Life Sentence (TV series)

Life Sentence
Genre
Created by
Starring
Narrated by Lucy Hale
Composer(s) Waz-Jackson
Country of origin United States
No. of seasons 1
No. of episodes 13 (list of episodes)
Production
Executive producer(s)
Producer(s)
  • Liza Katzer
  • Bonnie Weis
Production location(s)
Cinematography Kamal Derkaoui
Editor(s)
  • Robert Meed
  • Lise Johnson
  • Melissa Gearhart
  • Melissa McCoy
Camera setup Single-camera
Running time 40–42 minutes
Production company(s)
Distributor Warner Bros. Television Distribution
Release
Original network The CW
Picture format 1080i (HDTV)
Original release March 7 (2018-03-07) – June 15, 2018 (2018-06-15)
External links
Website

Life Sentence (stylized onscreen as L!fe Sentence) is an American comedy-drama series, created by Erin Cardillo & Richard Keith, which debuted on The CW as a midseason entry during the 2017–18 television season. The series premiered on March 7, 2018. In May 2018, it was announced that the series was cancelled.[1] The series concluded on June 15, 2018 with a total of 13 episodes.[2]

Premise

When Stella finds out her terminal cancer is cured, she is going to have to learn to live with all the choices she made when she decided to "live like she was dying". As she adjusts to her post-cancer world, she learns how her husband and family must also deal with the self-destructive choices they made to help Stella enjoy what they thought were her final years.

Cast and characters

Main

Recurring

  • Anna Enger as Helena Chang, Stella's doctor.
  • Claudia Rocafort as Poppy, Ida's ex-girlfriend and Stella's godmother.
  • Dominique Lucky Martell as Fiona Abbott Rojas, Elizabeth and Diego's daughter.
    • Noor Anna Maher played the role in the pilot episode.
  • Sebastian Vargas as Frank Abbott Rojas, Elizabeth and Diego's son.
    • Emanuel Eaton played the role in the pilot episode.
  • Alyshia Ochse as Marlene
  • Shannon Chan-Kent as Finley
  • Lindsey Maxwell as Denise
  • Riley Smith as Dr. Will Grant, an oncologist with a soft spot for his patients.
  • Bre Blair as Lauren
  • Rana Roy as Pippa, Wes' ex-fiancée.
  • Alyssa Diaz as Kayla, Aiden's friend and coworker.
  • Valerie Cruz as Gina, Diego's boss and Peter's love interest.

