For Better or For Worse (TV Series)

In 2000, an animated series of For Better or for Worse, produced by Funbag Animation, began airing on Teletoon. The series aired for two eight episode seasons, 16 episodes total (technically 48, as each episode contains three segments), and concluded a year later.

## Episodes

•Three and Sympathy

•Take My Mom Please

•My Dinner with Elly

(Theme:Elly)

————-

•Puppy Love

•Trade Off

•Crazy Little Thing Called Love

(Theme:love)

—————-

•Skunked

•Offspring

•Farley’s Day

(theme:Farley)

————

•Stage Fright

•Hot Dog Summer

• It’s a Living

(theme:work)

—————

•Wings and Things

•Farley La-La-La

•Eggnog and Nutmeg

(theme:Christmas)

—————-

•Dad’s Back

•A Tale of Two Daddies

•A Special Kind of Dad

(theme:John,fatherhood)

———-

•Blackout

•Four Wheel Fear

•The Bogeyman

(theme:fears)

————

•I Don’t Want to Do This

•Surprise

•Jingle Jingle, Mrs. Dingle

(theme:things we don’t want to do)

————-

•Family Lies

•Young Love’s Kiss

•Parade Passing By

(theme:lies?)

——-

•Signals

•Spring Clean

•If It Ain’t Broke

(theme:change)

————-

•Baby It‘s Cold Outside

•Crystal Clear

•A New Year

(theme:winter)

————

•In A Pig’s Eye

•Who Was Your Slave Last Year

•Whistle Blower

(theme:uncomfortable situations)

———-

•AAARGH!

•A Tents Situation

•Witness To History

(theme:pranks,things Michael does)

————

•There Goes My Baby

•Compulsory Figures

•My Son The Egg

(theme:parenthood)

———-

•Clowning Around

•Broken Heart Blues

•Only When I Laugh

(theme:humor)

———-

•Movie Magic

•Buddies

•Learning Curve

(theme:friendship)

## Voices

Lynn Mason as Elly Patterson

Terrence Scammell as John Patterson

Rylan O’Reilly as a young Michael Patterson

Henry Gauthier as teenage and adult Michael

Anna Wedlock as a young Elizabeth Patterson

Vanessa Lengies as preteen Elizabeth

Lianne Picard-Poirier as teenage Elizabeth

Bryn McAuley as April Patterson

Janyse Jaud as Sarah, Shawna-Marie

## Trivia

* Each episode has three segments: The Early Years, The Growing Years, and The Later Years

- **The Early Years**: 1984-1986: John and Elly are young parents, Mike is in grade school, Liz is a young girl

-**The Growing Years**: 1990-1992: John and Elly are middle aged, Mike is a teenager, Liz is a preteen, April is a toddler

-**The Later Years**: 1997-1998: John and Elly are approaching their older years, Mike is a young adult, Liz is a teenager, April is school aged

* Before each of the “Early Years” segments, Lynn will speak to the viewer for a few moments and summarize the moral of an episode. She will also draw one or more of her characters in the situation.
* After Lynn’s message, a strip from the comic is shown on screen, often including sound effects and partial animation.
* Some voice actors who voiced characters in the Lacewood Specials return in this series.
* Some time periods or events in this series differ from the strip. For example: Liz in the “Early” segments is depicted as she was from 2-5 years old in the strip, though she speaks coherently and acts as if she’s 5 or older. Another example includes Deanna replacing Rhetta when Mike speaks about Farley. In the strip, he did this with former girlfriend Rhetta, though it was altered for this adaptation. This can perhaps be taken to imply that Rhetta doesn’t exist in the series’ continuity.