirty Sexy Money, Once Upon a Time and Revenge. She was also the creator and show-runner of the CW's Life Unexpected.

Suffice to say, Liz has the sort of career that most aspiring TV writers dream of having.  Currently she's working on ABC's Nashville and also is developing a pilot for Bravo based on the David Duchovney movie The Joneses.

I was lucky enough to interview Liz recently, and the result was an interview that I hope you'll find interesting whether or not you're familiar with her work. All this week I'll be posting interview segments where Liz discusses writing for television, climbing the ladder, and running a show.  And don't worry, if you're a fan of Life Unexpected, I took the opportunity to ask Liz about a few things I brought up in this older post of mine.

In this segment of the interview, Liz talks about how she got her start as a writer's assistant, and how that led to her first script assignment in TV, writing a significant episode of Dawson's Creek, the season three episode "Show Me Love."  Dawson fans might remember this as the infamous boat-race episode where Pacey and Dawson compete for Joey's affections.

For anyone looking to break into TV, this is a must see!



Part 2 - First Staff Writer Job on "American Dreams"
Part 3 - How Do I Get an Agent?
Part 4 - Selling a Pilot
Part 5 - Personal Themes in Writing
Part 6 - Genesis of "Life Unexpected"
Part 7 - First-Time Showrunner
Part 8 - Developing the second year of LUX
Part 9 - Dealing with network notes
Part 10 - Controversial LUX storylines
Part 11 - LUX lives on
Part 12 - Network overall deal, working on Once Upon a Time and Revenge
Part 13 - The Bitter Questions

An open letter to the CW network and Life Unexpected's Liz Tigelaar

To the CW Network and Life Unexpected show-runner Liz Tigelaar:

Hi guys. It's me, just another opinionated writing blogger who's watched your show Life Unexpected since its premiere last winter. I wrote a long piece last spring about my appreciation for the show. What attracted me to the show was that it had a really compelling character-based premise. A 16 year-old girl tracks down the parents who gave her up for adoption following the unwanted teen pregnancy that resulted from a one-night stand their junior year of high school. Despite their very different lives, and the fact that the mother is involved in a serious relationship with another man, the trio gradually forms something resembling a family unit.

That was the core of the show - family. You had Cate, a 34 year-old woman who still had a lot of growing up to do and suddenly was parent to a teenager. You had Baze, the screw-up father who himself hadn't grown much out of the high school mentality, and you had Lux, the girl between them, still struggling with a LOT of issues that came from being given up and shuffled from foster home to foster home. And for good measure, there was Ryan, Cate's fiancee and a guy who grew into being a father figure to Cate's daughter, even while fighting jealousy over Baze's integration into their lives.

There were no smoke monsters, no vampires, no ridiculous plots about one character murdering another, or snooty upper East-side teens playing power games with each other. It was just about the characters. Even when the plots seemed repetitive (there are only so many times you can play the "Baze crashes an event and makes Ryan jealous" card), the heart of the show was the character relationships. They were so vivid that they transcended the weaker plots as the show found its legs, and eventually drove the most compelling stories.

If I may be so blunt, what the hell happened?

This season can be most generously described as a "disappointment." The quality of the recent product has left me even more disgruntled because the last stretch of season one showed what this show is truly capable of. And for this, I can't really blame Liz Tigelaar. It's been somewhat documented that the CW ordered several changes to the series in an effort to broaden the show's appeal, and in doing so you murdered everything that made this show worth saving.

Unfortunately, with the final moments of last season being Cate marrying Ryan, I could already see the brewing problem, as the show had committed to a love triangle between Ryan, Cate and Baze. The triangle was still going to be a major factor, except now the writers would have the task of breaking up a marriage rather than a relationship. Worse, the only disposable character in that triangle was Ryan, the unimpeachably good guy who's never done anything but the right thing. Cate can't dump him without looking worse than she already did.

I remember turning to my wife at the end of the season one finale and saying, "I'm pretty sure they can't get out of this without assassinating Ryan's character, and it's going to be ugly."

I was right. This season we've found out that Ryan had a serious ex-girlfriend he never told Cate about, that he slept with her when he and Cate were "on a break" last season, AND that as their wedding approached, he found out that this ex might be pregnant. He only discovered she wasn't just before walking down the aisle.

This is terrible drama, guys. It reeks of needing to balance the scales between Cate and Ryan's sins and all it has done over the last four episodes or so is turn the Cate/Ryan scenes into unpleasant shouting matches while they argue over who's wronged the other more. No character has come out of this looking good and at this point, the only thing they should be doing is walking away from each other. My wife and I used to enjoy watching this show together and now week after week we keep interrupting our viewing to vent just how BAD this plotline is.