Episodes

No.TitleDirected byWritten byOriginal air dateProd.
code		U.S. viewers
(millions)
1"Pilot"Lee Toland KriegerErin Cardillo & Richard KeithMarch 7, 2018 (2018-03-07)T25.101010.67[3]
When Stella Abbott finds out her cancer is cured after several years of treatments, her life starts changing for the worse. First, she finds out her mother, Ida, is having an affair with her friend, who is also Stella's godmother, Poppy. Then, while Stella babysits her sister Elizabeth's children, she begins to feel like her husband, Wes, has been hiding things from her for the whole of their six-month marriage. To pile it all together, Stella's brother, Aiden, has been guilt-tripping hot married women into sleeping with him by using Stella's cancer, including Marlene, his latest conquest. As Stella hosts a thank-you party for her doctor, she figures it might be an easy way to fix all her family's problems in one go, however everything seemingly continues to get worse. She returns to the hospital and looks at the view of the city from her old hospital bed. As she speaks to another cancer patient, Sadie, she realizes that Wes is always going to be there for her. The two reconcile and Stella starts to see her family become healthier.
2"Re-Inventing the Abbotts"John T. KretchmerErin Cardillo & Richard KeithMarch 14, 2018 (2018-03-14)T13.209520.56[4]
Stella and Wes try to fix their quick six-month old marriage, when a U.S. Immigration agent stops by to find out if their marriage is fraudulent, warning the two that her determination could result in Wes being deported. The truth, that he married an American citizen who was expected to die within months anyway, doesn’t help. Peter and Ida get an offer on the heavily mortgaged (to finance Stella’s “final” years) house, which Peter is reluctant to take. As a result, Ida takes a sledgehammer to a wall and digs a hole in the backyard. Aiden hides from a newly pregnant Marlene despite Stella's nagging him to deal with what he has caused.
3"Clinical Trial and Error"David WarrenMargaret Easley & Laura PutneyMarch 21, 2018 (2018-03-21)T13.209540.49[5]
Stella volunteers at the hospital, where she learns Sadie doesn't have anyone on her side. She, and Sadie's new oncologist, Dr. Grant, petition the wealthy private funder of the last clinical trial that unexpectedly saved Stella to restart that trial, but the funder reveals that the FDA shut it down because Stella was the only one who survived. Stella, who doesn’t bother thanking him for spending his millions to save her life, tells Sadie that they can try to get her into one of 17 other trials. Stella makes Wes babysit Diego and Elizabeth's children on his own, but while he is babysitting, Fiona becomes ill and Wes asks Ida for help, however she over-reacts, flashing back to the dangers of Stella situation during her cancer years. Aiden takes his father on a lads night out to help him get over his breakup from Ida, which results in him sleeping with a recent divorcée named Lauren, whom Aiden has previously slept with.
4"How Stella Got Her Groove On"Roger KumbleLisa Melamed, Erin Cardillo & Richard KeithMarch 28, 2018 (2018-03-28)T13.209530.40[6]
Stella finds out that she never graduated from high school. Aiden finds out Marlene is rich and moves in with her, and subsequently get engaged, until they find out Marlene's baby isn't his. Stella catches Wes on video chat to a woman called Linda and mistakenly thinks he is giving her a strip tease. Diego takes Wes to kickball to work out his stress. Stella tries to get promoted to manager at the coffee shop, and her dad gets her a high school diploma from their principal.
5"Wes Side Story"Arlene SanfordOliver GoldstickApril 4, 2018 (2018-04-04)T13.209550.44[7]
Stella and Dr. Grant find out about a new trial for Sadie, however Stella refuses to meet the composer due to her and Wes planning a 'love bubble' to get back into a romantic rhythm. As Wes and Stella enter their love bubble, Pippa, Wes' ex-fiancée from London, arrives at Stella's door, giving Stella a lot of questions. Peter and Lauren grow closer, but Ida grows wary after she pressures him into taking drugs. She reveals to Peter that Aiden and Lauren slept together, and subsequently they find out about Aiden's drug selling business.
6"Who Framed Stella Abbott?"Norman BuckleyNelson SolerApril 27, 2018 (2018-04-27)T13.209560.42[8]
Stella has a sexual fantasy about Dr. Grant, then a second one in the middle of instigating sex with Wes, causing her to stop. Elizabeth returns from her writers' retreat. Aiden gets a job at Finley's coffee shop, and the two hit it off, however Aiden restarts selling his A.D.D. meds to soccer moms, and gets arrested as a result. The family decides he needs to learn by spending a night in jail, so Stella sells some of her possessions to bail him out after he explains to her how he began taking meds when rendered numb while worrying about her cancer. Wes ultimately bails him out, to support Stella, only to hear her telling Dr. Grant that she connects with him unlike anything she has with Wes. She tries to explain to Wes, but only makes it worse, causing Wes to tell her that he needs some time alone. Ida decides to give Elizabeth and Diego some space.
7"Our Father the Hero"Viet NguyenTad SafranMay 4, 2018 (2018-05-04)T13.209570.37[9]
8"Sleepless Near Seattle"Ellen S. PressmanZach DodesMay 11, 2018 (2018-05-11)T13.209580.37[10]
9"What to Expect When You're Not Expecting"John T. KretchmerLouisa LevyMay 18, 2018 (2018-05-18)T13.209590.45[11]
10"The Way We Work"Janice CookeLaura Putney & Margaret EasleyMay 25, 2018 (2018-05-25)T13.209600.36[12]
11"Frisky Business"Tessa BlakeNelson Soler & Erin Cardillo & Richard KeithJune 1, 2018 (2018-06-01)T13.209610.46[13]
12"Love Factually"Michael GrossmanOliver GoldstickJune 8, 2018 (2018-06-08)T13.209620.38[14]
13"Then and Now"John T. KretchmerErin Cardillo & Richard KeithJune 15, 2018 (2018-06-15)T13.209630.37[15]

Production

The series was created by Erin Cardillo and Richard Keith for The CW as a midseason entry during the 2017–18 television season. They are also executive producers on the series along with Oliver Goldstick, Bill Lawrence, Jeff Ingold, and director Lee Toland Krieger. The show is produced by In Good Company, Doozer Productions, CBS Television Studios and Warner Bros. Television and filmed in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.[16] The series is set in the fictional town of Asheville, Oregon.

