The Beautiful Life
Encyclopedia
The Beautiful Life: TBL (also known as The Beautiful Life) is an American television
drama series, which ran on The CW
from September 16, 2009 to September 23, 2009. The series starred Mischa Barton
, Elle Macpherson
, Sara Paxton
and Corbin Bleu
. It revolved around a group of male and female models
sharing a residence in New York City. Mike Kelley
(Swingtown
) served as the showrunner for the series, based on the script by former model-turned-writer Adam Giaudrone, and Ashton Kutcher
was the executive producer
. The CW ordered 13 episodes for the first season.
On September 25, 2009, The Beautiful Life: TBL was canceled after two episodes due to low ratings. Six full episodes were produced, while the cancellation came during the filming of the seventh episode. On November 17, 2009, The New York Daily News reported that the CW planned to air the remaining episodes during the summer months. However, a CW spokesperson stated that "the status of unaired episodes has yet to be determined", and as of now, the remaining episodes are still yet to air.
However, all episodes are now airing on YouTube
, Kutcher spoke on the development "What we feel like we're doing is creating, in some ways, an industry first.... A show that couldn't find its legs on television, we believe can find its legs on the Web." The five episodes being aired online are sponsored by HP.
was cast to play powerful wardrobe stylist and resident cougar who has her eyes on Isaac (Corbin Bleu). Ed Quinn
signed on to play the husband of Claudia Foster (Elle Macpherson). Former Miss Israel Gal Gadot
was cast to play Olivia, a Gisele Bündchen
type supermodel at the top of her game. Billy Magnussen
was to have had a multiple episode arc as Alex who is Raina's brother which will offer clues on Raina's past.
runway show at New York Fashion Week
, where Posen guest stars. Marie Claire
fashion director and Project Runway
judge Nina Garcia
had a small cameo in the second episode. Designers Matthew Williamson
and Erin Fetherston
were also set guest star along side model Jessica Stam
. Model Irina Lazareanu
made an appearance in the pilot as did So You Think You Can Dance Canada season 1 winner, Nico Archambault
and model Boyd Holbrook
. Claire Unabia and Mila Bouzinova from Cycle 10
and Cycle 9
respectively made a special appearance at the Nina Garcia
's party in episode 2.
, New York.
Prior to the start of production, Mischa Barton agreed to have her ears pierced especially for the role of Sonja Stone so that, when required, she could wear the same style of pierced earrings as the other female cast members also playing models.
and through New York
magazine. In a very targeted mailing, 4,000 high profile contacts in the fashion and media worlds got a polybagged edition of New York magazine featuring those semi naked shots of the cast and then, during Fashion Week, copies of New York featuring an ad spread and the naughty nudes were handed out in the show tents. The show also received some unplanned publicity due to Mischa Barton's medical issues in the weeks leading up to the start of production.
The series received negative to mixed reviews from critics, scoring a 41 out of 100 on aggregate reviewer Metacritic
. Glenn Garvin of The Miami Herald
gave the series a positive review, noting that Paxton and Hollingsworth's characters were "so unexpectedly affecting that you may find yourself sucked into the show against your will." Paige Wiser of the Chicago Sun-Times
also positively reviewed the series, stating "most of the characters are about as distinctive as mannequins. You won't mind, though, because they're awfully nice to look at." Wiser complimented Barton's character, stating through her it may achieve "inadvertent poignancy." Robert Lloyd of The Los Angeles Times noted how the show was very similar to most The CW dramas, commenting "because they do not aim particularly high, they pretty much hit what they aim at." David Hinckley of The New York Daily News echoed the same thoughts stating that the show "is designed to fit alongside CW anchors like 90210
, except that even by those standards, it's pretty predictable and stilted." Brian Lowry of Variety
said "the cast and writing are efficient enough, but nothing really pops."
Robert Bianco of USA Today
gave the series a mixed review, stating "It may lack Melrose Places flashy production values and trashy pedigree, but it makes up for that by being marginally better written, though admittedly, we're not talking about a particularly high bar here." Bianco went on to criticize the acting of the cast, calling them "unimpressive", stating "what's dispiriting about Beautiful Life is that it's too lazy to even work as successful eye candy." Bianco also criticized Mischa Barton, calling her "inept" in her role, stating that "she was stilted at best on The O.C.
