When Jackie's (Nikki Rodriguez) parents die in an accident, she is sent to live with the Walter family, who have ten sons. A teenage girl amidst teenage boys can only mean one thing: She will get attracted to more than one boy. This setup reminds you of The Summer I Turned Pretty, where a girl similarly finds herself falling for two brothers. All these teen romances walk on a familiar path anyway. The conventions, the drama, and the plot turns are incredibly the same. We see archetypes instead of characters; their only concern is relationships and romance. These kids briefly mention their grades, but we all know school exists like a decoration here. It gives the teenagers the platform to hook up or tease each other. Rumors spread like wildfire, and students hit one another at an auditorium. What about the classes? They get over as soon as the camera enters the premises.
Hence, you laugh when Jackie says she wants to go to Princeton. Soon, she will not be worried about her grades. She will have to resolve her feelings about the two Walter boys - Cole (Noah LaLonde) and Alex (Ashby Gentry). Both are good-looking, though it's the former who attracts more attention. Cole used to be a football champion, but that all went away when he injured his leg. He never fully recovered from that incident. Cole is not good at studies, and sports would have helped him receive a college scholarship. Since all his plans have been destroyed, he walks around with a broody disposition. Girls find him charming, so much so that they invent a term for this attraction: The Cole Effect. I never believed in this nonsense. Yes, Cole looks nice but not as handsome as the show tries to sell him. I found Alex more appealing. In fact, all the brothers look way better than Cole, which is why the Cole Effect sounds like a desperate sell.
My Life with the Walter Boys tries to establish the credibility of some points by repeating them forcefully. In the initial episodes, the audience is repeatedly reminded that Jackie wants to attend Princeton and that Cole used to be an excellent sports player. Also, some visuals are repeated with minor variations, such as Jackie being pranked by the boys or facing someone's unkindness and running to her bedroom with teary eyes. However, this repetition can be tiresome and gives the impression that the show is not progressing. You long to hear something new, something refreshing. Unfortunately, these school kids don't easily satisfy your desires.
Unsurprisingly, then, it's the adults who bring engaging drama to the table. The Walter family has financial troubles, and Katherine (Sarah Rafferty) and George (Marc Blucas) effectively display the emotional strain. I liked how they hid everything from their children by acting all casual in front of them. I also liked how George felt embarrassed after asking for help from a friend. What's more, Will (Johnny Link) and Hayley (Zoë Soul) turn out to be the biggest strength of My Life with the Walter Boys. Their big, ugly fight right after a double date is one of the few highlights here. The adults steal the spotlight from the teenagers, making you wish the show had been solely about them. They are far more interesting than the children.
My Life with the Walter Boys, however, is not unbearable. The clichés are watchable due to the fine performances. All the actors are in sync with the material and know what kind of performance is needed from them. The greatest compliment one can give this series is that it's not bad. If you were disappointed by the second season of The Summer I Turned Pretty but still want to watch something (somewhat) similar (and comparatively better), you can see how life is with the Walter boys.
Final Score- [6.5/10]
Reviewed by - Vikas Yadav
Follow @vikasonorous on Twitter
Publisher at Midgard Times