Those rants are only broken by our dislike of one of the show's other running plots - Lux's affair with her teacher. I watch a lot of trash TV, but this plot is at the bottom of the heap. I hate, hate, HATE "students sleeping with their teachers" plots. First, it's utterly disgusting. Second, it's been done. A lot. This is another case where no character can come out of the story clean. The teacher is old enough that he should know better, and Lux has become a selfish, entitled, immature brat through this relationship. The Lux of season one would have known better.

I get that it might be interesting to explore Lux in a relationship with an older person, but making that person her teacher - a person in direct authority over her - gives the whole story an ick factor it doesn't need. Everwood handled a similar storyline better when the 16 year-old Ephram fell for the 20 year-old college student who was hired to look after his younger sister. The difference in maturity, and Ephram's growing maturity were explored without all the moral complications that come with Lux sleeping with a teacher.

Look CW execs, I'm tempted to call you a word that would bring down the wrath of Sarah Palin upon me because there is no other way to describe how great a mistake you made this year with your directives. Between those plots and a few other instances of arbitrary drama that have "network retooling" written all over them, you have destroyed this series with something I call the Zombie Bite.

Last season LUX was a vibrant living being. Then over the summer, you bit it. The show we all love died then, but not through cancellation - that would have had some dignity. Instead, you infected it with the same venom that courses through the veins of 90210 and One Tree Hill, and in it's place emerged a new show. Like a zombie, it looked like the series we once loved. It even wears that shows skin - but it's an empty lumbering shell, animated only by the instincts that drive less innovative CW programming.

"More sex! More love triangles! Bigger drama! Pregnancies! Illicit affairs! More conflict! RAWR!"

And yet, without that zombie bite, the corpse wouldn't even be lumbering. Look, I get that you've got a business to run, and that you CW execs were just trying to reach a wider audience. You tried to figure out what it is that draws people to your more successful shows and forced those elements into a concept that didn't need them. But you have several hours of programming with all of those elements. If I'm a fan of those shows, and I'm already being more than satisfied by those programs, what is LUX going to offer me that I can't find elsewhere?

The family element that drove season one is all but gone. Ryan and Cate spend most of their screentime bickering over marital issues, and Lux's plots all have to do with the teacher. Baze is involved in his own affair. There's no core to the show. Most weeks it seems to have nothing to do with a teenager who's getting to know her parents. Everyone is off in their own pods. The heart of the show is non-existent. Instead, Life Unexpected is spending its time telling stories that could be found on many other series, while ignoring that which makes it unique.

Can a network really survive by giving us more of the same? That doesn't seem smart, and it doesn't escape my notice that several of your highest rated shows actually were cultivated by another network: Smallville, One Tree Hill and Supernatural all are hits in the WB's column, outliving their network by nearly five seasons. Gossip Girl and 90210 have never been as big as those three shows. The Vampire Diaries is the first series that the CW can legitimately call a hit of its own.

So do you guys really know what you're doing? You've gotten diminishing returns every time you've applied the same formula, and yet still your solution for Life Unexpected was to turn it into some kind of 90210/One Tree Hill knock-off? You guys don't seem to be good at reading your own ratings. If you were, you execs should have ordered a new vampire character. That at least would have made sense within your track record. The Vampire Diaries is the only show you can claim credit for growing a following. The heavy lifting on your other big hits was done long ago.

Last week it was announced that Life Unexpected was not going to be picked up for the back nine. Liz Tigelaar has said it was stressed to her that this was not the same as being canceled. Perhaps there's a glimmer of hope that this show can be saved. I hope that the CW interference is lessened in the final episodes, and that the writers will get to go out on a note more befitting the first season.

To the CW - I implore you to consider what I've written. Give Life Unexpected a chance to follow its voice. Liz Tigelaar has got the goods to deliver a compelling series if you would just take the chains off and allowed her to cut loose. There's still a great show in there somewhere. This season you tried one approach to fix it, now it's time for you to back up and trust creators to deliver compelling stories. The great Brandon Tartikoff knew when to support great shows and trust those creators instincts even when all ratings logic suggested cancellation or interference. Surely someone at the CW can fight for the same quality.

To Liz Tigelaar and her writing staff - You developed a truly original premise and created some wonderful characters. I know you did the best with the dictates, but I sense this season isn't what you'd have done if left to your own devices. If LUX passes on, I'll certainly be watching for future projects, both from you and the very talented cast. I certainly hope we'll be hearing from you and I know I have plenty of readers who are very supportive of female showrunners.

The Bitter Script Reader
dictated but not read

Save Life Unexpected!

In some ways it's odd that this blog focuses so much on feature writing because I am such an insanely huge TV junkie. In fact, over the last few years I'd argue I've been vastly more entertained by my weekly shows than in the latest film offerings from the studios. Sure, there have been some great, even exceptional movies in that time - but TV has more consistently engaged me.

That's why it always makes me sad when I see a really creative and entertaining series threatened with cancellation. I've lost many good shows over the last few years while unimaginative garbage like Private Practice and Special Victims Unit goes on and on. And yeah, I know that's because those shows put up numbers that my favorites don't - but I hate to see quality TV ignored.

