Yes, most people are familiar with the actress Jennifer Love Hewitt, who starred in the third(!) program in North America to use "Time Of Your LIfe" as it's name. And they may have even watched an episode. Funny enough, the first show was Canadian, like this second Canuck show from the late 80s. I couldn't find much about the initial one, a CBC broadcast back in the mid 60s. But I remember quite a bit about the Montreal (in spirit if not formal setting), teen focused "soap".
One of the perks of not being a professional actor is not having to carry the weight of criticism from not just trade critics, but the average person on the street who doesn't like your show and makes no bones about telling you that to your face. I hoped most of the young players on "TOYL" were treated well while it lasted. This program wasn't that bad, even though it received quite a few disses on the chat boards and lousy vote ratings along with the several perfect 10s. I wish the focus of this was like a younger version of "Soap", poking fun at the serialized television experience, only this time it would be with real teens and early twentysomethings goofing on the patronizing "very special episodes" most teen oriented dramas and comedies like to bombard the audience with.
"TOYL" came on after some serious traumas in my then 15 year old life and I enjoyed it for what it was worth. I withdrew into movies, music and television to at least temporarily escape my depression and this show was there for me in the weekday afternoons like a chatty, opinionated friend (with a prominent Montreal accent). I liked a lot of the cast (especially Des Gallant, who blended charm and menace brilliantly as the very screwed up "Evan", what happened to this great actor?) and how they had a chance to occasionally goof on the show itself (in one episode, I think it was "James" who remarks on the diner hangout always playing the same music). I really liked the fact that one of them seen in the opening credits (Alan Legros as "Eddie"?) was wearing a T-shirt of my late cousin's band DBC.
Syndicators could put on worse than "TOYL" and I'm sure there is a drinking game or two in the subject matter (take a shot each time the line, "I've got a funny feeling" is sung on the soundtrack, but that might result in some alcohol poisoning comas, the line really was heard that often!).
