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ABC’s groundbreaking family drama Life Goes On is getting a new lease on you-know-what.
Warner Bros. Television is developing a revival of the ’90s series, with original cast member Kellie Martin (Becca) set to star and produce. Chad Lowe, whose HIV-positive character Jesse died in the original show, will return solely as a producer. (An earlier version of this story hinted at a possible on screen return for Lowe, but a Warner Bros. rep has since shot down that speculation.)
The project is being shepherded by All American showrunner Nkechi Okoro Carroll. The show’s original creator, Michael Braverman, will serve as an executive consultant.
The OG series, which was the first TV show to feature a major character with Down syndrome via Chris Burke’s Corky, ran from 1989 to 1993. The original cast also included Patti LuPone and Bill Smitrovich as Becca and Corky’s parents, and Monique Lanier as the pair’s half-sister.
Life Goes On 2.0 will be shopped to the networks and streamers soon, per our sister pub Deadline, which notes that the follow-up will revisit Martin’s grown-up Becca (now a doctor) as she returns to her hometown and reconnects with her family.
“I feel like it would be really interesting to see where Corky is today,” Martin told Extra back in 2018 when asked about the possibility of a revival. “He still is amazing and I think it would be really interesting to see what his needs are and how he navigates his life today.”
Now this is a revival I can get behind.
I loved this show. Will be great to revisit.
Same. This was such a wonderful show. Lots of heart without being sappy. If the reboot happens I’ll definitely watch.
How can Chad be back? Didn’t his character die in the original? That was one of my favorite shows, and it’s frustrating that it isn’t available on DVD or streaming.
Hi Sherry,
No, Jessie didn’t die in the original. There was an episode of Season 3 (I think) where there was a flash forward and Becca is telling her current husband about Jessie (but they could just pretend that episode didn’t happen). In the series finale, I think there was another flash-forward of Becca & Jessie getting married after they graduated from college.
Jesse did die with HIV what are you talking about. If you watched you would have known.
The series finale was of Becca telling a story to a 10 year old boy and was mostly flashbacks. At the very end we find out he’s her son and his name is Jesse. Via flashback we find out Becca and Jesse got back together and married. She wanted kids with him but he was kinda against it. The finale never said what came of Jesse and who was the father of the 10 year old Jesse. However series creator Michael Braverman explained that Becca’s son was indeed fathered by Jesse. He wanted to show that, at some point in the future, it would be possible for them to safely have a child together.
The article says Chad Lowe is back as a producer of the show only
Tracey Needham played the sister the majority of the time.
So excited for this! Absolutely loved the original show!
I really loved this show! Would love to see what Becca and Corky are up to now.
I don’t know. This was one of my favorite shows growing up. I still sing the theme song from time to time.
However if they can bring something to the table that is fresh and never done before like the original did I could get behind it. But that is a big hurdle to jump these days.
Finally a re-boot worth watching! This makes me smile, and brings hope for a new show I could get behind.
Loved the cast, loved the story-lines and they better bring back the wonderful use of the Beatles song for the opening theme!
Loved this show and I will be watching if this moves forward! :)
Always wondered why Chad Lowe never became a star like his brother Rob.
It might have something to do with him up and quitting his very popular sitcom right in the middle of the production season. That’s something that can get you blacklisted in Hollywood for sure. He’s actually lucky to have had the career he’s had after pulling such a stunt.
Not saying I fault the guy for it, he was a 15 year old kid at the time. But the industry can be really unforgiving about these kinds of things.
Quitting series hasn’t hurt Mandy Matinkin or David Caruso, but they may be the exceptions. Caruso did seem to have an underwhelming career after he quite NYPD Blue until CSI: Miami, but that might have been because of Kiss of Death and Jade.
They also didn’t quit mid-season, I don’t think. And they weren’t the titular character, and were part of an ensemble.
I had never heard about that — I had to look it up. Sounds as if he was a dumb kid who really needed better advice from an agent, manager or parent (or his brother).
Claire Danes did it and her career survived. Just saying…
One Lowe pretty boy is enough.
Well, his drug problem didn’t help. Not gossip, as it came out during his divorce from Hilary Swank.
One of my all time favorite shows. Kellie Martin and the entire cast is what made the show so special! Hope it comes back to the original network so that anew generation of viewers can experience it.
I’d be interested to see this. I remember Corky had a girlfriend that he married in the last season. Also, Monique Lanier was Paige for only season one; Tracey Needham played her for the remaining 3 seasons.
Where in the show did Jesse die? They never said or showed him dead. It’s like nobody watched the finale or read the book that was written about this show where the creator specifically says he and Becca had children and was the father of the 10 year old in the finale. I guess you can speculate that he died off camera. However they never mentioned it in the show.
I always thought it was implied that Jesse had died off camera sometime before the flash forward of when Becca is telling their son the story in the series finale.
This sounds great, can’t wait to watch it.
Loved the original & would definitely be behind the revival/reboot if its done w/the same passion & integrity as the original. And, of course, providing it lands where I can actually watch it (i.e. network TV).
This is a reboot/revisit I would really like to see. The Family, Corky, there’s so much potential here.
No LuPone. No Point.
Where does the article state or imply that Patti LuPone won’t be in it?
It says that that Becca ” reconnects with her family” which conceivably can include her Mom.
I can’t imagine LuPone not making an appearance. She and Martin are close friends and went on to play mother/daughter in two more shows. LuPone even sang at Martin’s wedding. She’ll be there.
This makes me so happy. I hope it gets picked up.
OMG. My family LOVED this show!
Loved the first series, never missed an episode love Martin as an actress. I hope Patti Lupone returns
Can totally get behind this! I know it’s says he’s only producer but Jesse should come back too.
I loved this show and would live to see it come back. Becca needs to be played by the same person!!
Wow. A revival with the same racial makeup as the original? I didn’t think you could do that in 2021.
One of my favorite shows. Been waiting for them to release the entire series on DVD. Maybe they’ll do that now if this show gets picked up. Would love to see what they’re all up to now!
Make it stop. Make it all stop. Enough.
I love the idea of this coming back. If it happens I will watch it for sure. It will be great to see all the family back. I had forgotten about Chad Lowe’s character dying He could come back as his brother. He should be part of the program too. Hope you Bring it back. ABC would be silly not to bring it back.