| Life's Work | |
|---|---|
 Title screen with programming information | |
| Genre | Sitcom |
| Created by | Warren Bell and Lisa Ann Walter |
| Starring | Lisa Ann Walter Michael O'Keefe Lainie Kazan Jenny O'Hara Alexa Vega |
| Opening theme | "Life's Work" (instrumental) |
| Composers | Mark Mothersbaugh Bob Mothersbaugh |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Original language | English |
| No. of seasons | 1 |
| No. of episodes | 18 |
| Production | |
| Camera setup | Multi-camera |
| Running time | 30 minutes |
| Production companies | Weest, Inc. Touchstone Television |
| Original release | |
| Network | ABC |
| Release | September 17, 1996 (1996-09-17) – June 10, 1997 (1997-06-10) |
Life's Work is an American sitcom series that aired from September 1996 to June 1997 on ABC; the show stars Lisa Ann Walter as Lisa Ann Minardi Hunter, an assistant district attorney in Baltimore.
Lisa Ann always wanted to practice law since she was young because she always argued with her parents. She also had a basketball coach husband named Kevin Hunter (Michael O'Keefe) who served as the patriarch of the family. Together, they raised a seven-year-old daughter Tess (Alexa Vega) and a toddler son named Griffin (Cameron and Luca Weibel). During the entire run of the series, an electric guitar & piano instrumental was used as the show's opening theme. Walter helped Mark Mothersbaugh write the theme.
Walter was an actress turned stand-up comic whose "voice" of a busy working mom became a top headlining act in the 1990s. ABC developed Life's Work for Walter, where she played a feisty feminist who could stand up to her mother in addition to her superiors at work. Walter received almost unanimous positive reviews for her portrayal of a harried working mother in a bold departure from the usual working mom shows where you never see the mom actually working.
As of July 2022, 15 (of the 18) episodes are available to purchase on several streaming services including AppleTV, Amazon, and YouTube.
In one of the episodes, Lisa Ann claimed to have a sexual affair with then-current American President Bill Clinton.
Cast
Main
- Lisa Ann Walter as Lisa Ann Minardi Hunter
- Michael O'Keefe as Kevin Hunter
- Alexa Vega as Tess Hunter
- Cameron and Luca Weibel as Griffin Hunter
Recurring
- Larry Miller as Mr. Jerome Nash
- Lightfield Lewis as Matt Youngster
- Molly Hagan as Dee Dee Lucas
- Jenny O'Hara and Lainie Kazan as Constance "Connie" Minardi
- Tara Karsian as Emily
Episodes
| No. | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original air date | Prod. code |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | "Pilot" | Michael Lessac | Story by : Lisa Ann Walter & Warren Bell Teleplay by : Warren Bell | September 17, 1996 (1996-09-17) | L402 |
| 2 | "Daycareless" | Michael Lessac | Nora Lynch & Paul Palisoul | September 24, 1996 (1996-09-24) | L404 |
| 3 | "Contempt" | Michael Lessac | Warren Bell | October 1, 1996 (1996-10-01) | L406 |
| 4 | "Concert" | Michael Lessac | Vicki S. Horowitz | October 8, 1996 (1996-10-08) | L407 |
| 5 | "Burnout" | Michael Lessac | Elin Hampton & David Fury | October 15, 1996 (1996-10-15) | L405 |
| 6 | "Playdates" | Michael Lessac | Tim Maile and Douglas Tuber | October 22, 1996 (1996-10-22) | L403 |
| 7 | "Girlfriends" | Unknown | Alana Burgi & Marsha Myers | October 29, 1996 (1996-10-29) | L408 |
| 8 | "Pregnancy" | Michael Lessac | Mitchell Newman | November 12, 1996 (1996-11-12) | L409 |
| 9 | "Jobs" | Unknown | Elin Hampton & David Fury | November 19, 1996 (1996-11-19) | L410 |
| 10 | "Gobbledegook" | Michael Lessac | Nora Lynch & Paul Palisoul | November 26, 1996 (1996-11-26) | L411 |
| 11 | "Boss" | Michael Lessac | Bernie DeLeo | December 3, 1996 (1996-12-03) | L412 |
| 12 | "Fired" | Michael Lessac | Douglas Tuber & Tim Maile | December 17, 1996 (1996-12-17) | L413 |
| 13 | "Harassment" | Howard Murray | Matt Ember & Warren Bell | January 7, 1997 (1997-01-07) | L414 |
| 14 | "Fraud" | Howard Murray | Marsha Myers & Alana Burgi | January 14, 1997 (1997-01-14) | L415 |
| 15 | "Neighbors" | Michael Lessac | Douglas Tuber & Tim Maile | January 28, 1997 (1997-01-28) | L417 |
| 16 | "Ride Along" | Michael Lessac | Story by : Lois Bromfield Teleplay by : Phil Palisoul & Nora Lynch | May 27, 1997 (1997-05-27) | L418 |
| 17 | "Dates" | Michael Lessac | Nora Lynch & Phil Palisoul | June 3, 1997 (1997-06-03) | L416 |
| 18 | "Banquet" | Michael Lessac | Story by : Douglas Tuber & Tim Maile Teleplay by : Alana Burgi & Marsha Myers | June 10, 1997 (1997-06-10) | L419 |
Cancellation
The show was put on hiatus after the episode "Neighbors" aired on January 27, 1997. Months later, having finished the season in 38th place with a 9.5 rating, the show was officially cancelled even though it held on to more than 90% of the viewers who watched the final season of Roseanne.
References
- Lisa
- "Duration of show (Italian)". Antonio Genna. Retrieved 2011-05-11.
- ^ "Series Summary". TV.com. Retrieved 2008-08-15.
- "Lisa Ann Walter Summary". Sitcoms Online. Retrieved 2010-03-17.
- Damerini, Margaria 2001, p. 426
- "Why Life's Work Didn't Last". Internet Archive. 2002-10-16. Archived from the original on 2002-10-16. Retrieved 2008-08-15.
Bibliography
- Damerini, Leopoldo; Fabrizio Margaria (2001). Garzanti (ed.). Dizionario dei telefilm (1ª ed.). Garzanti. ISBN 88-11-74000-2.
- 1990s American multi-camera sitcoms
- 1996 American television series debuts
- 1997 American television series endings
- 1990s American legal television series
- 1990s American workplace comedy television series
- American English-language television shows
- Television series by ABC Studios
- Television shows set in Baltimore
- American Broadcasting Company sitcoms