, and instead of improving as an actress, she's merely solidified bad habits." Matthew Gilbert of Boston Globe called the pilot "half-baked" further stating, "Whether that's due to Barton or deeper creative problems is unclear." Tim Goodman of the San Francisco Chronicle called the show "unwatchable", noting the its "pointless gloss and heinous writing." Linda Stasi of The New York Post said that only 12-year-olds could believe the show, calling the actors "unbelieveable", commenting "they can't even get the runway stomp right." Stasi also negatively commented on the dialogue of the show. Calling the plot "laughable" and the acting "mediocre", Jonathan Storm of The Philadelphia Inquirer
said the show featured the "usual cynical CW glorification of teen sexuality and substance abuse."
. Since the cancellation of the show in the US, TV3 dropped the show from its lineup. It is unknown if any episodes will now air in Ireland.
Network TEN
in Australia had the rights to air the show, but announced it would not air it at all after it was cancelled.
Prior to the show's cancellation, it was announced that it would be shown in the UK by Channel 4
. Following the show's cancellation, it is unknown if any of the completed episodes will be shown in the UK.
channel that because of the cancellation, the remaining episodes will be released online. If the episodes gain more hits online, more new episodes may be produced exclusively for the Web. The first three episodes were released online, with the last two premiering Monday, December 21, 2009. Thanks to a sponsorship deal with Hewlett Packard, the five first episodes are available. Kutcher is hoping that the high production quality of the show will increase its audience size on YouTube, which will in turn lure sponsors to finance more episodes. The official YouTube channel also includes a number of short videos featuring the main cast members talking about the "beautiful changes" they have planned for 2010, plus a number of other videos connected with the show.
Television program
A television program , also called television show, is a segment of content which is intended to be broadcast on television. It may be a one-time production or part of a periodically recurring series...
drama series, which ran on The CW
The CW Television Network
The CW Television Network is a television network in the United States launched at the beginning of the 2006–2007 television season. It is a joint venture between CBS Corporation, the former owners of United Paramount Network , and Time Warner's Warner Bros., former majority owner of The WB...
from September 16, 2009 to September 23, 2009. The series starred Mischa Barton
Mischa Barton
Mischa Anne Marsden Barton is a British-American fashion model, film, television, and stage actress, best known for her role as Marissa Cooper in the American television series The O.C..-Early life:...
, Elle Macpherson
Elle Macpherson
Elle Macpherson is an Australian model, actress, and businesswoman nicknamed "The Body". She is perhaps best known for her record five cover appearances for the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue beginning in the 1980s...
, Sara Paxton
Sara Paxton
Sara Paxton is an American actress, model and singer. She grew up in California and began acting at an early age, appearing in many minor roles in both films and television shows, before coming to wider renown in 2004, after playing the title role in the series Darcy's Wild Life and Sarah Borden...
and Corbin Bleu
Corbin Bleu
Corbin Bleu Reivers , known professionally as Corbin Bleu, is an American actor, model, dancer, producer, and singer-songwriter. He performed in the High School Musical film series, the Discovery Kids drama series Flight 29 Down, and the Disney Channel Original Movie Jump In!...
. It revolved around a group of male and female models
Model (person)
A model , sometimes called a mannequin, is a person who is employed to display, advertise and promote commercial products or to serve as a subject of works of art....
sharing a residence in New York City. Mike Kelley
Mike Kelley (writer)
Michael "Mike" Kelley is an American television writer and producer and creator of television series Swingtown and Revenge.-Early life:...
(Swingtown
Swingtown
Swingtown was an American television series created by Mike Kelley as a summer replacement series for CBS. The show was a period and relationship drama about the impact of sexual and social liberation in 1970s American suburban households, with story arcs involving open marriages and key...
) served as the showrunner for the series, based on the script by former model-turned-writer Adam Giaudrone, and Ashton Kutcher
Ashton Kutcher
Christopher Ashton Kutcher , best known as Ashton Kutcher, is an American actor, producer, former fashion model and comedian, best known for his portrayal of Michael Kelso in the Fox sitcom That '70s Show...
was the executive producer
Executive producer
An executive producer is a producer who is not involved in any technical aspects of the film making or music process, but who is still responsible for the overall production...
