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Chasing Life

Chasing Life- Pilot (1×01)

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So I’ll admit, I was a little hesitant about the new ABC Family show Chasing Life, but after seeing the premiere I am hooked. Sometimes there are shows that seem so forced and sometimes a show just completely speaks to you because its genuine. The characters are genuine and it makes you feel a little fuzzy inside. I like April Carver. April is the type of person I would definitely be friends with in real life. Plus, it doesn’t hurt that she’s my age and trying to become a reporter, just like me. Watching this, I feel like I am April and at any time, I could be this girl. Plus, it puts a modern 21st century spin on a woman who is still trying to have it all despite battling an illness. It’s refreshing and it’ll definitely hook the audience with it’s charming and inspiring story. images (1) We first meet April as she’s trying to sneak into a blood drive to get an interview with Richie, a sport guy who just got out of rehab. Don’t you just love dedicated reporters?  This assignment is important to April who is currently a floater at The Boston Press and wants to make a good impression on her boss who doesn’t even know her name. She’s a go-getter! The blood drive doesn’t allow press and the line is already out the door. Desperate times call for desperate measures right? She visits her estranged uncle George, who she hasn’t spoken to since her fathers death, who agrees to sneak her through security. Long story short, April bats her pretty eyelashes at Richie, who starts talking to her before realizing she’s a reporter and calling security. Except she’s never really escorted out because she faints after giving blood and wakes up as her uncle George is checking her vitals. Richie is siting in her room to make sure she’s okay and agrees to give her an exclusive interview as long as she doesn’t ask about drugs. “What’s the last thing that was up your nose,” she asks. Yeah, that’s just how lovable she is. This scores her brownie points with her boss, who tries to bitch her out for arriving late to the meeting, but is impressed after she mentions she was interviewing Richie– an interview the sports reporter wasn’t able to get. images Things are going good for April to be quite honest. After scoring this great interview, she heads home and scores a “work date” with the hot co-worker she’s been crushing on. The two go out to a bar and enjoy some really bad music and $1 beers before he admits that he actually isn’t reviewing this concert, he just wanted to see her outside of work. They end up connecting while making impressions of co-workers and they kiss! Thank god that for once writers didn’t toy with our emotions and make us wait like half a season before the complicated couple finally got together. You see what I mean, this show is different! But something’s wrong. Uncle George has been bothering her all day with texts and calls. Given their history, she blows him off thinking he’s just trying to make amends now, but as she gets home from her date she finds George in front of her house, who tells her that he ran some tests on her blood after she fainted that morning and he got some results. “You have cancer,” he reveals. It’s a low blow. A heartbreaking realization for April whose totally taken aback by the news. How could this be? She’s 24, healthy, things are going so well. She hasn’t even had symptoms. Without further tests, George can’t really tell her what kind of leukemia or what stage of it she has, but obviously it’s serious! ' April sort of blows off George, but spends the rest of the night googling leukemia and cancer. Her whole world has basically been turned upside down at this point. She tries to talk to her mother but is unsuccessful. Instead she does what any young reporter would do after googling, she ignores the problem and immerses herself in her work, trying to catch up on the Richie interview before deadline since the original writer was out sick. But George won’t let up and he comes to April’s job to make sure she understands how serious cancer really is. Dominic overhears the conversation and assumes George is some secret boyfriend of Aprils, so he ignores her for the rest of the day. Back at home, April tries to tell her mother again but doesn’t want to ruin her excitement– she’s going out on her first date n 25 years. Her best friend Beth invites her out for drinks so April assumes this would be the perfect time to confide in her, but when she gets to the bar, Beth’s already drunk and hitting it off with some guy. She kind of comes off like a shitty best friend who doesn’t realize when her friend just need a shoulder to cry on! It’s heartbreaking to see this young girl try to find answers and hope in those around her without completely ruining their happiness. Semi-enjoying her drink, she notices a blood drip and realizes that she’s bleeding from her nose, a sign of leukemia. It’s a game-changer but April puts it on the back-burner as she sees Dominic at the bar and approaches him to see why he’s been acting so weird. He admits that he overheard her conversation with her secret lover George and he doesn’t want anything to do with her. What a miscommunication! “He’s my uncle,” April exclaims. Glad we cleared that up. The lovebirds seal their new relationship with a kiss and all is good on the relationship front. 0 Their night is cut short by April’s sister Brenna who calls her crying. Brenna’s in her “rebelling against authority and ditching school for a fun” phase, mainly because she’s smitten with some bad boy. She’s really going down the wrong road and she notices it after she attends some ratchet party with her crush Sean, who goes off with some other girl and leaves her to “fulfill” his roommates needs. Gross. When April picks her sister up, she’s passed out with some douchebags taking pictures of her. She tucks her into bed after holding her hair back as she pukes. It’s a nice sisterly moment as Brenna promises never to lie to her again. I hope she also just stops having a storyline. April realizes just how lucky she is to be surrounded by family that loves her, but she can’t help but feel alone with this rock on her shoulders.  Her mother also had a good time on her date, so April continues to bottle up her cancer news in order to keep everyone happy. Everyone except herself. She breaks down crying in the kitchen after everyone goes to sleep. She finally finds someone to listen to her– her father, who she’s visiting on his birthday. She tells him the news of her promotion at work, also mentioning her “other news”. Breaking down crying, she admits that she’s not ready to see him anytime soon. No offense. As she leaves the cemetery, she sees a young girl walking and tells her that she loves the flowers. The girl tells her that their for her dead before heading to April’s fathers grave. Wait, what? Your dad? He had another secret daughter? This is kind of a silly turn to a feel-good show, isn’t it? It sort of turns this into a soap-opera. ITALIA RICCI The premise of this show is what happens when you have everything to live for and nothing to lose. But honestly, she has a lot to lose. She has everything to lose. The same stuff she’s living for! The show is definitely more about cancer. It’s about finding a way to be happy with the cancer. To appreciate what you have despite this sickness that might kill you. It’s about appreciating life and finding the happy moments and it’s a nice change from the dramatic mystery shows or the supernatural shows. It kind of gives me this One Tree Hill feeling and I like it! As a summer show, it works. Although I really think April’s sister Brenna has got to go and Dominic needs to get a little personality kick. Otherwise, I’m fine with this following PLL. I’m fine with a woman who uses the F-word (feminism openly) while not accepting the C-word! What did you think? Did you like the premiere? Will you be a fan of the show?  

