Grounded for Life

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FOX (ended 2005)
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Show Summary

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Sean Finnerty and his lovely wife, Claudia, became parents right out of high school. Now 32, they struggle to keep their lives (and three children) under control. Claudia is a hostess at a swank restaurant, and Sean works in the subway tunnels. Working 9 to 5 and having three kids to maintain isn't an easy task, but they're doing the best that they can. Oldest daughter Lily, 14, is more than a handful. At that age where she thinks the world revolves around her, Lily devours the majority of the Finnerty's free time. Her little brother, Jimmy, is bookish to say the least, and stays out of trouble -- for the most part. And then there's the baby of the family, Henry, who's just a little off. Hyperactive and mischievous, Henry is usually secondary when it comes to problematic children. Helping Sean and Claudia deal with the brood is Sean's father, Walt, a crotchety man whose idea of a learning experience is teaching the boys how to dig a hole. If he hadn't been a father, he would have been a drill sergeant. Also helping to lighten the load is Sean's younger brother, Eddie, an unemployed stoner who spends his time hanging out with friends and "unknowingly" selling beepers to drug dealers. Over its first season the show evolved a unique take on standard sitcom structure. Each episode begins with a family crisis "explained" in flashbacks from various character's points of view, often overlapping, sometimes contradicting each other as we learn to distinguish what the narrators THINK happened from what we eventually learn REALLY happened. Since the Finnertys are at least nominally practicing Catholics, this usually involves issues of blame, responsibility, and guilt, guilt, guilt. In the third season, Grandpa Walt was phased out of the show (though he may appear in upcoming episodes). Sean and Eddie pooled their money and bought a bar (which Eddie initially intended to torch for the insurance money), which becomes the home away from home for the family. Music plays a big role in this series. Original music was written/performed by Ben Vaughn and Ween. The majority of the titles of the episodes are derived from pop songs. Emmy Nominations: 2001: Outstanding Choreography, Kenny Ortega for the episode "Mrs. Finnerty, You Have A Lovely Daughter" (lost). Broadcast History January 2001- June 2002: Wednesdays at 8:30 p.m. on FOX June 2002- December 2002: Tuesdays at 8:30 p.m. on FOX February 2003- August 2003: Fridays at 9:30 p.m. on WB August 2003- July 2004: Fridays at 9:00 p.m. on WB July 2004- January 2005: Fridays at 8:30 p.m. on WB First Telecast: January 10, 2001 Last Telecast: January 28, 2005 Episodes: 91 Episodesmoreless
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Episode Guide

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S 5 :  Ep 13 Aired 1/28/05
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S 5 :  Ep 12 Aired 1/21/05
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S 5 :  Ep 11 Aired 1/14/05
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S 5 :  Ep 10 Aired 1/7/05
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S 5 :  Ep 9 Aired 11/19/04
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Fan Reviews (100)

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  • If i had reviewed this programme after the first episode i would of rated it a 1/10 but the programme started to grow on me and i started to find some of it funny which would of probaly got it up to a 7/10 but..........moreless

    5.0
    "Mediocre"
    By jameswilson245, Oct 27, 2010
    If i had reviewed this programme after the first episode i would of rated it a 1/10 but the programme started to grow on me and i started to find some of it funny which would of probaly got it up to a 7/10 but that lily girl really really annoys me so i bumped it back down to a 5/10.
    In my oppinion this show was weak and im not surprised it was cancelled.moreless

  • Decent show.

    8.7
    "Great"
    By dmarex, Aug 28, 2010
    In a sea of various sitcoms, this one really stood out because it had a different format than the others. The reason why I liked it was because of the way they told the story. I would lie if I said that I wanted the show to go on, because I felt that they told everything they could have in their five seasons.

    The character were very great - each one of them had something that I really loved and what caused me to tune back every time it aired: Sean's protectiveness and the fact that he always got into trouble; Claudia being a sexy mom, yet acting like a teenager at time; Jimmy and Henry growing up into young men, each in their own way - I preferred Henry because he was really quirky. The only character that I didn't really like that much was Eddie. Lily was also an okay character, kinda annoying at times, but otherwise tolerable. Also, Brad was a great addition to the cast.

    I loved the show during its 90-or-so episodes, and it is definitely one of the better sitcoms - still, it is kinda lost in the sea of other sitcoms.moreless

  • a hilrious family show

    8.0
    "Great"
    By cube2k8, May 06, 2010
    grounded for life is a very disfunatal family that takes place in new york and the kids are always getting into trouble and the dad is sorta really bad at raising his kids but he does the best he can with them . it involes alot like most family show problems and stories that make you want to laugh alot and make you say omg i cant belive that just happend. the show was hit a for awhile and then things just died down . but i watched all the eps of the show and enjoyed them alot so i gave this show a 8moreless

  • An Irish Catholic family goes through funny stories in New York.

    7.5
    "Good"
    By Baycityrookie, Aug 09, 2008
    Sean and Claudia Finnerty live in Staten Island, New York. They have 3 kids; Lily, Jimmy, and Henry. Also living with them and stopping by is Sean's father Walt Finnerty and Sean's brother Eddie Finnerty. I started watching the show when it debuted on Fox and I thought it was really funny. It was a good show to kill time with when nothing better was on. It was a good comedy with funny plots. I guess people just never picked up on it or they didn't find it when it was on. The show was different to me, The plot a lot of times had actually happened in the past and they were discussing about it in the present, till they caught up and figured out what to do. When the show moved to CW, It was on Friday nights, and I was never around to see it and it was eventually canceled. Overall I graded it a 7.5 out of 10.moreless

  • The Finnerty's yell and argue there way to family joy

    9.5
    "Superb"
    By addict666, May 31, 2008
    This show is really funny and realistic in an outrageous kind of way. Sean, the head of the family, is really hilarious and all of his yelling and irrational decision making leads to a lot of really funny situations. His constant fights with Sister Helen are classic and are really hilarious. Claudia is great as the teenage mother at 30 who is trying to deal with all the craziness around her. Eddie adds so much comedy to this show with all of his shady dealings and his crazy girlfriends. I love how he ends up with Crazy Amy at the end who mixes really well with his personality.
    The kids are also really great. Henry the youngest added a lot of easy humor to the show and he was at his best when he was on the drug squad and trying to bust his father. Jimmy's character develops a lot from the dorky youth whose afraid of everything to the dorky horny teen. He gave that character depth even thought my description didn't.
    And finally Lily who was as outrageous as Sean in this series and she brings a lot of humor to the show. A lot of times when women are in comedies they only play off the other characters but she creates a lot of humor on her own. I loved all of her boyfriends especially Dean and Brad. Brad was a constant on the show that led to a lot of great moments.
    Overall a really great family comedy that is more grown up.moreless
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bad parenting, brought back from cancelation, dysfuntional families, family gossip, kids hijinks

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