Chasing Life Explained

Genre:	Drama
Opentheme:	"Can't Stop Won't Stop" by Harper Blynn^[1]
Composer:	Stephen Endelman
Country:	United States
Language:	English
Num Seasons:	2
Num Episodes:	34
List Episodes:	List of Chasing Life episodes
Location:	Boston, Massachusetts
Runtime:	43 minutes
Channel:	ABC Family

Chasing Life is an American drama television series that aired on ABC Family from June 10, 2014, to September 28, 2015.^{[2] [3]} The series is adapted from the Televisa Spanish-language Mexican television series Terminales.^{[4] [5]} Ordered for 13 episodes, on November 27, 2013, an additional seven episodes were added to the series order, bringing the season to 20 episodes.^[6] On July 15, 2014, ABC Family ordered another episode to air as a Christmas special, bringing the episode order to 21.^[7]

On November 6, 2014, the series was renewed for a second season.^[8] Slated to premiere on August 17, 2015, the season two premiere was moved up to July 6.^[9]

Chasing Life was canceled on October 2, 2015.^[10]

Premise

Chasing Life follows 24-year-old April, who is a smart and quick-witted aspiring journalist trying to advance her career at a Boston newspaper by impressing her hard-nosed editor. When not pursuing the latest scoop, April tries to balance her ambitious career with her family – her widowed mom Sara, rebellious little sister Brenna, and her sweet grandmother. Just as things start to look up at work, home, and on the romance front with co-worker Dominic, April finds out from an estranged uncle that she has leukemia.

Cast and characters

Main

• Italia Ricci as April Carver, a junior reporter at (the fictional) The Boston Post newspaper whose life takes a turn when she is diagnosed with leukemia.
• Mary Page Keller as Sara Carver, April and Brenna's mother. She works as a therapist but her training has not helped her better relate to people outside the office.
• Richard Brancatisano as Dominic Russo, an arts reporter at The Boston Post and April's love interest. Breaks up with April after finding out she hadn't told him about cancer. Then, begins to date April's half-sister, Natalie but he doesn't commit to it, because he's clearly still in love with April.
• Haley Ramm as Brenna Carver, April's rebellious teenage sister, who went into a bad place after her father's death. In the midst of struggling with the changes in April's life, she starts dating popular classmate Greer, whose parents disapprove of her and forbid them from seeing each other. They date again briefly before breaking up due to Greer moving. In the Christmas special, Brenna came out as bisexual.
• Aisha Dee as Beth Kingston, April's best friend, who is the first person April tells about her cancer and April's most steadfast supporter.

Recurring

• Scott Michael Foster as Leo Hendrie, the son of a famous politician, who also has cancer. Also a love interest of April. Eventually asks April to marry him, and she says yes and they get married. Shortly after, he passes away in his sleep.
• Rebecca Schull as Emma, Sara's mother and April and Brenna's grandmother.
• Jessica Meraz as Natalie Ortiz, April and Brenna's paternal half-sister. She is younger than April, but older than Brenna. Thomas had an affair resulting with Natalie's birth many years ago, which only Sara and George knew about.
• Abhi Sinha as Danny Gupta, April's former co-worker turned friend.
• Steven Weber as Dr. George Carver, April and Brenna's paternal uncle, who has a romantic interest in Sara.
• Gracie Dzienny as Greer Danville, a popular girl from Brenna's school, who is Brenna's ex-girlfriend. She briefly lived with Brenna after a fallout with her parents before moving with her dad.
• Dylan Gelula as Ford, Brenna's best friend. They go through a rough patch when Brenna gets involved with Greer, but she is shown to be fiercely loyal.
• Merrin Dungey as Dr. Susan Hamburg, April's doctor.
• Shi Ne Nielson as Raquel Avila, April's supervisor turned rival
• Rob Kerkovich as Graham, Dominic's roommate and Beth's ex-boyfriend, whom she broke up with due to commitment issues.
• Augusto Aguilera as Kieran, Brenna's older ex-boyfriend who is also her boss at an art gallery/tattoo parlor.
• Alycia Grant as Meg, April's friend from her cancer support group.
• Todd Waring as Bruce Hendrie, Leo's father and Massachusetts gubernatorial candidate.
• Andy Mientus as Jackson, a fellow cancer patient from April and Leo's cancer support group.
• Aurora Perrineau as Margo, Brenna's film club advisor, whom she briefly got romantically involved with
• Parker Mack as Finn Madill, a cancer patient who attends Brenna's new public school. Unbeknownst to the two of them, Brenna happens to also be Finn's bone marrow donor.
• Vondie Curtis-Hall as Lawrence, April and Danny's boss at The Boston Post.
• Tom Irwin as Thomas Carver, April, Brenna and Natalie's father and George's brother. Known to the world as a famous novelist, his personal life remains a mystery that his daughters are trying to sort through.
• Stephen Schneider as Aaron Phillips, April and Danny's boss at The Boston Post, who replaced Lawrence.
• Bob Gebert as Dr. Stibler, Leo's doctor.

