Tubegazing

In 'Life is Wild,' a Manhattan family relocates to the South African countryside – with lions for neighbors.

Life is Wild

(The CW, 8 p.m., Oct. 7):

South Africa is indeed full of wild animals, but the rugged countryside is getting increasingly crowded with creatures of the urban sort these days. This tale of a consummately cosmopolitan – and deeply dysfunctional – Manhattan family that treks to the wild to tame itself is a remake of a current BBC America series. Just like the original, the exotic locale is reason enough to watch. But "Life is Wild" suffers a bit from being skewed to the CW's younger demographic – the heavy teen angst occasionally overshadows even the lions. Grade: B

– Gloria Goodale