# Life Goes On (TV series)

Life Goes On is an American drama television series that aired on ABC from September 12, 1989, to May 23, 1993. The show centers on the Thatcher family living in suburban Chicago: Drew, his wife Libby, and their children Paige, Rebecca and Charles, who is known as Corky. Life Goes On was the first television series to feature a major character with Down syndrome.

## Cast and characters
### Main

* Bill Smitrovich as Andrew "Drew" Thatcher:
Drew is the husband of Libby Thatcher and the father of Paige, Corky, and Becca Thatcher. He is a Special Olympics coach who formerly worked for a construction company before going into the restaurant business.
* Patti LuPone as Elizabeth "Libby" Thatcher:
Drew's wife, Paige's stepmother, and Corky and Becca's mother, who has been a singer and actress. She is very supportive of Corky and proud that Corky and Becca take part in their church's drama group and that Becca is in her school's drama club. At the end of Season 2, she gives birth to her and Drew's fourth child, a son named Nicholas.
* Monique Lanier (season 1); Tracey Needham (seasons 2-4), as Paige Thatcher:
Drew's daughter, Libby's stepdaughter, and Corky and Becca's older half-sister. Paige frequently dates men of whom her father does not approve. She is very caring of Corky but has a love-hate relationship with Becca.
* Chris Burke as Corky Thatcher:
Corky is the middle child: younger brother of Paige and older brother of Becca. Despite having Down Syndrome, he takes mostly regular classes in high school. He occasionally struggles, and indicated that mathematics was his hardest subject, but he improves through tutoring sessions.
* Kellie Martin as Rebecca "Becca" Thatcher:
Becca is the younger sister of Corky and Paige. She is nerdy but attractive; at school, she is socially awkward, especially around her crushes, such as Tyler and Jesse.
* Tommy Puett (recurring, season 1; main, seasons 2-3) as Tyler Benchfield: Corky's best friend and Becca's first boyfriend. He dies from drinking and driving in his last appearance.
* Chad Lowe (recurring, season 3; main, season 4) as Jesse McKenna: Becca's second boyfriend.

### Recurring

* Ray Buktenica (guest, season 1; recurring, seasons 2-3) as Jerry Berkson, Libby's boss at Berkson & Berkson, an advertising agency. Jerry is eccentric and somewhat egomaniacal; he never fails to show his temper, but Libby always stands up to him. Jerry later becomes a partner in Drew's restaurant, The Glen Brook Grill.
* Tanya Fenmore (seasons 1-3) as Maxie, Becca's best friend. Maxie leaves early in season 3 for a study-abroad in Paris and is never seen again.
* Michele Matheson (seasons 1-2) as Rona Lieberman, a popular girl at school who is Becca's rival and a love interest for Tyler.
* David Byrd (guest, season 1; recurring, seasons 2-4) as Hans, a chef who works at the Glen Brook Grill. He is a German immigrant.
* Mary Page Keller (season 2) as Gina Giordano, Libby's sister, who comes to live in the Thatcher household for a time.
* Leigh Ann Orsi (season 2) as Zoe, Gina's daughter, who comes to live in the Thatcher household for a time.
* Troy Evans (seasons 3-4) as Artie McDonald, a welding foreman and Paige's boss at Stollmark Industries. In season 4, Artie and Paige are laid off from the Stollmark factory and they launch a contracting business together, "Darlin' Construction" that he bought and named for his nickname he had given her.
* Lance Guest (seasons 3-4) as Michael Romanov, a welder and artist. He is Paige's co-worker at Stollmark Industries and becomes her love interest.
* Andrea Friedman (seasons 3-4) as Amanda Swanson, Corky's girlfriend, a college student. Like Corky, Amanda also has Down Syndrome. Early in season 4, Corky and Amanda elope, which comes as a shock to their families.
* Kiersten Warren (season 4) as Kathy Goodman, Becca's friend and co-worker at a bookstore. She is usually referred to by her last name only. A recent high school dropout, Goodman is convinced by Becca to enroll at Marshall High, which she does during their senior year, after having quit a previous school.

