Our Lives

Our Lives is an American television drama series created by Samantha Raymond, Andrew Bennett and Clark Edmonds which aired on September 19, 2006 on TV Generation.

The series focuses on the lives of the Watkins-Samuels family, an interracial blended family from the town of Oakridge, Illinois (located in Mount Larkin County, Illinois).

Our Lives is one of the highest-rated and most-watched show on TV Generation (along with the long-running medical drama series, "24\7", the sports drama series, "Center Ice" and the drama series, "Starting Over") among the 18-49 age demographic.

As of 2021, it has aired for 15 seasons and 367 episodes, making it one of the longest-running television series on TV Generation (next to "24\7" which has been airing since 2000).

The show is well-known for its cast of multi-racial actors and tackling a number of issues throughout the years such as alcoholism, death, teenage pregnancy, substance abuse, adoption, foster care, mental health (including anxiety, bipolar disorder, depression & PTSD), domestic abuse, child abuse, sexual orientation (including bisexuality), gun violence, police brutality, racism, suicide, sexism and current events (such as the COVID-19 pandemic).

In May of 2021, it was announced that Our Lives has been renewed for a 16th season.

The show has also been well-received by critics and received many awards & nominations, including "Best Drama Series" at the TV Generation Stars Awards.

Premise
The series follows the Watkins-Samuels family, an interracial blended family from Oakridge, Illinois which consists of Andrea Watkins-Samuels (a widowed Caucasian mother of one son and five daughters) and Mitch Samuels (a divorced African-American father of fraternal twin sons and three older adoptive children).

Andrea and Mitch were childhood friends who dated each other during their teenage years, but fell out of touch after breaking up during Mitch's freshman year of college and remarried to different people in later years.

In 2004, they reunite when Mitch attends the funeral of Andrea's first husband, Jason (who was killed in a car accident caused by a drunk driver) with his parents. At the time, Mitch was divorced from his wife, Jasmine, who struggled with alcoholism and later abandoned her family (especially her children).

After the funeral, Mitch helps out Andrea and her children which rekindles their relationship, and they start dating each other again. They got engaged the day before Valentine's Day in 2006 and later moved into a new house together with their children.

The first season followed Andrea and Mitch as they prepare for their wedding and shows their families adjusting to living together, especially Andrea's 12-year-old daughter, Karina, who has a hard time accepting her mother getting remarried at first. In the season finale, Andrea and Mitch get married in May of 2007.

By the third season, the show began focusing on the four teenage children of the Watkins-Samuels family: Connor, Karina, Jake and Darien, who became the breakout characters on the show.

Starting in the fourth season, it also began focusing on the lives of their friends, including Bradley Harris, Sable Simmons, Owen and Dylan Travis, Chantelle and Ashlyn Duncan, and Skylar Timmons.

As the youngest children of the Watkins-Samuels family (Alyssa, Finley, Savannah and Haylie) and Brendan's stepdaughter, Adrianna began aging throughout the series, the storylines became focused on them as well.