The CW officially ordered Life Sentence to series on May 10, 2017.[17] In August 2017, star Lucy Hale announced that the series was set to premiere in January 2018.[18] However, a later announcement of the network's winter premieres revealed that the series had been pushed back to March 7, 2018.[19]

On March 30, 2018, the CW announced that Life Sentence would move to Fridays at 9pm, which began with the sixth episode.[20]

Casting

In late January 2017, Lucy Hale was cast as Stella Abbott,[21] followed in February by the casting of Jayson Blair as her older brother, Aiden[22] and Dylan Walsh as her father, Peter.[23]

On February 24, 2017, Gillian Vigman and Brooke Lyons were cast as Ida and Elizabeth, Abbott's mother and sister, respectively.[24][25] During March 2017, it was announced that Elliot Knight and Carlos PenaVega had joined the cast as Wes, Abbott's husband, and Diego, her brother-in-law, respectively.[26][27]

During September 2017, Riley Smith was cast in the recurring role of Dr. Will Grant, a rough-around-the-edges oncologist with a secret soft spot for his patients.[28]

Filming

Production on the pilot took place from March 15 to March 31, 2017 in Atlanta, Georgia.[29]

Filming moved to Vancouver, British Columbia after being picked up to series. Production began on August 9, 2017, and concluded on January 12, 2018.[30]

Reception

Critical response

On review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, the series holds an approval rating of 37% based on 19 reviews, and an average rating of 4.47/10. Its critical consensus reads, "Life Sentence avoids asking tough questions about serious issues, settling instead for a cloying sweetness."[31] On Metacritic, which assigns normalized rating to reviews, the series has a weighted average score of 49 out of 100, based on 12 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews".[32]

Ratings

No. Title Air dateRating/share
(18–49)		Viewers
(millions)		DVR
(18–49)		DVR viewers
(millions)		Total
(18–49)		Total viewers
(millions)
1 "Pilot" March 7, 20180.2/10.67[3]0.20.510.41.19[33]
2 "Re-Inventing the Abbotts" March 14, 20180.2/10.56[4]N/A0.35N/A0.91[34]
3 "Clinical Trial and Error" March 21, 20180.2/10.49[5]N/A0.31N/A0.79[35]
4 "How Stella Got Her Groove On" March 28, 20180.1/10.40[6]0.10.260.20.66[36]
5 "Wes Side Story" April 4, 20180.1/10.44[7]0.20.250.30.69[37]
6 "Who Framed Stella Abbott?" April 27, 20180.1/10.42[8]0.10.270.20.69[38]
7 "Our Father the Hero" May 4, 20180.1/10.37[9]N/AN/AN/AN/A
8 "Sleepless Near Seattle" May 11, 20180.1/10.37[10]0.1N/A0.2[39]N/A
9 "What to Expect When You're Not Expecting" May 18, 20180.1/10.45[11]N/AN/AN/AN/A
10 "The Way We Work" May 25, 20180.1/10.36[12]0.10.180.20.54[40]
11 "Frisky Business" June 1, 20180.1/10.46[13]N/AN/AN/AN/A
12 "Love Factually" June 8, 20180.1/10.38[14]0.10.180.20.56[41]
13 "Then and Now" June 15, 20180.1/10.37[15]0.10.180.20.57[42]

