History Series / ChasingLife

* AffectionateNickname: Not sure how affectionate it is, but Leo refers to his brain tumor as Leo Jr.

* AmicableExes: [[spoiler: Brenna and Kieran]] eventually develop into this after their breakup, even shown teasing each other about their new relationships.

** Also Mallory, the sex columnist. While talking with April about her past sexual partners, she mentions that she's slept with five women.
* BlackHumor: Just about every other line that comes out of Leo's mouth.

* BoyishShortHair: April's hair is very short after the first half of season one, as it's slowly growing back after her chemo treatments.

* CallBack: The first episode starts with April crashing a blood drive to score an interview with Richie Miranda, a baseball player who recently got out of drug rehab. In 'The Big Leagues', she interviews him again, and finds out that [[OffTheWagon he's once again doing drugs]].

* {{Cliffhanger}}: The first episode ends with April visiting her father's grave, and crossing paths with a girl her own age, who tells her that she's also there to visit her father.
** 'Finding Chemo' ends with April seeing Leo's parents in the hospital and then finding a voicemail from him on her phone, which he starts by saying that he has something really important to tell her...
** 'Locks of Love' ends with Leo's heart rate dropping while he's on the operating table.
** 'Model Behavior': April gets a nosebleed and suspects that her cancer is back. The episode ends with her crying in Dominic's arms.

* ContrivedCoincidence: In 'Blood Cancer Sex Carrots', Sara discovers that her new therapy patient is the wife of Ben, the man she's dating.

* CostumeTestMontage: April has one while trying to decide what to wear to the gala in 'I'll Sleep When I'm Dead'.
** There's a second one in 'Life of Brenna', featuring April, Brenna, Natalie, and Beth all trying on dresses for [[spoiler: April's wedding]].

** DisabledSnarker: Due to his brain tumor.
--> "No April, I will not father your child. I'm really flattered, thanks."

* {{Foreshadowing}}: The first episode shows Brenna trying to get back together with a guy named Shawn, and she's devastated when he blows her off. It initially seems like he's just a guy she has a one-sided crush on, but [[spoiler: then we learn later that he had previously gotten her pregnant and paid for her to get an abortion]].

* GirlOnGirlIsHot: Kieran makes a couple of comments to this effect.

* GoodGirlsAvoidAbortion: Averted with [[spoiler: Brenna]].
* HeterosexualLifePartners: April and Beth.

* ImportantHaircut: After April's hair starts falling out, she has Beth start gradually cutting it shorter, going through several different hairstyles before finally asking Leo to shave her head for her. He shaves his off too, to make it less traumatic for her.

** DroppedABridgeOnHim: [[spoiler: His death came barely one month after they were married, and he'd recently accepted a philanthropic job doing what he loved at his father's company]].

* TheMaidenNameDebate: Downplayed; 'The Age of Consent' has a brief scene where April informs [[spoiler: Leo]] that she doesn't plan to change her last name after they get married. He asks if she's open to hyphenating, but she vetoes that as well so he lets the topic go.
* MeaningfulFuneral: The support group throws a 'pre-funeral' for Jackson when he relapses.
** [[spoiler: Leo]]'s funeral in 'The Ghost In You', complete with balloons and a singing drag queen. Trust us, it's not as cheesy as it sounds.

* NoBisexuals: Discussed trope. [[spoiler: Brenna]] faces some prejudice from members of the LGBT club at school when some of them don't agree that her sexuality is valid. A couple of them straight up accuse her of being a lesbian and just refusing to admit it.

* OfficialCouple: [[spoiler: April and Leo]].
** TheyDo: They tie the knot in season two.

* TeensAreMonsters: Ford. See {{Jerkass}} for details.
** Also, Brenna, prior to the start of the show. [[CharacterDevelopment She gets better]].
* TimeSkip: Season one has a four month time jump between episodes 11 and 12.

* TitleCard: Used in the Pilot, 'Finding Chemo', and 'One Day'. [[spoiler: The last two are both about April being admitted to the hospital and starting chemotherapy]].
** 'The Ghost In You' in season two.