Main

 * Alicia Nolan as Andrea Watkins-Samuels (née Carson), the wife of Mitch Samuels and the mother of Connor, Karina, Alyssa, Finley, Savannah and Haylie. She works as a hair stylist and the head manager of the Blue Sky Hair Salon (owned by her mother, Kathy Rae).
 * Darryl Barnett as Mitch Samuels, the husband of Andrea Watkins-Samuels; the father of Jake and Darien; and the adoptive father of Bridgette, Brendan and Ryan. He works as a real estate managing broker at Bassett Realty in downtown Oakridge.
 * Danielle Kendrick as Bridgette Harper (née Samuels) [credited as Danielle Bruno from seasons 1-4], Mitch's 38-year-old adoptive daughter and Brendan's fraternal twin sister. She works as the assistant general manager at 5th Street Restaurant & Banquet. In the 4th season, she gave birth to her daughter, Celia. She married her husband, Dr. Royce Harper in the 5th season.
 * Isaiah Dunne as Brendan Samuels, Mitch's 38-year-old adoptive son and Bridgette's fraternal twin brother. He works as a paramedic for the Oakridge Fire Department. He married his wife, Cheyenne in the 4th season on New Year's Eve. He has a stepdaughter, Adrianna (from Cheyenne's previous relationship) and two children with her: son Corey and daughter Riley.
 * Trey Moore as Ryan Samuels, Mitch's 37-year-old adoptive son and Bridgette and Brendan's younger brother. He hosts the radio show, "Rush Time with the Samuels Bros." (along with Darien) on the 108.5 The Scene radio station located in Oakridge, Illinois and works as a part-time nightclub promoter for the NyteLife nightclub (owned by his friends, Jerome and Trent). He and Bree eloped in Las Vegas, Nevada in the 7th season. He and Bree adopted Bree's niece, Lucy in the 12th season after Bree's sister, Jeanette died of a drug overdose in the 11th season.
 * Hakeem Warren as Jake Samuels, Mitch's 28-year-old son and Darien's fraternal twin brother. He works as the manager at 5th Street Restaurant & Banquet. In the 9th season, his son, Elijah (with his girlfriend, Skylar Timmons) is born.
 * Bryant Chase as Darien Samuels, Mitch's 28-year-old son and Jake's fraternal twin brother. He co-hosts the radio show, "Rush Time with the Samuels Bros." (along with Ryan) and works as the resident DJ for the NyteLife nightclub.
 * Vincent Kyle as Connor Watkins, Andrea's 28-year-old son. He is a professional ice hockey player for the Mount Larkin Eagles of the American Professional Hockey League. In the 13th season, he marries his girlfriend, Maxine Blair.
 * Marisa Raye Lopez as Karina Kirkland (née Watkins) [credited as Marisa Lopez from seasons 1-11], Andrea's 27-year-old daughter. She works as a dance instructor and studio manager at the K-Stars Dance Studio. She married her boyfriend, Trevor Kirkland in the 9th season during their senior year of college. In the 15th season, she gave birth to her son, Brayden.
 * Soleil Renee Lopez as Alyssa Watkins [seasons 1-14; guest-starring role: seasons 14-current], Andrea's 25-year-old daughter. She currently works as an 8th grade English teacher in Omaha, Nebraska.
 * Tessa Chadwick as Finley Watkins, Andrea's 23-year-old daughter, who works as a hair stylist at Blue Sky Hair Salon. She came out as bisexual in the 12th season. As of the 15th season, she is engaged to her girlfriend, Lisette Cordova.
 * Sierra Myles as Savannah Watkins, Andrea's 18-year-old daughter who is involved in hockey.
 * Destiny Morgan Larson as Haylie Watkins, Andrea's 16-year-old daughter who is involved in dance.
 * Nicole Harrison-Olander as Cheyenne Samuels (née Cantrell) [credited as Nicole Harrison from seasons 1-5], Brendan's wife and the mother of Adrianna, Corey and Riley. She works as a kindergarten teacher at Ridgeway Elementary School and previously worked as a receptionist at the Blue Sky Hair Salon.