References

  1. ↑ "'Life Sentence' Cancelled". Variety. May 8, 2018. Retrieved May 8, 2018.
  2. ↑ "Shows A-Z - life sentence on cw". The Futon Critic. Retrieved April 2, 2018.
  3. 1 2 Porter, Rick (March 8, 2018). "'The Goldbergs' and 'Riverdale' adjust up, 'Chicago PD' and 'Life Sentence' down: Wednesday final ratings". TV by the Numbers. Retrieved March 8, 2018.
  4. 1 2 Porter, Rick (March 15, 2018). "'The X-Files' adjusts down: Wednesday final ratings". TV by the Numbers. Retrieved March 15, 2018.
  5. 1 2 Porter, Rick (March 22, 2018). "'Survivor,' 'The Goldbergs' and 'Modern Family' adjust up, 'Speechless' adjusts down: Wednesday final ratings". TV by the Numbers. Retrieved March 22, 2018.
  6. 1 2 Porter, Rick (March 29, 2018). "'SEAL Team' adjusts down: Wednesday final ratings". TV by the Numbers. Retrieved March 29, 2018.
  7. 1 2 Porter, Rick (April 5, 2018). "'Empire,' 'Survivor,' 'Goldbergs' adjust up, 'Designated Survivor' & 'Life Sentence' down: Wednesday final ratings". TV by the Numbers. Retrieved April 5, 2018.
  8. 1 2 Porter, Rick (April 30, 2018). "'MacGyver,' 'Blindspot' and all others hold: Friday final ratings". TV by the Numbers. Retrieved April 30, 2018.
  9. 1 2 Porter, Rick (May 7, 2018). "'Dynasty' and 'Life Sentence' adjust down: Friday final ratings". TV by the Numbers. Retrieved May 7, 2018.
  10. 1 2 Porter, Rick (May 14, 2018). "'Blue Bloods' finale adjusts up, Meghan Markle special adjusts down: Friday final ratings". TV by the Numbers. Retrieved May 14, 2018.
  11. 1 2 Porter, Rick (May 21, 2018). "'Blindspot,' '20/20,' 'Life Sentence,' 'Harry & Meghan' special all adjust down: Friday final ratings". TV by the Numbers. Retrieved May 21, 2018.
  12. 1 2 Porter, Rick (May 29, 2018). "'My Last Days' adjusts down: Friday final ratings". TV by the Numbers. Retrieved May 29, 2018.
  13. 1 2 Porter, Rick (June 4, 2018). "'Life Sentence,' 'Quantico,' all others unchanged: Friday final ratings". TV by the Numbers. Retrieved June 4, 2018.
  14. 1 2 Porter, Rick (June 11, 2018). "NBA Finals adjusts up, 'My Last Days' down: Friday final ratings". TV By the Numbers. Retrieved June 11, 2018.
  15. 1 2 Porter, Rick (June 18, 2018). "'Life Sentence' finale and '20/20' adjust down: Friday final ratings". TV By the Numbers. Retrieved June 18, 2018.
  16. ↑ "The CW fall TV 2017 schedule: 'Arrow' and 'Jane the Virgin' get new nights, 'Dynasty' reborn". TV by the Numbers. May 18, 2017. Retrieved March 8, 2018.
  17. ↑ Andreeva, Nellie (May 10, 2017). "'Black Lightning' & Lucy Hale's 'Life Sentence' Picked Up To Series By The CW". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved May 11, 2017.
  18. ↑ Lucy Hale [@lucyhale] (August 11, 2017). "Coming Jan 2018 on @TheCW ❤️🌼" (Tweet). Retrieved March 8, 2018 – via Twitter.
  19. ↑ Jessica Radloff [@JRadloff] (January 7, 2018). ".@lucyhale's new dramedy on the CW, @cw_lifesentence, finally has a premiere date: March 7, on the CW, following #Riverdale. #TCA18" (Tweet). Retrieved March 8, 2018 – via Twitter.
  20. ↑ "The CW Midseason Schedule Update". The Futon Critic. March 30, 2018. Retrieved March 30, 2018.
  21. ↑ Andreeva, Nellie (January 31, 2017). "The CW Orders 'Life Sentence' Dramedy Starring Lucy Hale, 'Insatiable' Drama To Pilot". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved March 8, 2018.
