Life Is Wild

New York PostLinda Stasi

Yes, there's a heavy hand in the schmaltz department, what with the dead mother and the wounded beasts and all (Hey! It's Africa after all!) but it's not so heavy that it's annoyingly cloying. At least it worked for me.

Washington PostKathy Blumenstock

With its fresh premise, the show could be a welcome oasis to viewers who are weary of animation, reality or even football.

USA TodayRobert Bianco

Life Is Wild, a 7th Heaven replacement that adds African landscapes, wildlife and culture.

Orlando SentinelHal Boedeker

It is predictable and average, except for the stunning animals. They're ready for more close-ups.

Entertainment WeeklyKristen Baldwin

Nothing new here; Wild is exactly what you would expect, in a "7th Heaven Goes to Africa" kind of way. [5 Oct 2007, p.67]

Hollywood ReporterRay Richmond

There is both everything going on and nothing going on simultaneously in this CW hour, but the series ultimately could click, depending on where things go from here.

New York Daily NewsDavid Hinckley

While some of the pilot strains to be contemporary with its youthful fixations, the only actor and character who really stands out is Atandwa Kani's Tumelo, a native South African who connects with Katie. Otherwise, it's the animals that make Life is Wild worth watching.

Philadelphia InquirerJonathan Storm

Life Is Wild, is serenely benign considering its title, but some families should find fun in this foolishness from far away.

Pittsburgh Post-GazetteRob Owen

Life Is Wild is a decent but not exceptional family drama set in South Africa.

Detroit Free PressMike Duffy

Far, far away from the cutting edge, Life in the Wild offers a family-drama walk on the mild side.

Philadelphia Daily NewsEllen Gray

Families whose kids aren't yet jaded by "Gossip Girl" and "America's Next Top Model" might find the wildlife pretty wild, and the kids a little less so.

Los Angeles TimesRobert Lloyd

Most of the actors, who admittedly don't have much to work with, seem to be visiting rather than inhabiting their parts....All in all, a trip to the zoo will serve you better.

The New York TimesGinia Bellafante

Life Is Wild, which is based on a BBC series, simply cannot be given the preapproved seal of inspection for adults, either. Why? Well, there are many reasons, but in no small part because its efforts at exposition are of the kind that would make even a young wildebeest scream: "Rewrite! Rewrite! Rewrite!"

VarietyBrian Lowry

Even a hard-hearted critic would find it difficult not to coo at the lion cub that wanders onto the grounds, but the series can deliver only so many Animal Planet moments before leaving auds to grapple with its trite elements and annoying characters.

San Francisco ChronicleTim Goodman

Unfortunately, most of the rest of the casting (and thus, acting) is a disaster. The writing is weak. And the fish-out-of-water story grows old within minutes. Not even a cute cub can save it.

Boston GlobeMatthew Gilbert

It feels more like a TV gathering of stick figures from an instruction manual.

Miami HeraldGlenn Garvin

It just substitutes South Africa for "Everwood's" Colorado, trite idiocy for "Everwood's" sharp dialogue, and a game of blind-man's-bluff for "Everwood's" casting director--actress Leah Pipes, who looks 25 and sounds 30, is the least convincing teenager since Stockard Channing staved off menopause in "Grease."

Chicago TribuneMaureen Ryan

If you're after a compelling drama set amid the wild beauty of Africa, don't bother with the new CW show Life Is Wild. You're better off with "Meerkat Manor" or a well-made nature documentary.

PopMattersTodd R. Ramlow

While Life is Wild is structured as a sort of fishes-out-of-water tale, it is more accurately described as a neocolonial masturbatory fantasy.