Life's Work

Life's Work is an American sitcom series that aired from September 1996 to June 1997 on ABC; the show stars Lisa Ann Walter as Lisa Ann Minardi Hunter, an assistant district attorney in Baltimore.

Life's Work
Title screen with programming information
GenreSitcom
Created byWarren Bell and Lisa Ann Walter[1]
StarringLisa Ann Walter
Michael O'Keefe
Lainie Kazan
Jenny O'Hara
Alexa Vega
Opening theme"Life's Work" (instrumental)
ComposersMark Mothersbaugh
Bob Mothersbaugh
Country of originUnited States
Original languageEnglish
No. of seasons1
No. of episodes18
Production
Camera setupMulti-camera
Running time30 minutes[2]
Production companiesWeest, Inc.
Touchstone Television
Release
Original networkABC
Original releaseSeptember 17, 1996 (1996-09-17) –
June 10, 1997 (1997-06-10)

Lisa Ann always wanted to practice law since she was young because she always argued with her parents.[3] She also had a basketball coach husband named Kevin Hunter (Michael O'Keefe) who served as the patriarch of the family.[3] Together, they raised a seven-year-old daughter Tess (Alexa Vega) and a toddler son named Griffin (Cameron and Luca Weibel).[3] During the entire run of the series, an electric guitar & piano instrumental was used as the show's opening theme. Walter helped Mark Mothersbaugh write the theme.

Walter was an actress turned stand-up comic whose "voice" of a busy working mom became a top headlining act in the 1990s. ABC developed Life's Work for Walter, where she played a feisty feminist who could stand up to her mother in addition to her superiors at work.[4] Walter received almost unanimous positive reviews for her portrayal of a harried working mother in a bold departure from the usual working mom shows where you never see the mom actually working.

As of July 2022, 15 (of the 18) episodes are available to purchase on several streaming services including AppleTV, Amazon, and YouTube.

In one of the episodes, Lisa Ann claimed to have a sexual affair with then-current American President Bill Clinton.[5]

Cast

Main

Recurring

Episodes
No.TitleDirected byWritten byOriginal air dateProd.
code
1"Pilot"Michael LessacStory by : Lisa Ann Walter & Warren Bell
Teleplay by : Warren Bell		September 17, 1996 (1996-09-17)L402
2"Daycareless"Michael LessacNora Lynch & Paul PalisoulSeptember 24, 1996 (1996-09-24)L404
3"Contempt"Michael LessacWarren BellOctober 1, 1996 (1996-10-01)L406
4"Concert"Michael LessacVicki S. HorowitzOctober 8, 1996 (1996-10-08)L407
5"Burnout"Michael LessacElin Hampton & David FuryOctober 15, 1996 (1996-10-15)L405
6"Playdates"Michael LessacTim Maile and Douglas TuberOctober 22, 1996 (1996-10-22)L403
7"Girlfriends"UnknownAlana Burgi & Marsha MyersOctober 29, 1996 (1996-10-29)L408
8"Pregnancy"Michael LessacMitchell NewmanNovember 12, 1996 (1996-11-12)L409
9"Jobs"UnknownElin Hampton & David FuryNovember 19, 1996 (1996-11-19)L410
10"Gobbledegook"Michael LessacNora Lynch & Paul PalisoulNovember 26, 1996 (1996-11-26)L411
11"Boss"Michael LessacBernie DeLeoDecember 3, 1996 (1996-12-03)L412
12"Fired"Michael LessacDouglas Tuber & Tim MaileDecember 17, 1996 (1996-12-17)L413
13"Harassment"Howard MurrayMatt Ember & Warren BellJanuary 7, 1997 (1997-01-07)L414
14"Fraud"Howard MurrayMarsha Myers & Alana BurgiJanuary 14, 1997 (1997-01-14)L415
15"Neighbors"Michael LessacDouglas Tuber & Tim MaileJanuary 28, 1997 (1997-01-28)L417
16"Ride Along"Michael LessacStory by : Lois Bromfield
Teleplay by : Phil Palisoul & Nora Lynch		May 27, 1997 (1997-05-27)L418
17"Dates"Michael LessacNora Lynch & Phil PalisoulJune 3, 1997 (1997-06-03)L416
18"Banquet"Michael LessacStory by : Douglas Tuber & Tim Maile
Teleplay by : Alana Burgi & Marsha Myers		June 10, 1997 (1997-06-10)L419

Cancellation

The show was put on hiatus after the episode "Neighbors" aired on January 27, 1997. Months later, having finished the season in 38th place with a 9.5 rating, the show was officially cancelled even though it held on to more than 90% of the viewers who watched the final season of Roseanne.[6]

References
  1. Lisa
  2. "Duration of show (Italian)". Antonio Genna. Retrieved 2011-05-11.
  3. "Series Summary". TV.com. Retrieved 2008-08-15.
  4. "Lisa Ann Walter Summary". Sitcoms Online. Retrieved 2010-03-17.
  5. Damerini, Margaria 2001, p. 426
  6. "Why Life's Work Didn't Last". Internet Archive. 2002-10-16. Archived from the original on 2002-10-16. Retrieved 2008-08-15.

Bibliography
  • Damerini, Leopoldo; Fabrizio Margaria (2001). Garzanti (ed.). Dizionario dei telefilm (1ª ed.). ISBN 88-11-74000-2.
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