Side Order of Life
Side Order of Life is a dramatic television series broadcast by Lifetime on Sunday night. In its first five weeks it aired at 8:00pm ET/PT, then switched to the 9:00pm time slot. Marisa Coughlan plays Jenny McIntyre, a photographer who reconsiders her life and is reawakened to her options after her best friend, Vivy Porter, is diagnosed with a recurrence of cancer. Jason Priestley returns to regular series television as Ian Denison, Jenny's fiancé. Christopher Gartin rounds out the main case as Jenny's boss Rick Purdy at the fictional In Person magazine; he is in love with Vivy, who has rejected him. Lifetime broadcast Side Order of Life with State of Mind and Army Wives in an effort to offer a night of new original programming aimed primarily at female viewers during the summer hiatus. Side Order of Life premiered on Lifetime on July 15, 2007. Initial reviews were positive, with Variety.com's Brian Lowry saying, "writer-producer Margaret Nagle brings a level of wit to the proceedings superior to most chick-lit-inspired TV drama." The Seattle Times, after describing the premise, said, "If this all sounds kind of corny, well, it kind of is until you realize the story line hits its mark, making you recall your own missteps and regrets for not having taken better charge."
Insights
Plot Summary
A young woman, Ashley, is tragically killed in a car accident. However, she finds herself in a surreal afterlife where she can observe the lives of her loved ones, particularly her fiancé, Mike. As she watches him struggle to cope with her death, she grapples with her own unfinished business and the possibility of influencing events from beyond the grave, all while navigating the peculiar rules of this mysterious realm.
Critical Reception
Side Order of Life garnered a mixed to positive reception, with critics often praising its unique premise and emotional depth, particularly the performances of its lead actors. However, some found the pacing to be slow at times, and the supernatural elements occasionally overshadowed the grounded emotional drama.
What Reviewers Say
- Praised for its unique and poignant exploration of grief and the afterlife.
- Marla Sokoloff's performance as the deceased protagonist was frequently highlighted.
- Some viewers found the series' supernatural premise to be more compelling than its dramatic elements.
Google audience: Audience reception is not readily available through aggregated Google Reviews for this specific series.
Fun Fact
The series was canceled by the Lifetime network after only seven episodes, despite a generally favorable critical response to its concept.
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