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  • The CW
  • Mar 7, 2018
  • The CW
  • Mar 7, 2018
Life Sentence

Summary Stella (Lucy Hale) was told she had terminal cancer and for the past eight years had been living life as if she would die soon, including marrying after a whirlwind romance with Wes (Elliot Knight). However, when she discovers she's been cured, she and her family must learn to live life again.

Created By: Erin Cardillo, Richard Keith

  • The CW
  • Mar 7, 2018
  • The CW
  • Mar 7, 2018
Life Sentence
Season 1
Season Premiere: Mar 7, 2018
Metascore Mixed or Average Based on 12 Critic Reviews
49
User Score Mixed or Average Based on 13 User Ratings
5.1
My Score
Hover and click to give a rating Saved

Summary Stella (Lucy Hale) was told she had terminal cancer and for the past eight years had been living life as if she would die soon, including marrying after a whirlwind romance with Wes (Elliot Knight). However, when she discovers she's been cured, she and her family must learn to live life again.

Created By: Erin Cardillo, Richard Keith

Season Episodes

View All Seasons
Episode 1 • Mar 7, 2018 • 41 m
Pilot
Stella learns her cancer has been cured, which means she must face the consequences of living like she was dying for the past eight years.
Episode 2 • Mar 14, 2018 • 42 m
Re-Inventing the Abbotts
Stella and Wes must defend their marriage to the INS; Peter and Ida decide to sell the house.
Episode 3 • Mar 21, 2018 • 42 m
Clinical Trial and Error
In her new role as Patient Advocate, Stella suggests Sadie try the clinical trial that worked for her, but things don't go as planned.
Episode 4 • Mar 28, 2018 • 42 m
How Stella Got Her Groove On
When Stella decides to apply for a manager position, another secret about her past forces her to figure out what she really wants to do with her life.
Episode 5 • Apr 4, 2018 • 42 m
Wes Side Story
Stella feels like she and Wes need to get back into a romantic rhythm, until Wes gets a surprise visitor.
Episode 6 • Apr 27, 2018 • 41 m
Who Framed Stella Abbott?
Dr. Grant becomes a problem for Stella and Wes' relationship; Stella begins to notice Aiden is up to something,
Episode 7 • May 4, 2018 • 42 m
Our Father the Hero
Aiden keeps the faith that Peter will keep him out of trouble; Stella struggles with not telling Aiden who really tipped of the police.
Episode 8 • May 11, 2018 • 41 m
Sleepless Near Seattle
Stella goes on a road trip with Dr. Grant to get Sadie into a clinical trial; Wes gets a call from Pippa about a job opportunity.
Episode 9 • May 18, 2018 • 41 m
What to Expect When You're Not Expecting
Stella and Wes learn some unexpected news; Aiden's unfamiliar feelings for a girl puts him in uncharted waters.
Episode 10 • May 25, 2018 • 42 m
The Way We Work
Stella and Wes seek professional help; Aiden starts looking for a job; Lizzie and Ida begin working together; Peter has to make a tough decision.
Episode 11 • Jun 1, 2018 • 42 m
Frisky Business
Stella's opportunity to plan an event for the hospital touches a nerve for Dr. Grant; Wes is forced to find an investor that no one is happy about; Peter must decide whether to make Ida's dream real.
Episode 12 • Jun 8, 2018 • 42 m
Love Factually
Stella discovers concerning information about Wes; The family comes to a standstill when someone gets sick.
Episode 13 • Jun 15, 2018 • 42 m
Then and Now
Stella and Wes find themselves defending their relationship to the world; Peter realizes who he wants to be with; Aiden refuses to give up on his dream.

Top Cast

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Critic Reviews

 View All
Metascore
Mixed or Average Based on 12 Critic Reviews
49
25% Positive
3 Reviews
58% Mixed
7 Reviews
17% Negative
2 Reviews

  • All Reviews
  • Positive Reviews
  • Mixed Reviews
  • Negative Reviews

Critic Reviews

 View All
Metascore
Mixed or Average Based on 12 Critic Reviews
49
25% Positive
3 Reviews
58% Mixed
7 Reviews
17% Negative
2 Reviews

  • All Reviews
  • Positive Reviews
  • Mixed Reviews
  • Negative Reviews
80
Mar 7, 2018
A witty show full of attractive, well-spoken people that manages to be a feel-good series even as it remains skeptical about its being a feel-good series. It has it both ways, all the way. ... Cake is eaten, and had, too.
By Robert Lloyd FULL REVIEW
62
Mar 5, 2018
It’s warm and funny-adjacent but it has too much voiceover narration and doesn’t offer the emotional truths of reigning prime-time family drama champ “This is Us.”
By Rob Owen FULL REVIEW

User Reviews

 View All
User Score
Mixed or Average Based on 13 User Ratings
5.1
38% Positive
5 Ratings
15% Mixed
2 Ratings
46% Negative
6 Ratings

User Reviews

 View All
User Score
Mixed or Average Based on 13 User Ratings
5.1
38% Positive
5 Ratings
15% Mixed
2 Ratings
46% Negative
6 Ratings

There are no user reviews yet. Be the first to add a review.

50
Mar 7, 2018
Hale is a winning presence, all wide eyes and cute Peter Pan collars. ... The show has a handle on quick jokes and comic reaction shots. ... When the people around Stella start getting real with her about their struggles, Life Sentence struggles at finding the proper tone.
By Ken Tucker FULL REVIEW
50
Mar 6, 2018
There’s almost no conflict anywhere. The show radiates likability but lacks narrative bite, which makes it vanish from one’s mind the moment the episode is over.
By Margaret Lyons FULL REVIEW
45
Mar 7, 2018
As the financial and emotional dominoes keep tumbling, there are only so many chuckles to be wrung from financial ruin and emotional defenestration. The show goes from morbidly funny to morbid to jagged and depressing at record speed. There are a lot of jokes in Life Sentence about patients watching "sappy cancer movies."
By Glenn Garvin FULL REVIEW
40
Mar 7, 2018
The performances are skilled but a bit bland overall, much like the Crate and Barrel look of the sets and lighting. For a series intent on implicitly criticizing the “romantic cancer movies,” it’s too comfortable showing its plucky heroine manifesting no physical signs of having dealt with the disease.
By Matt Zoller Seitz FULL REVIEW
25
Mar 7, 2018
Life Sentence has an off-putting preciousness to it while grinding through one “crisis” after another. It doesn’t earn any sympathies because its principal characters don’t merit much more than one big “Oh, shaddup!” With the exception, perhaps, of poor Wes.
By Ed Bark FULL REVIEW
See All 12 Critic Reviews

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