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NBC · Ended

A Year in the Life

Drama · 1987

Last aired: S1 E22, Love Mother · 1988-04-13

A dramatic series, based on the NBC miniseries that aired in December 1986, chronicling the lives and relationships of the Gardners, a middle-class suburban American family headed by widower Joe Gardner.

Cast

Season 1

E1 Don't I Know You from Somewhere? 1987-09-16 · 60 min As divorce proceedings draw near, Anne (Wendy Phillips) accepts a date with a co-worker; Lindley and Jim scrutinize candidates for a full-time baby sitter; and Joe loses a valued employee.
E2 Things You Should Know Before and After 1987-09-23 · 60 min Sunny is embarrassed about her lack of experience with boys; Joe and a neighbor have an unneighborly exchange over the Gardners' dog; and Jack awaits news from the Seattle police academy.
E3 What Do You Think Love Is? 1987-09-30 · 60 min A baby-naming ceremony for Ruthie causes dissension in the Eisenberg home; Lindley seems overwhelmed by the commitment to Judaism; a fishing trip causes friction between Jack and David; and Sam is in Kay's doghouse after inviting his father to dinner.
E4 What Do People Do All Day? 1987-10-21 · 60 min Joe assembles his family after proposing to Alice; a nervous Anne teaches Sunny to drive; Kay is pressured into taking her co-worker's advice before meeting a potential buyer.
E5 Dixie Chicken 1987-10-28 · 60 min Anne's college boy friend reenters her life; guilt takes its toll on working mother Lindley; and Sam asks for Joe's assistance in a scheme to help Kay "sell" herself in her real-estate job.
E6 EM7, Raiders Minus 3 and a Half for a Nickel 1987-11-04 · 60 min Jim's flimflam artist father visits, bringing back feelings of embarrassment and resentment for Jim; David is humiliated by a school bully; and Jack paints a house for a bickering couple.
E7 Acts of Faith 1987-11-11 · 60 min Joe believes David's social-studies teacher has gone overboard to instill a fear of nuclear disaster in his students; Sam sees Kay's visiting mother as an aging hippie and fears Kay could follow in her footsteps; and Lindley invents an infant walker.
E8 In Dreams Begin Responsibilities 1987-11-18 · 60 min Tempers flare during tryouts for a football team that Jack is coaching; a lonely Anne gives in to temptation on a business trip; and Joe's apprehension stems from his popularity with a ladies' garden club.
E9 I Think You Know Something I Don't Know 1987-12-02 · 60 min 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 in the park; Kay feels remorseful after selling a dilapidated home to a young couple; Sam tires of constant surprises in his marriage.
E10 So Much Water So Close to Home 1987-12-16 · 60 min A visit to a turkey farm turns Sunny into a vegetarian; a rainstorm traps Anne and Sam in Spokane; a blackout forces the Gardners to improvise on the cooking of the Thanksgiving bird; Jack spends an empty holiday with a new friend.
E11 While Someone Else is Eating or Opening a Window 1987-12-23 · 60 min Sunny's behavior around the house annoys Joe, while Billy Putzi becomes a disruptive force in the Eisenberg home; and Kay's classes begin to dominate her life, much to Sam's dismay.
E12 The Little Disturbance of Man 1988-01-06 · 60 min 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.
E13 Sometimes It's Hard to Remember 1988-01-13 · 60 min Jack encounters racism on the job; Joe vows to beat an arrogant neighbor in a tennis match; Lindley is stood up by Anne.
E14 At the Last Moment, Enormous Changes 1988-01-20 · 60 min Joe agonizes over a sudden decrease in company profits, while Sunny agonizes over a good friend's hostility; and car troubles get the best of Kay.
E15 Goodbye to All That 1988-02-03 · 60 min 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.
E16 The Go-Between 1988-02-10 · 60 min Sunny realizes too late the consequences of her actions 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.
E17 Fathers and Other Strangers 1988-02-17 · 60 min 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; and Kay serves as a juror.
E18 Common Ground 1988-03-09 · 60 min A strike breaks out at Joe's ailing plastics plant; David's school play causes stress for Anne and David; and Kay gets her hopes up over the perfect house, assuming Joe will co-sign.
E19 Glory Days 1988-03-16 · 60 min A friend's death causes Jim to worry about his own mortality; a fallen chandelier prompts Joe and Anne to redecorate; and an old flame appears at Jack's high-school reunion.
E20 The Politics of Being 1988-03-23 · 60 min 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.
E21 Peter Creek Road 1988-04-06 · 60 min 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; and Jim decides to build a new TV stand.
E22 Love Mother 1988-04-13 · 60 min A journey to visit her ailing mother is a painful one for Alice; Anne refuses to celebrate her thirtysomething birthday; Kay learns she's pregnant; and a sick baby wearies Lindley.

TV listings and show data from TVmaze.