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Season 1 – Life Is Wild

Play trailer Poster for Season 1 – Life Is Wild Oct 2007 Drama Play Trailer Watchlist
Watchlist Tomatometer Popcornmeter
47% Tomatometer 15 Reviews 88% Popcornmeter Fewer than 50 Ratings
New York veterinarian Danny Clarke moves his troubled family -- children Katie and Chase; Danny's second wife, Jo; and her two high-maintenance kids, Jesse and Mia -- to a broken-down lodge called The Blue Antelope in a South African game reserve. Danny hopes the change of location will heal the tensions within his blended family, and he also wants to make a difference in the lives of the animals and people of South Africa. But Danny has another reason as well: The Blue Antelope was where his late wife, Claire, grew up, and it's still home to her reclusive father, Art. As Danny and his family ease into their radically different new life, they meet locals including handsome Brit Oliver Banks and his twin sister, Emily, whose father, Colin, runs a safari business for wealthy tourists. There's also Tumelo, a teenager who dreams of becoming a veterinarian just like Danny.
Life Is Wild — Season 1

What to Know

Critics Consensus

Life is Wild's breathtaking setting can't hide its overreliance on bland, saccharine family drama.

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Critics Reviews

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Hal Boedeker Orlando Sentinel 10/09/2019
If you're going to film a series at a wildlife reserve in South Africa, you'd better come up with humans who can compete with the wildlife. Life Is Wild doesn't. Go to Full Review Matthew Gilbert Boston Globe 10/09/2019
Why does "wholesome" have to mean "bland" when it comes to network TV? To wit, the CW's "Life Is Wild," a family melodrama that's as wild as a bowl of crackers and milk. Go to Full Review Ray Richmond The Hollywood Reporter 10/09/2019
There is both everything going on and nothing going on simultaneously in this CW hour, but the series ultimately could click, depending on where things go from here. Go to Full Review Emily Ashby Common Sense Media 10/09/2019
3/5
Its setting in the wilds of South Africa gives it an aesthetically beautiful quality, and the native background music and wildlife footage are a real treats for viewers. Go to Full Review Tom Jicha South Florida Sun-Sentinel 10/09/2019
There's enough of an edge to keep it from being "uncool" to adolescents and teens, but not enough to upset parents with rigid standards. Go to Full Review Todd R. Ramlow PopMatters 10/09/2019
1/10
While Life is Wild is structured as a sort of fishes-out-of-water tale, it is more accurately described as a neocolonial... fantasy. Go to Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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Stephen C @bob25009 Sep 15 13 successful episodes!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Rated TV-PG!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Originally aired on the CW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! See more steve d @RT35616104 07/27/2020 Inept tv show that feels from a different decade. It never even properly develops the family relationship let alone anything else. See more Read all reviews
Life Is Wild — Season 1

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Cast & Crew

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Leah Pipes

Katie

D.W. Moffett

Danny Clarke

Stephanie Niznik

Jo Weller-Clarke

Kesun Loder

Chase Clarke

Andrew St. John

Jesse Weller

Mary Mouser

Mia

Episodes

Episode 1 Aired Oct 7, 2007 Pilot Jo struggles to adjust to her family's move to South Africa; Danny immediately begins working on sick and injured animals; things begin to look up for Katie and Jesse when they meet young locals Oliver, Tumelo and Emily. Details Episode 2 Aired Oct 14, 2007 Ubuntu Popular girls at school volunteer to help Katie write a poem in the Zulu language for a class project; Tumelo befriends Katie and teaches her about an African concept embracing respect; Jesse visits a local hangout, where the bartender attracts him. Details Episode 3 Aired Oct 21, 2007 Open for Business The Clarkes greet their first guests; Katie auditions for the Spring Sing Fling; Jesse gets a job. Details Episode 4 Aired Oct 28, 2007 Heritage Day On Heritage Day, Katie wants to attend a party with Oliver and Emily at the Mara Lodge; a monkey snatches Jesse's toiletry kit through the bathroom window; Danny and Jo celebrate the holiday by attending the township party with Chase and Mia. Details Episode 5 Aired Nov 4, 2007 Bad to the Bone Danny and Jo expect Katie and Jesse to spend the weekend doing chores instead of relaxing at Mara Lodge; Jesse and Oliver encounter a prized cheetah; Katie and Oliver skip out on their bill at a bar. Details Episode 6 Aired Nov 11, 2007 Games People Play Katie learns that the boys and the girls will compete against each other in a charity soccer game, and her soccer skills cause tension with Oliver; Jesse quickly befriends a lodge guest whose actions cause serious injury. Details Episode 7 Aired Nov 18, 2007 The Heart Wants What It Wants The Blue Antelope throws its first wedding; Katie discovers a secret about Oliver's father; an ill elephant may have a crush on a giraffe. Details Episode 8 Aired Dec 2, 2007 Animal House When they go away to a conference, Jo and Danny reluctantly leave Jesse and Katie in charge for the weekend; Jesse invites Emily and her friends to hang out; a lioness crashes the party. Details Episode 9 Aired Dec 9, 2007 The Code Katie, Oliver, Emily and Tumelo form a study group to prepare for their midterm exam; Jesse faces accusations of cheating; Danny and Jo do not offer Blue Antelope guests the guided wildlife hunt they expect. Details Episode 10 Aired Jan 6, 2008 Rescue Me The classmates go on an adventure in the bush, but Jesse refuses to participate; the group encounters an alligator; Tumelo and Katie get lost in a cave. Details Episode 11 Aired Jan 20, 2008 Love Life Katie befriends an HIV-positive student; Emily confronts Jesse about Mbali; a "green guide" inspector visits the Blue Antelope. Details Episode 12 Aired Jan 27, 2008 P.O.C. Katie and Tumelo break up with their respective love interests; Jesse helps Mbali find the courage to end her engagement and learns about her plans outside South Africa; Jo and Art compete to establish whose duties are more difficult. Details Episode 13 Aired Feb 3, 2008 Home Art and Danny get injured while trying to introduce a fertile male into the pride; Jo's actions surprise Katie, who wants Jesse to remain with the family. Details

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Season Info

Director
Ed Fraiman, James Steven Sadwith, Brian Gordon, Brian Grant
Executive Producer
Michael Rauch
Screenwriter
Stuart Zicherman, Michael Rauch, Elizabeth Hunter, Maggie Bandur, D.E. Klerk, Jennifer Levin, Sue Tenney, Dana Baratta, Raven Metzner
Network
The CW
Rating
TV-PG
Genre
Drama
Original Language
English
Release Date
Oct 7, 2007