Episodes

See main article: List of Chasing Life episodes.

Broadcast

Chasing Life premiered on June 10, 2014, running ten episodes out of an already ordered twenty. On July 15, 2014, an additional episode for the first season functioning as a Christmas special was ordered, and aired on December 9, 2014.^[11] The season returned on January 19, 2015. On November 6, 2014, Chasing Life was renewed for a second season.^[12] The second-season premiere in July 2015 and concluded in September 2015.

In Canada, the series premiered on ABC Spark on June 10, 2014.^[13]

In Australia, the series premiered on Fox8 on July 21, 2014,^[14] and returned for the second half of season one on February 3, 2015.^[15]

International broadcasting

Country/Region	Channel	Premiere	Title	Ref.
	Freeform	June 10, 2014	Chasing Life
	ABC Spark			^[16]
	Fox8	July 21, 2014		^[17]
Latin America	Fox Life	October 14, 2014		^[18]
	Dizimax Drama	October 22, 2014		^[19]
	Disney Channel	January 13, 2015		^[20]
	Lifetime	April 8, 2015	Pojedynek na życie	^[21]
	Fox Life	August 14, 2015	Борба за живот	^[22]
	Premium Stories	September 4, 2015	Chasing Life	^[23]
	Colors Infinity	September 10, 2015		^[24]
	Canal 5*	November 12, 2016	Apreciando la vida	^[25]
	Sony Channel	October 17, 2017	Chasing Life	^[26]

Reception

Critical reception

On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, the first season holds an approval rating of 75% based on 16 reviews, with an average rating of 7.30/10. The site's critics consensus reads, "Though the show would benefit from a sharper focus on its overall theme, Italia Ricci's believable leading performance makes Chasing Life worth following."^[27] On Metacritic, the first season of the show holds a score 59 out of 100 based on reviews from 12 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews".^[28]

Ratings

No. in series	No. in season	Episode	Air date	Time slot (ET)	Rating/Share (18–49)	Viewers (million)
1	1	"Pilot"		Tuesdays 9:00 p.m.	0.5	1.34
2	2	"Help Wanted"		0.5	1.11
3	3	"Blood Cancer Sex Carrots"		0.5	1.11
4	4	"I'll Sleep When I'm Dead"		0.5	1.12
5	5	"The Family That Lies Together"		0.5	1.21
6	6	"Clear Minds, Full Lives, Can't Eat"		0.5	1.19
7	7	"Unplanned Parenthood"		0.5	1.13
8	8	"Death Becomes Her"		0.4	1.08
9	9	"What to Expect When You're Expecting Chemo"		0.5	1.11
10	10	"Finding Chemo"		0.6	1.30
11	11	"Locks of Love"		0.5	1.22
12	12	"Next April"		Mondays 9:00 p.m.	0.4	1.02
13	13	"Guess Who's Coming to Donate?"		0.3	0.78
14	14	"Cancer Friends with Benefits"		0.3	0.78
15	15	"April Just Wants to Have Fun"		0.4	0.91
16	16	"The Big Leagues"		0.3	0.81
17	17	"Model Behavior"		0.2	0.80
18	18	"Rest in Peace"		0.2	0.73
19	19	"Life, Actually"		0.2	0.64
20	20	"No News Is Bad News"		0.2	0.69
21	21	"One Day"		0.4	0.93
22	1	"A View from the Ledge"		0.3	0.72
23	2	"The Age of Consent"		0.3	0.79
24	3	"Life of Brenna"		0.3	0.72
25	4	"Truly Madly Deeply"		0.2	0.60
26	5	"The Domino Effect"		0.2	0.61
27	6	"The Last W"		0.3	0.75
28	7	"As Long As We Both Shall Live"		0.3	0.75
29	8	"The Ghost in You"		0.3	0.77
30	9	"Wild Thing"		0.3	0.64
31	10	"A Bottle of Secrets"		0.2	0.59
32	11	"First Person"		0.3	0.68
33	12	"Ready or Not"		0.2	0.54
34	13	"La Dolce Vita"		0.2	0.49

Accolades

Year	Award	Category	Nominee(s)	Result	Ref.
2014	Teen Choice Award	Choice TV Breakout Show	Chasing Life		^[29]
		Choice Summer TV Star: Female	Italia Ricci
2015	Golden Maple Awards	Newcomer of the Year in a TV Series Broadcasted in the US	Italia Ricci		^[30]
	Teen Choice Awards	Choice Summer TV Show	Chasing Life		^[31]
		Choice Summer TV Star: Female	Italia Ricci

