Could it be that there’s still a glimmer of hope for Life Unexpected? Back in early November, The CW declined to order a full second season of the drama. That kind of decision almost always spells “cancelled.” Combined with terrible ratings, well, the writing was on the wall.
Then, a month later, Warner Bros. announced the upcoming release of the new “Life Unexpected: The Complete Series” DVD set. If the “complete series” was going to be released on April 5th then season two was obviously the end of the TV show. Plain and simple.
Now, Warner Bros. has made a change to the upcoming DVD release’s title that has given some fans hope. They’ve renamed it “Life Unexpected: The Complete 1st & 2nd Seasons.” Indeed, that does seem to leave the door open just a crack that the series could return for a third season.
More likely though, some nervous studio executives didn’t want to box themselves into a corner. If something crazy happened (like the ratings taking a big leap up) and they decided to order more episodes, they’d have a real problem with “complete series” packaging already in the works. The “The Complete 1st & 2nd Seasons” title doesn’t commit to the series ending or returning.
Though the network and studio aren’t willing to publicly admit the show’s demise, some key people have said that the series is truly over.
Back in early November, star Shiri Appleby wrote, “I hate to bring the bad news but our little show is coming to an end. The cast, crew, and I thank you for all your support these past two years. It’s been a little slice of heaven!”
In late November, just after Thanksgiving, the cast and crew wrapped up production. At a recent event, Appleby talked about the special connection between the people working on the show. She said, “The day we got the email that the show got canceled, we were like ‘Okay, we’re going to be done on the 23rd; Thanksgiving’s on the 25th; we’re staying!… And we stayed in Vancouver; we had our last Thanksgiving together, and then we all left the next morning to go back to L.A.. And this is what I think was amazing: we could all be going home to our families, but we’re going to finish this job out with this family and then move. This is the kind of experience I want to continue to have in my life.”
Earlier this month, series creator Liz Tigelaar was asked why the show was only given a 13 episode order for season two and she responded, “it’s called being canceled. which sucks! :)”
Tigelaar and the other writers didn’t know about the cancellation when the script for episode 213 was initially outlined. Fortunately, they were able to make some adjustments that would essentially wrap up the series. She shared, “When I walked into the writer’s room to tell them we were canceled, I said I’m crying about fake people!”
A week before Christmas, Tigelaar wrote, “Just finished watching another cut of 213. I’m so excited for you to see it. Burst into tears with Sheriff Forbes from Vampire Diaries who was watching it with me.”
The last two episodes of Life Unexpected air on January 18th.
What do you think? How would you like to see the show end? Anything that you feel must happen?
I am so disappointed to hear this show is being cancelled, this show was a breath of fresh air and it seems that the CW is always cancelling shows that are great shows and keeping the one’s that suck i.e Smallville great show coming to its final season while they still have OTH. I mean get it together this show has great potential it is a great show I absolutely loved it and I believe it needs a chance to flourish with viewers put it out there more and let people bite! Get it together CW!!
We love this show!! Great writing and wonderful cast – we taped it every week and wish we actually watched it real time so it could have affected their ratings in a positive way. Such a good show – please bring it back.
Thanks for the fantastic writing,
From a 38 and a 40 year old.
Can’t believe they would cancel this show was honestly my favorite on the cw right Now!! It’s real life and people can relate!!! Soo so sad if it doesn’t return! I dunno where they get their numbers either! Really sucks…..
omg i loved this show i cant believe this was cancelled i just found out tonight watching the last 2 episodes an that is so awful that they cancelled this!!!!!!
I’m 14 & this has been my favorite TV show since the beginning. I like it better than any other CW shows. On tuesdays, my entire family gathers up together & we watch it…. Lots of kids at my school even like it, cuz they can relate. The show has true potential, why does some ratings, or the amount of money it brings in even matter?! The show is amazing, all the actors do their parts perfectly! Don’t CANCEL this show!! None of the CW shoes get all that great of ratings, what do they expect. CW has made some… Read more »
HEY CAN SOMEONE PLEASE EXPLAIN TO ME: I remember Life Unexpected almost got canceled before season two, but then it got to come back for 10 episodes. Then I read that the cross-over with One Tree Hill was very successful, ratings were going up, and as a result two more episodes for the 2nd season were being ordered. So last I heard, things were on the upswing, I thought? Now I come read this here, and it says the show is being canceled? But ratings were going up, no? They ordered two extra episodes due to the success of the… Read more »
@Jack: The ratings for this show have been very consistent this season. Unfortunately, they’ve been consistently low, including the 10/12/10 episode. When it was renewed in the spring of 2010, it was renewed for 13 episodes. The network hasn’t ordered two additional episodes. They may have ordered two more scripts before it was clear things weren’t going to get better but that’s a very different thing. I hope that helps.
I can’t believe they are canceling this show! This has become one of my favorite shows and I wait impatiently for a new episode! Why is it canceled? Yeah they say ratings are bad, but that could be because they get ratings from people who watch the show on “TV” there are quite a few of us that don’t have cable tv and watch the episodes online, so our viewing would not be counted in those ratings. This is just bull, there are a lot of shows out there that should be canceled that are still on. C’mon people 26… Read more »
I am SOOOO upset to hear that the WB will not have Life Unexpected on Tuesday nights any longer. I think it is one of the best shows on television today. Finally a “real” story-line with great actors and it gets cut. Unfortunatly Reality TV has taken over. We have shows like “Jersey Shore” which is all trash talk, sex and promotes violence on and America just can’t get enough of it. My personal opinion is that we should have more shows like Life Unexpected on TV more. They are helpful to people in the same situtations, I had a… Read more »
Personally I think they would need a couple of seasons ro wrap up the series,,,
I can’t believe they are being canceled I love this show and the dynamics everyone is awsome ! I am a loyal fan and I am angry that another good show is being canceled it’s hard to find a decent show that doesn’t have anything but sex and violence. I am very dis appointed !
This is a little gem and the only show I’ve ever followed on the CW. I wish it wasn’t always about money. So sad that Life Unexpected is cancelled just when it’s getting started.
This is crazy…one thing they did not do is properly market this show. In TV guide I never saw anything featuring these amazing characters. This is one excellent program and one I truly look forward to each week. There are not many shows on TV that show real emotion and depth in characters. Most are prone to more violence and not suitable family shows. The executives that make these decisions must not care about creating good characters and offering good substance. If they got off their high horses and went to the internet to see what we are all saying,… Read more »
I LOVE LOVE LOVE Life Unexpected!!!! I am so devastated by the thought of losing it now. It has so much potential! I’m still hoping for a miracle – the CW reconsidering or another network like ABC Family picking it up. It is such a beautiful, heart-warming, and REAL show. I haven’t loved every storyline (I would rather Cate and Ryan never got married and I don’t like that she’s pregnant with his child…And I don’t support the student/teacher relationship). But…no matter what, I’m a diehard fan. I have become completely invested in the lives of these extremely flawed and… Read more »
I can’t believe they would end it! It is a genuinely good show, with character depth, great and believable writing and actors who can actually act. This is a rare find these days, and the fact that they would cancel it is just sad. Another thing is, it’s not just any old show with a stupid premise, it’s meaningful. Lastly the ratings aren’t that far behind Gossip Girl which is in it’s fourth season! The least they could of done is given it a full season so we could at least have everything gradually wrapped up rather than in a… Read more »
I know many people that watch the show in my area that are not getting those TV rating books. I don’t know where they are getting their numbers but I think the numbers are better than they think! I’m 38 and I think the show is great… What can we do?