# Life Is Wild

Life Is Wild is an American drama television series adapted by Michael Rauch, George Faber and Charlie Pattinson from the British drama Wild at Heart. The show is about a New York veterinarian who moves his second wife and their two sets of children to a South African game reserve run by his former father-in-law.
Produced by CBS Paramount Network Television and Company Pictures, the series was officially greenlit by The CW and given a thirteen-episode order on May 15, 2007. The series premiered on October 7, 2007, and aired every Sunday night at 8:00PM Eastern/7:00PM Central, following a repeat of Aliens in America. It aired in Canada on the pay TV channel E! as a mid-season replacement, in Europe on pay TV, in the United Kingdom on the Hallmark Channel, in Greece on August 1, 2011 on Skai TV, in South America on the pay TV Warner Channel, and in New Zealand weekdays during the 2009 Christmas holiday period on TV3 in a daytime slot.
In February 2008, the show was canceled after one season due to low ratings.

## Cast
### Main

* D. W. Moffett as Danny Clarke
* Leah Pipes as Katie Clarke
* Stephanie Niznik as Jo Weller-Clarke
* Andrew St. John as Jesse Weller
* Calvin Goldspink as Oliver Banks
* Atandwa Kani as Tumelo
* David Butler as Art
* K'Sun Ray as Chase Clarke
* Mary Mouser as Mia Weller
* Tiffany Mulheron as Emily Banks

### Recurring

* George Jackos as Colin Banks
* Shannon Esra as Lauren
* Precious Kofi as Mbali
Brett Cullen and Judith Hoag were originally cast as Danny Clarke and Jo Clarke respectively but the roles were recast in June and July 2007. Jeremy Sheffield was also originally cast in the recurring role of Colin Banks but was replaced by George Jackos when the show received a series order.

## Episodes

| No. | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original release date | Prod. code |
| 1 | "Pilot" | Bryan Gordon | Michael Rauch | October 7, 2007 (2007-10-07) | 100 |
| A New York veterinarian moves his second wife and their two sets of children to a South African game reserve run by his former father-in-law. ||||||
| 2 | "Ubuntu" | James Steven Sadwith | Michael Rauch | October 14, 2007 (2007-10-14) | 101 |
| School begins and Emily and another popular girl, Lauren (Shannon Esra), offer Katie help with an assignment, but Lauren grows jealous of Katie's relationship with Oliver and plays a trick on her. Later, Tumelo shows her true friendship and helps her complete her work. Meanwhile, rebellious Jesse tests the school's rules and falls for a local bartender (Precious Kofi); and Danny battles a mysterious illness among the local wildlife. ||||||
| 3 | "Open for Business" | Brian Grant | Sue Tenney | October 21, 2007 (2007-10-21) | 102 |
| Jo and Art finally open the Blue Antelope and welcome their first guests, but they realize that running an eco-friendly lodge requires more work than they anticipated; and Katie auditions for the Spring Sing Fling and shocks her friends with her beautiful voice. Meanwhile, Jesse gets a job at the Ant's Hill, but Mbali questions him about his age; and Danny investigates a mysterious illness among the zebras and wildebeests. ||||||
| 4 | "Heritage Day" | Ed Fraiman | Dana Baratta | October 28, 2007 (2007-10-28) | 103 |
| Katie accepts Tumelo's invitation to join him in the township's traditional celebration of Heritage day, a national holiday, although she'd rather attend a party at the Mara Lodge with Oliver and Emily. Elsewhere, a vervet monkey steals Jesse's shaving kit and is on the loose; and Danny and Jo go to the township's party with Chase and Mia. ||||||
| 5 | "Bad to the Bone" | Brain Grant | Raven Metzner & Stu Zicherman | November 4, 2007 (2007-11-04) | 104 |
| Katie and Jesse grumble about having to do chores around the lodge for the weekend rather than hanging out with friends, and they separately make bad decisions in a rebellious moment. Jesse takes off with Oliver, and the pair has an encounter with a cheetah that prompts Jesse to call on Danny for help; later, Katie thinks Oliver likes bad girls, so she meets him at a bar and both of them end up being put in jail. ||||||
| 6 | "Games People Play" | James Steven Sadwith | Elizabeth Hunter | November 11, 2007 (2007-11-11) | 105 |
| Katie gets to put her soccer skills to good use when she learns that the boys will compete against the girls in a charity match for underprivileged children. But her talents cause tension between her and Oliver, so she decides to hold back a little. Meanwhile, Jesse befriends a guest (Karl Thaning) at the Blue Antelope, a carefree adventurer whose actions get Jesse hurt. ||||||
| 7 | "The Heart Wants What It Wants" | Ed Fraiman | Maggie Bandur | November 18, 2007 (2007-11-18) | 106 |
| A wedding is held at the Blue Antelope and Katie helps Jo with the preparations, and she also learns a secret about Oliver's father that pushes her and Oliver apart. Elsewhere, Danny asks Tumelo to help him take care of an ill elephant that also seems to have an unnatural attraction to a giraffe; and Jesse and Mbali share a scary experience at work. ||||||
| 8 | "Animal House" | Brain Grant | Michael Rauch | December 2, 2007 (2007-12-02) | 107 |
| Jo and Danny are on their way to a conference for lodge operators and reluctantly leave Jesse and Katie in charge for the weekend. Jesses invites Emily and some of her friends to hang out, which quickly turns into a full blown, out-of-control party. Oliver and Katie are interrupted during a serious conversation when Stella, a lioness, decides to crash the party. ||||||
| 9 | "The Code" | Ed Fraiman | Sue Tenney | December 9, 2007 (2007-12-09) | 108 |
| Katie, Oliver, Emily and Tumelo form their own study group to prepare for their midterms; and Jesse comes to Katie for help in a class that he's failing. Meanwhile, guests at the Blue Antelope are disappointed to learn there's no guided wildlife hunt, so they decide to go the Mara Lodge instead; and Danny and Art take steps to protect white lions from hunters. ||||||
| 10 | "Rescue Me" | Brain Grant | Dana Baratta | January 6, 2008 (2008-01-06) | 109 |
| Katie, Jesse, Oliver, Emily and Tumelo join their classmates on an adventure in the bush. Jesse rebels against the counselor and refuses to participate in any activity, but the others set off to hike the trail. A lost map, a wet radio and a close encounter with a crocodile causes tension between the group and Tumelo and Katie end up lost in a cave. Meanwhile, Jo's best friend from New York is in town and is very honest about her opinion of the new life Jo leads in Africa. After Katie is rescued, at home again, she breaks up with . ||||||
| 11 | "Love Life" | Ed Fraiman | Jennifer Levin | January 20, 2008 (2008-01-20) | 110 |
| Katie befriends the counselor (Tema Sebopedi) of an HIV-positive support group, and she has doubts about her split from Oliver. Meanwhile, Emily confronts Jesse when he spends a lot of time with Mbali; and an inspector visits the Blue Antelope and reveals that it's not up to eco-friendly standards. ||||||
| 12 | "P.O.C." | James Steven Sadwith | Michael Rauch | January 27, 2008 (2008-01-27) | 111 |
| Katie and Tumelo each go through a breakup and discover that their relationship is very special; and Jesse helps Mbali find the strength to call off her engagement. Meanwhile, Jo and Art trade chores to learn whose duties are more difficult. ||||||
| 13 | "Home" | Brian Grant | D.E. Klerk | February 3, 2008 (2008-02-03) | 112 |
| At Art's insistence, Danny tries to introduce a male lion into the Blue Antelope's pride, but the plan goes awry and both men are seriously injured. Meanwhile, Jesse decides that he wants to go back to New York, but Katie tries to persuade him to stay. ||||||