Notes and References

1. Web site: Chasing Life (Season 1 Opening Theme Song). YouTube.
2. Web site: ABC Family Announces Summer Premiere Dates for 'Pretty Little Liars', 'Switched at Birth' 'Chasing Life', 'Mystery Girls' & 'Young & Hungry' . https://web.archive.org/web/20140310230615/http://tvbythenumbers.zap2it.com/2014/03/10/abc-family-announces-summer-premiere-dates-for-pretty-little-liars-switched-at-birth-chasing-life-mystery-girls-chasing-life/243459/ . dead . March 10, 2014 . Kondolojy . Amanda . . March 10, 2014 . March 10, 2014.
3. Breaking News - ABC Family Starts Production on New Drama Series "Chasing Life" . . August 14, 2013 . October 3, 2013.
4. Web site: Billy . Nilles . ABC Family orders 'Chasing Life' to series . . April 24, 2013 . October 3, 2013 . https://web.archive.org/web/20140215090110/http://blog.zap2it.com/frominsidethebox/2013/04/abc-family-orders-chasing-life-to-series.html . 2014-02-15 . dead .
5. Web site: Andreeva . Nellie . ABC Family Pilot 'Terminales' Picked Up - Titled 'Chasing Life' . . April 24, 2013 . October 3, 2013.
6. Web site: Andreeva . Nellie . ABC Family's 'Chasing Life' Gets Back Order Ahead Of Premiere . . November 27, 2013 . November 28, 2013.
7. Web site: 'Pretty Little Liars,' 'The Fosters,' 'Switched at Birth' and more ABC Family shows airing holiday themed episodes. Bucksbaum. Sydney. Zap2it. July 15, 2014. July 15, 2014. July 17, 2014. https://web.archive.org/web/20140717100325/http://www.zap2it.com/blogs/pretty_little_liars_the_fosters_switched_at_birth_chasing_life_abc_family_holiday_themed_episodes-2014-07. dead.
8. Web site: ABC Family's 'Chasing Life' Renewed for Second Season. Lesley Goldberg. The Hollywood Reporter. 6 November 2014.
9. News: Elizabeth Wagmeister . 'Chasing Life' Season 2 Premiere Date Moved to July 6 This Summer. Variety.
10. News: Lesley . Goldberg . October 2, 2015 . ABC Family's 'Chasing Life' Canceled After Two Seasons . . September 3, 2016.
11. Web site: ABC Family Announces Special Holiday Episodes of 'Melissa & Joey', 'Baby Daddy', 'Pretty Little Liars' & More. July 15, 2014. January 20, 2015. TV by the Numbers. Kondolojy. Amanda. https://web.archive.org/web/20150309060839/http://tvbythenumbers.zap2it.com/2014/07/15/abc-family-announces-special-holiday-episodes-of-melissa-joey-baby-daddy-pretty-little-liars-more/283102/. 2015-03-09. dead.
12. Web site: Andreeva. Nellie. 'Chasing Life' Renewed For Second Season By ABC Family. Deadline Hollywood. November 6, 2014.
13. Web site: ABC Spark Announces Summer 2014 Schedule Including Premiere Dates For New Series Chasing Life, Young & Hungry and Mystery Girls. 2014-12-05.
14. Web site: Knox. David. Airdate: Chasing Life. TV Tonight. June 27, 2014. April 13, 2016.
15. Web site: DHiggins. February: 150+ new and returning shows, movies and sport events. Foxtel. February 5, 2015. April 13, 2016.
16. Web site: ABC Spark Announces Summer 2014 Schedule Including Premiere Dates For New Series Chasing Life, Young & Hungry and Mystery Girls . 2014-12-05.
17. Web site: Foxtel - Blog . 2014-12-15.
18. Web site: Chasing Life . dead . https://archive.today/20150319013107/http://www.foxplay.com/chasinglife . 19 March 2015 . 18 January 2015.
19. Web site: Digiturk - Yeni bölümü için çarşamba günü iple çektiğin... . Facebook.
20. Web site: Chasing Life: Deutsche TV-Premiere im Januar bei Disney . 2014-12-05.
21. Web site: "Pojedynek na życie" od 8.04 w Lifetime . 2015-08-14.
22. Web site: Борба за живот - сезон 1 премиера през август по Fox Life . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20170412061543/https://tv-novini.com/article_7456/borba-za-jivot---sezon-1-premiera-prez-avgust-po-fox-life.htmlhtml . 2017-04-12 . 2017-04-11.
23. Web site: 31 July 2015 . Chasing Life, dal 4 settembre su Premium Stories . 2015-08-14.
24. Web site: Colors Infinity to launch new shows & premieres in tune with US telecast . 2015-08-14.
25. Web site: Horario de "Terminales" (USA) en México .
26. Web site: Sony Channel Acquires UK Rights To 'Chasing Life' . 2 November 2023 .
27. Web site: Chasing Life . Rotten Tomatoes.
28. Web site: Chasing Life . Metacritic.
29. Web site: Nordyke . Kimberly . 2014-08-10 . Teen Choice Awards: The Complete Winners List . 2023-02-10 . The Hollywood Reporter . en-US.
30. Web site: Kilday . Gregg . 2015-04-28 . Golden Maple Awards Nominees Revealed . 2023-02-10 . The Hollywood Reporter . en-US.
31. Web site: Variety Staff . 2015-08-17 . Teen Choice Awards 2015 Winners: Full List . 2023-02-10 . Variety . en-US.