A Year in the Life

S01E03: 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.

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

S01E01 Don't I Know You From Somewhere?

September 16, 1987 60 min
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.

S01E02 Things You Should Know Before and After

September 23, 1987 60 min
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.

S01E03 What Do You Think Love Is?

September 30, 1987 60 min
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.

S01E04 What Do People Do All Day?

October 21, 1987 60 min
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...

S01E05 Dixie Chicken

October 28, 1987 60 min
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.

S01E07 Acts of Faith

November 11, 1987 60 min
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...

S01E06 E.M. 7 Grizzlies Minus 3 1/2 for a Nickel

November 4, 1987 60 min
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.

S01E08 In Dreams Begin Responsibilities

November 18, 1987 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. Joe is reluctant with being selected as treasurer by a ladies' garden...

S01E09 So Much Water, So Close to Home

November 25, 1987 60 min
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...

S01E10 I Think You Know Something I Don't Know

December 2, 1987 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. Kay feels remorseful after selling a dilapidated home. Sam tires of...

S01E11 While Someone Else is Eating or Opening a Window

December 16, 1987 60 min
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.

S01E12 The Little Disturbance of Man

January 6, 1988 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.

S01E13 Sometimes It's Hard to Remember

January 13, 1988 60 min
Jack encounters racism on the job. Joe vows to beat an arrogant neighbor in a tennis match. Anne stands up Lindley.

S01E14 At the Last Moment, Enormous Changes

January 20, 1988 60 min
Joe agonizes over a sudden decrease in company profits. Sunny agonizes over a good friend's hostility. Car troubles get the best of Kay.

S01E15 Goodbye to All That

February 3, 1988 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.

S01E16 The Go-Between

February 10, 1988 60 min
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.

S01E17 Fathers and Other Strangers

February 17, 1988 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. Kay serves as a juror.

S01E18 Common Ground

March 9, 1988 60 min
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.

S01E19 Glory Days

March 16, 1988 60 min
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.

S01E20 The Politics of Being

March 23, 1988 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.

S01E21 Peter Creek Road

April 6, 1988 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. Jim decides to build...

S01E22 Love Mother

April 13, 1988 60 min
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
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

You May Also Like

A Year in the Life

A Year in the Life

1986 9.0
The Guards of Achaia

The Guards of Achaia

1992 8.5

Story Hunters

2016 8.5
Soshi Tamtam

Soshi Tamtam

2022 8.6

Kahaani Hamaaray Mahaabhaarat Ki

2008 4.9
Wrath of Grapes: The Don Cherry Story II

Wrath of Grapes: The Don Cherry Story II

2012 5.1