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A Year in the Life

A Year in the Life

S1 · E1

IMDB:

6.8
A Year in the Life

Released

9/16/1987

Duration

1h 0m

Genre

Drama

Country

United States of America

Cast

Richard Kiley, Trey Ames, Adam Arkin

Overview

Following the success of the three-part miniseries of the same name, the drama series follows the daily lives of Seattle's Gardner family. Joe Gardner is the owner of a successful plastics business and the father of four adult children. The Gardner family includes twice-divorced daughter Anne, who returns home with her two teenaged children; daughter Lindley and husband Jim, parents of a newborn baby daughter; black sheep son Jack; and conservative youngest son Sam, newly married to free-spirited Kay.

Episodes

Don't I Know You From Somewhere?EP 1Available

Don't I Know You From Somewhere?

60m0.0

As her divorce proceedings draw near, Anne accepts a date with a co-worker. Lindley and Jim consider candidates for a full-time babysitter. Joe loses a valued employee.

Things You Should Know Before and AfterEP 2Available

Things You Should Know Before and After

60m0.0

Sunny is embarrassed about her lack of experience with boys. Joe and a neighbor have an unneighborly exchange over the Gardners' dog. Jack awaits news from the Seattle police academy.

What Do You Think Love Is?EP 3Available

What Do You Think Love Is?

60m0.0

A baby-naming ceremony for Ruthie causes dissension. Lindley seems overwhelmed by the commitment to Judaism. A fishing trip causes friction between Jack and David. Sam is in Kay's doghouse after inviting his father to dinner.

What Do People Do All Day?EP 4Available

What Do People Do All Day?

60m0.0

Joe assembles his family after mustering the courage to propose to Alice. Anne is a bundle of nerves while teaching Sunny to drive. Kay is pressured into taking her co-worker's advice before meeting with a potential buyer.

Dixie ChickenEP 5Available

Dixie Chicken

60m0.0

Anne's college boyfriend reenters her life. Guilt takes its toll on working mother Lindley. Sam asks for Joe's assistance in a scheme to help Kay "sell" herself in her real-estate job.

E.M. 7 Grizzlies Minus 3 1/2 for a NickelEP 6Available

E.M. 7 Grizzlies Minus 3 1/2 for a Nickel

60m0.0

Jim's flimflam artist father visits, bringing back feelings of embarrassment and resentment for Jim. David is humiliated by a school bully. Jack paints a house for a bickering couple.

Acts of FaithEP 7Available

Acts of Faith

60m0.0

Joe believes David's social studies teacher has gone overboard to instill a fear of nuclear disaster in his students. Sam thinks his new mother-in-law is an aging hippie and fears Kay could follow in her footsteps. Lindley invents an infant walker.

In Dreams Begin ResponsibilitiesEP 8Available

In Dreams Begin Responsibilities

60m0.0

Tempers flare during tryouts for a football team that Jack is coaching. A lonely Anne gives in to temptation on a business trip. Joe is reluctant with being selected as treasurer by a ladies' garden club.

So Much Water, So Close to HomeEP 9Available

So Much Water, So Close to Home

60m0.0

Sunny becomes a vegetarian after a visit to a turkey farm. Anne and Sam are stuck in Spokane after a storm and struggle to get back home. A blackout forces the Gardners to improvise on cooking their Thanksgiving bird. Jack spends an empty holiday with a new friend.

I Think You Know Something I Don't KnowEP 10Available

I Think You Know Something I Don't Know

60m0.0

Lindley and Jim's efforts to market the baby walker meet with stumbling blocks. Joe is protective of David after a vagrant attacks the boy. Kay feels remorseful after selling a dilapidated home. Sam tires of constant surprises.

While Someone Else is Eating or Opening a WindowEP 11Available

While Someone Else is Eating or Opening a Window

60m0.0

Sunny's behavior around the house annoys Joe. Billy Putzi becomes a disruptive force in the Eisenberg home. Kay's classes begin to dominate her life, much to Sam's dismay.

The Little Disturbance of ManEP 12Available

The Little Disturbance of Man

60m0.0

Marketing plans for Jim and Lindley's baby walker take a new turn, with the help of Billy. Anne fails to give up smoking. Sam considers cheating on Kay.

Sometimes It's Hard to RememberEP 13Available

Sometimes It's Hard to Remember

60m0.0

Jack encounters racism on the job. Joe vows to beat an arrogant neighbor in a tennis match. Anne stands up Lindley.

At the Last Moment, Enormous ChangesEP 14Available

At the Last Moment, Enormous Changes

60m0.0

Joe agonizes over a sudden decrease in company profits. Sunny agonizes over a good friend's hostility. Car troubles get the best of Kay.

Goodbye to All ThatEP 15Available

Goodbye to All That

60m0.0

Jack may have discovered "the real thing" when he and his wife receive $1000 in prize money. Joe longs to mend his relationship with Alice. David admires a fellow worker at the bowling alley.

The Go-BetweenEP 16Available

The Go-Between

60m0.0

Sunny realizes the consequences of her actions too late when she asks a friend to flirt with David. Joe's erratic behavior has the kids worried, but he thinks the truth would leave them more troubled.

Fathers and Other StrangersEP 17Available

Fathers and Other Strangers

60m0.0

David tries to be civil around his visiting father. Anne reflects on the bitterness of her first divorce. Joe attends an old Navy buddy's funeral. Kay serves as a juror.

Common GroundEP 18Available

Common Ground

60m0.0

A strike breaks out at Joe's ailing plastics plant. David's school play causes stress for Anne and David. Kay gets her hopes up over the perfect house, assuming Joe will co-sign.

Glory DaysEP 19Available

Glory Days

60m0.0

A friend's death causes Jim to worry about his own mortality. A fallen chandelier prompts Joe and Anne to redecorate, An old flame appears at Jack's high-school reunion.

The Politics of BeingEP 20Available

The Politics of Being

60m0.0

Anne risks being fired when she stands her ground before an important ad presentation. Joe's quick thinking in an emergency brings fleeting fame. Lindley can't forgive Jim for an accident involving Ruthie.

Peter Creek RoadEP 21Available

Peter Creek Road

60m0.0

Sunny accepts a date with a boy, unaware of the effect it has on his former girlfriend. Joe's plans for a nostalgic journey are derailed on a train trip to Chicago. Jim decides to build a new TV stand.

Love MotherEP 22Available

Love Mother

60m0.0

A journey to visit her ailing mother is a painful one for Alice. Anne refuses to celebrate her thirty-something birthday. Kay learns she's pregnant. A sick baby wearies Lindley.

Cast

Richard Kiley

Joe Gardner

Richard Kiley

Trey Ames

David Sisk

Trey Ames

Adam Arkin

Jim Eisenberg

Adam Arkin

Jayne Atkinson

Lindley Gardner Eisenberg

Jayne Atkinson

David Oliver

Sam Gardner

David Oliver

Sarah Jessica Parker

Kay Erickson

Sarah Jessica Parker

Amanda Peterson

Sunny Sisk

Amanda Peterson

Wendy Phillips

Anne Gardner Maxwell

Wendy Phillips

Morgan Stevens

Jack Gardner

Morgan Stevens

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