That's Life (1998 TV series)
Encyclopedia
That's Life is an American television sitcom
that premiered March 10, 1998, on ABC
. The series is about a blue-collar
family living in Queens
.
in Queens
. Patty's sister Catherine (Nadia Dajani
) and her son Kieran (Michael Charles Roman) move into the apartment above Mike and Patty. Lisa (Pauley Perrette
) is Patty's college-aged sister. Mitch (Ron Livingston
) is Mike's best friend.
called the series "an affable car wreck of a sitcom". Ray Richmond of Variety
said that it is "an uncomfortably crude" series that "looks to be a jarringly insular, Hollywood vision of how the gentiles must live". In response to the Easter
episode, which aired on April 7, 1998, the series was denounced by the Catholic League for Religious and Civil Rights
as "the most anti-Catholic television show ever".
Situation comedy
A situation comedy, often shortened to sitcom, is a genre of comedy that features characters sharing the same common environment, such as a home or workplace, accompanied with jokes as part of the dialogue...
that premiered March 10, 1998, on ABC
American Broadcasting Company
The American Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network. Created in 1943 from the former NBC Blue radio network, ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Company and is part of Disney-ABC Television Group. Its first broadcast on television was in 1948...
. The series is about a blue-collar
Blue-collar worker
A blue-collar worker is a member of the working class who performs manual labor. Blue-collar work may involve skilled or unskilled, manufacturing, mining, construction, mechanical, maintenance, technical installation and many other types of physical work...
family living in Queens
Queens
Queens is the easternmost of the five boroughs of New York City. The largest borough in area and the second-largest in population, it is coextensive with Queens County, an administrative division of New York state, in the United States....
.
Cast and characters
Mike (Gerry Red Wilson) is head of the meat department at the supermarket. He has been married to Patty (Kellie Overbey) for ten years, and the two live in their own duplexDuplex (building)
The term duplex can be used to describe several different dwelling unit configurations:A duplex house is defined as a dwelling having apartments with separate entrances for two families. This includes two-story houses having a complete apartment on each floor and also side-by-side apartments on a...
in Queens
Queens
Queens is the easternmost of the five boroughs of New York City. The largest borough in area and the second-largest in population, it is coextensive with Queens County, an administrative division of New York state, in the United States....
. Patty's sister Catherine (Nadia Dajani
Nadia Dajani
Nadia Dajani is an American actress of Irish and Palestinian descent.-Acting career:For two seasons , she starred as Amanda Moyer in the Fox television sitcom, Ned & Stacey. She starred in numerous television pilots...
) and her son Kieran (Michael Charles Roman) move into the apartment above Mike and Patty. Lisa (Pauley Perrette
Pauley Perrette
Pauley Perrette is an American actress, best known for playing Abby Sciuto[p] on the U.S. TV series NCIS, a role that has made her the most popular actress on U.S. primetime television. She is also a published writer, a singer and civil rights advocate.-Early life:Perrette was born in New Orleans...
) is Patty's college-aged sister. Mitch (Ron Livingston
Ron Livingston
Ronald Joseph "Ron" Livingston is an American film and television actor. His roles include a disaffected corporate employee in the film Office Space, a sardonic writer in a short-term relationship with Carrie Bradshaw in the TV show Sex and the City, and Captain Lewis Nixon in the miniseries...
) is Mike's best friend.
Reception
Rick Lyman of The New York TimesThe New York Times
The New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
called the series "an affable car wreck of a sitcom". Ray Richmond of Variety
Variety (magazine)
Variety is an American weekly entertainment-trade magazine founded in New York City, New York, in 1905 by Sime Silverman. With the rise of the importance of the motion-picture industry, Daily Variety, a daily edition based in Los Angeles, California, was founded by Silverman in 1933. In 1998, the...
said that it is "an uncomfortably crude" series that "looks to be a jarringly insular, Hollywood vision of how the gentiles must live". In response to the Easter
Easter
Easter is the central feast in the Christian liturgical year. According to the Canonical gospels, Jesus rose from the dead on the third day after his crucifixion. His resurrection is celebrated on Easter Day or Easter Sunday...
episode, which aired on April 7, 1998, the series was denounced by the Catholic League for Religious and Civil Rights
Catholic League (U.S.)
The Catholic League for Religious and Civil Rights, often shortened to the Catholic League, is an American Catholic anti-defamation and civil rights organization...
as "the most anti-Catholic television show ever".