. The CW ordered 13 episodes for the first season.
On September 25, 2009, The Beautiful Life: TBL was canceled after two episodes due to low ratings. Six full episodes were produced, while the cancellation came during the filming of the seventh episode. On November 17, 2009, The New York Daily News reported that the CW planned to air the remaining episodes during the summer months. However, a CW spokesperson stated that "the status of unaired episodes has yet to be determined", and as of now, the remaining episodes are still yet to air.
However, all episodes are now airing on YouTube
YouTube
YouTube is a video-sharing website, created by three former PayPal employees in February 2005, on which users can upload, view and share videos....
, Kutcher spoke on the development "What we feel like we're doing is creating, in some ways, an industry first.... A show that couldn't find its legs on television, we believe can find its legs on the Web." The five episodes being aired online are sponsored by HP.
Main
- Mischa BartonMischa BartonMischa Anne Marsden Barton is a British-American fashion model, film, television, and stage actress, best known for her role as Marissa Cooper in the American television series The O.C..-Early life:...
as Sonja Stone - A supermodel, who has returned to the fashion scene after a mysterious disappearance - Sara PaxtonSara PaxtonSara Paxton is an American actress, model and singer. She grew up in California and began acting at an early age, appearing in many minor roles in both films and television shows, before coming to wider renown in 2004, after playing the title role in the series Darcy's Wild Life and Sarah Borden...
as Raina Marinelli - An aspiring model, who instantly rises to fame - Ben HollingsworthBen Hollingsworth (actor)Ben Hollingsworth is a Canadian actor.He was born in Brockville, Ontario and attended St. Peter's Secondary School in Peterborough. After graduating from high school he enrolled at the National Theatre School of Canada.-Filmography:...
as Chris Andrews - A newly appointed model, who is new to the fashion world. - Corbin BleuCorbin BleuCorbin Bleu Reivers , known professionally as Corbin Bleu, is an American actor, model, dancer, producer, and singer-songwriter. He performed in the High School Musical film series, the Discovery Kids drama series Flight 29 Down, and the Disney Channel Original Movie Jump In!...
as Isaac Taylor - A once child model - Nico TortorellaNico TortorellaNico Tortorella is an American actor and model. He is best known for his role of Trevor Sheldon in the 2011 horror film Scream 4, and as Razor in the ABC TV series Make It or Break It.-Life and career:...
as Cole Shepherd - A rising underwear model - Ashley MadekweAshley MadekweAshley Madekwe is a mixed Nigerian-Swiss-British actress best known for portraying 'Bambi' on ITV's Secret Diary of a Call Girl and Marissa Delfina on the canceled The CW drama series The Beautiful Life. She has also been seen in programmes such as Drop Dead Gorgeous, Teachers and others...
as Marissa Delfina - A socialite and gossiping model - Elle MacphersonElle MacphersonElle Macpherson is an Australian model, actress, and businesswoman nicknamed "The Body". She is perhaps best known for her record five cover appearances for the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue beginning in the 1980s...
as Claudia Foster - The owner of the Fashion Agency and a mother figure to the models
Recurring
Jaime MurrayJaime Murray
Jaime Murray is an English actress, best known for playing Stacie Monroe in Hustle and Lila Tournay in season two of the Showtime series Dexter. She has also had recurring roles as H.G...
was cast to play powerful wardrobe stylist and resident cougar who has her eyes on Isaac (Corbin Bleu). Ed Quinn
Ed Quinn
Arthur Edward "Ed" Quinn is an American model and actor who has appeared in several film and TV roles, including Eureka, Starship Troopers 2, Young Americans and True Blood.-Early life:...
signed on to play the husband of Claudia Foster (Elle Macpherson). Former Miss Israel Gal Gadot
Gal Gadot
Gal Gadot is an Israeli actress and model. She won the Miss Israel title in 2004 and went on to represent Israel at the 2004 Miss Universe beauty pageant...
was cast to play Olivia, a Gisele Bündchen
Gisele Bündchen
Gisele Caroline Bündchen is a Brazilian fashion model, occasional film actress and goodwill ambassador for the UN Environment Programme.In the late 1990s, Bündchen became one of the first in a wave of Brazilian models to find success...
type supermodel at the top of her game. Billy Magnussen
Billy Magnussen
Billy Magnussen is an American actor.-Biography:Magnussen was born in New York City and grew up in Woodhaven, New York, until the age of 10, which point he moved with his family to Cumming, Georgia...
was to have had a multiple episode arc as Alex who is Raina's brother which will offer clues on Raina's past.
