Life Goes On
Obladi, oblada, life goes on, brah, lala, how the life goes on.
Created by Michael Braverman
On ABC
A warm, family-centered drama set in suburban Chicago that treats disability and everyday challenges with dignity and affection rather than sentimentality.
Life Goes On is a television series that aired on ABC from September 12, 1989, to May 23, 1993. The show centers on the Thatcher family living in suburban Chicago: Drew, his wife Elizabeth, and their children Paige, Rebecca, and Charles, who is known as Corky. Life Goes On was the first television series to have a major character with Down syndrome.
Questions people ask
Is Life Goes On easy watching? Yes. More comforting than 86% of series.
Does Life Goes On leave you hopeful? Yes. More hopeful than 81% of series.
Is Life Goes On violent? Barely. Less violent than 78% of series.
Is Life Goes On scary? Barely. Less frightening than 76% of series.
Is Life Goes On sad? About average. Almost exactly mid-range.
These describe how the series comes across across its whole run, compared with other well-known series. They are not a content list — nothing here was counted or checked episode by episode, so for age-suitability or specific content use a classification board or a dedicated content-warning service.
Cinnamon Score
How much this series gives you that nothing else will, and whether it delivers.
Familiar shape, done well.
How unlike any other series this one feels
How much more it delivers than it promises
How much audiences actually like it
Ensemble
Like Life Goes On
Nearest across the full emotional profile.
Same Mood as Life Goes On
Nearest on what's most distinctive about this one.
Like Life Goes On, But Darker
Similar, pushed toward heavier and more intense.
Like Life Goes On, But Lighter
Similar, pushed toward warmer and easier.
Like Life Goes On, But Less Popular
Same territory, far fewer people have seen it.