 * Simone Lee as Adrianna Cantrell, Cheyenne's 23-year-old daughter from Cheyenne's ex-boyfriend, Carter Grier. She works as an emergency room nurse at Oakridge General Hospital.
 * Kendall Avery as Dr. Royce Harper, Bridgette's husband and the father of Celia. He works as an emergency room physician at Oakridge General Hospital.
 * Johanna Young as Bree Collins-Samuels, Ryan's wife and the aunt of Lucy Collins, whom she and Ryan adopted in the 12th season after Bree's sister, Jeanette died of a drug overdose in the 11th season. She co-hosts a morning radio talk show called "Rise and Shine with Deb and Bree" on the 108.5 The Scene radio station. She and Ryan eloped in Las Vegas in the 7th season.
 * Caleb Harkins as Trevor Kirkland, Karina's husband and the father of Brayden. He works as the associate head coach of the men's club ice hockey team at Mount Larkin University. He married Karina in the 9th season during their senior year of college.
 * Gaby Marlow as Maxine Watkins (née Blair), Connor's wife and the cousin of Chantelle and Ashlyn Duncan. She works as a hair stylist at the Blue Sky Hair Salon. She moved from Saint Paul, Minnesota to Oakridge in the 7th season. She married Connor in the 13th season.
 * Breanne Rollins as Skylar Timmons, Jake's girlfriend and the mother of Elijah. She works as a legal secretary at her mother's law firm, Alvarez, Milton & Jennings. In the 14th season, she is diagnosed with multiple sclerosis.
 * Marcus Raye as Bradley Harris, Karina's best friend and Sable's husband. He works as a preschool teacher's assistant at Sunnyview Learning Center and as a recreation counselor for the before & after-school care program at the Oakridge Park District Recreation Center. His mother, Juanita is Mexican and his father, Darnell is African-American. He and Sable have two daughters, Kayla and Tabitha. He married Sable in the 15th season in a Zoom wedding in August.
 * Meaghan Addison as Sable Harris (née Simmons), Karina's best friend and Bradley's wife. She runs an online children's clothing boutique called TabbyKay (along with her stepmother, Lauren and her friend, Danni Johnston). In the 6th season, she becomes pregnant during her senior year of high school and gives birth to her daughter, Kayla. Her youngest daughter, Tabitha was born prematurely in the 9th season. She married Bradley in the 15th season in a Zoom wedding in August.
 * Austin Reynolds as Owen Travis, Connor's best friend, Dylan's older brother and the father of Brynn. He is a professional ice hockey player for the Mount Larkin Eagles of the American Professional Hockey League. In the 14th season, he becomes a father when his girlfriend, Ella Burke gives birth to their daughter, Brynn.
 * Zachary Pruitt as Dylan Travis, Owen's younger brother and Bradley's friend. He is a professional ice hockey player for the Mount Larkin Saints of the American Professional Hockey League. He and Livvy began dating each other in the 12th season.
 * Cassidy Parnell as Livvy Deane, Sable's cousin and Dylan's girlfriend. She works as a 1st grade teacher at Judson Fields Elementary School in Mount Larkin, Illinois. In the 10th season, she suffers from two broken legs after getting hit by a car, but later recovers from her injuries (although she is left with a slight limp in her right leg). She and Dylan began dating each other in the 12th season.
 * Tori Quinn as Chantelle Duncan, Darien's girlfriend and Ashlyn's identical twin sister. She works as an office assistant at K-Stars Dance Studio and as the anthem singer for the Mount Larkin Eagles hockey team at their home games. She is of African-American\Caucasian descent.
 * Tiffany Quinn as Ashlyn Duncan, Jake, Darien, Connor & Karina's friend; Chantelle's identical twin sister. She runs her own photography business called Ashlyn Duncan Photography and works as a staff photographer for the Mount Larkin Eagles hockey team. She is of African-American\Caucasian descent.

