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{{short description|American documentary television series}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=March 2025}}
{{Infobox television
| image              = True Life Logo.jpg
| genre              = [[Television documentary|Documentary]]
| narrated           = [[Su-chin Pak]]
| country            = United States
| language           = English
| num_seasons        = 21
| num_episodes       = 369
| list_episodes      = List of True Life episodes
| executive_producer = {{Plainlist|
* Betsy Forhan
* Lauren Lazin
* Dave Sirulnick
* Jim Fraenkel
* Marshall Eisen
}}
| opentheme          = "[[The Gift (Way Out West song)|The Gift]]"
| runtime            = 42 minutes
| channel            = [[MTV]]
| first_aired        = {{Start date|1998|3|31}}
| last_aired         = {{End date|2017|6|21}}
| related            = {{Plainlist|
* ''True Life/Now''
* ''[[True Life Crime]]''
* ''True Life Presents: First-Time First Responders''
* ''True Life Presents: Quarantine Stories''
}}
}}
'''''True Life''''' is an American [[Television documentary|documentary]] television series that aired on [[MTV]] from March 31, 1998 to June 21, 2017. Each episode follows a particular topic, such as [[heroin addiction]] as in the first episode – "Fatal Dose". The show is created by following a series of subjects by a camera crew through a certain part of their lives. A four-episode revival series titled '''''True Life/Now''''' aired in 2019 and a crime investigation iteration called ''[[True Life Crime]]'' premiered in 2020.<ref>{{cite web|title=MTV Goes Behind the Controversial Headlines with New Investigative Series "True Life Crime"|url=http://www.thefutoncritic.com/news/2020/01/03/mtv-goes-behind-the-controversial-headlines-with-new-investigative-series-true-life-crime-689302/20200103mtv01/|work=[[The Futon Critic]]|date=January 3, 2020}}</ref>

A TV special titled ''True Life Presents: First-Time First Responders'' premiered on June 9, 2020.<ref>{{cite web|title=MTV to Premiere Groundbreaking New Project "True Life Presents: First-Time First Responders" on Tuesday, June 9th at 9PM ET/PT|url=http://www.thefutoncritic.com/news/2020/06/05/mtv-to-premiere-groundbreaking-new-project-true-life-presents-first-time-first-responders-on-tuesday-june-9th-at-9pm-et-pt-505011/20200605mtv01/|work=[[The Futon Critic]]|date=June 5, 2020}}</ref>

A four-part docu-series titled ''True Life Presents: Quarantine Stories'' premiered on August 5, 2020.<ref>{{cite web|title=MTV Set to Premiere "True Life Presents: Quarantine Stories" on Wednesday, August 5th at 9PM ET/PT|url=http://www.thefutoncritic.com/news/2020/07/22/mtv-set-to-premiere-true-life-presents-quarantine-stories-on-wednesday-august-5th-at-9pm-et-pt-22515/20200722mtv01/|work=[[The Futon Critic]]|date=July 22, 2020}}</ref>

==Topics covered==
{{further|List of True Life episodes}}
''True Life'' has covered over 140 topics from drug use, money issues, and sexual topics to simple social behavior like visiting the Jersey Shore. The show has aired 18 seasons and 328 episodes so far. There is an occasional intersection between this show and other shows. For example, the episode "I'm a Reality TV Star" featured people from ''[[The Real World (TV series)|The Real World]]'' and ''[[Survivor (American TV series)|Survivor]]'', while the episodes "I'm a Muay Thai Fighter" and "I'm a Mixed Martial Artist" both featured [[Kit Cope]], who has recently signed a deal with the [[World Fighting Alliance|WFA]] and [[Frankie Edgar]], who was the UFC Lightweight Champion. In the episode "I'm Bisexual," Sydney goes on a date with A.D. from ''[[From G's to Gents]]''. In 2011, Sydney was featured in season 6 of Oxygen's ''[[Bad Girls Club]]''. Lazar, who was in the episode "I'm in A Love Triangle", was in a 2007 episode of ''[[Parental Control]]''.<ref name="Episode Guide"

<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCnZ1DFwQrq6WsjaPPdy9F8Q/playlists|title=Lauren laner - YouTube|website=[[YouTube]]}}</ref>

==Awards and nominations==
*Won 2009 Emmy Award for Best Special Class Series.
*Won 2000 Image Award for Outstanding News, Talk, or Information Special (For episode "I Am Driving While Black".)
*Won 2005 GLAAD ashleeMedia Award for Outstanding Documentary (For episode "[[I'm Gay and I'm Getting Married]]". Accepted by [[Aaron Pike (activist)|Aaron Pike]] and Stephen Schonberg)<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.glaad.org/press|title=GLAAD's Resources for Press|date=Sep 12, 2011|work=[[GLAAD]]|access-date=Jul 14, 2019}}</ref>
*True Life: I'm on Crystal Meth Won 2007 Prism Award for TV Teen Series Episode or Special (awarded to Cheryl Horner Sirulnick.)
*Nominated 2000 GLAAD Media Award for Outstanding TV Journalism (For the segment "Matthew's Murder".)
*Nominated 2003 GLAAD Media Award for Outstanding Documentary (For episode "I'm Coming Out.")
*Nominated 2016 GLAAD Media Award for Outstanding TV Journalism - Newsmagazine (For episode "I'm Genderqueer" featuring [[Jacob Tobia]].)<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.imdb.com/event/ev0000286/2016/1/|title=GLAAD Media Awards (2016)|work=[[IMDb]]|access-date=Jul 14, 2019}}</ref>

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
*{{official website|http://www.mtv.com/shows/truelife/series.jhtml}}
*{{IMDb title|id=0324924|title=True Life}}

{{Navboxes
|title = Awards for ''True Life''
|list =
{{Daytime Emmy Award Outstanding Special Class Series}}
{{GLAAD Media Award for Outstanding Documentary}}
}}
{{MTVNetwork Shows}}

[[Category:1990s American documentary television series]]
[[Category:1998 American television series debuts]]
[[Category:2000s American documentary television series]]
[[Category:2010s American documentary television series]]
[[Category:2017 American television series endings]]
[[Category:American English-language television shows]]
[[Category:MTV News]]
[[Category:MTV reality television series]]
[[Category:Muay Thai television series]]

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