### Guest stars

* Al Ruscio as Sal Giordano, Libby's father
* Penny Santon as Teresa Giordano, Libby's mother
* Gloria Gifford as Mrs. Kneffer, principal of Marshall High
* Gina Hecht as Angela, Libby's cousin, an attorney
* Rick Rosenthal as Richard Thatcher, Drew's brother
* Peter Van Norden (seasons 1-3) as Coach Paintz Kutner, a former classmate of Drew's
* Alan Blumenfeld (seasons 1-3) as John Khatchadourian, a former classmate of Drew's
* Whip Hubley as Dr. Oliver Matthews (season 1), the veterinarian that Paige works for, and as Coach Eric Bradford (season 2), a gymnastics coach at Marshall High.
* Michael Rankin as Donnie Benchfield, Tyler's younger brother who has Down Syndrome.
* Michael Alldredge as Mr. Seedling
* Alfred Dennis as Miller
* Shannen Doherty (season 1) as Ginny Green, a new student in school whom Corky has a crush on
* Adam Carl (season 1-2) as Matt Hardy, a friend of Becca's whom she briefly dates
* Viveca Lindfors (season 1) as Mrs. Doubcha, Becca's dance instructor
* Elyssa Davalos (season 2) as Doreen Gillespie, a waitress at the Glen Brook Grill
* Barney Martin (seasons 3-4) as Stan Baker, owner of the movie theater where Corky works
* Mitzi McCall (season 3) as Midge, a waitress at the Glen Brook Grill
* Dorothy Lyman (seasons 3-4) as Mary McKenna, Jesse's mother
* Steven Eckholdt (season 3) as Kenny Stollmark, Jr., son of the Stollmark Industries president. He becomes romantically involved with Paige and they nearly get married.
* Drew Snyder (seasons 3-4) as Bill Swanson, Amanda's father
* Charlotte Stewart (seasons 3-4) as Collette Swanson, Amanda's mother
* Ned Vaughn (season 4) as Eric, manager of the bookstore where Becca works. He has romantic feelings for Becca.
* Martin Milner (season 4) as Harris Cassidy, owner of the bookstore where Becca works
* Michael Goorjian (season 4) as Ray Nelson, a classmate of Becca's
* Christopher and Kevin Graves (season 4) as Nicholas Thatcher
* Richard Frank (season 4) as Chester, a patient that Jesse meets while being hospitalized for the effects of AIDS

## Overview

The drama featured the Thatcher family, whose son, Charles "Corky" Thatcher (played by Chris Burke), has Down syndrome, while their daughter Becca (played by Kellie Martin) did well at school but was socially awkward. Patti LuPone, then best known for theatrical roles, played the mother Elizabeth ("Libby") and Bill Smitrovich played the father Drew. Eldest sister Paige Thatcher was played by Monique Lanier during the 1989–1990 season and by Tracey Needham during the 1990–1993 seasons as Lanier left the series to have a child. Becca's boyfriend and Corky's buddy, Tyler Benchfield, was played by Tommy Puett. Jerry Berkson (Ray Buktenica) was Libby's quirky boss. In the last two seasons, Becca's boyfriend Jesse McKenna was played by Chad Lowe.
The show is set in the Chicago suburb Glenbrook, Illinois, which is named after the high school which one of creator Michael Braverman's children attended at the time. The name itself is a blend of the real suburbs served by the school, Glenview and Northbrook.
Each episode's opening credits end with a shot of Arnold, the family dog (billed as "Arnold the Semi-Wonder Dog"). Apparently forgotten by the family in their rush to get ready for the day, he sits in the kitchen with his empty food bowl in his mouth and lets it drop to the floor. The show's producers received a constant trickle of letters each week from viewers who thought this was cruel, so in the final episode's opening credits, a bag of dog food spills out of a nearby cabinet.

### Early seasons

During the show's first year, the main focus was on Corky. Much of the show examined the challenges of a family whose son had Down Syndrome. The Thatchers sought to have Corky interact with regular society after spending years socializing him amongst other kids with Down syndrome in "special" classes. The need to integrate Corky into normal society was Season 1's main storyline, as the Thatchers opted to enroll Corky in a regular high school despite the principal's demand that he be placed in an alternative program for those with Down syndrome.
In addition, during the first three seasons, episodes included Tyler Benchfield (Tommy Puett), Becca's high school crush, who also had a brother with Down syndrome.
Corky eventually got a job as an usher at a local movie theater. He later found a girlfriend, Amanda Swanson (Andrea Friedman), who also had Down Syndrome. They married by the series' end.

