A Year in the Life ambient background
CinebyCineby
A Year in the Life backdrop

A Year in the Life

A Year in the Life

★ 7.2/10•1987•1h 0m•NR•Drama
Similars

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.

StatusEnded
Runtime1h 0m
LanguageEN
First Air DateSep 16, 1987

Episodes

E160m

Don't I Know You From Somewhere?

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.

Sep 16, 1987

E260m

Things You Should Know Before and After

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.

Sep 23, 1987

E360m

What Do You Think Love Is?

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.

Sep 30, 1987

E460m

What Do People Do All Day?

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.

Oct 21, 1987

E560m

Dixie Chicken

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.

Oct 28, 1987

E660m

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

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.

Nov 4, 1987

E760m

Acts of Faith

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.

Nov 11, 1987

E860m

In Dreams Begin Responsibilities

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.

Nov 18, 1987

E960m

So Much Water, So Close to Home

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.

Nov 25, 1987

E1060m

I Think You Know Something I Don't Know

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.

Dec 2, 1987

E1160m

While Someone Else is Eating or Opening a Window

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.

Dec 16, 1987

E1260m

The Little Disturbance of Man

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.

Jan 6, 1988

E1360m

Sometimes It's Hard to Remember

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

Jan 13, 1988

E1460m

At the Last Moment, Enormous Changes

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

Jan 20, 1988

E1560m

Goodbye to All That

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.

Feb 3, 1988

E1660m

The Go-Between

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.

Feb 10, 1988

E1760m

Fathers and Other Strangers

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.

Feb 17, 1988

E1860m

Common Ground

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.

Mar 9, 1988

E1960m

Glory Days

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.

Mar 16, 1988

E2060m

The Politics of Being

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.

Mar 23, 1988

E2160m

Peter Creek Road

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.

Apr 6, 1988

E2260m

Love Mother

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.

Apr 13, 1988

Actors

Richard Kiley

Richard Kiley

Joe Gardner

Trey Ames

David Sisk

Adam Arkin

Adam Arkin

Jim Eisenberg

Jayne Atkinson

Jayne Atkinson

Lindley Gardner Eisenberg

David Oliver

David Oliver

Sam Gardner

Sarah Jessica Parker

Sarah Jessica Parker

Kay Erickson

Amanda Peterson

Amanda Peterson

Sunny Sisk

Wendy Phillips

Wendy Phillips

Anne Gardner Maxwell

Morgan Stevens

Morgan Stevens

Jack Gardner

Recommendations

Rich Man, Poor Man
The Way Home
Empire
Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea
Carl Weber's The Family Business
Road to Avonlea
Life Goes On
Little Women
Chesapeake Shores
Brief Encounters
Dallas
Free Rein
The Mysterious Benedict Society
Greenhouse Academy
Melrose Place
When Hope Calls
Little House on the Prairie
Tales of the Unexpected
R. L. Stine's The Haunting Hour
Diagnosis: Murder

Similars

Ishq Jalebi
Maging Sino Ka Man
Beautiful Love, Wonderful Life
One Tree Hill
La Palma
Serious & Organised
Second Generation
The Black Donnellys
Once and Again
My Brother Jonathan
Hu Tong
In Memoriam
Scarlet
Dad Is Too Jealous
Japan Sinks: 2020
Family Ties
Our Dearest Sakura
Hidden Love
All About My Siblings
The Book of Daniel