Ally I absolutely love this show! The actors and characters are all incredible (including those who aren't appreciated well enough like Noel, Tinker, Sheldon and Sam).I loved the original Casey, she was independent, beautiful, smart and self-confident. Through most of season 4 she's changed into character I'm no longer a fan of now that she's mean to guys like Noel, accepting of guys like Truman who cheat on her and smart even though the last season indicates that she isn't really.Derek's character growth is incredible. He used to be a teenager who hated serious relationships and he changes after living with the McDonalds to become a more considerate person who respects people more than he used to.All the characters have matured so much. Emily no longer acts stalkerish towards Derek, something I thank her relationship with Sheldon for and Sam develops a personality in the 3rd season that is amazing. Ralph is just incredibly unaware of what people are usually talking about but he's very lovable.Edwin is played amazingly and is hilarious while Lizzie is the perfectly sane tomboy. Marti is just an adorable and smart little girl who is independent and individual and she's played extremely well.Nora and George are comical parents but are in far over their heads with 5 kids and one on the way in the last episode.In the fourth season the obnoxious Truman shows up and stalks, harasses, and annoys Casey and finally convinces her to date him and the episode later he cheats on her. Then in an attempt to win her back he apologizes and she takes him back even after he kissed her cousin.This show used to be my favourite but I'm starting to like it a lot less now and that makes me feel bad.

Srforests What ever happened to shows with united parental figures? The parents in this show are nearly as irresponsible as the children. Instead of punishing the youngest child for being manipulative, they let her get away with murder. They can't ever agree on a course of action when it comes to dealing with the children, and instead they do nothing. Yeah, great plan. Just ignore their behavior because they're "cute." This show tells the already manipulative preteens that watch it that the "divide and conquer" technique is the best way to get their parents to "cave." The oldest children are constantly running amok and getting themselves into all sorts of impossible situations, but there are no consequences for their actions. Yeah, great television all right.

departed07 "Life With Derek" is one of the better shows to come from Canada and hit the Disney Channel where for once it doesn't rely on goofiness or "special" segments such as The Suite Life of Zack and Cody or That's So Raven or portray stereotypes such as "Wizards of Waverly Place" to have a descent show.The show is really a Canadian version of "The Brady Bunch" gone wild with the exception that they're not a catastrophe family unlike The Bundy's from "Married...With Children" where it's about a teenage girl name Casey MacDonald (Ashley Leggat) in which her and her younger sister Lizzie (Jordan Todosey) have to accept their mother's marriage to another man where they realize he's got kids of his own, in fact, three kids. The oldest is Derek Venturi (Michael Seater), a mischievous kid who pulls pranks on everybody from his dad, step mom, his siblings both his own and the step siblings, friends and teachers in which nobody can stop him; but at the same time isn't as mean spirited where he eventually becomes an aid to those he has hurt. He's not only the title character but a good person underneath the pranks. His siblings include his brother Edwin (Daniel Magder) the somewhat clueless middle brother and there's Marti (Ariel Waller of "Cinderella Man") his little sister who's cute, adorable and sometimes very mischievous.Each episode goes through the young characters just like in real life from driving lessons, prom, first dates, house parties and so forth where each episode isn't as dumbed down unlike the American shows and wouldn't want you to change the station but leave you wanting for more. I also like how the parents play in the show with Joy Tanner as the mom and John Ralston as the dad where they're not much of stereotypical parents but are very similar to Steve Martin and Bonnie Hunt from the Cheaper by the Dozen films. They're kind, heartwarming, understanding and make you wish you had parents like them.Overall, this is one of the few Disney Channel live action shows and one of the better ones that isn't for its target audience of tweens and teens, but for everybody who wants to enjoy a good show without losing a few I.Q. points.

W L One thing to keep in mind is that Life with Derek is not your typical G-rated Disney show. The show is simple enough for someone under the age of 10 to watch, but a great portion of the show could only fully be understood by ages 10 in up in my opinion. I would call Life with Derek the perfect show for teenagers. Myself being 20, I love the show as well.My favorite reason being how hilarious the constant cat and mouse chase between Derek and Casey is in every episode. Derek always seems to be one step ahead of Casey, no matter what. Every time you think Casey has done something to pull ahead of Derek, Derek strikes back with another ace up his sleeve. Most of the time the episode ends with the two on even grounds, but that is not always the case.Though Derek and Casey are the two main characters of the show, they couldn't do it without a terrific supporting cast. The parents, George and Nora are perfect. The two parents are different personality wise, as George seems to be like Derek: Carefree, relaxed and loose. Nora, on the other hand, is like Casey: Serious, determined and plays by the rules.The other kids in the household complete the family tree in nothing short of spectacular fashion. Edwin and Lizzie are two similar aged kids, and though Edwin is a boy and Lizzie is a girl, Edwin is the wuss and Lizzie is the tough one. Edwin doesn't quite have the carefree personality as Derek (yet). Lizzie has a tough-girl personality that Casey could only dream of. And who could forget Marti, every families typical obnoxious yet cute youngest child.In conclusion, Life with Derek is a high quality effort like most of Disney's non-animated shows. I am glad Disney picked this up, as each episode is an entertaining circus that sucks you in.