### Later seasons

By the second season, the writers began to expand the show's scope beyond Corky, and the third and fourth seasons centered on Becca and a new character, Jesse (Chad Lowe), a junior who met Becca through the school's theatre department. As they become friends, Jesse told Becca he was HIV positive. Tyler became less prominent in Becca's life and was jealous of Becca's closeness with Jesse. His character was written out and he was given the memorable sendoff of dying in a car accident with Corky as passenger.
Much to the surprise of those around them, Becca and Jesse began a relationship despite his HIV. The writers explored life with HIV through Jesse's character, and the difficulties the disease causes with romantic relationships. The relationship between Corky and Becca, previously portrayed as close, was also explored, as Corky briefly turned his back on his sister for dumping a mutual friend to date Jesse.
The fourth season's first episode, in which a 40-something Becca (Pamela Bellwood) tours the house she grew up in while remembering the events of 25 years earlier, establishes that Jesse would ultimately die from AIDS and that Becca would move on and marry a man named David. The series itself ended ambiguously but on an upbeat note, showing Becca five years later, married with a son named Jesse. In the final episode Corky was set to graduate from high school, but he did not because the school board did not waive the math requirement.

## Episodes
### Series overview

| Season | Episodes | Episodes | Originally aired | Originally aired |
| Season | Episodes | Episodes | First aired | Last aired |
| 1 | 22 | 22 | September 12, 1989 (1989-09-12) | May 13, 1990 (1990-05-13) |
| 2 | 22 | 22 | September 16, 1990 (1990-09-16) | May 5, 1991 (1991-05-05) |
| 3 | 22 | 22 | September 22, 1991 (1991-09-22) | May 10, 1992 (1992-05-10) |
| 4 | 17 | 17 | September 20, 1992 (1992-09-20) | May 23, 1993 (1993-05-23) |

### Season 1 (1989–90)

| No. overall | No. in season | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original air date | Viewers (millions) |
| 1 | 1 | "Pilot" | Rick Rosenthal | Michael Braverman | September 12, 1989 (1989-09-12) | 23.6 |
| 2 | 2 | "Corky for President" | Kim Friedman | Paul Wolff | September 24, 1989 (1989-09-24) | 16.7 |
| 3 | 3 | "The Baby-Sitter" | Rick Rosenthal | Jule Selbo | October 1, 1989 (1989-10-01) | 14.5 |
| 4 | 4 | "Break a Leg, Mom" | Rick Rosenthal | Michael Braverman | October 8, 1989 (1989-10-08) | 16.8 |
| 5 | 5 | "Becca's First Love" | Rick Rosenthal | Jule Selbo | October 15, 1989 (1989-10-15) | 15.7 |
| 6 | 6 | "Paige's Date" | Jerry Jameson | Joe Shulkin | October 22, 1989 (1989-10-22) | 14.2 |
| 7 | 7 | "Paige's Mom" | Gene Reynolds | Ronald Rubin | November 5, 1989 (1989-11-05) | 15.6 |
| 8 | 8 | "Call of the Wild" | Georg Fenady | Linda Cowgill | November 12, 1989 (1989-11-12) | 12.9 |
| 9 | 9 | "Corky Witnesses a Crime" | Kim Friedman | Tom O'Brien | November 26, 1989 (1989-11-26) | 16.9 |
| 10 | 10 | "Ordinary Heroes" | Gene Reynolds | Paul Wolff | December 3, 1989 (1989-12-03) | 15.3 |
| 11 | 11 | "Pets, Guys and Videotape" | Mel Damski | Star Frohman | December 10, 1989 (1989-12-10) | 14.7 |
| 12 | 12 | "Corky's Crush" | Gene Reynolds | Jule Selbo | January 14, 1990 (1990-01-14) | 15.6 |
| 13 | 13 | "Thatcher and Henderson" | Rick Rosenthal | Michael Nankin | January 21, 1990 (1990-01-21) | 16.1 |
| 14 | 14 | "The Return of Uncle Richard" | Kim Friedman | Michael Braverman | February 4, 1990 (1990-02-04) | 14.6 |
| 15 | 15 | "Brothers" | Jerry Jameson | Ronald Rubin | February 11, 1990 (1990-02-11) | 17.7 |
| 16 | 16 | "Corky Rebels" | Gene Reynolds | Paul Wolff | February 18, 1990 (1990-02-18) | 16.3 |
| 17 | 17 | "It Ain't All It's Cracked Up to Be" | Kim Friedman | Star Frohman | March 4, 1990 (1990-03-04) | 15.4 |
| 18 | 18 | "Pig O' My Heart" | Michael Braverman | Michael Nankin | March 25, 1990 (1990-03-25) | 15.3 |
| 19 | 19 | "Becca and the Underground Newspaper" | Rick Rosenthal | Jule Selbo | April 1, 1990 (1990-04-01) | 10.6 |
| 20 | 20 | "Save the Last Dance for Me" | Larry Shaw | Judith Fein | April 15, 1990 (1990-04-15) | 9.8 |
| 21 | 21 | "With a Mighty Heart" | Paul Wolff | Paul Wolff | April 29, 1990 (1990-04-29) | 12.2 |
| 22 | 22 | "The Spring Fling" | Larry Shaw | Ronald Rubin | May 13, 1990 (1990-05-13) | 9.7 |

