Chasing Life (2014–2015) User Reviews

A good, typical ABC Family Drama

[terrsgc · 8/10 · 8 July 2014]

Having lost my father to cancer (not leukemia), I decided to avoid this show rather than dredge up painful memories. But, one Tuesday evening I was simply not ready to go to bed, and this was the only thing on TV that looked interesting. I watched episode 4 and found it wasn't so bad. So, I went back and watched the previous 3 episodes to catch up. I suppose if the show ever progresses to April's death, I'll have to stop watching, but it's okay at the current apparent stage of her illness.

While April's surprise leukemia diagnosis is central to the story, there is also much else going on, including a new boyfriend who may or may not be a good guy, a budding journalism career where she must deal with a new back-stabbing boss, a political campaign she is covering that introduces her to the candidate's obnoxious (and cancer infected) son, a troubled teen sister, a mother who is dealing with returning to the dating scene, her mysteriously self-estranged uncle/doctor, the recent tragic loss of her father, and a surprise previously unknown sister. There are plenty of hooks to keep most viewers interested, the acting is quite good. Aisha Dee is absolutely adorable as best friend Beth, and Scott Michael Foster is particularly good as the obnoxious Leo.

I'll have to take the other reviewers' word for how accurately leukemia itself is presented, as it's a type of cancer I've had no direct experience with. The presentation is believable enough to someone like me, who is unfamiliar to the disease, and this is a drama, and not a documentary. Still, I'd hope the writer would try to keep it at least somewhat realistic, and avoid encouraging someone not to take their condition seriously enough. While I don't think the show does that, it is a legitimate concern. I will also say that the show is a "drama" and not a "sitcom" as described elsewhere. And, however accurate or inaccurate the show's presentation of leukemia is, the show does NOT make light of the disease or its implications.

FOR PARENTS: The show deals with a terminal disease, but it hasn't shown any disturbingly graphic representations of illness. Also, with regards to sex, the show presents casual hook-ups as the norm (typical for ABC Family). However, sex is not dwelled upon, and there have been no gratuitous overly-lurid scenes so far.

Edit: Increased the stars. The show is improving with each episode.

... a work in progress, but so far, so good

[bjarias · 8/10 · 24 July 2014]

Just getting off the ground, this series has some uneven parts, but on the whole is likable and might have a good chance of sticking around for awhile. The cast is solid and the storyline fairly well written. Some of the character's rough spots seem to have been smoothed out over the course of the few shows, and for the first seven episodes they did manage to keep interest and production values held at a very consistent level. Some will argue that as it relates to the main subject it's not totally accurate.. but why should it really pretend it's supposed to be... it is after all still a TV program, not a documentary. Can it hold up for multiple seasons will have to be determined, but so far it's been one of the better shows out there.

Entertaining and Realistic

[indiggo-55-452979 · 8/10 · 16 July 2014]

I've read a lot of the reviews on this show and I just simply don't agree with the negative ones. This show is a great depiction of how life really is. Life is fleeting and not to be taken for granted. You never know when that one moment will come with the news of cancer. Then suddenly everything that seemed important yesterday isn't so monumental.

Knowing first hand how devastating it can be to hear the news that you have cancer, it then becomes a priority to make every day count. You find yourself trying to create a balance between living life to the fullest and the harsh reality of endless Doctor appointments and testing.

With the main character being a young woman in her mid 20's, it is a very realistic viewpoint on how someone might take the news that your future is uncertain when just moments before you knew, you thought you had your whole life ahead of you.

The story line is both realistic and entertaining.

Love this show so far!

