Have you ever thought your life was going in one direction, then suddenly everything changes and it’s not what you’d though it would be? This is just a glimpse of what the new CW show Life Sentence is all about. This week, I sit down with Executive Producers and Co-Creators Erin Cardillo and Richard Keith to talk about their brilliant idea, and the unconventional way they got to this point in their careers.
CW’s LIFE SENTENCE follows Stella (Lucy Hale), a girl who has spent the last eight years living like she was dying (because she was). Just like the “manic pixie dream girl” heroines in her favorite sappy cancer movies, Stella traveled the world, faced her darkest fears and found true love on a whirlwind trip to Paris. But when Stella finds out that her cancer has been cured, she is suddenly forced to face the long-term consequences of the “live in the moment” decisions she made, including marrying a total stranger. And if that’s not enough, she also finds out that her “perfect family” isn’t so perfect after all. Turns out, because she was dying, everyone in her life hid their problems from her. But, now that she’s well, all bets are off.
Those of you who’ve been following MIH from the beginning will remember Richard was on my show in the early days. He talked about how he and Erin got their start on another CW show, Significant Mother. It’s been a whirlwind of changes and new beginnings for them since our last interview. I think they’d both agree that the biggest change is that they are both parents now. Erin and her husband, and Rich and his wife Sarah all found out they were pregnant on the same day. Their kids were born just one week apart while they were in the middle of network show notes for their pilot. Seriously, I couldn’t have written this story more perfectly.
They talk about what it was like to have a newborn, and produce a new show at the same time. I could barely get out of bed when Channing was born much less do anything creative. Over the past year they have learned to be showrunners and parents at the same time. Both tell me each role is fulfilling in different ways. It’s shaped how they write and how they parent. They also talk about how their perspective on what they put out into the world has changed since becoming parents and finding their voice as writers.
With Life Sentence, they’ve taken what’s typically seen as a death sentence, and flipped it on it’s head. Cancer isn’t something to joke about and I think Erin and Rich have found a beautiful balance between telling the reality of living with cancer, and what happens when you get to just live. They give a lot of credit to their producing partner, veteran TV exec Bill Lawrence (Scrubs, Cougar Town). They tell me he’s been a tremendous inspiration for them in their careers.
Honestly, if they ever need inspiration for another show, they should look at their own lives and tell that story. Friends, writing partners and parents. Sounds like a perfect life sentence to me.
Life Sentence airs March 7th 9|8c on the CW. To learn more about Rich and Erin follow them on Twitter @RichKeith and @theErinCardillo. And to hear the rest of our interview, subscribe to Motherhood in Hollywood on Apple Podcasts, Stitcher or wherever you choose to get your podcast fix.