* TheTopicOfCancer: Comes up a lot, obviously.
* ToplessnessFromTheBack: April, while having sex with [[spoiler: Leo]] in 'One Day'.
* TriangRelations: Brenna, Kieran, and Greer are a Type 7. Briefly.

* UpperClassTwit: Zig-zagged with Leo. He never took a dime of his parent's money before he had cancer, and actually lived on his own in Paris for a year, living in a crappy apartment and working in a crappy bakery to support himself. After he got sick, he had to move back home and accept their help to pay for his treatments. His lifestyle has less to do with the amount of money in his trust fund and more to do with the fact that he has a terminal brain tumor and without surgery he only has a few months to live.
* UrbanLegendLoveLife: April's investigation of Dominic's social media pages indicates that he's quite the ladies man, but aside from a few one-night-stands while he's rebounding from [[spoiler: his breakup with April]], his onscreen relationships have been limited to April and [[spoiler: Natalie]].
** In 'Unplanned Parenthood', Leo claims that he's tried to kiss 'like ten other girls' since he kissed April in the previous episode. While not impossible (and let's be real, not that improbable either given that this is ''Leo''), he's never shown displaying interest in anyone other than April.
* WhamEpisode: 'One Day', the season one finale. [[spoiler: April's cancer is back and she has twenty-four hours to get her affairs in order before starting her second round of chemotherapy. Meanwhile, The Post is laying off employees, Sara and Uncle George get stuck in Cleveland when their flight home is delayed, Brenna learns that she's a positive match for someone on the bone marrow waiting list and agrees to donate, Dr. Hamburg pushes April to finally confront her feelings about her relapse, and Leo proposes to April. And she says yes.]] Whew.
* WhamShot: 'Blood Cancer Sex Carrots' ends by revealing [[spoiler:Leo]] at April's cancer support group.

** The end of 'As Long as We Both Shall Live' shows [[spoiler: April going to wake Leo and realizing he's dead]].

* WidowedAtTheWedding: Averted, but only narrowly.

* IllGirl: April, who was diagnosed with leukemia at age 24.
** All the other girls at her support group qualify as well, obviously.

* MulticoloredHair: Ford has red highlights in her hair.
** One of the first signs that something is off with [[spoiler: Greer]] is when she shows up to school with purple highlights in her hair.

* RealityEnsues: April collapses in 'The Last W', as all the stress she's been putting her body through - and all of the uncontrolled environments she's been spending her time in - during season two finally catches up with her.

* FakeGuestStar: Scott Michael Foster (Leo) is credited as a Special Guest Star in season two, despite appearing regularly since early season one [[note]]This was due to his main character status on his new show, 'Blood and Oil', and the fact that he only appeared in the first eight episodes of the season[[/note]].

* YourCheatingHeart: April finds out that her father had an affair when she was a baby, and that she has an illegitimate younger sister. It eventually comes out that this has been an OpenSecret among her mother, uncle, and grandparents.

* {{Workaholic}}: April is extremely dedicated to her job, and is very upset when she realizes that her treatments will necessitate a medical break just as her career is starting to take off. After she finishes chemotherapy and is in remission, she jumps right back into work as soon as her doctor clears her. She later quits her job at The Post in the season one finale (in order to save Danny's job), and season two sees her ultimately {{Deconstructing}} this trope by taking a step back from her career to focus on her health and her personal life.

* BlackBestFriend: Leo's best (wo)man, Frankie.

* BiTheWay: [[spoiler:Brenna]], who has a relationship with both Kieran and Greer in season one.

* ImportantHaircut: After April's hair starts falling out, she has Beth start gradually cutting it shorter, going through several different hairstyles before finally asking Leo to shave her head for her. [[SugarWiki/HeartwarmingMoments He shaves his off too, to make it less traumatic for her]].

* ToplessFromTheBack: April, while having sex with [[spoiler: Leo]] in 'One Day'.

