Life with Derek



Life with Derek was a Canadian live-action domestic comedy, produced for Canada's Family Channel, which gained a respectable American audience airing on Disney Channel. The show focused upon two families merging together after divorces. By your average Nuclear Family standards, the siblings don't get along all the time and Hilarity Ensues. The main character is Casey, a perfectionistic teenage girl who has a rivalry with the titular Derek. The show ran for two short thirteen-episode seasons (2005-06 and 2006-07) and two full seasons (2007-08 and 2008-09.)

The Movie, Vacation with Derek, premiered in Canada on June 25, 2010, but failed to make its US premiere date of December 10, 2010. The film, however, finally made its U.S. debut on Saturday, May 14th, 2011.... on Starz Kids. At 1:50 PM in the afternoon.

Compare Even Stevens, Marmalade Boy.

"Derek: Ca-sey! Sal-ly!"
 * All Guys Want Cheerleaders: Casey joined the pep squad because she assumed this was expected of her as the football hero's girlfriend.
 * Aloof Big Brother: Derek oscillates between being this and a Big Brother Mentor (who just happens to really suck at it,) depending on his mood.
 * Alpha Bitch: Max's cheer-captain ex-girlfriend Amy.
 * Amateur Sleuth: Edwin and Lizzie try their hands at it, and fail miserably.
 * Animated Credits Opening: The opening sequence for The Movie is Stop Motion animated.
 * Annoying Younger Sibling: Edwin takes the cake, though Marti and Lizzie have their moments.
 * Arc Words: The phrase "Blended Family" grates on the nerves after four seasons.
 * Ascended Extra: Sheldon Schlepper, who was originally supposed to only be in one episode.
 * Be Careful What You Wish For: Casey learns this the hard way on her sixteenth birthday when she wishes Derek out of her life.
 * Belligerent Sexual Tension: Speculation abounds regarding this between Derek and Casey. Thick enough between Truman and Casey to serve up with an ice cream scoop.
 * Big Man on Campus: Max. Derek tries.
 * Black Best Friend: Emily.
 * Blah Blah Blah: When Sam is talking to Derek about his and Casey's recent argument, this is all Derek hears.
 * Book Dumb: Derek obviously isn't stupid. He just has other priorities.
 * Brainy Brunette: Casey and Lizzie both qualify.
 * Breaking the Fourth Wall: Casey addresses the audience each episode immediately following the Title Sequence.
 * Brilliant but Lazy: George managed to become a successful attorney despite having been a slacker and a ne'er-do-well in high school. Derek arguably qualifies, as well.
 * Brother Chuck: Noel. His last appearance in an early season four episode had him coming to terms with him being just friends with Casey. It was an obvious set up for a Platonic Life Partners friendship or possibly another Love Interest for Casey. But then Truman came in, and Noel never showed up again.
 * Butt Monkey: Edwin
 * Canada, Eh?: Generally averted, but not altogether avoidable in a self-consciously Canadian show. At one time, averted and mocked in one episode.
 * And the accents. Dear Lord, the accents.
 * Canadians have accents?
 * Not so much accents as "verbal quirks" (which I'm sure us Americans have from their POV). Pronunciations such as Sorry being said as "Sore-ee", Been as "Bean", Again as "Uh-Gain", and of course the pronunciations of the "ou" sound in words like House, About, etc. And no, it's not the "aboot" pronunciation (no idea where that even came from), they just say it... very differently.
 * Calling the Old Man Out:
 * The three younger siblings raise some serious Cain when they're expected pick up the slack around the house when Casey and Derek have to study for finals, without any additional consideration or compensation.
 * In The Movie, Casey stands up to her grandmother Felicia in defense of George and the rest of the Venturi clan.
 * The Cast Showoff: Ashley Leggat, who plays Casey, is a professionally-trained dancer, and the show emphasized this repeatedly in later seasons. The TV-movie Vacation with Derek even made a whole subplot out of this, casting So You Think You Can Dance Canada winner Nico Archambault as her love interest.
 * Leggat is a triple threat entertainer. She is also a singer, having sung a few times on the show.
 * Catch Phrase: Casey's annoyed reaction of "Der-ek!" The distinctiveness is in how she says it. Lampshaded in the episode "Open Mic Plight" when Derek responded:

