Life with Boys is a Canadian teen sitcom that aired in Canada on YTV from September 2011 through August 2013. The show follows Tess Foster as she copes with living in a home with just boys: her father, Jack, and three brothers, Gabe, Spencer and Sam. With the help of her best friend, Allie, she pulls through. Life with Boys is created by Michael Poryes, who also co-created Hannah Montana and Raven's Home. Life with Boys was renewed for a second season. Shooting started on September 4, 2012, in Toronto, Ontario. On February 6, 2013, the series premiered on the American network TeenNick. The show was not given a third season.
Premise
Each half-hour episode follows 14-year-old Tess Foster as she navigates her way through the turmoil of teen life while living at home with her single, overprotective dad and three brothers. Although Tess admires the four important men in her life, they do have four totally different perspectives. Despite the shortcomings of being the only girl in a male household, the boys can sometimes offer solid advice. Whether it's building up the courage to talk to a boy, dealing with an obnoxious one, or coping with the repercussions of being the only girl on the boys' wrestling team, Life with Boys sheds a comedic light on many of life's difficult moments.
Characters
Main characters
Tess Foster is 14 years old and the only girl in a house of all boys. She is the only girl on her school's wrestling team, and sometimes deals with what comes with that. Her best friend is Allie and most of the shenanigans she gets into involve her. Tess sometimes feels like she is thrown under the bus in her house full of brothers, but at the end of the day loves them even though she feels overwhelmed. Tess is sometimes referred to as the "BoyGirl Freak" by her peers because of her interest in sports. She also is a member of the Mathletes.
Allie Brooks is Tess's best friend, a bright and popular cheerleader who loves fashion and is a typical girly girl. She's a fixture at the Foster household, despite never quite understanding how Tess can survive life in a house full of boys. However, sometimes she can be a little unsupportive towards the problems Tess faces. She often spends her Christmas holiday in Tahiti and in Italy. She is liked by Sam and does like Sam but not in the same way.
Gabriel "Gabe" Foster is Tess' 16-year-old brother and the oldest of the Foster siblings and knows how to get his way. Gabe is one of the stereotypical boy heartthrobs of high school who is kind of a player when it comes to girls, since he usually dates more than one girl at a time. He dislikes "caring" for his younger siblings yet shows a liking for Spencer.
Samuel Joseph "Sam" Foster is Tess' twin brother. He is considered a nerd by many of the characters. Sam has a crush on Allie, but his efforts to win her heart always end in rejection.
Spencer Foster is Tess' youngest brother. He is a 10-year-old, precocious scary-smart, and uses these tools to his advantage.
Jack David Foster is Tess, Gabe, Spencer and Sam's dad and is also the gym teacher at the high school. He can be a bit overprotective of his family, but he struggles the most with Tess. He is a single dad, because his wife has died.
Recurring characters
Bobby Parelli is a wrestling champion. He was Tess's enemy. He and Tess started dating behind Allie's back, as Bobby was her ex-boyfriend. After a period of dating, Tess broke up with Bobby, as he went to a baseball game and faked being sick. He soon was swapping numbers with a girl in the stands.
Kaylee is the show's main antagonist and Tess's rival. She enjoys making peoples' lives miserable. She is the head cheerleader, and a very popular. She can be extremely mean and lacks brains. She took advantage of Sam and asked him to complete an A+ grade assignment for her in exchange for one dance at the school formal. Her mother dated Jack Foster.
Chloe is Allie and Tess's back-up friend when they were having a fight. She was also having a fight with her friend Zoe, who left her for the glee club. Chloe also tells Tess when all the boys are going lovesick over Tess that she needs to get a boyfriend or no girl will ever talk to her again. Chloe gets along with Kaylee. She also tell Tess that she'll miss her when Tess was going to change schools. Chloe is only seen a few times but is close friends with Allie and Tess.
Jessica Jones-Foster is Tess's, Gabe's, Spencer's and Sam's late mom and Jack's late wife. She appears as a ghost to Tess in her dream and also appears ghost driver in Jack's car.
