After spending each one of her 15 years moving from one foster family to another in Portland, Oregon, Lux (Britt Robertson) has decided it’s time to take more control of her life and become an emancipated minor. But this decision means taking a trip through the legal system and this leads Lux to her biological father, Nate “Baze” Bazile (Kristoffer Polaha), a mid thirties bar owner who is astonished to learn that he has a teenage daughter. Baze still lives like an old college boy with his two equally useless roommates, Math (Austin Basis) and Jamie (Reggie Austin).
It’s Lux’s turn to be surprised when Baze reveals that her birth mum is Cate Cassidy (Shiri Appleby), Baze’s high school enemy who he had a one-night-stand with and who is now a star in her own right, presenting the local “Morning Madness” radio show alongside her partner and fiancé, Ryan Thomas (Kerr Smith). Lux has been listening to Cate’s voice on the radio since forever, so she feels an instant connection with the mother she’s never met.
Baze takes Lux to meet Cate, who is heavy with guilt and desperately sad to find out that her daughter has grown up in foster care. But she is happy nonetheless to meet her beautiful daughter and although it’s been 15 years since Baze and Cate have seen each other, it doesn’t take them long to fall into the same awkward relationship they had in high school. However, when a judge decides that Lux isn’t ready for emancipation and unexpectedly grants temporary joint custody to Baze and Cate, they agree to try to get past the squabbles, the arguments and the awkwardness and try to give Lux the family she deserves.
Life Unexpected follows this new little dysfunctional family as they all learn about life, love and family ties.