Beloved Canadian series “Life with Derek” has a spinoff movie. Premiering in 2005, the original sitcom followed the shenanigans of teenage step-siblings Derek [Michael Seater] and Casey [Ashley Leggat] as they jockeyed for top-dog status in the blended family. “Life with Derek” aired for four seasons, but with TV revivals all the rage these days, it was only a matter of time before the comedy received a reboot entitled “Life with Luca”.
“We are that nostalgic show,” Leggat tells ET Canada. “Hindsight is always 20/20, but you look back and we did something really amazing. The amount of people, too, that say ‘I did better in school because of Casey. I used her study method and it helped me get my medical license.’ It’s crazy to me that these characters resonated so much with people.”
“While making the series, I don’t think we were so aware of how significant it was for people,” Seater chimes in. “It was a different time. The internet didn’t play into things the same way. Over time, realizing how much the show meant to people and how prolific it was… I don’t think I was nearly as proud of the show then as I am now. I realized we really made something that people cared about.”
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Rumours of a “Life with Derek” project have been circling around for numerous years, but nothing every manifested. When finally approached to revive the property, Leggat was super stoked… well, about everything but the timing. She was pregnant and impending childbirth conflicted with the proposed production schedule.
“I was like, ‘Come on, guys. We’ve had 15 years and you are calling me while I am four months pregnant. Of all the timing…’” says Leggat with a laugh. “I was still excited and was like, ‘OK, as long as I have three months after the baby is born, no problem. I’ll make it happen.’ Then, the next phone call they were like, ‘Alright, we are close to the three-month mark, but it’s going to be two months after the baby is born.’ ‘OK. No problem. I can still do that.’ We ended up filming five weeks after the baby was born. That was a lot. It was the only show I was excited about and was willing to do it close to having a baby. I ditched the baby in the trailer. ‘Alright honey, I am going to work…’”
— Photo: Wildbrain
Set 15 years after the TV series, “Life with Luca” finds Derek and Casey navigating parenthood themselves. Derek, who moved to Paris to become a successful musician, is a single dad with a 14-year-old daughter, Skyler. Meanwhile, Casey, a lawyer, has been busy raising three children, including 14-year-old Luca. The two take their families to visit their parents at the same time, unannounced. Hijinks, naturally, ensue.
“I think the fun is Derek and Casey have grown up quite a bit,” Leggat says. “Their simple dynamic of, ‘Whatever it is you want to do, I want to do the opposite,’ isn’t there because they have matured. They still irk each other. Derek comes back from Paris with Skyler. Casey heads up to George and Nora’s house for this big party they were going to have, that nobody said they were going to show up to. George and Nora have now left. We all show up. Casey needs to drop the kids there, but then she’s stuck there. We are forced to co-parent for a weekend.”
The pair of actors initially expressed some concerns that the Luca/Skyler dynamic would simply mirror that of younger Derek and Casey, that of two strong personalities clashing all the time. But the writers took careful consideration to make sure that didn’t happen.
“There was a discussion of, ‘Do we have to chill out Derek and Casey because they are now the parents and are supposed to be the responsible ones?’” Seater explains. “But we started talking about shows like ‘Modern Family’ and lots of other sitcoms, where you have adults that are still big and fun. We tried to figure out where those characters can still give you the same energy that they once did, but in these adult roles.
“Casey was more obvious because as the super Type-A, who is always trying to keep everything so together, she is now a mom and a lawyer and trying to have all the pieces work,” he continues. “That made so much sense to translate those classic elements of her into an adult character. For Derek, he can’t be completely irresponsible because he had to raise this kid, but the kid kind of raised herself.”
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Despite all the pieces falling into place, the two leads felt slightly nervous about reprising their roles. Would they still know the ins and outs of their characters and, equally important, who they were now? Any first-day jitters quickly disappeared once Seater and Leggat reunited on set.
“We got there on day one and, luckily, we had a scene that was just the two of us,” Seater recalls. “And it had a lot of physicality, which is where we really sing together… when we are barking at each other and getting physical. Ashley grabbed me, pulled me up close and was like, ‘Listen you.’ It was just so classically what we do. They called ‘cut’ after the first take, we looked at each other and were like, ‘We got this.’”
— Photo: Wildbrain
Both “Life with Luca” and “Life with Derek” come across as family-friendly, comfy hugs. Indeed, Seater is pleasantly surprised by the mass appeal of the original property.
“Often adults, much older than me, would come up to me in grocery stores and say, ‘Thank you so much for making something I can enjoy watching with my kids,’” notes Seater. “Jeff Biederman and Daphne Ballon wrote a show that kids loved, that teens loved, but that was smart enough and had good jokes that parents enjoyed watching, as well.
“I was around the university age and I heard about all my friends going off to university,” he continues. “Their pre-party was watching ‘Life with Derek’ on Friday nights before going out. So many different people, of different ages, were watching it. I think that is the beauty, and the opportunity, we get with ‘Life with Luca’, is we get to introduce these new kids. Then, for all the people who grew up watching it, Derek and Casey are now a bit older and in their age range.”
As for whether viewers can expect more Derek and Casey antics… stay tuned. Seater and Leggat wouldn’t confirm any further projects, but it does sound promising.
“Time with tell,” Seater concludes. “You will see, maybe. I can’t say anything more than I hope that you enjoy this movie and I hope that we see you real soon.”