### Season 2 (1990–91)

| No. overall | No. in season | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original air date | Viewers (millions) |
| 23 | 1 | "Honeymoon from Hell" | Rick Rosenthal | Michael Braverman | September 16, 1990 (1990-09-16) | 13.3 |
| 24 | 2 | "Corky and the Dolphins" | Rick Rosenthal | Jule Selbo | September 23, 1990 (1990-09-23) | 13.7 |
| 25 | 3 | "The Visitor" | Michael Nankin | Michael Nankin | September 30, 1990 (1990-09-30) | 13.5 |
| 26 | 4 | "Becca and the Band" | Kim Friedman | Susan Wald | October 7, 1990 (1990-10-07) | 15.1 |
| 27 | 5 | "The Banquet Room Renovation" | E.W. Swackhamer | Wesley Bishop | October 14, 1990 (1990-10-14) | 13.1 |
| 28 | 6 | "Halloween" | Kim Friedman | Liz Coe | October 28, 1990 (1990-10-28) | 19.4 |
| 29 | 7 | "Chicken Pox" | Charles Braverman | David M. Wolf | November 4, 1990 (1990-11-04) | 16.2 |
| 30 | 8 | "La Dolce Becca" | Miles Watkins | Star Frohman | November 11, 1990 (1990-11-11) | 16.6 |
| 31 | 9 | "A Thatcher Thanksgiving" | Charles Braverman | Michael Nankin & Michael Braverman | November 18, 1990 (1990-11-18) | 15.2 |
| 32 | 10 | "Libby's Sister" | Rick Rosenthal | Liz Coe | November 25, 1990 (1990-11-25) | 15.9 |
| 33 | 11 | "The Buddy" | Roy Campanella II | Brad Markowitz | December 9, 1990 (1990-12-09) | 11.6 |
| 34 | 12 | "The Bicycle Thief" | Mel Damski | David M. Wolf | December 16, 1990 (1990-12-16) | 11.9 |
| 35 | 13 | "Isn't It Romantic?" | Michael Lange | Michael Nankin | January 6, 1991 (1991-01-06) | 15.8 |
| 36 | 14 | "The Bigger Picture" | Jerry Jameson | Star Frohman | January 13, 1991 (1991-01-13) | 15.5 |
| 37 | 15 | "Last Stand in Glen Brook" | Larry Shaw | Marti Noxon | February 3, 1991 (1991-02-03) | 13.6 |
| 38 | 16 | "Head Over Heels" | Dick Rogers | Liz Coe | February 10, 1991 (1991-02-10) | 16.4 |
| 39 | 17 | "Corky's Travels" | Rick Rosenthal | David M. Wolf | March 10, 1991 (1991-03-10) | 13.8 |
| 40 | 18 | "Thanks a Bunch, Dr. Lamaze" | Michael Lange | Brad Markowitz | March 17, 1991 (1991-03-17) | 14.8 |
| 41 | 19 | "Ghost of Grandpa Past" | Kim Friedman | Michael Braverman | March 31, 1991 (1991-03-31) | 11.0 |
| 42 | 20 | "Arthur" | Michael Nankin | Michael Nankin | April 7, 1991 (1991-04-07) | 9.1 |
| 43 | 21 | "Lighter Than Air" | Michael Braverman | Dick Lochte | April 28, 1991 (1991-04-28) | 11.7 |
| 44 | 22 | "Proms and Prams" | Kim Friedman | Liz Coe | May 5, 1991 (1991-05-05) | 13.5 |

