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Best Episodes of A Year in the Life
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Worst Episodes of A Year in the Life
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A Year in the Life Episode Guide
Don't I Know You From Somewhere?
S1 Ep1
1.0
16th Sep 1987
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 After
S1 Ep2
23rd Sep 1987
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?
S1 Ep3
30th Sep 1987
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?
S1 Ep4
21st Oct 1987
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 Chicken
S1 Ep5
28th Oct 1987
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.
Acts of Faith
S1 Ep7
11th Nov 1987
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.
E.M. 7 Grizzlies Minus 3 1/2 for a Nickel
S1 Ep6
4th Nov 1987
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.
In Dreams Begin Responsibilities
S1 Ep8
18th Nov 1987
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 Home
S1 Ep9
25th Nov 1987
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 Know
S1 Ep10
2nd Dec 1987
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 Window
S1 Ep11
16th Dec 1987
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 Man
S1 Ep12
6th Jan 1988
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 Remember
S1 Ep13
13th Jan 1988
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 Changes
S1 Ep14
20th Jan 1988
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 That
S1 Ep15
3rd Feb 1988
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-Between
S1 Ep16
10th Feb 1988
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 Strangers
S1 Ep17
17th Feb 1988
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 Ground
S1 Ep18
9th Mar 1988
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 Days
S1 Ep19
16th Mar 1988
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 Being
S1 Ep20
23rd Mar 1988
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 Road
S1 Ep21
6th Apr 1988
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 Mother
S1 Ep22
13th Apr 1988
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.
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.
The first episode of A Year in the Life aired on September 16, 1987.
The last episode of A Year in the Life aired on April 13, 1988.