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Lizzy Buczak is the founder of CraveYouTV. What started off as a silly blog in her sophomore year at Columbia College Chicago turned her passion for watching TV into an opportunity! She has been in charge of CraveYou since 2011, writing reviews and news content for a wide variety of shows. Lizzy is a Music Business and Journalism major who has written for RADIO.COM, TV Fanatic, Time Out Chicago, Innerview, Pop’stache and Family Time.

Chasing Life

Chasing Life Canceled After 2 Seasons!

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April Carver just received the worst prognosis of all- Chasing Life has been cancelled by ABC Family after just two seasons.

I, like so many Chasers am seriously upset by this news. What is ABC Family thinking? Why cancel a show that was so unapologetically real and has given viewers an insight into the ups and downs of what it’s like for a young person living with cancer, but shows like Keeping Up With The Kardashians get renewed for 11 seasons? What kind of society do we live in?

I’ve read statements and comments that some just thought the show was too depressing but hey, that’s life. Not everything is about what kind of handbag you’re wearing. And most of the time, despite all the crap that was thrown at April, every episode left me with a positive feeling. No moment during the two seasons have been this upsetting- not even Leo’s untimely death. Chasing Life depicted cancer in a way no other drama has before. That has to count for something, right?

Anyways, the drama ended with only 486,000 viewers tuning it, which was a season low.

The showrunner, Patrick Sean Smith told THR  that there was still a lot to explore in season 3 like “April’s emotional state and her big decision to end treatment, there’s a lot to explore with Uncle George and the manuscript and the investigation that’s now in play, and then a lot to explore with Brenna and Finn now that Greer is moving back to town, and also what happens with Beth. I mean, everyone’s life is up in the air right now by the end of the second season.”