Recurring Co-Stars

 * Mary Jo Powell as Kathy Rae Carson, Andrea's mother and the owner of the Blue Sky Hair Salon and the Blue Sky Beauty Supply store.
 * Jonathan Paulson as Nick Carson, Andrea's father.
 * Genevieve Carey as Caroline Carson, Andrea's younger sister. She runs her own photography studio in Oakridge.
 * Nina Shaye Boyd as Celia Harper, Bridgette and Royce's 10-year-old daughter. She was born in the 4th season finale on Karina's 16th birthday.
 * Sean Grayson as Corey Samuels, Brendan and Cheyenne's 11-year-old son. He was born in the 4th season.
 * Eden Rose Ashford as Riley Samuels, Brendan and Cheyenne's 7-year-old daughter. She was born in the 8th season via cesarian section.
 * Dallas & Colton Isaacson as Elijah Samuels, Jake and Skylar's 6-year-old son. He was born in the 9th season a week before Christmas.
 * Krystina Duran as Lucy Collins, Bree and Ryan's 5-year-old niece. She was adopted by Bree and Ryan in the 12th season after Bree's sister, Jeanette died of a drug overdose in the 11th season.
 * Natalie Vasquez as Juanita Harris, Bradley's mother. She works as a hair stylist at the Blue Sky Hair Salon. She is of Mexican descent. She has two younger children, Lily and Julian (whose twin brother, David died a week after he was born due to complications caused by his premature birth).
 * Erick Harmon as Darnell Harris, Bradley's father. He works as an automotive service technician and manager of the Sullivan Auto Parts store in Oakridge. He is of African-American descent. She has two younger children, Lily and Julian (whose twin brother, David died a week after he was born due to complications caused by his premature birth).
 * Gloria Jansen-Hill as Janice Harris, Bradley's father and Darnell's mother.
 * Quinn Howard as Garrett Simmons, Sable's father. He works as a pediatric dental hygenist at Ferris Family Dental in Oakridge, Illinois. He became the legal guardian of Sable's half-sister, Nico in the 4th season after his ex-wife, Raquel (who later commits suicide) when she is arrested on drug trafficking charges. He married his second wife, Lauren Milano (who is 14 years younger than him) in the 10th season; they have two young children together: Lyla and Adam. In the 13th season, he and Lauren become foster parents to a teenage boy named DeVaughn (whom they later adopt in the 15th season).
 * Heather Vaughn as Lauren Simmons (née Milano), Garrett's second wife and Sable's stepmother. She works as the co-manager of her mother, Julie's children's clothing store, Julie Kay's Closet and helps manage Sable's online children's clothing boutique, TabbyKay Kids. She married Garrett in the 10th season; they have two young children: Lyla and Adam. In the 13th season, she and Garret become foster parents to a teenage boy named DeVaughn (whom they later adopt in the 15th season).
 * Audrina Sullivan as Nico Silva, Sable's 23-year-old half-sister. She works as a paramedic for the Oakridge Fire Department.
 * Andre Mack Wilson as DeVaughn Simmons, Sable's 16-year-old adoptive brother. In the 13th season, Garrett and Lauren become his foster parents after his previous foster parent kicks him out of her house. He is officially adopted by the Simmons in the 15th season.
 * Margaret Chapman as Priscilla Anderson, the live-in housekeeper\nanny for the Simmons household. She began working for the Simmons family when Sable was 2 years old.
 * Trisha Nash as Jenn Travis, Andrea's best friend and the mother of Owen and Dylan. She works as a hair stylist and the co-manager of the Blue Sky Hair Salon.
 * Rick Johnston as Victor Travis, Jenn's husband and the father of Owen and Dylan.
