My Life as Liz | |
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Season one promotional photo
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Genre |
Mockumentary Comedy |
Created by |
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Starring |
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Country of origin | United States |
Original language(s) | English |
No. of seasons | 2 |
No. of episodes | 21 (list of episodes) |
Production | |
Executive producer(s) |
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Producer(s) |
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Editor(s) |
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Camera setup | Single-camera |
Running time | 20-22 minutes |
Production company(s) | MTV |
Distributor | MTV Productions |
Release | |
Original network | MTV |
Original release | January 18, 2010 | – May 3, 2011
External links | |
Website |
My Life as Liz is a mockumentary-style American comedy television series that centers on the life of Liz Lee, a misfit high-school senior living in a small town in Texas. The series debuted on MTV on January 18, 2010.
The first season finale aired on March 8, 2010. Filming for the second season began early 2010 in New York City, mostly at Pratt Institute, the college which series star Liz Lee attends. Season two premiered February 8, 2011, and consisted of 12 episodes. The series was not renewed for a third season, and the series finale aired on May 3, 2011.
My Life as Liz uses the camera-work and editing typical of reality television. The show hints at Liz living in a small country-like town where her individuality is constantly threatened. The Texas city Liz lives in is a rapidly growing city of over 35,000 residents. The show targets isolated scenes repeatedly to hide this truth and leaves something to be desired in the lack of diversity. The Los Angeles Times asserts that the show "is quasi-reality -- real people, in their real environment, leading lives that are being in some way dramatized" and that the show "flirts with documentary but intersperses scenes of high-school hallway conversations". An MTV executive has stated, "We don't look at it as just a reality show. We weren't going to call it a sitcom, because it's not." Executive Producer Marshall Eisen stated, "The rule was, when Liz is around other people, we played that as straight as we could. When she's alone, that's when we were able to stylize things more." Liz herself has confirmed that there are multiple scenes that are 'planned', citing the scene in 'Liz's Got Talent (Part 1)' where Liz dresses as a superhero and in 'Summer of Suck' where Taylor Terry is shown in front of a black screen, but the events and relationships are true. The series frequently uses music from Faded Paper Figures, both for its end credits and during various episodes.
Season one focused on the life of Liz Lee. She lives in Burleson, Texas, a conservative, religious suburb in the Dallas/Fort Worth area; she is extremely proud to be a geek and she is happy to have her friends. The show also focuses on Liz's main antagonist, Cori Cooper and her minions Taylor Terry and Tori Langley, and all of Liz's friends such as Bryson Gilreath (who is also her love interest), Colin "Sully" Sullivan, Miles Reed, and Troy Yingst. Season one shows Liz's journey through her senior year in high school, and her struggles with her enemy Cori Cooper. Season two is set in New York with Liz adjusting to old and new friends.