But, I guess we’re just supposed to be content knowing that April was content with dying in Italy because she lived more life than any other 25-year-old. Maybe she spent the rest of her days with Dominic? Maybe when she died, Beth had her baby and named it April. Who knows… we definitely won’t.

THR reports that the decision to cancel the show comes with ABC Family’s focus to rebrand and its focus on becoming “becomers.” They are adding a Nicki Minaj comedy and a new show, ShadowHunters.

There are a couple of petitions to “renew Chasing Life” circulating online already. Who knows if that will do anything, but we can hope.

Check it out HERE!

 

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Chasing Life

Chasing Life- La Dolce Vita (2×13)

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Just when you think things are looking up for April, she gets hit with bombshell after bombshell until she finally surrenders. But this can’t be April’s “final chapter” can it? A lot of loose plot lines were tied up at the end of the hour, but of course, those raised new question… and brought a tear or two to the corner of my eye. Damn allergies.

Beth’s Baby- Beth spent most of her time freaking out about the pregnancy. She’s about 6 weeks in now, so thankfully, we can do the math and figure out Josh is the father! That doesn’t put her mind at ease however because now she actually has to tell him. She finally corners him in the bathroom after watering the fikus with about 5 beers. He’s definitely surprised, but tells her he will be by her side no matter what she decides. Gosh, he’s such a standup guy right? Beth eventually goes to Italy with April and makes her decision there- she’s going to keep the baby. It’s a nice juxtaposition; her best friend is dying but she’s bringing a new life into this world. Possibly a beautiful baby girl named April?

Dominic & April- Well, apparently these two are endgame but just because two people want something, doesn’t mean the timing is right. April is still not over Leo and that’s ok. She has every right to mourn her late husband. But she also has every right to move on. I’ll admit, the kiss didn’t do it for me and maybe because I felt April was doing it all out of fear of missing out. However, I’m perfectly content with them as just friends who love each other right now. We need Dominic to help April with whatever comes next.

Uncle George- He kind of put himself in a predicament by telling the Carver women the truth about their dad. He thought he could trust them and most of them he could… but not Olivia and Natalie. They were shopping around Thomas’s book to get “justice.” And if George wouldn’t give them the rights, Olivia threatened to expose him to the cops. Finally, Natalie made the sound choice and put her sisters before this petty family drama. We thought it was all over, until the cops showed up to question him. Did Olivia betray her daughter and screw George over anyways?

April’s cancer- Sad news, her clinical trial didn’t work. The doc tried to keep her positive by saying there were still plenty of options, but the truth is, April is dying. It sucks and it’s depressing, especially when you read an interview that says the original telenovela that CL is based on “Terminales,” has April’s character killed… albeit by bus after beating the cancer. Hopefully, we go a different route, but you have to be realistic- cancer kills people. And it won’t spare April.

April goes to Italy to complete her one last “wish” of traveling the world. That’s when she realizes, by 25, she’s done everything on her bucket list. When she gets the call that the only option left for her is to get the transplant and hope her death isn’t painful, she realizes this is the last chapter in her memoir. I mean, you only write a memoir if you know how it’s going to end, right? Beth begs Ape not to give up but she replies, “It’s not giving up because I’ve already won. I could die happy here.” With that, she looks out into the sunset, while Beth and Dom look at each other concerned. Would they really let April just die without putting up one last fight?

Brenna & Finn… and now Greer- Finn gets super sick because cancer is a bitch and ends up in the hospital. That’s when he breaks up with Brenna and breaks her heart. He has to be focused on getting healthy and she’s kind of doing the opposite. “Maybe it isn’t meant to be,” he wonders, but alas, I think it is. And so does Brenna when she puts two and two together and finds out that she’s Finn’s donor! What are the odds? That kind of puts Greer’s return on the back burner, although Bren was really excited to see her ex, who surprise, is moving back to town! Can’t wait to see that traingle.