  22. ↑ Ge, Linda (February 17, 2017). "Lucy Hale's 'Life Sentence' CW Pilot Adds 'Young and Hungry' Alum Jayson Blair (Exclusive)". The Wrap. Retrieved March 8, 2018.
  23. ↑ Andreeva, Nellie (February 21, 2017). "'Life Sentence': Dylan Walsh Cast In The CW Dramedy Pilot". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved March 8, 2018.
  24. ↑ Petski, Denise (February 24, 2017). "Gillian Vigman Cast In The CW's 'Life Sentence' Pilot; Mary Sohn in NBC's Seth Meyers Comedy". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved March 8, 2018.
  25. ↑ Petski, Denise (February 24, 2017). "Erinn Westbrook & Michael Provost Join 'Insatiable'; Brooke Lyons In 'Life Sentence'". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved March 8, 2018.
  26. ↑ Petski, Denise (March 1, 2017). "Elliot Knight Joins The CW's 'Life Sentence'; Justin Chon in ABC's 'Deception'". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved March 8, 2018.
  27. ↑ Petski, Denise (March 13, 2017). "Carlos PenaVega Joins the CW Pilot 'Life Sentence'; Kimmy Shields In 'Insatiable'". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved March 8, 2018.
  28. ↑ Andreeva, Nellie (September 13, 2017). "'Life Sentence': Riley Smith Set To Recur On the CW Dramedy". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved March 8, 2018.
  29. ↑ Clark, Jeff (March 1, 2017). "Atlanta Given Life Sentence Pilot for CW". Stomp and Stammer. Retrieved March 8, 2018.
  30. ↑ "Life Sentence Season 1 with Lucy Hale Starts Filming in Vancouver". whatsfilming.ca. August 7, 2017. Retrieved March 8, 2018.
  31. ↑ "Life Sentence: Season 1 (2018)". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango Media. Retrieved March 7, 2018.
  32. ↑ "Life Sentence: Season 1". Metacritic. Retrieved March 17, 2018.
  33. ↑ Porter, Rick (March 22, 2018). "'This Is Us' leads the week 24 broadcast Live +7 ratings – by quite a bit". TV by the Numbers. Retrieved March 22, 2018.
  34. ↑ Porter, Rick (March 29, 2018). "'This Is Us' goes out on top: Week 25 broadcast Live +7 ratings". TV by the Numbers. Retrieved March 29, 2018.
  35. ↑ Porter, Rick (April 6, 2018). "'The Good Doctor' scores highest in week 26 broadcast Live +7 ratings". TV by the Numbers. Retrieved April 6, 2018.
  36. ↑ Porter, Rick (April 11, 2018). "'Roseanne' premiere sets a record in week 27 broadcast Live +7 ratings". TV by the Numbers. Retrieved April 11, 2018.
  37. ↑ Porter, Rick (April 19, 2018). "'Will & Grace' finale, 11 other shows double in week 28 broadcast Live +7 ratings". TV by the Numbers. Retrieved April 19, 2018.
  38. ↑ Porter, Rick (May 10, 2018). "'Agents of SHIELD,' 13 more shows double in week 31 broadcast Live +7 ratings". TV by the Numbers. Retrieved May 10, 2018.
  39. ↑ Porter, Rick (May 24, 2018). "'Chicago PD' wins the Windy City battle in week 33's broadcast Live +7 ratings". TV by the Numbers. Retrieved May 24, 2018.
  40. ↑ Porter, Rick (June 7, 2018). "'Roseanne' finale tops the week 35 broadcast Live +7 ratings". TV by the Numbers. Retrieved June 7, 2018.
  41. ↑ Pucci, Douglas (June 20, 2018). "Live+7 Weekly Ratings: 'Code Black' on CBS Leads Scripted Options in Raw Gains for Second Consecutive Week". Programming Insider. Retrieved June 20, 2018.
  42. ↑ Pucci, Douglas (June 27, 2018). "Live+7 Weekly Ratings: 'Code Black' Tops Scripted Telecasts in Gains Among Total Viewers and Adults 18-49". Programming Insider. Retrieved June 27, 2018.
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