[kinglandonthegreat · 10/10 · 25 June 2014]

My wife and I saw previews for this show often and felt it looked very interesting. We tuned in starting with episode 1 and after that we were hooked. This show hits all the right notes for us. As a drama it does it's job well. I find that this show has just enough of everything that makes a show great. A love connection? We'll see! Understanding chaos can strike when you least expect it, and yet finding that life has many great moments despite this. This show has it all and I am already feeling such a connection to April and a lot of the other characters. It didn't take long for my emotions to be pulled into this show. You will feel for April and struggle with her and go through this journey with her. It seems well written and has a great flow. And every week I look forward to continuing this amazing show. If you Haven't yet given this show a chance you should. Highly recommended. 10 out of 10

I can relate to the Show

[briana-milne · 9 July 2014]

Watched all the show so far and have enjoyed it.

I was diagnosed with A.M.L when 27 years old.I rarely stopped work had my chemo and went into remission about 10 weeks later.

As a long term cure I was given a Bone Marrow Transplant a few months later.

This was nearly 27 years ago,I am now 54 and work over 50 hours each week.This shows mirrors me back then,I'm guessing she will need a Transplant,probably from the sister she has yet to meet.

I have found the show to be very accurate so far ,right down to the bleeding gums.That was one of my worst moments when I was kissing my girlfriend back then.

it's not the most realistic thing, but its' definitely something NEW, not your stereotypical show.

[mendameister · 10/10 · 3 July 2014]

My best-friends boyfriend has Leukemia, I hadn't known him when he was first diagnosed, but he's had it for at least 2-3 years now and he still works, has fun, maintains a social relationship, has a prescription for medical marijuana, he did drop out of College because of his health-care expenses, but otherwise, he has a pretty normal life. So the two other reviews of people saying "When you have Leukemia, this.. that.." are true, but they aren't the case 100% of the time.

I've seen every episode of this show so far, and it's thoroughly entertaining, The girl does her best to live while she still has time, She highlights her motivations to fight cancer, the best part about it however, is the feeling it gives you after you're done watching it, it's one of those shows that motivates you, challenges you to do something with your life, seeing someone else struggle shouldn't be your motivation, however, it's a real eye-opener and it's definitely going to give you a positive, more optimistic mindset whenever you watch it.

It's kind of too early though, I'm hoping the writers take it in a good direction with such a sensitive topic.

Edit: I wrote this review when the show was still on Episode 2 or 3. Just got done watching S2 E8, It's got a 10/10. Thoroughly entertaining, very emotional (I must admit, it's had me in tears); Just amazing overall.

Heart warming and not too serious

[the_one_known_as_jo · 10/10 · 24 May 2015]

The show really pulled me in without ever feeling like it demanded anything from me. Some shows you feel need your full attention, others want you to cry every other episode, some drive you insane with cliff hangers. For me this got a great balance of keeping my interest without asking too much of me for what it is.

It stays reasonably light hearted and doesn't take itself too seriously. It's also great if you're feeling a bit sorry for yourself to put things in perspective while not making you feel bad about occasionally wallowing in your own self pity, possibly while binge watching this show online.

I watched the whole first season in about three days while recovering from surgery and loved it. Really looking forward to season two :)

It will surprise you how good it is

[passiontaylor93 · 10/10 · 13 August 2014]

I'll be honest, when I first saw the promos for the show I couldn't help but think "How insensitive" or that it looked vaguely cheesy. I happened to catch the first episode late one night and I was so surprised. It was so good. What I like most about the show is how well it incorporates side characters and subplots. The situations that happen outside of April's(the main character)scope are actually intriguing and sometimes emotional. I actually care about what is going on around her and don't find the subplots tedious or boring. Also,the show does a great job at including cliff hangers while also going back to tie up some loose ends in a way that doesn't make anything feel random or left out. It gets me excited to see what will happen next but without feeling annoyed that nothing gets resolved. Overall the plot is very multifaceted, the characters are interesting, and I find myself looking forward to the next episode. I really enjoy it and hope it doesn't get canceled!