Chasing Life hasn’t been renewed for a 3rd season, but I’m seriously hoping this wasn’t actually April’s last chapter. I need to know what happens- the good or the bad. Does George get arrested? Do the Carver’s disown Natalie? Will April fight another day? Will she live out her end in Italy after publishing her memoir? How will Beth’s fashion line go? Will she embrace the pregnancy? Will April & Dominic get together again? Will Brenna and Greer? Will Finn be healthy? Will he find out Brenna is his donor. Listen to me ABC Family- renew this show right now!

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Chasing Life

Chasing Life- Ready Or Not (2×12)

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Cancer, marriage, babies, high school hook ups- it’s all part of chasing life and it’s quite a beautiful thing. No matter what happens, you can expect this journey of ours never to be boring. I know April can vouch for that.

Since we met April, she’s gone through some drastic transformations. That presented itself this week when she met up with her friend Ellie, who I immediately knew was going to be trouble. Really? Skin cancer scare? Give me a break… I know people are desperate but to stoop THAT low and actually steal someones heart-wrenching diseases. Gross. Of course, instead of getting mad and even, April let nature take its course… well sort of.

April seems to have this stupid luck- when she realizes her book agent, who is really just starting out, hasn’t gotten her a secured deal with BookSmart, she takes matters into her own hands and fakes a seizure to get into a party to meet with the publisher. There she just so happens to run into Raquel, who just so happens to be buddy-buddy with the manager of the whole company. Cha-Ching! When April chats her up, turns out she’s really been invested in Ellie’s book and how she compared “cancer” to “herpes.”

Soon after, April’s chapter of the book leaks to The Post and she’s convinced that Raquel did it to sabotage her. But- she’s wrong! The positive comments on the chapter actually convinced the editor to publish April’s book! Rejoice everyone; April is now a published author! We did it!

And in other April news, she’s finally realizing that she still has feelings for Dominic. I can’t be mad about this though I hoped the writers weren’t going to throw her back into this relationship. Realistically, these two were together and broke up while they still had feelings. Those feelings were never resolved, she just fell deeply in love with Leo. But now that he’s gone, how long can April really mourn? How long can she be single? Be Leo’s widow? Maybe moving on is really the healthiest thing she can do. She isn’t forgetting, but she’s living. She’s chasing life.

Brenna finally succumbed to the cheesiness of milestone moments and asked Finn to go on a date to junior prom. Honestly, how adorable are these two together? After the dance, things get a little awkward when they end up in a room together. Kissing without a mask is dangerous because of Finn’s cancer, but he just wants to feel normal for a night. He wants to feel the high without the lows and who could blame him? So… he goes for it with Brenna. I believe the outcome will be dangerous, but watching them together was magical. Also, we’re getting closer to them finding out that Brenna is actually his donor! Both of them think cilantro tastes like soap. Absurd! Will that bring them closer together?

As for Beth, she’s been sick and emotional… and pregnant! I definitely didn’t see this storyline coming, but I am so excited. There have been little storylines aside from April’s cancer, but none as big as a pregnant best friend. They always say as one life begins, another ends. That’s really true in this case. Unfortunately, as fun as babies are, not knowing who the dad is becomes quite a problem. Especially cause it’s either her ex Grahm who she had a one night stand with or Josh, the dude she’s really falling in love with. I’m secretly hoping it’s Josh’s.

Everyone is chasing life in their own way, even Olivia Ortiz- Natalie’s mom and Thomas’s secret baby momma. Last week, she revealed that she had both parts of her ex’s spy novel and now the agent told April that she was shopping around his father’s book. Does Natalie know? I would think probably not, but her mother is spiteful and she’s definitely going after the money Thomas didn’t leave her, which is really unfortunate for the kids. And also- this is potentially scary for Uncle George, who revealed he pretty much assisted Thomas with his own death. You know, I really liked Natalie and this is pretty upsetting. But can you blame her? She’s the black sheep of the family, was never loved by her dad and her sister stole her BF…. not fun.

Next week is the fall finale. What do you think will be the most explosive part? Are you ready for a Dom and April relationship to heat back up? Will Finn get sick after hooking up with Brenna? Will Greer return?

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