Life Is Wild

When I first saw the preview for this series on television, I thought that it might be an interesting show. However, I wasn't scrambling to to watch every episode because other shows piqued my interest more. I have recently watched two episodes online-- Umbuntu and Open for Business. The pilot was unavailable at the time, but i did go back and skim through it at a later date. Others may have my initial feelings about the show. My thinking was that there were better series' on TV. That was until i watched the episode after the pilot (umbuntu). It was captivating and funny and had characters who could actually act! In high school, i always wanted to get away from my life. I would have loved to have moved away to some other country for a year. This family gets to do that and we as the audience get to watch their trials, tribulations, and victories as a blended family in a strange country trying to make their life work.

It seemed like a dumb idea from the jump: moving the Brady bunch family to Africa to bond. Africa, of all places. This was like a PBS special where you'll get to learn about a new culture while learning lessons about life in the midst.

This show is like a poor version of 7th Heaven, when 7th Heaven was in its worst and final seasons (after half of their biological children left).

The first episode was mildly interesting. Every episode after literally put me to sleep. The parents were dull. The children were duller.

Perhaps if they focused less on trying to teach a loving lesson, it wouldn't have gotten canceled. Incredibly bad actors also, except the Mom.

But, GOD, what a boring show.

I know it is based on a British TV show, but, while I don't get why anyone would produce a remake while the original is still being filmed, I loved this show. I was deeply disappointed after I found out there won't be a second season and I get angry about this fact every time I re watch the show. I think it's great that there is/was a show about moving to Africa for a younger target-group. Most TV shows about or from Africa are more heavy and serious (I don't mean that this is generally bad). I'm personally a big fan of happy endings and shows that have a bit of a moral focus as well. Anyway for me it's a lighthearted, fun teenage/family drama.

To be fair I should mention that the original is also good (though I knew 'life is wild' before 'wild at heart') but it is not published in my mother language and while I watch multiple shows in English some of the actors in the original are quite hard to understand for me. But judging from the few episodes that where dubbed and the rest in English I enjoy life is wild more because it is more relateable to me and in my opinion adds more small sidejokes to the drama than the original while the original is a little bit more serious.

I wanted to watch this show because I love Africa and I was excited to see a show every week that would remind me of it. That part has been great! The dad on the show is a vet, so there are plenty of African animal plot lines, and that's fun. The rest of the plot though is predictable and not all that compelling. I continue to watch each week, but I don't think I'd care too much if I missed one. It is a pretty clean show, which is rare and refreshing. The boy gets into trouble, but it is usually followed up with a lesson and some character growth, another nice route. I think that the show is picking up speed, I'm starting to care a little more about the characters (7 episodes in) - sometimes a show takes a bit of time to get going. I will watch it as long as it runs.

I have been watching the series since its inception and I thoroughly enjoy it. It is a novel approach to a family story and family situation, albeit it is in South Africa which adds to the charm. While it sometimes causes me pause to keep track of the relationships the various members have to each other in the family, when I stop and think about it, it becomes more real, because that is what modern families are like. It is a joined family with mom and dad each having children when they marry, and the move to South Africa is to better cement the relationships among the various members and ensure bonding. They move into a motel-like situation which they decide to turn into an Eco-friendly resort, with mom essentially in charge. Dad is a veterinarian and is increasing the number of animals on the preserve to have more for the tourist-visitors to enjoy. They are hindered, for the most part lovingly, by dad's first wife's father who lives there and ran the place before they came. He objects to hard work,mostly, but also lots of other changes. The oldest boy and girl are in high school and in trouble of one sort or another almost continuously. It is enjoyable to see how they get out and how they are growing to adulthood. I most identify with Chase, the younger boy, who personifies what I was like at that age,pretty much of a loner trying to fit in. Played by K'Sun Ray I feel much for his plight. The story is well worth plugging into, very enjoyable.