Guest stars
The first episode shows the models at a Zac PosenZac Posen
- Early life :Posen was raised in the SoHo neighborhood of lower Manhattan, the son of artist Stephen Posen and corporate lawyer Susan Posen. His interest in fashion design started early, and as a child he would steal yarmulkes from his grandparents' synagogue to make ball dresses for dolls...
runway show at New York Fashion Week
New York Fashion Week
The semi-annual New York Fashion Week, branded Mercedes-Benz FashionWeek in 2009, is held in February and September of each year in New York City. It is one of four major fashion weeks held around the world .-History:The first New York Fashion Week, then called Press Week, was the world's first...
, where Posen guest stars. Marie Claire
Marie Claire
Marie Claire is a monthly women's magazine first published in France but also distributed in other countries with editions specific to them and in their languages. While each country shares its own special voice with its audience, the United States edition focuses on women around the world and...
fashion director and Project Runway
Project Runway
Project Runway is an American reality television series on Lifetime Television, previously on the Bravo network, which focuses on fashion design and is hosted by model Heidi Klum. The contestants compete with each other to create the best clothes and are restricted in time, materials and theme...
judge Nina Garcia
Nina Garcia
Nina García, is a Colombian fashion journalist and critic who has held the post of Fashion Director at Elle and Marie Claire magazines, and is currently a judge on the Lifetime reality television program Project Runway....
had a small cameo in the second episode. Designers Matthew Williamson
Matthew Williamson
Matthew Williamson is an English fashion designer. His collections often have an Indian influence, perhaps related to the time Williamson spent working in India for the clothing store Monsoon...
and Erin Fetherston
Erin Fetherston
Born and raised in the San Francisco Bay Area, designer Erin Fetherston graduated from UC Berkeley before attending Parson's School of Design in New York.In January 2005, she first presented her eponymous label during the Paris Haute Couture Shows...
were also set guest star along side model Jessica Stam
Jessica Stam
Jessica Stam is a Canadian model. She is considered to be part of the crop of models described as "doll faces" alongside Gemma Ward, Sasha Pivovarova, Vlada Roslyakova, Lily Cole, Caroline Trentini, Devon Aoki, and Heather Marks...
. Model Irina Lazareanu
Irina Lazareanu
Irina Lăzăreanu is a Romanian-Canadian model. She got her ‘big break’ through her acquaintance with model Kate Moss.- Early life :...
made an appearance in the pilot as did So You Think You Can Dance Canada season 1 winner, Nico Archambault
Nico Archambault
Nicolas "Nico" Archambault Nicolas "Nico" Archambault Nicolas "Nico" Archambault (born in Montreal, Quebec, Canada on 18 October 1984 is a Canadian dancer dancer and choreographer who in 2008 won the first season of So You Think You Can Dance Canada. After the win, he became well known for his...
and model Boyd Holbrook
Boyd Holbrook
Robert Boyd Holbrook is an American fashion model, actor, and artist from Prestonsburg, Kentucky.-Modeling career:Boyd was discovered while he had a part time job, working as a carpenter for a theatre in Kentucky...
. Claire Unabia and Mila Bouzinova from Cycle 10
America's Next Top Model, Cycle 10
America's Next Top Model, Cycle 10 was the tenth cycle of America's Next Top Model and the fourth season to be aired on The CW network...
and Cycle 9
America's Next Top Model, Cycle 9
America's Next Top Model Cycle 9 was the ninth cycle of America's Next Top Model and the third season of the series to be aired on The CW network. This cycle's promotional tagline was "The Future Of Fashion." The promotional song was "Shut Up and Drive" by Rihanna.The international destinations...
respectively made a special appearance at the Nina Garcia
Nina Garcia
Nina García, is a Colombian fashion journalist and critic who has held the post of Fashion Director at Elle and Marie Claire magazines, and is currently a judge on the Lifetime reality television program Project Runway....