"Edwin: Didn't Derek tell you to show up after dinner? Lizzie: Yeah, friends don't let friends eat here. Nora: Hey!"
 * Character Development: By the end of the series, Casey is much less of an obsessive-compulsive Control Freak and has learned to relax and enjoy life, and Derek has gotten over his fear of commitment and does right by his family more often than not. That's not to say there aren't still times when they're positively insufferable.
 * Cloudcuckoolander: Ralph
 * Companion Cube: Marti has her stuffed monkey, Sir Monksalot.
 * Dark Horse Victory: Emily was the first write-in candidate ever to be elected Student Body President of Thompson High.
 * Dawson Casting
 * Defrosting Ice Queen: Grandma Felicia in The Movie.
 * Dojikko: Casey started out as this, garnering the nickname "Klutzilla." This was eventually forgotten and Casey became an accomplished dancer.
 * There were episodes where she was stated to have been dancing since she was little. The clumsiness was a more one episode thing because it only happened when around her crush at the time, Sam.
 * Dom Com
 * Drives Like Crazy: George is a notoriously-reckless driver, even losing his license on the eve of Derek getting his. Or so we're told. We never actually see him drive.
 * Drugs Are Bad: Casey attempted to intervene when she thought Derek was selling drugs (and using Edwin as his bag-man.).
 * Driving a Desk: Derek's driving test.
 * Eagleland Osmosis: This show provides a fascinating look at the similarities and differences between Canadian and American culture. The show itself could be considered a case of reverse osmosis, due to its popularity in the States.
 * Expository Theme Tune
 * Fan Service:
 * Three words to describe Casey in her Babe Raider outfit: Yeowza, yeowza, yeowza!
 * In one episode, Casey is seen reviling over the disorganization of the bathroom, clad in only a towel. About as hot as you'll ever see on Disney Channel.
 * First-Name Basis: The Venturi kids with Nora, and the McDonald girls with George.
 * First Name Ultimatum: Der-ek!!
 * Flirty Stepsiblings: Unintentional on the writer's part.
 * Foolish Sibling, Responsible Sibling: The Venturi brothers and the McDonald sisters.
 * Generation Xerox: Derek is doing his best to live up to his father's high school reputation (evidenced by a file that requires its own box) as an underachieving prankster.
 * Graduate From the Story: The series finale "Futuritis" features Casey and Derek's high school graduation.
 * Handsome Devil: Derek. Oh, dear God, Derek.
 * Handsome Lech: Derek strikes out about as often as he scores.
 * Happily Married: George and Nora both seem to have gotten it right on the second try.
 * Heel Face Turn:
 * High School
 * High School Dance: Uses the 'boy has to ask a girl' theme to a tiring extent, resulting in a long-winded "hilarious misunderstanding" about who asked whom.
 * Hilarious Outtakes: Over the end credits of every episode.
 * Hollywood Nerd: Casey. Oh, my Lord, yes, Casey.
 * Hot Mom and Hot Dad: You can sort of see why George and Nora ended up together...
 * Hypocritical Heartwarming: Let it be known that Derek is the ONLY ONE allowed to insult Casey.
 * I Didn't Mean to Turn You On: Casey has a nasty habit of giving guys the wrong impression. Noel and Ralph come to mind most readily.
 * Idiosyncratic Wipes: The pantomime skits between scenes.
 * Imaginary Friend: Marti's imaginary friend Daphne, named for series creator Daphne Ballon.
 * Jerk Jock: Played straight with Derek, and subverted with his modest, likeable hockey buddies Sam and Ralph.
 * Jerk with a Heart of Gold: Derek when he's not just a jerk.
 * Especially with Marti.
 * Also with Casey, especially when she cried.
 * The Jimmy Hart Version: Of Tone Loc's "Wild Thing" in The Movie.
 * Just Friends: This trope is the actual title of an episode which is devoted entirely to playing straight, subverting, deconstructing, and generally having fun with the trope.
 * Kidanova: Derek walks the line between being this and a straight Casanova.
 * The Klutz: Casey, who is given the nickname "Klutzilla" very only on. However, in later seasons, she is also shown to be a talented dancer (much like the actress who plays her), so it's hard to buy her pratfalling as genuine.
 * Last-Minute Hookup: In the penultimate episode, between.
 * Laugh Track: This show is notable, along with Naturally, Sadie and Phil of the Future, in that it doesn't have one, although goofy sound effects and guitar riffs are used to much the same effect.
 * Lethal Chef:

"Derek: Are you sure? Because "Mac" just feels right."
 * Loads and Loads of Characters: Seems to be a Canadian thing.
 * Locked in a Room: Derek and Casey get locked in the bathroom in "The Party" and bonding ensues. Although... whether or not Derek was being sincere is up for debate...
 * "London, England" Syndrome: An interesting aversion, in that we eventually learn the show is set in London, Ontario (population 350,000, about halfway between Toronto and Detroit), but they never come out and call it "London, Ontario".
 * Not Blood Siblings: Often an excuse of the shippers.
 * Nuclear Family
 * The Obi-Wan: Paul Greebie, Casey's guidance counselor.
 * The Obi-Wannabe: Derek genuinely believes he's setting a good example for Edwin by leading him down the path of juvenile delinquency and sporadically-successful babe-hounding.
 * Official Couple: The roster is as follows:
 * Casey and:
 * Sam
 * Max
 * Truman
 * Derek and:
 * Kendra
 * Sally
 * Only Sane Man: Nora
 * Only So Many Canadian Actors: See the Trivia page for details.
 * Parody Names: An episode called "Babe Raider" focused on the controversy surrounding the titular video game.
 * Pet the Dog: Every episode.
 * Platonic Life Partners: In contrast to their elder siblings, Lizzie and Edwin have one of the best-written platonic relationships on television. Still doesn't stop the shippers, though, as the fans have made them into a Fanon Not Blood Siblings Beta Couple.
 * Precocious Crush: Lizzie develops one on her soccer coach in one episode.
 * Put on a Bus: Sheldon, and later, Sally.
 * Reasonable Authority Figure: Principal Lasseter is a disciplinarian, but is also willing to consider more important things, such as the effect of expelling Derek on school morale.
 * Recycled in Space: Even Stevens AS The Brady Bunch! IN CANADA!
 * Running Gag:  'DER-ek-!'  The more emphasis on the first syllable, the angrier Casey is when she says it. Inverted in 'Futuritis', when she says it (as Derek appears on stage) in a very soft, loving fashion.
 * Say My Name:  DER-EK!!!  Casey isn't the only one who says it like that, either. In one episode, they lampshade it by having the characters bet as to whether Derek can get everyone to say his name like that. It's also become a very popular and simple drinking game, much like "Hi, Bob!". The rules? Drink whenever anyone says "Derek".
 * Sensitive Guy and Manly Man: Edwin and Derek.
 * She's All Grown Up: Slightly subverted in that Casey is already a teenager, but oh, her moving through puberty is oh, so noticeable...
 * Shout-Out:
 * George's old high school band was called "George in the Jungle."
 * Derek pronounces "moron" as "maroon."
 * Slap Slap Kiss: How Casey and Truman came to be.
 * Soapbox Sadie: Lizzie takes treehugging to a whole new level.
 * Soap Opera Rapid Aging Syndrome: Edwin's age jumped from 10 to 13 when Daniel Madger's voice dropped.
 * Spell My Name with an "S": Casey's first clue that Derek had put his name on her math test (and vice-versa) was that he'd spelled her last name "Mac" rather than "Mc." His response:
 * Spell My Name with an "S": Casey's first clue that Derek had put his name on her math test (and vice-versa) was that he'd spelled her last name "Mac" rather than "Mc." His response:


 * Standardized Sitcom Housing: Delightfully averted. The McDonald-Venturi home is an older-style three story dwelling, of which multiple rooms are seen from multiple angles.
 * Straw Feminist: Casey seems to think the word "Secretary" is sexist, and insists that her stepfather use the more politically-correct "Administrative Assistant."
 * Straw Man Has a Point: Casey had a lot of good points in "Babe Raider".
 * Sweater Girl: Casey, and lampshaded in the opening sequence.
 * Tall, Dark and Snarky: Derek
 * Also minor character Noel in his first appearance.
 * Team Mom: Casey
 * They Call Me Mister Tibbs: Principal Lasseter gets rather indignant at George's attempt to address him by his given name.
 * Those Two Guys: Sam and Ralph, depending on the episode.
 * Three-Wall Set: Averted in this series through the use of a more cinematic Single Camera format (quite rare for a sitcom.)
 * Title Theme Tune
 * Tomboy and Girly Girl: Lizzie and Casey.
 * Triang Relations
 * Two Lines, No Waiting
 * Two-Teacher School: Averted. Rarely is the same teacher seen twice.
 * Unresolved Sexual Tension: Unintentional between Casey and Derek, middling to so-so between Derek and Sally before they became a couple, and burning hot between Casey and Truman before they hooked up.
 * Unsympathetic Comedy Protagonist: Derek mostly, although Casey ventures into this territory quite a lot.
 * Uptight Loves Wild: Unintentional, but if it wasn't...
 * Victorious Childhood Friend: Patience really paid off for.
 * Violent Glaswegian: Casey and Truman's fencing coach Fergus is a toned-down version.
 * Visit by Divorced Dad: Casey and Lizzie's dad and the Venturi kids' mom both make appearances. They're as active as is practical in their kids' lives.
 * Vitriolic Best Buds: Derek and Casey's relationship could be seen like this.
 * Wacky Marriage Proposal: Two of them:
 * In a Flash Back episode, Casey and Derek have such a lousy rapport that they try, and initially succeed, at torpedoing their parents' marriage plans..
 * At their junior prom, Sheldon proposes to Emily in front of the entire student body..