%% ZeroContextExample entries are not allowed on wiki pages. All such entries have been commented out. Do not uncomment them without expanding them to explain how they apply to the series so that someone who has not seen it can understand them. Just a character's name is not context.

* ImportantHaircut: After April's hair starts falling out, she has Beth start gradually cutting it shorter, going through several different hairstyles before finally asking Leo to shave her head for her. [[{{HeartwarmingMoments}} He shaves his off too, to make it less traumatic for her]].

* ImportantHaircut: After April's hair starts falling out, she has Beth start gradually cutting it shorter, going through several different hairstyles before finally asking Leo to shave her head for her. [[{{Heartwarming}} He shaves his off too, to make it less traumatic for her]].

The show premiered in June of 2014 with an initial order of only 13 episode, but an additional seven episodes were later added to the series order. It ended the following year after a 13 episode second season.

Originally ordered for 13 episodes on November 27, 2013, an additional seven episodes were added to ''Chasing Life''[='=]s series order, and it was renewed for a second season.

* FakeGuestStar: Scott Michael Foster (Leo) is credited as a Special Guest Star in season two, despite appearing regularly since early season one [[note]]This was due to his main character status on his new show, 'Blood and Oil', and the fact that he only appeared in the first seven episodes of the season[[/note]].

** Finn gets depressed that he's not able to do normal teen stuff (like make out with a girl) due to his cancer, so Brenna and [[spoiler: Ford]] offer to make out in front of him. He watches in delight.

* MulticoloredHair: Ford has red stripes in her hair.
** One of the first signs that something is off with [[spoiler: Greer]] is when she shows up to school with purple stripes in her hair.

* DisappearedDad: April's father, who died in a car accident a few years before the series starts. [[spoiler: [[AmbiguousSituation And season two implies that it might not have been an accident after all]].]]

* TheMaidenNameDebate: Downplayed; 'The Age of Consent' has a brief scene where April informs Leo that she doesn't plan to change her last name after they get married. He asks if she's open to hyphenating, but she vetoes that as well so he lets the topic go.

* BetaCouple: Beth and Graham, oddly enough.

* FiveSecondForeshadowing: In 'Clear Minds, Full Lives, Can't Eat!', Leo begins stammering, blinking rapidly, and looking around in confusion moments before he climbs out of the car and collapses from a seizure. The stammering also serves as a CallForward to 'What to Expect When You're Expecting Chemo', when he begins speaking gibberish mid-sentence during a live televised interview.

* ImportantHaircut: After April's hair starts falling out, she has Beth start gradually cutting it shorter, going through several different hairstyles before finally asking Leo to shave her head for her. [[{{Heartwarming}} He shaves his off too]].

* LoveTriangle: Leo makes no secret about his interest in April, and she eventually develops feelings for him even though she's still in a relationship with Dominic at the time. [[spoiler: Dominic breaks up with her after learning that she lied to him for months about having cancer (although as of season two, he's still harboring feelings for her), and she and Leo eventually become an OfficialCouple]].

* MistimedRevival: Leo opens his eyes when April mentions Dominic's name while she's ranting to his comatose body in 'Next April', but that's all that happens. He doesn't fully wake up until the end of the episode.

* MrFanservice: Leo and Dominic get their fair share of shirtless scenes (to say nothing of the fact that they're both just really gorgeous).

* NoBisexuals: Discussed trope. Brenna faces some prejudice from members of the LGBT club at school when some of them don't agree that her sexuality is valid. A couple of them straight up accuse her of being a lesbian and just refusing to admit it.

--> '''Brenna''': "But I'm not straight. I mean the last two people I dated were girls."

* NotSoAboveItAll: Leo [[ScrewTheRulesIHaveMoney steals a sports car for a joy ride]] in 'Clear Minds, Full Lives, Can't Eat!'. April yells at him for breaking the law, so he basically rolls his eyes and reminds her that a) they both have cancer so it's unlikely that they're going to get in serious trouble for it, and b) she's never going to have another chance to drive a nice car like this, so why not make the most of it? She glares at him... then switches places with him and drives away while they both laugh.
* NowWhat: 'Next April' ends on this note, after Leo finally wakes up from his coma.