### Season 3 (1991–92)

| No. overall | No. in season | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original air date | Viewers (millions) |
| 45 | 1 | "Toast" | Michael Lange | Michael Nankin | September 22, 1991 (1991-09-22) | 13.9 |
| 46 | 2 | "Hello, Goodbye" | Jerry Jameson | Bryce Zabel | September 29, 1991 (1991-09-29) | 14.5 |
| 47 | 3 | "Out of the Mainstream" | Kim Friedman | Brad Markowitz | October 6, 1991 (1991-10-06) | 14.0 |
| 48 | 4 | "Armageddon" | Michael Lange | Charles Pratt Jr. | October 13, 1991 (1991-10-13) | 14.4 |
| 49 | 5 | "Sweet 16" | Michael Lange | Toni Graphia | October 20, 1991 (1991-10-20) | 14.5 |
| 50 | 6 | "Life After Death" | Larry Shaw | Thania St. John | November 3, 1991 (1991-11-03) | 19.6 |
| 51 | 7 | "Dueling Divas" | Kim Friedman | Charles Pratt Jr. | November 10, 1991 (1991-11-10) | 16.8 |
| 52 | 8 | "Invasion of the Thatcher Snatchers" | Michael Nankin | Michael Nankin | November 17, 1991 (1991-11-17) | 14.3 |
| 53 | 9 | "Loaded Question" | David Carson | Brad Markowitz | November 24, 1991 (1991-11-24) | 15.6 |
| 54 | 10 | "Triangles" | Kim Friedman | Toni Graphia | December 1, 1991 (1991-12-01) | 16.8 |
| 55 | 11 | "The Smell of Fear" | Michael Lange | Thania St. John | December 15, 1991 (1991-12-15) | 17.6 |
| 56 | 12 | "Struck by Lighting" | Larry Shaw | Charles Pratt Jr. | January 5, 1992 (1992-01-05) | 16.4 |
| 57 | 13 | "Jerry's Deli" | Larry Shaw | E.F. Wallengren | January 19, 1992 (1992-01-19) | 13.8 |
| 58 | 14 | "The Room" | Michael Lange | Story by : Michael Nankin & Toni Graphia Teleplay by : Michael Nankin, Toni Graphia, Thania St. John & Charles Pratt Jr. | February 9, 1992 (1992-02-09) | 12.6 |
| 59 | 15 | "The Wall" | Michael Lange | Brad Markowitz | February 16, 1992 (1992-02-16) | 14.1 |
| 60 | 16 | "The Blues" | Michael Nankin | Toni Graphia | February 23, 1992 (1992-02-23) | 14.1 |
| 61 | 17 | "The Fairy Tale" | Michael Lange | Thania St. John | March 1, 1992 (1992-03-01) | 12.7 |
| 62 | 18 | "Hearts and Flowers" | Larry Shaw | Charles Pratt Jr. | March 15, 1992 (1992-03-15) | 13.3 |
| 63 | 19 | "Corky's Romance" | Kim Friedman | E.F. Wallengren | March 29, 1992 (1992-03-29) | 13.1 |
| 64 | 20 | "More Than Friends" | Bill Smitrovich | Brad Markowitz | April 26, 1992 (1992-04-26) | 14.2 |
| 65 | 21 | "Confessions" | Michael Lange | Toni Graphia | May 3, 1992 (1992-05-03) | 14.4 |
| 66 | 22 | "Consenting Adults" | Michael Nankin | Charles Pratt Jr. | May 10, 1992 (1992-05-10) | 10.7 |

