Because I barely watch TV, it took me a while to finish this show. Don’t ask me why. You’d get a terrible answer. But with Chasing Life only having two seasons, you would think that I would have finished it ages ago. Nope. Though I remember finding this show via random Internet search, and I was intrigued by the plot! The show ended in 2015, so I heard about it after the series had ended. It’s a short series, but it is still worth the watch! How so?
What is Chasing Life? Chasing Life is a TV show about a woman named April Carver (played by Italia Ricci), who is battling cancer. Along with that, she is also tackling business dealing with her journalism career and her personal life. Her family is trying to deal with her diagnosis, and April does what she can to live through each day. Her sister Brenna (played by Haley Ramm) is going through her own battles, from coming out as bisexual to switching schools. Financial battles and family secrets also come out, adding more fuel to the fire. Nevertheless, April continues to fight for her life and live while she still can.
What’s so good about it? Chasing Life is a heartwarming story about struggles with cancer and family issues that happen every day. You don’t hear about those kinds of television shows all the time. I felt connected to the characters, like they could be real-life characters. I felt emotions throughout the series, from April’s conversations with her doctor, to the mishaps that go on with her family and social life, to the joyous moments of her life like marriage and vacationing.
What are your least favorite parts about it? I remember reading about a stereotype called the “Black best friend,” where the Black character is portrayed like they have nothing else to do besides be their White best friend’s sidekick. I read about it a while ago, but when I first saw that, I immediately thought back to this show. Beth Kingston (played by Aisha Dee) happens to be April’s best friend. While she is mixed race, the “Black best friend” stereotype totally applies here. I, myself, wondered how Beth had a lot of time to meet up with April. It turns out it was all due to the utilization of this stereotype.
If I had to point out one weak part about this show, that one is it. Beth being around April a lot seems harmless on the surface, but once you learn about that stereotype, any good intentions of the character setup vanishes. It’s one that is used all too often. “But Krista,” you ask. “If that bothers you, why do you recommend this show?”
Why do I recommend it? Well, it goes back to what I stated earlier in this article. It is because Chasing Life is a heartwarming show about how dealing with cancer not only affects you, but also your family and friends. I think that there needs to be more shows based on battling illnesses and the impact that it can have on you internally and externally. The whirlwind of raw emotions and the realistic nature of the story make it all the more memorable.
It would have been interesting to have a season 3 just to find out what would happen with April and her family in the future. No further than that though, because not every TV show should be dragged out for 5+ seasons. Some shows are better off ending after 3 or 4 seasons. I won’t spoil the ending of the series, but you’ll know what I mean once you watch the whole show. Especially if you need show recommendations, this is a series you can get through in a short period of time. Don’t worry, you’ll be able to watch other shows afterwards.
