'18 to Life'Premieres tonight: More Stacey Farber,Please

Image Credit: George Pimentel/WireImage.com

It’s getting to that point in the summer where good, new television is hard to come by, which causes us to settle for reruns of Law & Order: SVU just to see how quickly we can guess the crime and criminal (ready, go: rape, creepy co-worker, time!). Sure there’s the great outdoors, but with bugs and humidity, eh, it’s overrated. Fear not, lost and lonely viewers, the CW is attempting to reel your wandering eyes in with the new sitcom 18 to Life, starring Michael Seater (Life with Derek) and Stacey Farber (Degrassi: The Next Generation).

The quirky, half-hour comedy (which premiered in Canada in January) follows 18-year-old neighbors Tom (Seater) and Jessie (Farber) who’ve fallen in love and get engaged on a dare (sort of like Farber’s Degrassi friends Emma and Spinner). Their impulsive decision leaves their very different sets of parents — Tom’s are pearl-wearing, rule-book following sticklers, while Jessie’s harbor Iraqi refugees  — at odds with one another over the fates of their children. Where will they live? What will they do? Who cares! 18 is the new 24 and he loves her enough to buy her tampons.

As for Degrassi similarities?

Surprisingly there aren’t that many. 18 to Life takes itself a lot less seriously and has more of a Malcom in the Middle feel than that of our favorite Canadian import (but Jessie’s friend does look like a brainy Manny Santos). 18 to Life premieres tonight at 9 p.m. EST. Check out the trailer below:



I’ve always been a fan of Ellie Nash (Farber), Degrassi’s sarcastic, aspiring journalist (go, nerds), even through her self-mutilation, goth period, and far too many years spent pining for Craig Manning. With many of her Degrassi castmates crossing the border and making it big in the U.S., I’ve been waiting for the day when Farber gets the break she deserves. She’s great in high school settings, but perhaps it’s time she graduate to something with more of an edge? You know, get a few indies under her belt, play the romantic interest to Jesse Eisenberg, revisit Ellie’s dark days in a supporting role to an ensemble drama, etc. Then again, big ratings on a major American network could make all of that possible…
Will you be tuning in, PopWatchers? Does 18 to Life have what it takes to fight off the summer doldrums? Are you happy to see Stacey Farber back on TV?.