's party in episode 2.
Production notes
The show was largely filmed on location in New York City. Studio interiors were filmed at Kaufman Astoria Studios, QueensQueens
Queens is the easternmost of the five boroughs of New York City. The largest borough in area and the second-largest in population, it is coextensive with Queens County, an administrative division of New York state, in the United States....
, New York.
Prior to the start of production, Mischa Barton agreed to have her ears pierced especially for the role of Sonja Stone so that, when required, she could wear the same style of pierced earrings as the other female cast members also playing models.
Promotion
The Beautiful Life was heavily promoted through the cast's and producer's Twitter with promotional photos of Sara Paxton, Corbin Bleu, and Ashley Madekwe appearing semi naked with the tag line "What are you looking at?". The Beautiful Life was heavily promoted during New York Fashion WeekNew York Fashion Week
The semi-annual New York Fashion Week, branded Mercedes-Benz FashionWeek in 2009, is held in February and September of each year in New York City. It is one of four major fashion weeks held around the world .-History:The first New York Fashion Week, then called Press Week, was the world's first...
and through New York
New York (magazine)
New York is a weekly magazine principally concerned with the life, culture, politics, and style of New York City. Founded by Milton Glaser and Clay Felker in 1968 as a competitor to The New Yorker, it was brasher and less polite than that magazine, and established itself as a cradle of New...
magazine. In a very targeted mailing, 4,000 high profile contacts in the fashion and media worlds got a polybagged edition of New York magazine featuring those semi naked shots of the cast and then, during Fashion Week, copies of New York featuring an ad spread and the naughty nudes were handed out in the show tents. The show also received some unplanned publicity due to Mischa Barton's medical issues in the weeks leading up to the start of production.
Reception and cancellation
The series premiere did poorly with 1.38 million viewers, and a 0.6/2 in Adults 18-49, 0.8/2 in Adults 18-34, and 1.1/3 in Women 18-34. The second episode also drew in low numbers, with a 0.6/2 rating with adults 18-49, with only 1.1 million viewers. The show was officially cancelled on September 25, 2009 due to the poor reception.The series received negative to mixed reviews from critics, scoring a 41 out of 100 on aggregate reviewer Metacritic
Metacritic
Metacritic.com is a website that collates reviews of music albums, games, movies, TV shows and DVDs. For each product, a numerical score from each review is obtained and the total is averaged. An excerpt of each review is provided along with a hyperlink to the source. Three colour codes of Green,...
. Glenn Garvin of The Miami Herald
The Miami Herald
The Miami Herald is a daily newspaper owned by The McClatchy Company headquartered on Biscayne Bay in the Omni district of Downtown Miami, Florida, United States...
gave the series a positive review, noting that Paxton and Hollingsworth's characters were "so unexpectedly affecting that you may find yourself sucked into the show against your will." Paige Wiser of the Chicago Sun-Times
Chicago Sun-Times
The Chicago Sun-Times is an American daily newspaper published in Chicago, Illinois. It is the flagship paper of the Sun-Times Media Group.-History:The Chicago Sun-Times is the oldest continuously published daily newspaper in the city...
also positively reviewed the series, stating "most of the characters are about as distinctive as mannequins. You won't mind, though, because they're awfully nice to look at." Wiser complimented Barton's character, stating through her it may achieve "inadvertent poignancy." Robert Lloyd of The Los Angeles Times noted how the show was very similar to most The CW dramas, commenting "because they do not aim particularly high, they pretty much hit what they aim at." David Hinckley of The New York Daily News echoed the same thoughts stating that the show "is designed to fit alongside CW anchors like 90210
90210 (TV series)
90210 is an American teen drama television series developed by Rob Thomas, Jeff Judah and Gabe Sachs, and the fourth series in the Beverly Hills, 90210 franchise created by Darren Star. 90210 is the first series produced by CBS Productions under the company's re-launch, but is now produced by CBS...
, except that even by those standards, it's pretty predictable and stilted." Brian Lowry of Variety
Variety (magazine)
Variety is an American weekly entertainment-trade magazine founded in New York City, New York, in 1905 by Sime Silverman. With the rise of the importance of the motion-picture industry, Daily Variety, a daily edition based in Los Angeles, California, was founded by Silverman in 1933. In 1998, the...
said "the cast and writing are efficient enough, but nothing really pops."
