It's just one of those things writers don't tend to dig deep into, except for a few choice storylines that usually end up on the cutting floor.

If you're a fan of family dramas, though, there's a good chance you know about The Fosters.

The Fosters was a Freeform series that featured a family thrown into disarray when a teenage girl (Maia Mitchell) and her younger brother (Hayden Byerly) end up placed in their care.

There's also a good chance you remember its spinoff, Good Trouble, which is currently in its fifth season and features several characters from the latter living their college lives in Los Angeles. 

While both shows showed you a side of the system not typically shown on broadcast, another, just three years before, was also doing that.

But most people don't even know it exists.

For those who weren't already watching, Life Unexpected aired its first season in 2010.

The CW original starred Britt Robinson as Lux Cassidy; a 15-year-old stuck in the Oregon state foster system who planned on getting emancipated with her best friend.

After being denied in court due to lack of funds, Lux goes out to find her birth parents, played by Shiri Appleby and Kristoffer Polaha, hoping to get them to sign their rights away.

As things typically turn out, Lux lands herself in shared custody with her parents, embarking them all on a journey of parenthood and what it means to be a real family.

Each week the show averaged 2.0 million viewers, earning a small yet reputable fanbase before its end after just two short seasons.

But what makes The Fosters and Life Unexpected so similar?

Aside from the fact that both were created to bring light to foster kids' abuse and troubles, the main characters in each had a similar upbringing that shaped how they grew up.

They also explained why they made the decisions they did throughout.

In the pilot episode of The Fosters, it's explained that Callie had been in several foster homes that treated her more as property than as someone who could have been a part of their family.

Later she describes her past homes as abusive and her former foster parents as the type who would use her for the monthly check instead.

In Life Unexpected, Lux says nearly the same thing to her birth parents when asked by her social worker.

It's not unusual to hear about in either capacity, though.

A study in 2005 showed that 32.8 percent of kids that enter the foster system endure some mental or physical abuse from a member of the household.

Considering when both shows came out, it's impressive that the writers would want to bring awareness to the types of things that happen so often in out-of-home care.

More impressive is that channels such as The CW and Freeform openly discussed said topics.

Before The Fosters aired, there weren't many broadcast shows that delved into topics like the foster system, interracial LGBT marriage, and mixed families.

But just because they were brave enough to open the discussion doesn't mean they didn't use the usual dramatics to amp up views.

On Season 2, Episode 1 of Life Unexpected, Lux met a handsome stranger in the bar her father owned.

She was going through several significant life changes then, so what better decision to make than to follow someone she had met hours before to 'the ocean' on a whim?

Later in the episode, Lux discovered that the handsome stranger she previously kissed on top of a billboard was none other than her new teacher, who would soon move in with her dad and his roommates.

While Callie didn't have an affair with her teacher, she was involved throughout the seasons with her foster brother Brandon (David Lambert).

The pair officially began their scandalous relationship in the summer finale, leaving viewers to wonder if they would try and keep their newfound relationship a secret or confess to what they had done.

After years of a will they, won't they story, arguably the most popular on-and-off pair to viewers, the couple luckily ended up with different partners when the series inevitably ended.

It makes you wonder why many writers insist on pairing their characters together following the forbidden love trope.

Much like Life Unexpected, the writers had Callie decide if she wanted to pursue legal action against the person who had caused her the most abuse.

Early on, Callie tells the Fosters that she was in a foster home that treated her as one of their own. She was introduced to others as their daughter, taken on family vacations, and even told that she was a part of their family no matter what.

Eventually, it all took a turn for the worse when her foster brother began sexually abusing her, using her love for their family to keep her quiet about what he was doing.

Callie eventually tells a court that she was abused by him, going against the advice of her lawyers not to.

In Life Unexpected, Lux's best friend Natasha (Ksenia Solo) finds herself placed with the same family that Lux was once set with.

On the outside, it seems great. Natasha is cared for and hasn't been abused, unlike other homes she's been placed in in the past.

The only problem is that Lux was placed in the home years before and was molested by her foster father and thrown down a flight of stairs when she tried to fight back one night.

Lux finds herself in a difficult situation when she has to testify against her former foster father to help Natasha. Ultimately, she decides to do this despite not being ready to tell people what happened.

