Premiering Sunday: "Life is Wild"

By Jason Snell – October 6, 2007

Life is Wild (8 PT/ET, The CW): Dad’s a veterinarian joylessly caring for the pampered pets of New York City. When his stepson gets in a fight at school, he resolves to throw it all away and return to South Africa, the home of his dead wife, to care for wild animals and live with his ex-father-in-law on his decrepit hunting lodge. His kids, new wife, and stepchildren are obliged to join him. So it’s basically All Creatures Great and Small crossed with 7th Heaven, with a dash of The Brady Bunch.

However, it’s never a good sign when — halfway through the pilot — you’re rooting for the wounded lioness to take out the mouthier members of the clan.