Sean (Donal Logue) and Claudia (Megyn Price) Finnerty have been happily married for 14 years and they have 3 kids. The problem?  They both need to deal with their not 2 young kids Jimmy (Griffin Frazen) and Henry (Jake Burbage), and their 14-year-old daughter Lilly (Lynsey Bartilson) who doesn’t always get along with them. They also have to handle Sean’s old-fashioned dad Walt (Richard Riehle) who thinks he knows best about everything, and Sean’s aimless brother Eddie (Kevin Corrigan) who hangs out at their place all the time.

The beauty of Grounded for Life is that Sean and Claudia are a really fun-loving, middle-class couple who are still pretty much in love. But because Claudia got pregnant at 18, they pretty much need to raise themselves as they raise their children, and they try to be as responsible as their rock n roll spirit lets them.

 

Examples of what makes Grounded for Life worth watching:

–          When Lilly asks to go on a $500 school trip, they have to say no because they just don’t have the money. But when they suddenly inherit $1800, Sean spends it all on a great guitar, with Claudia’s full blessing.

 

–          Uncle Eddie has to persuade Lilly that men don’t like sluts. Eddie loves sluts.

 

 

–          Sean is OK with Claudia throwing a bachelorette party for her friend at their house- and he is even OK with them having invited a male stripper over.

 

–          Claudia is abandoned by Lilly at a motel room broke, and Claudia needs to drive home in the hotel robe, and has to flash to “pay” for the tolls. Sean finds this hilarious.

 

 

–          Going to a hundredth Ramones farewell concert is more important than Jimmy’s school projects…

 

 

The beauty of this show is that Sean and Claudia are very easy to identify with. They love their kids, but they hate growing up. They need to make sure Lilly doesn’t follow in Claudia’s footsteps, but it is really hard to convince her daughter that being a virgin is not bad.

Sean loves that his wife is still great looking, but Lilly hates that her mother is sexier than she is…Oh, then there are the little boys who love playing around in the house with their dad. And let’s not forget the nightmare nun/headmaster at the school the kids go to, as Sean hates the woman and he just wants to tell her to shove it…

 

Give it a try. They are the most fun, loving family around.

 

Fun notes:

–          Both Donal Logue and Richard Riehle, who plays Donal’s father Walt, have appeared in the legal series The Practice starring Dylan McDermott.

 

Donal plays an annoying DA who doesn’t always play by the rules, and Richard Riehle guest-stars in one episode as a newspaper owner who likes to fire people because of their appearances.

 

Donal Logue’s The Practice appearances:

Season 2, Episode 2

Season 2, Episode 7

Season 2, Episode 25

Season 2, Episode 27

Season 3, Episode 16

 

Richard Riehle’s The Practice appearance:  Season 2, Episode 6

 

–          Bret Harrison, who plays the geeky boy next door neighbor Brad, plays in a couple of the sci-fi series V (2009).

 

–         Kevin Corrigan, the whacky uncle, plays the wise Sam Weiss on the popular sci-fi/thriller/drama series Fringe in 7 episodes.