Posted on: Wednesday, October 6, 2004
Teen drama oversexed, thin and puerile
By Hal Boedeker
Orlando (Fla.) Sentinel
The affable Ben sets the tone early in ABC's teen drama "life as we know it," a show whose lack of capitalization reflects it small-mindedness.
Or about as often as life as we know it dwells on the topic.
The show breaks for hockey practice and a barbecue contest. Otherwise, the flirtations, trysts, sexual chatter and seductive poses hog the screen — perhaps that was inevitable for a show based on a novel called "Doing It."
Notable teen dramas, such as "My So-Called Life" and "The O.C.," have explored a range of situations, from family crises to youthful confusion. But "life as we know it," which debuts tomorrow, has a one-track mind.
That mind is juvenile and noticeably short of wit, which is a surprise because "life as we know it" comes from executive producers Gabe Sachs and Jeff Judah. They worked on "Freaks and Geeks," a brilliant but short-lived teen series. In an irritating device, the teen heroes Ben, Dino and Jonathan repeatedly turn to the camera and share their lewd thoughts. This viewer's thought: Keep it to yourselves, fellas.
These guys have moves that are not in Donald Trump's repertoire. And "life as we know it" has many assets: stylish photography, clever editing, good performances. Unfortunately, the material is voyeuristic, skimpy or troubling.
"They say boys think about sex every 15 seconds," Ben says. "I think about it every five seconds."
'LIFE AS WE KNOW IT'
