''Life on a Stick'' (originally titled ''Related by Family'') is an American

sitcom A sitcom, a portmanteau of situation comedy, or situational comedy, is a genre of comedy centered on a fixed set of characters who mostly carry over from episode to episode. Sitcoms can be contrasted with sketch comedy, where a troupe may use ne ...

that aired on

Fox Foxes are small to medium-sized, omnivorous mammals belonging to several genera of the family Canidae. They have a flattened skull, upright, triangular ears, a pointed, slightly upturned snout, and a long bushy tail (or ''brush''). Twelve sp ...

from March 24 to April 27, 2005. Thirteen episodes of the show were completed, but Fox only showed the first five before pulling the show due to poor ratings.

Premise

The show centers on several teen characters who work and hang out at the mall food court. The main characters are Laz, his stepsister Molly, Laz's best friend Fred, and Laz's new girlfriend Lily. Laz's dad Rick and Molly's mom Michelle also play a large role in the show. They love all of their children, but their clear favorite is Gus (Frankie Ryan Manriquez). Laz and Fred, both 18, have been friends forever. Just out of high school and unsure what they want to do with their lives, they take jobs at a mall food court, at "Yippiee Hot Dogs" run by Mr. Hut (

Maz Jobrani Maziyar Jobrani ( fa, مازیار جبرانی; born February 26, 1972) is an American comedian and actor who was part of the "Axis of Evil" comedy group. The group appeared on a comedy special on Comedy Central. Jobrani has also appeared in n ...

). Laz meets Lily, the girl of his dreams there. Optimistic but not ambitious, Laz cuts a deal with his dad Rick and stepmom Michelle which allows Laz to continue living rent-free at home. All he must do is keep an eye on his stepsister, Molly. Michelle and Rick hope that Laz will help socialize Molly and get her on the right track with Jasper.

Cast

Zachary Knighton Zachary Andrew Knighton (born October 25, 1978) is an American actor, most widely known for starring as Dave Rose on the ABC comedy series '' Happy Endings''. Prior to that, he co-starred as Dr. Bryce Varley on ABC's science fiction series ''Fl ...

as Laz Lackerson *

Charlie Finn Charlie Finn (born September 18, 1975) is an American film, television, and voice actor. Finn is best known for his role as the voice of Spud in '' American Dragon: Jake Long''. Early life and education Finn was born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, an ...

as Fred * Rachelle Lefevre as Lily * Saige Thompson as Molly Callahan *

Amy Yasbeck Amy Marie Yasbeck (born September 12, 1962) is an American actress. She is best known for her role as Casey Chappel Davenport on the sitcom ''Wings A wing is a type of fin that produces lift while moving through air or some other fluid. Acc ...

as Michelle Lackerson *

Matthew Glave Matthew Glave (born August 19, 1963) is an American actor best known for his roles in ''The Wedding Singer'', '' Picket Fences'', '' Baby's Day Out'', '' ER'', '' Stargate SG-1'', ''Army Wives'', '' Girlfriends' Guide to Divorce'', and '' Angie ...

as Rick Lackerson

Episodes

An alternate version of the pilot exists, originally titled ''Related by Family'', featuring a different actor, Kurt Doss, playing Gus Lackerson.

Development and production

Originally called ''Related by Family,'' the show was created by

Victor Fresco Victor Fresco (born January 9, 1958) is an American television writer and producer. Personal life Born and raised in Los Angeles, Fresco received his Bachelor's Degree in film and political science from Hampshire College. After graduating, he w ...

, who had also created the short-lived sitcom ''

Andy Richter Controls the Universe ''Andy Richter Controls the Universe'' is a sitcom which aired from 2002–2003 on the Fox network. The series was Andy Richter's first starring role after leaving NBC's ''Late Night with Conan O'Brien'' in 2000. Running for two seasons, totaling ...

''. However, like ''Andy Richter Controls the Universe'', poor ratings doomed ''Life on a Stick'' to quick cancellation. It only aired five low-rated episodes, although the premiere had ''

American Idol ''American Idol'' is an American singing competition television series created by Simon Fuller, produced by Fremantle North America and 19 Entertainment, and distributed by Fremantle North America. It aired on Fox from June 11, 2002, to Ap ...

'' for a lead-in. Thirteen episodes were produced. Yasbeck took this role as part of the healing process following the death of her husband

John Ritter Johnathan Southworth Ritter (September 17, 1948 – September 11, 2003) was an American actor. Ritter was a son of the singing cowboy star Tex Ritter and the father of actors Jason and Tyler Ritter. He is known for playing Jack Tripper on the ...

. A role on ''Life on a Stick'' was offered to the then-unknown

Charlie Day Charles Peckham Day (born February 9, 1976) is an American actor, writer, producer and podcaster. He is best known for playing Charlie Kelly on the FX comedy ''It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia'' (2005–present), which he co-created with Rob ...

; he turned it down to continue working on the pilot for what would become ''

It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia ''It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia'' is an American sitcom created by Rob McElhenney and developed by McElhenney and Glenn Howerton that premiered on August 4, 2005 on FX and later FXX beginning with the ninth season in 2013. It stars Char ...

''.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Life On A Stick 2005 American television series debuts 2005 American television series endings 2000s American sitcoms Television shows set in Seattle English-language television shows Fox Broadcasting Company original programming Television series by CBS Studios Television series created by Victor Fresco