--> '''Leo''': "Now what?"

* SecretKeeper: Until 'The Family That Lies Together', the only people who are aware that April has cancer are her Uncle George, Beth, Leo, and Brenna.

* ToplessFromTheBack: April, while having sex with Leo in 'One Day'.

* BridalCarry: After talking April down from her 'escape attempt' in 'Finding Chemo', Leo carries her out of the chapel this way.

** [[spoiler: Leo and April's wedding takes place in the same chapel that they talked in back in season one, and April points it out in her vows]].

--> "Is Dominic the father?"

* NoBisexuals: Discussed trope. Brenna faces some prejudice from members of the LGBT club at school when a few of them don't agree that her sexuality is valid or trustworthy. Some of them straight up accuse her of being a lesbian and just refusing to admit it.

* OutOfContextEavesdropping: A few days after their first date, Dominic overhears the last part of a conversation between April and [[spoiler:her uncle George]], and assumes that she's in a relationship with another man.

* SecretKeeper: Until 'The Family That Lies Together', the only people who are aware that April has cancer are her uncle George, Beth, Leo, and Brenna.

* ScrewTheRulesIHaveMoney: Leo would claim it's actually 'Screw The Rules, I Have Cancer', but there's no denying that his father's money has played a part in helping him avoid any negative consequences from his reckless behavior.

* BoyishShortHair: April's hair is very short in the second half of season one, as it's slowly growing back after her chemo treatments.

* NoBisexuals: Discussed trope. Brenna faces some prejudice from members of her own LGBT club at school when a few of them don't agree that her sexuality is valid or trustworthy. Some of them straight up accuse her of being a lesbian and just refusing to admit it.

* ScrewTheRulesIHaveMoney: Leo would claim it's actually 'Screw The Rules, I Have Cancer', but there's no doubt that his father's money doesn't hurt in helping him avoid any negative consequences from his reckless behavior.

----

* FakeGuestStar: Scott Michael Foster (Leo) is credited as a Special Guest Star in season two, despite the fact that he's been appearing regularly since early season one [[note]]This was due to his main character status on his new show, 'Blood and Oil', and the fact that he only appeared in the first seven episodes of the season[[/note]].

* KilledOffForReal: [[spoiler: Leo dies in his sleep with no warning one episode after his and April's wedding ]].
** DroppedABridgeOnHim: [[spoiler: His death came barely one month after they were married and he'd accepted a philanthropic job at his father's company, doing what he loved]].

* TheMaidenNameDebate: Downplayed; 'The Age of Consent' has a brief scene where April informs Leo that she doesn't plan to change her last name after they get married. He asks if she's open to hyphenating, but she vetos that as well so he lets the topic go after that.

* MistakenForPregnant: Graham overhears April throwing up in the bathroom and initially assumes that she was purging; when she denies that, he assumes that she's pregnant instead.

* NotSoAboveItAll: [[ScrewTheRulesIHaveMoney Leo steals a sports car for a joy ride in 'Clear Minds, Full Lives, Can't Eat!']]. April yells at him for breaking the law, so he basically rolls his eyes and reminds her that a) they both have cancer so it's unlikely that they're going to get in serious trouble for it, and b) she's never going to have another chance to drive a nice car like this, so why not make the most of it? She glares at him... then switches places with him and drives away while they both laugh.

* ShockingSwerve: The first half of season two focuses heavily on April's health and fears that she might not have a future, only for [[spoiler: Leo, who was in remission and supposedly healthy, to die suddenly in his sleep with almost no warning]].

* SplitScreen: 'The Last W' has a scene where Leo and April carrying on a serious conversation from opposite sides of a door, with the door providing the split down the middle of the screen.