There might be calls for me to turn in my man-card and my critical analysis card after this, but I've always had a soft spot for what could be called "the WB dramas." I started college in 1998, the "Golden Age" of the WB. This was a magical time - when vampires turned to dust, not sparkled in sunlight; when one called Katie Holmes "hot" without irony and didn't even dare to dream she'd do a nude scene in a movie; when J.J. Abrams told stories about characters and not byzantine mythological shellgames.

Trust me, when you're 18 and surrounded by people your own age who are passionate about shows like Buffy and Dawson's Creek, you get sucked in big time. In the fall of 1998, Buffy had really hit its stride and was starting what would turn out to be arguably it's best season. Dawson's Creek was starting season two - which is arguably it's worst season, but at that point the actors were still engaging enough to draw you back each week.

Basically, Joss Whedon was my gateway drug into the WB teen drama genre. Buffy wasn't a stupid little teen vampire show about forbidden love between a vampire slayer and a vampire. It was sharp, witty drama that used its monster metaphors as the subtext for growing up. The fact that it had some of the best dialogue on TV didn't hurt either. The Buffy/Angel relationship was always my least favorite aspect of the series, but I really connected with most of the other characters and their relationships. That drew me back week-after-week.

And sure enough, the WB learned to play to that market the following year. Angel got his own spinoff, which in time proved to be darker, more mature - and possibly even better than the concurrent seasons of Buffy. There was also Roswell, a drama about three aliens living as teenagers in Roswell, New Mexico, who face exposure after one of them falls in love with a female classmate and saves her life. Over the next three seasons, Roswell's own search for identity would mirror that of its characters. Despite the inconsistency, the cast was appealing enough to bring me back every week.

(Translation: I had a major crush on Shiri Appleby, and this show also featured Katherine Heigl in her prime, before we had any inkling what a harpy she really was.)

But the WB didn't always need the supernatural in order to sell its drama. By sheer happenstance in the fall of 2000, I happened to leave the TV on long enough to catch the opening minutes of Gilmore Girls and was instantly pulled in by the characters and the concept. The hook: A woman who got pregnant at 16 is raising her teenage daughter alone, with the two of them more like sisters. In order to pay for her daughter's private school, the mother must renew ties with the wealthy parents she walked out on after giving birth. It was a great character-driven concept, elevated by strong actors and snappy dialogue.

When I think of the shows I watched in my college years - the WB shows always spring to mind. (Just so you don't get the wrong idea, those weren't the only shows I watched. My tastes also ended up on the other end of the spectrum, with Law & Order, ER, Homicide, and The X-Files.)

But it feels like that once those shows reached the end of their lifespan, that genre disappeared for a while. Everwood - possibly one of my all-time favorite shows - was born in 2002, but faded away after four seasons, and though Veronica Mars was sharp and called "the new Buffy," it too lived a short life. No other network has been able to pull these dramas off quite like the WB, even when they've employed the same creators or even the same casts.

Which is why I've gotten so into Life Unexpected, a drama that's so old school WB that it might well have arrived here via time machine. The hook: 16 year-old Lux (Britt Robertson, an amazing young actress and one of the few bright spots in CBS' Swingtown) tracks down the two parents (Shiri Appleby, Kristopher Polaha) who gave her up for adoption at birth, following a one-night stand in high school. Lux has spent the last 16 years being bounced from foster home to foster home, and hopes to get emancipated so she can live on her own. Instead, the court sends her into the custody of her parents, who haven't seen each other since high school. Her father Baze runs a bar and still has a lot of growing up to do, while her mother Cate is a local celebrity radio personality and is engaged to her co-host (Dawson's Creek's Kerr Smith.)


The show has had the usual growing pains - and there were a few weeks there where the characters' conflicts with each other ran the risk of being too formulaic and predictable, but in the latter half of the season the show really came into its own. As this post goes live, episodes 10-12, the three best episodes of the season so far, can be accessed here. The actors have great chemistry and the writers do a good job of slowly revealing more about the characters as they mature.

And yes, it features my old crush Shiri Appleby, who clearly either spends her evenings bathing in the blood of virgins or has a portrait aging for her because she looks almost exactly like she did on Roswell, which was - gasp! - ten years ago!

At the moment, it's "on the bubble" - at risk for cancellation and I can't think of a show I'd be sorrier to lose, save for it's competition NBC's Chuck. The difference is that Chuck has had three seasons to find its audience, while Life Unexpected really deserves a second shot. And I'm not just saying that because show-runner Liz Tigelaar seems like a cool person and actually answered a few of my questions via Twitter one night.

I urge any fans of quality TV to tune into Life Unexpected's season finale tonight. Check out the episodes I linked above and then join Liz Tigelaar's LIFE UNEXPECTED page on Facebook to get fun behind-the-scenes photos and updates on how you can help save the show.