Life on a Stick
In 2005, a sitcom came along that had the potential to be a successor to That '70s Show. So, as Fox has a horrendous track record for doing, they jerked it around, rescheduled it, bumped it off the air for a special recount edition of American Idol, and canceled it a month into its run. In a fairly unusual twist, the irreverent Life on a Stick went on to gain something of a cult following when videos of the complete series quickly hit the internet.
Life on a Stick follows charismatic Laz Lackerson (Zachery Knighton, The Hitcher '07, "Happy Endings"). Recently graduated from high school, Laz's father (Matthew Glave, Picket Fences, ER) and stepmother (Amy Yasbeck, Wings) want him to move out, but they agree to let him stay as long as he continues to be a good influence on his hostile stepsister (Saige Thompson, Samarai Girl). Laz and his best friend Fred (Charlie Finn, American Dragon: Jake Long, Help Me Help You) have taken jobs at the mall in the corndog stand, where Laz promptly falls for co workers Lily (Rachelle Lefevre, Twilight). The comedy tended to be lowbrow, but that's sort of the charm. I mean, look at the song their boss composed to sell corndogs:
The Yippie Hot Dogs Song
Weiners, weiners, weiners
Some thick and some are thin
Weiners, weiners, weiners
Hot juices on your chin!
Originally titled "Related by Family" (though I personally prefer the title it was ultimately given) and created by the great Victor Fresco ("Man Up," "Andy Richter Controls the Universe") the show is probably most noteworthy for being Yasbeck's big return to acting following the abrupt death of her husband, John Ritter. Every episode of the series is circulating online, and it can almost always be found on You Tube. It's about time it got an official i-tunes release, already!