The Fault in Our Stars as a TV Series

[petar-mitrovic · 6/10 · 1 July 2015]

I want to mention that I have only watched 10 episodes so far and the review is based on that. Chasing Life, as the Titel states, is centered around the concept of "how precious life is" more so than than "how irreversible death is". As far as I'm concerned the concept of this series generally works. Italia Ricci does a great job and makes the show work. The "side stories" and secondary characters have, for me, been a little underwhelming. Not because they where badly cast or don't know how to act, but in my opinion because they are not really flushed out in a way to make them appealing or likable, which i attribute to the writing.

The correlation between the movie and this TV series for me is hard to overlook. But a movie captures your attention for roughly 2 hours. This show needs you to make the decision to tune in every week to see how the story progresses. And here is my issue. there are generally only 2 ways that this can play out with the main story arc. Italia Ricci is either going to die or she is going to miraculously recover. To me neither are really appealing. Don't get me wrong, we are going to yo-yo all over the place but in the more general sense, if she dies you get to witness a lot of pain and tears. If she lives, the series which is centered around an illness would lose the main ingredient. Be that as it may, she will get worse and by tuning in you get to watch her get generally worse every week, you get to watch a character you like die. I'm not quite sure what to do next week, not because the show isn't good, but because "how irreversible death is" and we are in a downward spiral with no ground in sight...

Why do they cancel all the good shows?

[tinyfeet69 · 10/10 · 1 March 2018]

Why was this show cancelled???? I had watched it before and rewatched it again on Netflix. I loved it from beginning to end. The actors are all excellent and the storylines entertaining (as much as one can be while dealing with issues of cancer). Season two just ended without any resolution to anything. This is very frustrating. Whoever made the decision to axe this show should be axed themselves. Please, please if any exec producers or any person like that is reading this, please reconsider continuing the show, although I assume the actors have all moved on to different things now but anything is possible - hey they brought Will & Grace back!

Family show?

[rwh1348 · 6/10 · 6 July 2017]

We watched this show on recommendation. Enjoyed it very much outside the corny treasure hunt from Leo after his death. First season was 23 episodes. Second season surprisingly only 13 and was expecting either an ending or season 3. Final episode season 2 left us hanging and shocked to find out it was canceled. Takes place in liberal Boston with injections of Obamacare and Elizabeth Warren is a tip off of the politics of the actors and ABC. No big deal. This is a good show but to call it a family series is not actually accurate. Homsexually, lesbianism ,adultery , drugs is hardly family material in my humble opinion. Do not know reason for cancellation. Over budget perhaps? This show deals with cancer and it's determined star to conquer and survive. Shame this show and actors had to be let go. It was good enough to survive at least another full season. Why was Last Man Standing cancelled? Only ABC executes know the answer to this. Ratings? Both show had decent ratings. Oh well, if your going to watch show be prepared for disappointment of no closure.

A different approach

[florin-radu-343-900094 · 10/10 · 24 July 2014]

Possibly the most emotionally loaded series I have watched in many years. I feel totally immersed in the plot and I am craving for each new episode. Initial scepticism around the disconsolate nature of the main topic was gently washed away by the richness of nuances and references developed within the brilliant script. It definitely gives a new dimension to the 'riveting' attribute frequently used for outstanding theatrical performance. A constant zigzag between scintillating black humour and cynical diagnosis. In my humble view, it does not fall into any known category of TV series. It is a new genre, still to be defined and categorised.

It would've been a 9/10 if you actually finished the Show!!!

[lydibonafe · 4/10 · 29 June 2021]

What the actual f? Why no one has bothered to mentioned the show is unfinished?

So I just wasted all this time to watch an unfinished show????

Not your typical hollow drama.

[Shopaholic35 · 8/10 · 2 October 2015]

Chasing Life is an emotional roller-coaster. You can't help but think about your own mortality while watching it. Not in the depressing wallowing way but in the seize the day kind of way. Just because you get cancer doesn't mean that life doesn't go on and this show is a nice representation of that. I'm not sure how realistic it is as I've not had too much experience with Cancer (thankfully) but it feels real to me. I guess it all depends on everybody's individual experience.