 * Gillian Price as Dana Lawson, Jenn's older sister and the aunt of Owen and Dylan. She works as the head emergency room nurse at Oakridge General Hospital. She has a daughter, Alana (who is Alyssa's best friend), who currently lives out of state with her father.
 * Stefania Pereira as Sophia Clifton, Bridgette's friend and the general manager at 5th Street Restaurant & Banquet (owned by her father, Louis).
 * Jolie Ferrera as Lisette Cordova, Finley's fiancée (as of the 15th season). She works as a yoga instructor and a water aerobics instructor at the Oakridge Park District Recreation Center.
 * Aubrey Collins as Ella Burke, Owen's girlfriend and the mother of Brynn. She works as a freelance wedding photographer.
 * Erica Lockwood as Janelle Duncan, the 18-year-old sister of Chantelle and Ashlyn Duncan, and Savannah's friend. She is of African-American descent.
 * Jonathan Hayes as Jeffrey Duncan, the father of Chantelle, Ashlyn and Janelle Duncan. He is of Caucasian descent and works as a pharmacist at Petersen's Pharmacy. He divorced his ex-wife, Cynthia in the 12th season after it was revealed that she was having an affair with a male co-worker.
 * Cathy M. Russo as Michelle Cantrell, Cheyenne's mother and the grandmother of Adrianna, Corey and Riley.
 * Lana Fielding as Fiona Morris, the Watkins-Samuels' next-door neighbor and the mother of Jaina, Noah, Jackson and Brady. She works as a hair stylist at Blue Sky Hair Salon. Her oldest son, Noah lives in Boston where he is studying to be a music teacher.
 * Eric Freeman as Dr. Joel Morris, Fiona's husband. He works as an emergency room physician at Oakridge General Hospital.
 * Stefanie Shane as Jaina Morris, Fiona's 26-year-old daughter and Alyssa's friend. She works as a paramedic for the Oakridge Fire Department. In the 10th season, she comes out as a lesbian.
 * Evan Jeffries as Jackson Morris, Fiona's 18-year-old son, and Savannah's best friend and hockey teammate.
 * Justin Shaw as Brady Morris, Fiona's 16-year-old son and Haylie's best friend and dance partner.
 * Alexia Kennedy as Peyton Lewis, Haylie's best friend. She has two gay fathers: Enrique (who is of Colombian descent and works as a pediatrician) and Marshall (who is Caucasian and works as the manager of a coffee shop).
 * Jessica Braden as Kamryn Sayers, Karina's friend who is the co-owner of the K-Stars Dance Studio. She previously worked as a coach for the dance team at Mount Larkin University.
 * Mikaila Pierce as Roxanne Emerson, Karina's friend & "dance sister" who is the owner of the K-Stars Dance Studio.
 * Brooke Holland as Danni Johnston, Sable's classmate from high school and college. She and Sable used to be rivals, but later became friends during college. She and Sable run an online children's clothing boutique called TabbyKay.
 * Suzanne Garland as Gwen Fielding, Mitch's co-worker and Bridgette's AA sponsor.
 * James Best as Gordon Fielding, Gwen's husband who works as a hockey agent for the American Professional Hockey League, representing Connor, Owen and Dylan.
 * Logan Richards as Theo Adamson, Adrianna's boyfriend. He works as a paramedic for the Oakridge Fire Department.
 * Demetrius Jeffries as Carter Grier, Adrianna's biological father. He runs his own general contracting business.
 * Robyn Poole as Nadine Grier, Carter's wife and Adrianna's stepmother. She works as a teacher at a school for special needs children in Mount Larkin, Illinois.
 * Jesse Simms as Hayden Grier, Carter's 15-year-old son and Adrianna's paternal half-brother. He was born deaf and uses sign language to communicate.

