Love Life (American TV series)

Love Life is an American romantic comedy anthology television series created by Sam Boyd and starring Anna Kendrick that premiered on the HBO Max streaming service on May 27, 2020. The series follows a different person each season from their first romance until their last romance and "how the people we're with along the way make us into who we are when we finally end up with someone forever."

In December 2022, Love Life was canceled after two seasons and removed from HBO Max.

Main

 * Anna Kendrick as Darby Carter (season 1; special guest star season 2)
 * Zoë Chao as Sara Yang (season 1; guest star season 2), Darby's roommate and best friend
 * Sasha Compère as Mallory Moore (season 1; guest star season 2), Darby's other roommate and friend
 * Peter Vack as Jim (season 1; guest star season 2), Sara's boyfriend and later ex-boyfriend
 * William Jackson Harper as Marcus Watkins (season 2)
 * Jessica Williams as Mia Hines (season 2)
 * Comedian CP as Yogi (season 2)
 * Punkie Johnson as Ida Watkins (season 2)

The series is narrated by Lesley Manville (season 1) and Keith David (season 2).

Recurring

 * Jin Ha as Augie Jeong
 * Hope Davis as Claudia Hoffman, Darby's mother
 * Janet Hubert as Donna Watkins, Marcus' mother (season 2)
 * Jordan Rock as Trae Lang (season 2)
 * Leslie Bibb as Becca Evans (season 2)
 * John Earl Jelks as Kirby Watkins (season 2)
 * Arian Moayed as Kian Parsa (season 2)
 * Steven Boyer as Josh (season 2)

Guest

 * Scoot McNairy as Bradley Field
 * Maureen Sebastian as Kate Field
 * Nadia Quinn as Lola
 * Gus Halper as Danny Two-Phones
 * Nick Thune as Magnus Lund
 * James LeGros as Larry Carter
 * Jackson Demott Hill as Hunter Carter
 * Siobhan Fallon Hogan as Darby's therapist
 * Courtney Grosbeck as teenager Darby Carter
 * John Gallagher Jr. as Luke Ducharme
 * Griffin Gluck portrays teenager Luke Ducharme
 * Kingsley Ben-Adir as Grant
 * Maya Kazan as Emily Hexton (season 2)
 * Kimberly Elise as Suzanné Hayward (season 2)
 * Ego Nwodim as Ola Adebayo (season 2)
 * Blair Underwood as Leon Hines (season 2)

Development
On May 23, 2019, it was announced that WarnerMedia had ordered a romantic comedy anthology straight to series with the first season consisting of ten episodes for HBO Max. The series was created by Sam Boyd who was also expected to executive produce alongside Anna Kendrick, Paul Feig, Jessie Henderson, and Bridget Bedard. The pilot was also written and directed by Sam Boyd. Production companies involved with the series were slated to consist of Lionsgate Television and Feigco Entertainment. On June 11, 2020, HBO Max renewed the series for a second season. Janet Hubert, Jordan Rock, and Maya Kazan joined the second season as executive producers.

Casting
Alongside the initial series announcement, Anna Kendrick was also cast in a lead role. On August 13, 2019, it was reported that Zoë Chao, Sasha Compère and Peter Vack joined the cast in starring roles, with Scoot McNairy joining in a recurring role. On November 5, 2020, William Jackson Harper was cast to headline the second season with Kendrick set to reprise her role of Darby as a guest. On May 3, 2021, it was announced that Jessica Williams and Chris Powell joined the main cast. On July 20, 2021, Punkie Johnson was cast in a starring role while Leslie Bibb, John Earl Jelks, and Arian Moayed were cast in recurring roles for the second season. Kimberly Elise, Ego Nwodim, and Blair Underwood also joined the cast as guest stars for the second season. The following month, Keith David was cast in the role of the season's narrator while Steven Boyer joined the cast in a recurring role.

Filming
Filming had begun by August 2019 in Queens, New York. The final scene of the finale was filmed on March 12, 2020, and production was forced to shut down the next day because of the COVID-19 pandemic. While several more days of filming pick-ups had been planned, they were able to complete the season without those additional shots.

Release
The series premiered on May 27, 2020, on HBO Max. In Australia, the series was released on May 27, 2020, on Stan, and public broadcaster BBC acquired television broadcast rights in the United Kingdom (where the series started airing on the broadcaster's main BBC One channel ) to the series on September 10, 2020. The series is streaming on Lionsgate Play in India. In the United States, the series was aired on TBS on August 22, 2021. The second season was scheduled to debut on October 28, 2021, with the first three episodes available immediately, followed by three episodes on November 4, and the final four episodes on November 11.

In December 2022, Love Life was canceled after two seasons and removed from HBO Max.

Reception
On Rotten Tomatoes, the first season has an approval rating of 65% based on reviews from 48 critics, with an average rating of 5.8/10. The site's critics consensus reads: "Love Life first season breezes by on Anna Kendrick's charms, but those looking for a real connection may find its featherweight familiarness frustrating." On Metacritic it has a weighted average score of 54 out of 100 based on reviews from 22 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews". On Rotten Tomatoes, the second season holds an approval rating of 100% based on reviews from 12 critics, with an average rating of 7/10. The site's critics consensus states: "William Jackson Harper's Love Life is easy to get caught up in thanks to the star's charm and this season's thoughtful exploration of a real romantic conundrum." On Metacritic, the second season has a weighted average score of 78 out of 100 based on reviews from 10 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".