### Season 4 (1992–93)

| No. overall | No. in season | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original air date | Viewers (millions) |
| 67 | 1 | "Bec to the Future" | Michael Nankin | Thania St. John & Toni Graphia | September 20, 1992 (1992-09-20) | 13.4 |
| 68 | 2 | "Exposed" | Michael Lange | E F. Wallengren | September 27, 1992 (1992-09-27) | 13.6 |
| 69 | 3 | "Premarital Syndrome" | Michael Braverman | Toni Graphia & Thania St. John | October 4, 1992 (1992-10-04) | 12.6 |
| 70 | 4 | "The Whole Truth" | Michael Lange | Scott Frost | October 18, 1992 (1992-10-18) | 14.1 |
| 71 | 5 | "Love Letters" | Georg Fenady | Marshall Goldberg | November 8, 1992 (1992-11-08) | 11.7 |
| 72 | 6 | "Windows" | Michael Nankin | Toni Graphia | November 22, 1992 (1992-11-22) | 14.5 |
| 73 | 7 | "Babes in the Woods" | Sandy Smolan | Thania St. John | November 29, 1992 (1992-11-29) | 11.9 |
| 74 | 8 | "Udder Madness" | Kim Friedman | E.F. Wallengren | December 13, 1992 (1992-12-13) | 11.2 |
| 75 | 9 | "Happy Holidays" | Randall William Cook | Marshall Goldberg | December 20, 1992 (1992-12-20) | 12.3 |
| 76 | 10 | "Choices" | Michael Lange | Toni Graphia | January 3, 1993 (1993-01-03) | 14.8 |
| 77 | 11 | "Incident on Main" | R.W. Goodwin | Scott Frost | January 10, 1993 (1993-01-10) | 16.0 |
| 78 | 12 | "Lost Weekend" | Lorenzo Destefano | Thania St. John | January 24, 1993 (1993-01-24) | 14.6 |
| 79 | 13 | "Visions" | Michael Lange | E.F. Wallengren | February 14, 1993 (1993-02-14) | 14.3 |
| 80 | 14 | "Five to Midnight" | Michael Nankin | Scott Frost | February 21, 1993 (1993-02-21) | 15.8 |
| 81 | 15 | "Bedfellows" | Michael Lange | Marshall Goldberg | February 28, 1993 (1993-02-28) | 14.4 |
| 82 | 16 | "Last Wish" | Joe Pennella | Toni Graphia | March 7, 1993 (1993-03-07) | 15.3 |
| 83 | 17 | "Life Goes On (and On and On)" | Michael Lange | E.F. Wallengren | May 23, 1993 (1993-05-23) | 13.2 |

## Broadcast history and U.S. television ratings

| Season | Timeslot (ET) | Season Premiere | Season Finale | TV Season | Nielsen Ranking |
| 1 | Sunday 7:00 pm | September 21, 1989 | May 13, 1990 | 1989–1990 | #75 (8.7 rating) |
| 2 | Sunday 7:00 pm | September 16, 1990 | May 5, 1991 | 1990–1991 | #68 (8.92 rating) |
| 3 | Sunday 7:00 pm | September 22, 1991 | May 10, 1992 | 1991–1992 | #68 (9.21 rating) |
| 4 | Sunday 7:00 pm | September 20, 1992 | May 23, 1993 | 1992–1993 | #66 (9.11 rating) |
In Canada, the show aired on Crossroads Television System. In New Zealand, the show aired Saturday afternoons on TVNZ's Channel 2.
In the United States, reruns have previously aired on The Family Channel, FX and PAX TV.