So far the story has been developing nicely and there seem to be many areas that the show can develop. Hopefully it can stay engaging and not go down the pathway of a soap drama. With such dramatic content it's hard not to but so far so good.

A Hard Topic To Please Everyone

[Eric-865-214008 · 8/10 · 12 September 2017]

I have been in remission for almost two years yet I have other health issues that overlap my recovery and is forming a new sense of life and help me reflect how cancer has changed it. Chasing Life is simply attempting to help us understand that you can't understand fully what it's like to have cancer, and those who have cancer are able to relate in ways no show has demonstrated in an entertainment narrative.

There are many simple non verbal queues this shows uses to tell its story, but unfortunately it pays more attention to "keeping secrets" to keep the anticipation going. The subplot of the father's secrets was brilliant, and helped the character understand the missing pieces in her life, but also why cancer was in her life.

How we live our lives is sometimes misunderstood. Cancer helps you face your fears of the choices you've made and how you use of time. Time being your most valuable commodity, the show attempts to use a terminal character to make that impact.

It's unfortunate, that with my personality, it's hard for me to understand things such as these until I have to face them myself in these dark cavernous chapters in my life. This show hit home in ways like no other show in any context. You feel foolish when you have cancer. You feel like your life has been lived in folly, because you miss the whole point. April Carver was heading down that road as success and achievement was more important than living and caring. That was her lesson and its ours as well.

Italia played the "That Girl" archetype well. She used no acting devices to convey the character's misses and home runs. A lot of montage and music accompanied this which often became annoying but may have been necessary for emotional moments.

For those who haven't had cancer, you need it to understand. It changes how you think and think of this show. I found this show assisting me in my anguish about my life's choices and even though the show ended after two seasons, and the ending was tethered, the character grew from the experience, and that is the purpose of cancer.

You learn compassion, sensitivity, pain, discomfort, foolishness, humility, you feel death coming closer. Most importantly its to help us understand to treat others better.

This was an ambitious project. The tone was all well in good. The side stories were unnecessary and better choices could have been made rather than socio-political ones. I loved the second family and father betrayal of trust. Life is complicated and those around us also make choices and sometimes they affect us. Life is tragic, no doubt.

Life is what we live, chasing it is a concept we form in our minds. Cancer helps us understand what "chasing" really means. This show's concept could continue with other characters, and even pushed her to survive and change her life in a direction nobody would think possible. We want to believe and feel that life continues. Chasing Life can seem fleeting as a thought, because it is. We can't stop time so chasing it seems foolish. That is the tinge in the meaning of the title if you get it.

The tone was this show's greatest strength and denying the idea of cancer from an entertainment platform could have been easy. People don't like the topic and with good reason but the show managed to keep it entertaining. Yes, secrets were used as a device and other devices could have made the show more thought out, but its strength was in the realization from how other characters changed her life.

I still felt she was a foolish woman. Her biggest flaw was the over caring of The Self. It was displayed in how she married a terminal man even knowing that the operation could eventually kill him when she wanted a future. She turned away a perfectly good relationship because "he couldn't understand" like Leo could. That was the biggest mistake she made in rooting for her change. She never realized her miss in life because she remained concerned about The Self even till the last scene, where she noted she had done everything. That was a miss, but it was the end and that was okay.

For my cancer is about confession. It's a part of your life where you stop your routine thought process and realize what you've been doing wrong and acknowledge it. April needed to acknowledge her lifeless ambitions were fraught in futility, and she needed to spend more time thinking of others. That action and decision would have arc'd the character more and helped all of us feel and understand that putting others first is our mission in life and we chase life each day to understand and feel that.

Hope this helps.

