Life Goes On was pretty much about just that...LIFE. Whoever cast the show did one whale of a job. The Thatchers are a blended family, which includes him (Bill Smitrovich) and her (Patti Lupone), his daughter and their son and daughter. But the Thatchers aren't Ozzie & Harriett or Father Knows Best, they live in the real world and their son, Corky (brillantly portrayed by Chris Burke) has Downs Syndrome. They are torn between protecting Corky and giving him the opportunity to mainstream and live a real life. Unfortunately, the writers weren't up to the task after the first season and started straying from what I thought was a brilliant concept. They turned a first rate series into a soap opera in prime time taking the story line into the life's tragedies (fatal car crashes and HIV), instead of keeping the focus on the day-to-day struggles of raising a family while dealing with a child who is challenged and the effects on each family member as Life Goes On.
But with its shortcomings, it is still better than 99% of what is being offered viewers now. Wish it were still on the air. But, unfortunately, as has been their history, ABC can't deal with a winning series.