* {{Workaholic}}: April is extremely dedicated to her job, and is very upset when she realizes that her treatments will necessitate a medical break just as her career is starting to take off. After she finishes chemo and is in remission, she jumps right back into work as soon as her doctor clears her.
** She quits her job at The Post in the season one finale (in order to save Danny's job), and season two sees her ultimately {{Deconstructing}} this trope by taking a step back from her career to focus on her health and her personal life.

* FakeGuestStar: Scott Michael Foster (Leo) is credited as a Special Guest Star in season two, despite the fact that he's been appearing regularly since early season one [[note]]This is most likely due to his main character status on his new show, 'Blood and Oil'[[/note]].

* JerkWithAHeartOfGold: Leo is blunt, reckless, and initially seems like he doesn't care how his behavior affects other people, but we eventually learn that he genuinely cares about his friends at the support group, and goes out of his way to help them have a good time, going so far as to use his father's money to make their last wishes become a reality.[[note]]Examples include throwing a funeral party for Jackson, giving Meg an opportunity to dance at a strip club because it was something she mentioned she'd always wanted to do, and taking a member named Chris to Iceland before he died.[[/note]] [[spoiler: He also anonymously funded April's fertility treatments (which cost a whopping $5,000), and blows it off as nothing when she figures out it was him.]]

* KilledOffForReal / DroppedABridgeOnHim: [[spoiler: Leo dies in his sleep with no warning barely a month after he and April get married]].
* LaserGuidedAmnesia: After [[spoiler: Leo]] wakes up from his coma, he's unable to remember a few things from directly before his surgery. Most importantly, [[spoiler: he's unable to remember why he agreed to the surgery in the first place, which puts a strain on his relationship with April]].

* LethalChef: Grandma Emma is the first to admit that she cannot cook worth anything and the best day of her life was the day that the microwave was invented.

* NotSoAboveItAll: Leo steals a sports car for a joy ride in 'Clear Minds, Full Lives, Can't Eat!', while April yells at him for breaking the law. He basically rolls his eyes and reminds her that a) they both have cancer so it's unlikely that they're going to get in trouble for it, and b) she's never going to have another chance to drive a nice car like this, so why not make the most of it? She glares at him... then switches places with him and drives away while they both laugh.

''Chasing Life'' is an American television drama series that premiered June 10, 2014, on ABC Family.
The series is adapted from the Televisa Spanish-language Mexican television series ''Terminales''.

--> "And what are your feelings on kale?"
--> "It's not a real vegetable."

--> April: "Sometimes I think Grandma's cooler than me."
--> Brenna: "She is."

** [[spoiler: Leo mentions that he has a headache in passing at the beginning of 'As Long as We Both Shall Live'.]] The entire fandom went into mourning right then and there.

* {{Jerkass}}: Ford, Brenna's 'friend', is very rude and shallow, and she becomes extremely jealous after Brenna starts dating [[spoiler:Greer]], making several rude comments about Brenna's sexual orientation. [[spoiler: She's also the one who told the school authorities about them skipping the eco-club lecture in Florida]]. [[CharacterDevelopment She slowly gets better]], but remains very shallow.

* TheMaidenNameDebate: Downplayed; 'The Age of Consent' has a brief scene where April informs Leo that she doesn't plan to change her last name after they get married. He suggests hyphenating, but she says no and he's fine with that.

** Greer as well, in the season one finale.

* UpperClassTwit: Zig-zagged with Leo. He never took a dime of his parent's money before he had cancer, and actually lived on his own in Paris for a year, working in a crappy bakery to support himself. After he got sick, he had no choice except move back home and accept their help to pay for his treatments. His lifestyle has less to do with the amount of money in his trust fund and more to do with the fact that he has a terminal brain tumor and without surgery he only has a few months to live.

** The end of 2x07 shows [[spoiler: April going to wake Leo and realizing he's dead]].

** [[spoiler: Leo mentions that he has a headache in passing at the beginning of 'As Long as We Both Shall Live'.]] The fandom collectively went into mourning right then and there.

* TheyDo: April and [[spoiler: Leo]] tie the knot in season two.