Reality without the "drama"

[alacrityfitzhugh2 · 10/10 · 30 September 2015]

If anyone thinks any part of my review is insensitive, I have the right to laff, joke, cry, whatever. Almost one year ago, I got the C word. Nobody called me a c**t (u could crucify me for that word, but I didn't really use it} but they did tell me I had cancer. Anyways, the emotional roller coaster was non-stop. There is denial, grief, despair, hope, acceptance .... all in a moment, and that moment never stops, but repeats. There is no "ordinary" type of this disease, or to the reaction any person has to hearing they have it. That said: I liked it, it showed one persons being floored with the initial news and looking towards what will come with anxiety. It doesn't make light of her illness and I especially like the way she dealt with telling friends and family, or not telling them. The characters all seem to have some great prospects to improve on an already good performance. The show has a huge range of directions it can go, hopefully without getting too down and drama filled, but with reality. I'm looking forward to seeing what happens next, which is the basis of a great series. I missed this completely, probably because the C word scared the heck out of me before I met it head on. It caught my interest, surprised me, and I look forward to seeing all I missed. The "drama" is there, that's reality, but there is so much more. There is always that joke, that hope, that moment when you laff. This show seems to convey that, and I like it.

So looking forward to season 2

[silmarieni · 9/10 · 25 March 2015]

I took a chance on this series not being particularly attracted by the heavy subject and not knowing the actors.

Since then I learned it was an American remake of Terminales, a Mexican TV series. Having not seen it, I don't know how much or how little Chasing life owes to it.

It is anyways quite a remarkable series. It succeeds in interesting the viewers in a difficult story, and it seems to me it largely succeeds in depicting cancer and its consequences for all involved, in a realistic, nuanced way.

The cast is attractive with good to great performances from Italia Ricci, Richard Brancatisano and Scott Michael Foster. And outstanding performances from Aisha Dee and Mary Page Keller. Not that the rest of the cast isn't worthy of praise but it would take too long to mention them all.

The tempo of the series seems right with each episode keeping things interesting.

The screenwriters succeed in producing 'pro life' episodes without being too preachy and we're never sure if a patient will fight until the end or will loose hope.

The secondary stories and roles are rich and it's a joy to follow them little by little and getting to know the people.

Loved the show

[m_biagini · 10/10 · 4 November 2015]

ABC is surprised it has no viewers??? I never heard of this show until I saw it on Netfilx and binge watched the both seasons in 3 days.. there is no resolution to anything. ABC prime-time has crappy shows that they advertise and then you get a show like this and nothing! And then they are surprised that only so many know about it and of course cancel is due to low ratings. Rate this ABC $%%^^%!!! I'm really pi**ed that crap stays on the air while good shows get canceled, who's fault is it...ABC for not Advertising it!!! I'm done with my rant because clearly idiots decide what the American Public deserves to watch, I'm Swiss and over in Europe we have every channel from every EU country and some US channels.

Very Well done and Credible

[docm-32304 · 9/10 · 9 May 2021]

As a person living with leukemia I found this show matched the walk very well. The makeup, acting and directing are spot on and it brought back many memories o my early years with the disease. There's a little too much of the now commonplace pandering for my tastes, which I found competed with the main story, but all in all, I found this show very enjoyable.

Sugar coated!

[cjsmom11309 · 1/10 · 12 June 2014]

I was not impressed. This show is very sugar coated. My husband who is 30 was diagnosed with Acute promyelocytic leukemia in November 2013. He was admitted and diagnosed on the same day. He was given 14 days to live if he didn't get treatment. I know what he went through. This show isn't even close. You do not walk around acting like nothing is wrong. My husband couldn't do anything for 7 days. And he was in the hospital for 4 weeks. When we found out that he had leukemia he was admitted to a sealed room because they didn't want germs to get in to his system. I will not be watching this show anymore because its just to fake for me. If you are going to make a show about someone fighting cancer maybe it should be more realistic. For the character to just walk around and act the way she was is not even close to what a real cancer patient goes through. i know every cancer patient is different. but every Leukemia patient i have ever met did not find out and go back to work or even go home. they were all admitted and kept in the hospital the moment they walked in the hospital. i'm sorry but after everything i saw my husband and others go though i'm very disappointed on how this show sugar coated every little thing.