Both Callie and Lux showed incredible strength in telling people what happened, but it begs the question if any of the writers had used inspiration from the latter on their own.

Knowing both shows and having rewatched both several times, it's shocking seeing how close the similarities are with each show created years apart from each other.

That's not to say it's a bad thing.

In television, to write a show, you have to know what your audience wants, and if one show worked before with viewers and there's the possibility of making it better, why not do it?

Hopefully, in the future, there will be another show brave enough to talk about what these two did, but for now, rewatching from the beginning will have to do. 

The post How Life Unexpected Was The Blueprint For The Fosters appeared first on TV Fanatic.

I wasn’t sure how the writers would be able to conclude this show, especially since there were so many climatic situations and unanswered questions. But I think they did about an average job. I wasn’t too disappointed and yet, at the same time, I wasn’t thrilled with the ending. 

The first hour of the show (“Teacher Schooled“) answered all the immediate questions. We learned right away that Cate and Ryan lost their unborn baby. This is a horrible situation to go through and it felt a little anti-climatic. I expected Cate to go off on the deep end when she learned that not only did she have a miscarriage, but she will never be able to ever have children.

Cate’s reaction seemed strange, but even more strange was Ryan’s. Throughout this season, it was pretty clear how important it was to Ryan to have his own flesh and blood offspring. By the end of the show, he declared that it wasn’t important to him. What mattered to him was Cate.

I know many people were not a huge fan of Emma, but I liked her! I was very surprised to hear that the affair went on for four years. That’s pretty gross. You can’t blame the guy for not being able to be with her again. So… that was the end of Emma.

The most intense scene had to be when Cate and Baze confronted Lux about having a secrete relationship with her teacher, Eric.

Who else knew that Eric wasn’t knocking on Tasha’s door? I was surprised that he would come clean to Math, though. Eric and Lux were “good” together in some ways, but what Cate pointed out was right. It was wrong on so many levels.

I am happy that the writers did not let this relationship drift into happily ever after. Yes, their age difference wasn’t that big, but she is a teenager and he’s an adult. Period. End of discussion.

The heated argument between Cate and Lux continued on through the final hour of “Affair Remembered.” I knew this blow up would finally make Lux crack and see that Cate is here to stay. What Lux needed more than anything was a sense of security and that no matter how dark and twisted her past was, she did have a loving and caring family.

Most of this hour seemed to drag on more than anything else. The couple scenes of Jones and Lux hanging out alone seemed odd. Of course, by the end of the episode, we learned why these scenes were created:

Two years passed and Lux was the speaker at her graduation. Even though Tasha was sitting next to Jones, it turned out that Lux and Jones must have been together for sometime. They kissed and hugged while Tasha took pictures of them. All I can say about that? Weird.

Meanwhile, Julia was at the ceremony with child in tow, sitting next to Ryan. Ryan was sitting next to Cate. And Cate was sitting next to Baze. It all seemed too picture perfect. Everyone getting along? Get real.

As it turned out, Ryan was with Julia and Baze and Cate were finally a couple. As much as I always routed for Baze and Cate, I felt jipped. Five minutes before this ending, Cate and Ryan were going strong. Why would Julia having his baby change this? 

I guess the writers knew they had to end this one way or another. It’s sad that we didn’t get to see Cate and Baze become a couple, but I am glad that they will live on happily ever after. Are you?

The post Life Unexpected Series Finale Review: “Affair Remembered” appeared first on TV Fanatic.

Or at least to give them an early look at what’s to come. That’s really the best we can do.

Having already published a few photos from the January 18 finale, we’ve now posted a couple clips from the two-hour extravaganza. The first focuses on Lux’s personal life, while the second takes us into Ryan’s professional life. Check them out now:

The post Life Unexpected Series Finale Clips: Watch Now appeared first on TV Fanatic.

The CW series airs a two-hour finale on that date, a pair of episodes that will feature:

• Baze contemplating home ownership.
• Lux planning a dinner with Eric…
• … but being shocked when Baze and Cate show up instead.

TV Fanatic will review the final two hours in depth, and are offering readers a glimpse at a few scenes from it below:

The post Life Unexpected Series Finale Pics: First Look appeared first on TV Fanatic.

