Life Goes On Cast 1989-1993:
Bill Smitrovich.... Drew Thatcher
Patti LuPone.... Elizabeth "Libby" Thatcher
Chris Burke .... Charles "Corky" Thatcher
Kellie Martin.... Rebecca "Becca" Thatcher Monique Lanier.... Paige Thatcher (#1)
Tracey Needham.... Paige Thatcher (#2)
Chad Lowe.... Jesse McKenna
Tommy Puett.... Tyler Benchfield

Meet the Thatcher family, a typical suburban, blue collar family with one exception . . .their son Corky has Downs Syndrome. Life Goes On was the first show to incorporate a developmentally disabled person as an important cast member. Not just as a special charity case. The Thatchers never treated Corky like a burden, nor did they try to hide him from the outside world. In fact, they went out of their way to make his life as mainstream as possible, including fighting so he could attend a regular high school.

Life Goes On is similar in content to Thirtysomething and Sisters as it concentrates on the problems and small victories of everyday life. Their achievements (e.g. Drew opening his own restaurant, Libby getting her childrens' book published) occur due to hard work and sacrifice. The family grows stronger and closer as a result of overcoming adversity. However, as life went on, it was Becca Thatcher who stole the show. Becca was introduced as a skinny, brainy kid with bright red (and sometimes blue) eyeglasses. She was the unobtrusive middle child: not as pretty as her sister Paige yet not as nurtured as her brother Corky. For years Becca hides behind academics and admires the beautiful people, like Tyler Benchfield, from afar. Becca is extremely talented and charming but lacks the malice and arrogance to stand up to her aggressors. 

Becca ultimately becomes an attractive, influential and assertive young lady. However it does not happen overnight, she first endures periods of insecurity and ridicule. Becca emerges with a cool new look, complete with contact lenses, sunglasses, and flashy clothes. However she does not sacrifice her intelligence to fit in. She merely unleashes the strength that was within her all along. Becca becomes quite intriguing in her "artsy" pre-collegiate phase. She gets a cool job at a used book store/coffee house, wears  earth-toned blazer suits, and becomes passionate about activism.

The men in Becca's life

Chris - The long-haired rocker who plays the Juice Bar (i.e. non-alcoholic) scene. Becca worships him because he is everything that she isn't: cool, sexy, wild, adored. Her first seductive moment is when he takes his shirt off and kisses her in his dressing room . . . Until dad barges in ready to punch his lights out. Becca allows Chris to treat her like garbage because she is terrified of losing him. Not out of love but for the feeling of importance that she gets from being attached to a star.

Tyler - The boy next door and all-american jock strap. He never pays attention to Becca as he has dingy cheerleaders throwing themselves at him.When Becca and Tyler finally hook up she realizes that the fantasy was better than the reality. He lacks the intelligence, substance, and ambition that she seeks in a partner.

Jesse - The most powerful and memorable part of the series was the relationship between Becca and Jesse. Becca must savor the last precious moments with her fiancee Jesse, as he dies of AIDS.