Recurring Guest-Stars

 * Lorraine Perry as Tina Samuels, Mitch's mother. She moved to Atlanta, Georgia after her late husband, Isaac suffered from a stroke while visiting their oldest son, Gregory in the 7th season.
 * Allison Doherty as Kendra Emerson, Roxanne's mother and the previous owner of the K-Stars Dance Studio.
 * Walter Sutton as Louis Clifton, Sophia's father and the owner of the 5th Street Restaurant & Banquet.
 * Chris Dennison as Devin Franklin, Brendan's co-worker who worked as a paramedic for the Oakridge Fire Department. In the 15th season, he was shot to death by a distraught man whose wife died of respiratory distress and his heart was donated to a 14-year-old girl suffering from congestive heart failure.
 * Patrice Dalton as Sheryl Timmons, Skylar's mother. She works as a paralegal at the law firm of Alvarez, Milton & Jennings.
 * Eleanor Richardson as Charlene Harper, Royce's maternal grandmother.
 * Brandon McCray as Jerome Robinson, Ryan's friend and the manager of the NyteLife nightclub.
 * Myles Armstrong as Trent Parker, Ryan's friend and the owner of the NyteLife nightclub.
 * Blake Wesley as Malik Robinson, Jerome's younger brother and Darien's friend.
 * Denise Jennings as Stephanie Deane, Livvy's mother and Sable's aunt. She works as a sales associate at Lucy's Jewelry (a jewelry store located in downtown Oakridge).
 * Patrick Walsh as Bryce Deane, Livvy's father and Sable's uncle. He works as a sales representative in Oakridge.
 * Daniella Jenkins-Jurado as Lily Harris, Bradley's 12-year-old sister. She was born in the 3rd season.
 * Zachary and Ryan Crawford as Julian Harris, Bradley's 8-year-old brother. He was born prematurely in the 7th season. His twin brother, David died a week after he was born due to complications caused by his premature birth.
 * Arielle and Jordyn Newman as Lyla Simmons, Sable's 6-year-old paternal half-sister. She was born in the 9th season finale a month after Tabitha's birth.
 * Oliver and Cooper Lennox as Adam Simmons, Sable's 2-year-old half-brother. He was born on Thanksgiving in the 13th season.
 * Natalia Elise George as Kayla Harris, Sable & Bradley's 9-year-old daughter. She was born in the 6th season after Sable and Bradley graduated from high school.
 * Mia and Gianna Gomez-Parks as Tabitha Harris, Sable & Bradley's 6-year-old daughter. She was born prematurely in the 9th season.
 * Stephanie Leonard as Julie Milano, Lauren's mother. She owns her own children's clothing store, Julie Kay's Closet.
 * Robert Arnold as David Kirkland, Trevor's father. He is a successful businessman who runs two wealth management firms in Oakridge and in Los Angeles, California.
 * Amanda Burnette as Serena Kaye, Trevor's mother. She is a former supermodel turned businesswoman who runs her own modeling agency, has her own clothing and jewelry lines and her own clothing boutique, Sweet Kiss (which has locations in Los Angeles, California; Chicago, Illinois; and London, England).
 * Olivia Kriss as Marlene Kirkland, Trevor's older half-sister from David's first marriage. She was diagnosed with bipolar disorder in the 6th season.
 * Diana Blanchard as Dr. Margot McConnell, Royce's co-worker at Oakridge General Hospital who is double-boarded in emergency medicine and pediatrics.
 * Sara Zhang as Nurse Zoey Howard, Adrianna's friend and co-worker who works as an emergency room nurse.
 * Christian Perez as Nurse Xavier Ruiz, a fellow emergency room nurse at Oakridge General Hospital. He is openly gay and has been married to his husband since 2014.
 * Spencer Keane as Coach Keith Noble, the head coach of the Mount Larkin University men's club ice hockey team.
 * Gerald Murphy as Coach Anthony Landon, the head coach of the Mount Larkin Eagles hockey team.
 * Matthew Wheaton as Luke Kendrick, the captain of the Mount Larkin Eagles.
 * Payton Fisk as Tanner Grant, the alternate captain of the Mount Larkin Eagles. He previously attended Mount Larkin University, but left the school after his junior year to play in the American Professional Hockey League.
 * Lindsey Chapman as Anne-Marie Jeffries, the receptionist at the Blue Sky Hair Salon. She replaced Cheyenne after she left the salon to work as a kindergarten teacher. She was left paralyzed due to a hit and run accident when she was 19 years old and uses a motorized wheelchair to get around.
 * Brenna Gaffney as Amelia Adamson, Theo's 14-year-old sister who has Down syndrome.
 * Francesca Colby as Fallon Burke, Ella's older sister. She works an obstetrics nurse at Mount Larkin General Hospital.
 * Derek Louis as Jeremy Powell, Sophia's fiance. He works as an occupational therapist at a nursing home. He proposed to Sophia on Valentine's Day in the 14th season, but they put their wedding date on hold due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Broadcast history
Our Lives aired on Tuesday nights at 8:00 P.M. (7:00 P.M. central) for its first two seasons. In the third season, it was moved to Thursday nights at the same time slot where it has remained and held strong ratings ever since.

Spin-offs
Our Lives has spawned two spin-offs:


 * Nebraska Bound, which premiered on September 24, 2019.
 * Raising Harris, which is set to premiere on September of 2021.