Making a case for Life Unexpected 

I will admit to not loving this year’s season premiere. I feel like a traitor but there it is. However, I have loved every other episode so far this season. I like that Baze is finally growing up and taking some responsibility. I like that Cate is kind of making a mess of her marriage but still managing to work through her issues with Ryan. And I like all the complications in Lux’s life: the cheating in school, the not-so-appropriate love interest, and Tasha’s return. Why aren’t more people watching this amazing show?

I’m not sure what I can do or say to get you interested if you’re not already watching but let me try. Here are the reasons I have to tune in every week:

Britt Robertson. There wouldn’t be a show without her. She’s such an appealing heroine. Even when she’s doing something she knows is wrong, she makes me care about her and root for her and her performance always rings true.

Shiri Appleby, Kristoffer Polaha, and Kerr Smith. I can’t believe they’re all getting along now but it’s kinda refreshing. I like their dynamic (especially when they fight). To see these three extremely different people try to do the right thing for Lux and for themselves is always interesting to watch. Even though they’re the “adults” here I like that they don’t have things figured out and that they still make mistakes.

Liz Tigelaar. I’ve loved her since she started writing for What About Brian. I was so excited to hear she was creating her own show after her time on Brothers and Sisters. I’d follow her anywhere.

The stories. I’m sure we all feel like there is only so much new material to cover in a high school show. But just the fact that Lux spent so much of her early life in such an unstable environment makes her high school experience so much different from anything we’ve seen before. Lux will always have trust issues but she’s trying to work through them. People have always let her down and even though Cate and Baze are trying they aren’t perfect and they can’t always be what she needs. Lux wasn’t ready to marry Bug so he abandoned her but she’s looking for a connection – either with Eric or with Jones. Maybe neither one of them is right for her but it’s compelling to watch her struggle to make the right choice for herself. But most importantly, I like watching Lux grow up – take some risks, make good and bad choices, and explore who she wants to be. And I hope I get to do that for a few more years.

I’ll be watching tonight’s episode live (something I NEVER do) and live tweeting. If you’d like to join the party, follow these tweets:

@liztigelaar @emmacaulfield @karahowlandTV #LUX #lifeunexpected

Hope to see you there.