You think you are cool.

[patrickflorio · 10/10 · 1 November 2014]

I do feel lucky and I do thank God when I realize that fact. It is hard to talk about certain things like old age and death because we tend to hide them under the mat but you can still see the bump. I would prefer dying on the spot before one of my kids and I know it is hard to put it in words. Putting a complicated topic like death on film becomes hard if you think at what you want to put across. The prospect of loosing a person you love,including yourself, has to become a description of feelings. Joni Lefkowitz and Susanna Fogel have pleased my soul, it is wonderful to know that someone can depict reality from the heart. I do not think everything has to be a fairy tale but things do tend to be different if you let your heart talk and express your feelings. We are always chasing life even if we do not realize it and I think it is a show worth dedicating a few hours of my chase. Thanks to all involved in this show and I wish all the best.

No words to describe how much I love this show

[tarynf-53324 · 10/10 · 22 February 2018]

It's my first review and I had to write one for Chasing Life as it effected me profoundly. I started watching it but never got back to it after two episodes. On Saturday, I decided to watch it, well that night I watched 7 episodes, I was engrossed. I finished season 2 on Tuesday night. I love this show so much, I will be doing a lot of re watch's. What made me fall in love is the story line and every single character and plus for the first time ever a couple I ship actually got together. Leo and April, they were so cute together. I'm a romantic and they made my heart swoon. They were there for each other and April was herself wholeheartedly with him. I knew they were meant to be the episode of where they see each other at the group support.The story is sad but the way it's portrayed its beautiful and I wish there were more seasons but I'm extremely happy with what we were given. I cried my eyes out, which is very rare for me and most of all I laughed. I'm agoraphobic and this show made me realise how much i want to change my life and just live in the now.

heartwarming, touching, relatable

[keith-51634 · 9/10 · 17 April 2016]

Facing a cancer diagnosis, divorcing, and moving home with my parents to fight it all at once. I heard about this series when Italia Ricci spoke at The OMG! Cancer Summit For Young Adults in Irvine, CA in 2015.

I laughed, I cried, I felt understood. I go to chemo and it's mostly older people. I sit with headphones on, in my own little world. This series made me, who is terrified of something like a support group, feel like I should explore them. I still haven't, as the show did provided me a lot of what I needed at the time.

I wish it was longer, so I could have this show throughout my treatment; but I watched every episode in about 2 days.

Disgusted

[kfizer · 3/10 · 18 August 2015]

I have been watching with some reservations for awhile but now I am done. Should not have killed Leo, he was one of the better characters. I would rather April had died. She is so unrealistic with her cancer, taking trips without protection, running around without protection, quitting her job knowing she has major money issues coming up with treatment. So she takes vacations while mom is trying to pay her bills. Really! She has delayed treatments, thought about what to try, they had only given here about 2 months, are we supposed to forget that and do you take a trip with no protection from germs in that situation. Then there is Brena, what is going on in her head, she is a mess. Not sure what will happen from here on but killing Leo was a mistake so I won't be watching.

Making Light of a Serious Illness

[Cenza · 1/10 · 30 June 2014]

The dumbing down of America. A very superficial show. Anyone who thinks this is a good show does not know anything about leukemia or anyone with leukemia. Google it! Leukemia kills and to make a SITCOM out of that is so Hollywood. You don't go back to work after learning that you have leukemia. You don't "chase" life. You are admitted to the hospital and you fight, fight, fight for your life. Why didn't Hollywood pick a different illness ? I know this isn't a documentary, but seriously. Give Americans more credit... instead of just copying another country's TV show. Listen - everyone reading this - learn the true symptoms of leukemia. Because many people go for months without knowing they have it. Don't think that you can just go for days or weeks without getting to the hospital. Many people die from it not knowing they had it. If your doctor tells you what her uncle told her - get yourself to the hospital ASAP for immediate treatment. No joke.