Jason Priestley and Marisa Coughlan by Richard Foreman/Lifetime
Lifetime has confirmed that Side Order of Life, starring Marisa Coughlan and Jason Priestley, will not be returning for a second helping. "Although we are not bringing [it] back, we are extremely proud of the show, particularly its sensitive exploration of the issue of living with cancer," Lifetime says in a statement. "We are grateful for the contributions of the talented team, both in front of and behind the camera."That possibilities for that 90210 spin-off just got 15 percent more interesting, eh?
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Question: Your help is needed for a television-fan campaign. Lifetime's Side Order of Life is a show that has not only been fresh and entertaining, but has a message that inspires those of us living with cancer. (I'm a two-time young-adult cancer survivor.) For once, a television show dealt with cancer in a responsible, realistic way without curing or killing the character in one season or at least by sweeps week. This show allowed us to see a character as a survivor, without the clichéd victimization so popularly practiced in the mainstream media. With its renewal still in a state of limbo, those of us who love the show are fighting to keep it alive. The writers' strike affected many shows, but Side Order of Life cancellation would be an absolute blow to the cancer-survivor community. For once Hollywood shows its heart, and now we are threatened with the loss of our voice. The show is also a tremendous teaching show. Cancer doesn't just affect the ones who receive the diagnosis; the ...
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Question: Any update on the Lifetime program Side Order of Life? I read an item you wrote back in October and am wondering if there's any news.
Answer: Not yet. The strike has delayed Lifetime from making certain decisions regarding returning shows and new pilots currently in development. The fate of Side Order of Life hasn't yet been determined, but it's confirmed that State of Mind, the Lily Taylor drama, is not coming back ...
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Question: I'm a faithful reader of yours, and I'm hoping that you might share what you've heard about the possibility of Lifetime's Side Order of Life returning for a second season. It didn't seem to get much attention after its premiere, but I found it to be a charming little show for Sunday evenings to help me ease back into the work week. I particularly enjoyed Diana-Maria Riva's performance as Vivy. It was great to see a strong yet vulnerable woman fighting a devastating disease with such grace and aplomb, not to mention being treated as sexy and desirable without being skeletal-thin! There was enough resolution in the finale that I can accept it as the series ending, but I would enjoy checking in to see how these characters have proceeded with their lives. Any word on its fate?
Answer: No word yet. Lifetime is currently in development mode, shooting two pilots (one with Lorraine Bracco and one with Beau Bridges and Anne Archer), and I'm told that once they're completed, the
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The real "Cell Phone Man" will be revealed on the first-season finale ofLifetime’s Side Order of Life."They said they were looking for a voice that could convey humanity, warmth and a sexy vulnerability — Gilbert Gottfried was unavailable so it fell to me," actor Steven Weber jokingly tells TV Guide.In the cable net’s Ally McBeal-esque hour-long dramedy, Marisa Coughlan plays Jenny, an ambitious magazine writer/photographer who’s examining life’s purpose with great intensity and a little bit of mysticism.Since the series’ start, she’s had ongoing philosophical conversations with an as-yet unseen guy on a cell phone. The series closer has Jenny even questioning her own sanity as she consults with a therapist (guest star Carrie Fisher).Weber describes Side Order as "unabashedly romantic. There are noexplosions and the characters have a vulnerability that is uncommon intelevision."The season finale of Side Order of Life, "Funeral for a Phone," premier...
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Ian Ziering and Jason Priestly on the set of Side Order of Life
For Beverly Hills, 90210 fans, it doesn’t get much better than this: Two grads of West Beverly High’s Class of ’93 reunite (well, sort of ) on Sunday (9 pm/ET) when Jason Priestley (aka boy-next-door Brandon Walsh) is joined by his old Peach Pit pal Ian Ziering (the affable Steve Sanders) on Priestley’s Lifetime dramedy Side Order of Life. “To reunite implies we have been away from each other, which couldn’t be further from the truth,” says Ziering. “Jason and I are the best of friends. As far as working together, we haven’t had any scenes together so far, but there is something in the works.” Ziering, who’s slated for three
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Julia Louis-Dreyfus by Monty Brinton/CBS; Jason Alexander by Jesse Grant/WireImage.com
Old Christine meets up with an old friend when Jason Alexander guest-stars on an episode of Julia Louis-Dreyfus' CBS comedy this season. Alexander will play a lizard handler for children's parties with whom Christine goes out on a date.... Starting Sept. 23 Ian Ziering guests on three episodes of Lifetime's Side Order of Life, which stars Jason Priestley. Ziering plays Jenny's possible cell-phone mystery man.... Jeremy Davies (Rescue Dawn) has landed a recurring role on ABC's Lost.... The Reporter also says that 18-year-old Steven Christopher Parker is joining ER in the recurring role of a nervous and emotionally fragile intern. Oh boy, someone grab a mop.
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Question: OK, I know it's not your channel or your kind of show (it is a chick thing!), but I was wondering: Have you previewed any episodes of Lifetime's Side Order of Life? Though it's a little cheesy, with its Ally McBeal-esque antics (not done half as well...), the heart of this show is very sweet and genuine. Diana-Maria Riva is absolutely amazing as Vivy. The way she makes me laugh and cry, portraying a woman striving to live a normal life despite having cancer, is a prime example of why I love TV and come back for more each week!
Answer: Message received. My initial reaction to reviewing this pilot was to cut it some slack. I agree with the remark about it being cheesy, but I also found it harmless and likable and, most important, very much in keeping with the Lifetime brand (and I don't mean to be patronizing here). By comparison, despite a strong performance by Lili Taylor, I thought its companion show, State of Mind, was an annoyingly over-the-top attempt to bring an FX-like
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• Sunday's penultimate episode of The Next Food Network Star's third season served up 2.6 million viewers, making it the highest-rated telecast in the channel's history. The finale airs Sunday at 9 pm/ET.• Lifetime's Army Wives delivered 3.7 million total viewers this Sunday and was basic cable's top-rated program in several key demos, even besting the Big 3 in women 18-to-49. • Leading into Wives, Marisa Coughlan's Side Order of Life premiered to 2.4 million, followed by Lili Taylor's State of Mind, which opened with 2.3 mil.
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Marisa Coughlan, Side Order of Life
Can lightning strike twice for Lifetime, which just launched the highly successful — and already renewed for a second season — Army Wives? Fronting the cabler's latest effort, Side Order of Life (premiering Sunday at 8 pm/ET), is Marisa Coughlan, familiar to Boston Legal fans for her run as Alan Shore's brainy and beautiful assistant, as well as a cast member in such films as Teaching Mrs. Tingle and Gossip. In Lifetime's new series, Coughlan plays Jenny, a magazine photographer who, with her nuptials pending, is led to question i
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