## Awards and nominations

| Year | Award | Category | Recipient | Result |
| 1993 | American Television Awards | Best Supporting Actress, Dramatic Series | Kellie Martin | Won |
| 1990 | Golden Globe Award | Best Supporting Actor – Series, Miniseries or Television Film | Chris Burke | Nominated |
| 1993 | Humanitas Prize | 60 Minute Category | Marshall Goldberg (For episode "Bedfellows") | Nominated |
| 1990 | Primetime Emmy Award | Outstanding Guest Actress in a Drama Series | Viveca Lindfors | Won |
| 1991 | Primetime Emmy Award | Outstanding Original Music and Lyrics | Mark Mueller and Craig Safan (For episode "Corky's Travels") | Nominated |
| 1993 | Primetime Emmy Award | Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series | Chad Lowe | Won |
| 1993 | Primetime Emmy Award | Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series | Kellie Martin | Nominated |
| 1990 | Viewers for Quality Television Award | Best Actress in a Quality Drama Series | Patti LuPone | Nominated |
| 1991 | Viewers for Quality Television Award | Best Actress in a Quality Drama Series | Patti LuPone | Nominated |
| 1992 | Viewers for Quality Television Award | Best Supporting Actress in a Quality Drama Series | Kellie Martin | Won |
| 1992 | Viewers for Quality Television Award | Founder's Award | | Won |
| 1993 | Viewers for Quality Television Award | Best Quality Drama Series | | Nominated |
| 1993 | Viewers for Quality Television Award | Best Supporting Actor in a Quality Drama Series | Chad Lowe | Won |
| 1993 | Viewers for Quality Television Award | Best Supporting Actress in a Quality Drama Series | Kellie Martin | Nominated |
| 1994 | Writers Guild of America Award | Episodic Drama | Toni Graphia (For episode "Last Wish") | Nominated |
| 1990 | Young Artist Award | Best Young Actor Supporting Role in a Television Series | Tommy Puett | Nominated |
| 1990 | Young Artist Award | Best Young Actor Supporting Role in a Television Series | Kevin Telles | Nominated |
| 1990 | Young Artist Award | Best Young Actress Supporting Role in a Television Series | Kellie Martin | Nominated |
| 1990 | Young Artist Award | Best Young Actor Guest Starring in a Television Series | Michael Bays | Nominated |
| 1990 | Young Artist Award | Best Young Actor Guest Starring in a Television Series | Ryan Bollman | Nominated |
| 1990 | Young Artist Award | Best New Television Series | | Nominated |
| 1990 | Young Artist Award | Inspiration to Youth | Chris Burke | Won |
| 1991 | Young Artist Award | Best Young Actor Starring in a Television Series | Chris Burke | Nominated |
| 1991 | Young Artist Award | Best Young Actress Starring in a Television Series | Kellie Martin | Won |
| 1991 | Young Artist Award | Best Young Actress Supporting or Recurring Role For a TV Series | Tanya Fenmore | Nominated |
| 1991 | Young Artist Award | Best Young Actress Supporting or Recurring Role For a TV Series | Leigh Ann Orsi | Nominated |
| 1992 | Young Artist Award | Best Young Actress Starring in a Television Series | Kellie Martin | Won |
| 1993 | Young Artist Award | Best Young Actress Starring in a Television Series | Kellie Martin | Nominated |
| 1993 | Young Artist Award | Best Young Actress Recurring in a Television Series | Kiersten Warren | Nominated |

## Home media

On May 9, 2006, Warner Home Video released Season 1 of Life Goes On on DVD in Region 1. It is unknown if the remaining three seasons will be released. The DVD release has a replacement theme song at the beginning of each episode, with the exception of the show's pilot. The replacement was due to high licensing costs for the Beatles' song "Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da." The new song aptly titled "Life Goes On" was written by composer Marc Jackson of MoonLab Music and sung by singer/songwriter Tara Johnston. The song was written specifically for the DVD release.

## Possible continuation

In September 2021, it was reported that a possible follow-up series with original cast member Kellie Martin, and with Martin, Chad Lowe and Nkechi Okoro Carroll producing, is in the works. In January 2022, it was announced that NBC had given a pilot commitment for a new series with Martin set to return as star. Carroll will write and executive produce under her production company Rocky My Soul Productions banner; Lindsay Dunn will also executive produce, while Martin and Lowe will produce.