A teen connects with her biological parents in 'Life Unexpected'

One of the first new television series of the new year is something unexpected. No courtroom cases, no hospital crises, no criminal manhunts ... just the very human emotions and relationships among the show's characters.

Premiering Monday, Jan. 18, the CW drama "Life Unexpected" makes an immediate family out of several people just discovering the link they share. Lux (played by Britt Robertson, previously of "Swingtown") is a much-adopted Portland, Ore., teenager who wants to be emancipated and has to seek out her biological parents. They turn out to be two highly dissimilar individuals: reckless bar owner Baze (Kristoffer Polaha, who had a brief run on The CW last season in "Valentine"), and deep-feeling radio personality Cate (Shiri Appleby, "Roswell").

Barely able to tolerate each other then, that remains the case for them now, though their one-night stand 15 years ago yielded Lux. Her sudden appearance stuns Baze, an aging frat boy who lives with two slacker roommates (Austin Basis, Reggie Austin). He didn't know he had a daughter, and her arrival poses complications for Cate with her personal and professional partner, Ryan (Kerr Smith, "Dawson's Creek") - particularly after a judge rules Lux must remain in the joint custody of her natural mother and father.

"Life Unexpected" echoes "Gilmore Girls" to a certain degree, which creator-producer Liz Tigelaar acknowledges, "even though there might not be a show like this that exists on The CW right this second. You should kind of broaden out and embrace what they did from the start (during the WB Network era), I think, shows like 'Dawson's Creek' and 'Felicity.' (Writer-actress) Winnie Holzman is a mentor of mine from 'My So-Called Life.' I'm just glad that there's a home for a show like this again."

So is Appleby, who graduates to playing a mom after numerous ingénue roles in series and TV movies. "As soon as I read the (pilot) script," the actress says, "I could really relate to all of Cate's issues of trusting people. How do we grow up, and how do we take responsibility for ourselves? I didn't really think of it as a role of a mother, but a really strong female character. It's nice to be given an opportunity to play a character that's so evolved, in these situations that are complicated."

Appleby is getting to know "Life Unexpected" co-star Robertson quite well off the set, too: They're rooming together in Vancouver, which doubles for Portland in the show. Robertson realizes the significance her portrayal of Lux may have for young people in similar circumstances. She notes how important she deems it "to really come across as being a true foster kid, the voice to those who have been abandoned."

"The biggest thing that excites me," adds Tigelaar, "is how flawed and real these characters are. I think a really important aspect to explore is the idea of being disappointing. It's one thing to be disappointed in someone else, but (another) to know that you are disappointing and maybe not enough for someone. I think Cate and Baze and Lux are all going to feel that. It almost becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy ... the more you try not to be disappointing, the more you end up being disappointing."

As the main man between the women of "Life Unexpected," Polaha reasons, "What this show excels at (is that) it gives a slice of life. There is a maturation process in our lives. At 18, you go off to college and start figuring, 'Well, I'm an adult now. What does that mean?' Then you hit 30 and you're like, 'Well, I'm not 20 anymore, but I'm not fully grown.' This show gives a really fair shake to all these different stages."

More responsible in real life than his new character, since he's a husband with two sons, Polaha defines Baze as "a guy who is innately likable, but he just has Peter Pan syndrome. His daddy gave him a building and said, 'Do what you love.' So he opened a bar, and he lives above it; it's the least amount of input for the most amount of gain. As an actor, I don't have to comb my hair in the morning. I don't have to wear stiff, uncomfortable clothing. I get to just go and play."

As another prominent member of the "Life Unexpected" cast, Smith is relying on his own radar to predict how the show will fare. He recalls, "I remember watching the pilot of 'Dawson's Creek' before I was even on it. Dawson was climbing in Joey's window, and I said to myself out loud, 'This show is going to be a hit.' And they pretty much put The WB on the map. I'm going to be honest: I've watched this pilot five times, and I cry more every time I watch it."