Robert Bianco of USA Today
USA Today
USA Today is a national American daily newspaper published by the Gannett Company. It was founded by Al Neuharth. The newspaper vies with The Wall Street Journal for the position of having the widest circulation of any newspaper in the United States, something it previously held since 2003...
gave the series a mixed review, stating "It may lack Melrose Places flashy production values and trashy pedigree, but it makes up for that by being marginally better written, though admittedly, we're not talking about a particularly high bar here." Bianco went on to criticize the acting of the cast, calling them "unimpressive", stating "what's dispiriting about Beautiful Life is that it's too lazy to even work as successful eye candy." Bianco also criticized Mischa Barton, calling her "inept" in her role, stating that "she was stilted at best on The O.C.
The O.C.
The O.C. is an American teen drama television series that originally aired on the Fox television network in the United States from August 5, 2003, to February 21, 2007, running a total of four seasons...
, and instead of improving as an actress, she's merely solidified bad habits." Matthew Gilbert of Boston Globe called the pilot "half-baked" further stating, "Whether that's due to Barton or deeper creative problems is unclear." Tim Goodman of the San Francisco Chronicle called the show "unwatchable", noting the its "pointless gloss and heinous writing." Linda Stasi of The New York Post said that only 12-year-olds could believe the show, calling the actors "unbelieveable", commenting "they can't even get the runway stomp right." Stasi also negatively commented on the dialogue of the show. Calling the plot "laughable" and the acting "mediocre", Jonathan Storm of The Philadelphia Inquirer
The Philadelphia Inquirer
The Philadelphia Inquirer is a morning daily newspaper that serves the Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, metropolitan area of the United States. The newspaper was founded by John R. Walker and John Norvell in June 1829 as The Pennsylvania Inquirer and is the third-oldest surviving daily newspaper in the...
said the show featured the "usual cynical CW glorification of teen sexuality and substance abuse."
International airings
The show was originally announced as being part of the Autumn schedule of Ireland's TV3, but the show was later moved to TV3's second station 3e3E
3E or 3-E may refer to:*3e, general entertainment channel operated in Ireland*3rd meridian east*Third edition in the Editions of Dungeons & Dragons*NY 3E, alternate name for New York State Route 104*OK-3E, abbreviation for Oklahoma State Highway 3...
. Since the cancellation of the show in the US, TV3 dropped the show from its lineup. It is unknown if any episodes will now air in Ireland.
Network TEN
Network Ten
Network Ten , is one of Australia's three major commercial television networks. Owned-and-operated stations can be found in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Adelaide and Perth, while affiliates extend the network to cover most of the country...
in Australia had the rights to air the show, but announced it would not air it at all after it was cancelled.
Prior to the show's cancellation, it was announced that it would be shown in the UK by Channel 4
Channel 4
Channel 4 is a British public-service television broadcaster which began working on 2 November 1982. Although largely commercially self-funded, it is ultimately publicly owned; originally a subsidiary of the Independent Broadcasting Authority , the station is now owned and operated by the Channel...
. Following the show's cancellation, it is unknown if any of the completed episodes will be shown in the UK.
Episodes
| # | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original air date | Viewers* |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
-
* American viewers are listed in millions.
Episodes online
On December 17, 2009, executive producer Ashton Kutcher reported on The Beautiful Lifes official YoutubeYouTube
YouTube is a video-sharing website, created by three former PayPal employees in February 2005, on which users can upload, view and share videos....
channel that because of the cancellation, the remaining episodes will be released online. If the episodes gain more hits online, more new episodes may be produced exclusively for the Web. The first three episodes were released online, with the last two premiering Monday, December 21, 2009. Thanks to a sponsorship deal with Hewlett Packard, the five first episodes are available. Kutcher is hoping that the high production quality of the show will increase its audience size on YouTube, which will in turn lure sponsors to finance more episodes. The official YouTube channel also includes a number of short videos featuring the main cast members talking about the "beautiful changes" they have planned for 2010, plus a number of other videos connected with the show.