Review: 'My Last Summer'

I recently had a discussion with a programming executive at a major broadcast TV network who talked about how difficult it is to find reality programming that has the potential to be both broad-based and buzzworthy. While the cable TV universe is full of examples, in recent years the broadcast networks have struggled to find new non-scripted shows with the buzz of a "Duck Dynasty" or "Deadliest Catch."

If I was in the position to suggest an idea, I'd greenlight an Americanized version of "My Last Summer," a jarring and emotional new series that debuted this week on the U.K.'s Channel 4. It's a compelling and unique idea that gets to the heart of one of the questions we all have to deal with at some point: how do you want to die?

"My Last Summer" follows the stories of five people who have been diagnosed with a terminal illness. They each likely have less than a year to live and that fate brings them together for a few days about once a month to bond, talk to therapists and hopefully find a way to make the most of their final year of life.

They all have different stories but ultimately the same potential prognosis. 58-year-old Jayne was diagnosed with breast cancer four years ago. Her husband of 25 years couldn't cope with diagnosis and they separated six months ago. Junior is a DJ who was diagnosed with prostate cancer eight months ago. "I don't know how much time I have, I just know that my plane is descending faster than most people's," he says early in the first episode.

Lou has a Neuron disease that will paralyze her within a year and eventually make it impossible for her to breath. She has six children and she worries that someone will end up raising her family. 57-year-old Ben has terminal lung cancer and with no partner or children, has had to rely on himself to get through each crisis. He tells the group that he didn't have anyone to share this with and he was glad he didn't, because "that's one less person you're hurting." Andy was diagnosed with leukemia at 41 and he admits that his friends and family have reacted to his diagnosis by distancing themselves, "as if they're afraid they'll catch it."

As the group comes together for the first time at the secluded luxury farmhouse that will be their regular meeting place, it doesn't take them long to bond over the common fate. Despite the differences in their personal stories, they all revel in the chance to talk to people facing the same problems.

There is crying and anger and grief. But there is also an unexpected amount of gallows humor and the sad realization that no matter what their life plans might have been, their death is coming sooner rather than later.

"At some point you have to look at it and say 'what's the best thing that could happen?" Lou explains. "The best thing would be to survive this, to live through it. But it's not going to happen. It's not. It's just going to get worse and worse."

Junior has eleven children with ten different women and the woman he is currently dating has only been his girlfriend for about 18 months. He was diagnosed about a year ago and she has taken on the role of being his caretaker and emotional support, despite the fact that they're also dealing with the problems any new relationship would face. Towards the end of the first episode, they have a raw and emotional argument in their car when Junior tells her that he's tired and he wants to give up. There is so much sub-context and unspoken grief in their disagreement and it's truly one of those times when it feels as if the presence of the camera is intruding on a moment that should be kept private.

But that rawness and emotion is also what makes "My Last Summer" such a heartbreaking and important show. I don't think I've ever seen a story told quite this way and it's easy to imagine this format being a huge hit here in the U.S. For all the scorn that is sometimes heaped on the non-scripted genre of TV, there are some shows that deserve to be seen. Not just because they're good TV, but because they tell a story that matters.