## Reception
### U.S. Nielsen ratings

| # | Episode | Airdate | Rating | Share | 18–49 (Rating/Share) | Viewers (m) | Rank (#) |
| 1 | "Pilot" | October 7, 2007 | 1.2 | 2 | 0.4/1 | 1.65 | 99/110 |
| 2 | "Ubuntu" | October 14, 2007 | 0.7 | 1 | 0.3/1 | 1.06 | 100/110 |
| 3 | "Open for Business" | October 21, 2007 | 1.1 | 2 | 0.5/1 | 1.61 | 96/107 |
| 4 | "Heritage Day" | October 28, 2007 | 0.8 | 1 | 0.4/1 | 1.10 | 95/97 |
| 5 | "Bad to the Bone" | November 4, 2007 | 0.8 | 1 | 0.4/1 | 1.07 | 98/100 |
| 6 | "Games People Play" | November 11, 2007 | 1.0 | 2 | 0.4/1 | 1.35 | 99/101 |
| 7 | "The Heart Wants What It Wants" | November 18, 2007 | 1.0 | 2 | 0.4/1 | 1.39 | 99/101 |
| 8 | "Animal House" | December 2, 2007 | 0.9 | 1 | 0.4/1 | 1.25 | 96/98 |
| 9 | "The Code" | December 9, 2007 | 0.8 | 1 | 0.4/1 | 1.11 | 100/102 |
| 10 | "Rescue Me" | January 6, 2008 | 0.6 | 1 | 0.3/1 | 0.85 | 92/94 |
| 11 | "Love Life" | January 20, 2008 | 0.6 | 1 | 0.2/.5 | 0.80 | TBA |
| 12 | "P.O.C." | January 27, 2008 | 0.8 | 1 | 0.4/1 | 1.11 | TBA |
| 13 | "Home" | February 3, 2008 | 0.6 | 1 | 0.2/0 | 0.75 | TBA |
* Episode 13 aired against Super Bowl XLII.
Life Is Wild averaged 1.16 million viewers for its sole season.