The post Life Unexpected Season 2 Episode 13 Recap: Affair Remembered appeared first on TV Fanatic.

The post Life Unexpected Season 2 Episode 12 Recap: Teacher Schooled appeared first on TV Fanatic.

While fans deal with this news, star Kristoffer Polaha has two messages for them:

1. Thank you!
2. You won’t be let down by what’s to come!

Read what else the man who brought Baze to life wrote on his latest E! News blog below.

This experience is one that I’ll never forget and it’s due to all of you that stayed tuned in, kept watching, and fighting that got us this far, so for that I am so thankful. I hope everyone has safe travels through the holidays and a wonderful New Year.

Be sure to tune in Jan. 18 for the last two episodes of season two. You won’t be disappointed!

The post Kristoffer Polaha to Fans: Life Unexpected Finale Won’t Disappoint! appeared first on TV Fanatic.

Following the explosive events of this week’s episode – Emma slept with Baze’s father?!? – The CW will bid farewell to this drama with a special two-hour episode in early 2011.

Grab a box of Kleenex, readers, and get yourself prepared for the end via the following preview. It’s gonna jerk some serious tears…

The post Life Unexpected Series Finale Preview: A Two-Hour Event appeared first on TV Fanatic.

On “Stand Taken,” Lux finally has to make the decision to come clean about what happened to her in the past. You could tell it was something major that she wanted to keep buried because she even went to the man that abused her and asked him not to testify.

Lux said she did this to protect Tasha, but really she was just trying to protect herself. She didn’t want everyone, especially Eric, to know about what happened to her.

I’ve got one burning question: Wouldn’t you, if you were Lux’s parents, think it’s weird that her teacher showed up for the hearing? If Eric is so concerned about having anyone find out about their illicit relationship, wouldn’t he stay as far away as possible?

It was a heartbreaking scene watching Lux describe what went down in her past. I was in tears when she spoke of her first kiss being with this horrible man. Thankfully, Lux had the smarts to try and run away before Trey tried to rape her. Not all children are brave enough to stand up to someone the way Lux did.

Fortunately, Valerie finally stood up and was the mother that Lux needed. She sided with Lux and her child-abusing husband was sent to jail.

Tasha got to stay out of prison, but did get two months of juvenile hall for breaking the terms of her guardianship. Does this mean this is the last we see of Tasha… ever? Will we ever find out how deep her relationship is with Jones?

Meanwhile, Cate and Ryan are on the road to mending their broken relationship. It looks like this baby is a saving grace. I really like these two together and would love to see that tiny blueberry turn into the real deal.

Shockingly, we find out that Emma had a secret affair with Baze’s dad to potentially boost her career. Of course, Lux would be standing in ear shot to hear the whole secret come out. What do you think Baze will do when he hears that his pops boned his girlfriend and cheated on his mom?

Until the January 18 series finale – yes, series – here are a few of my favorite Life Unexpected quotes from last night:

Cate: (to Valerie) Being a parent means putting the kid first. You were her mom once. Be her mom again. | permalink

Lux: I don’t think I could take losing another mom. I don’t think I could take losing you. | permalink

Lux: Seriously, what is your problem?
Tasha: You. You are my problem. | permalink

Baze: (to Lux) Don’t worry kiddo, one way or another the truth about this guy is finally coming out. | permalink

Baze: (to his dad) Emma’s helping me. You’re the one that made me choose, remember? She’s my family now. | permalink

Lux: Most girls in junior high have their first kiss playing spin the bottle, mine was with him. | permalink

The post Life Unexpected Review: “Stand Taken” appeared first on TV Fanatic.

The CW series did not receive an order for any episodes beyond the 13 scheduled to air this season, but it also has not received official word of a cancellation.

Still, two recent facts make it apparent this show will come to an end in the very near future:

1. Kristoffer Polaha has signed a development deal with CBS.
2. Warners Brothers has announced a DVD release for April 5. Its title? “Life Unexpected – The Complete Series.”

The latter piece of news at least means that fans will be able to watch Lux and company whenever they want. This six-DVD package will include all first and second season episodes, along with many features, deleted scenes and interviews.

The post This Really is the End for Life Unexpected appeared first on TV Fanatic.