22 episodes

A Year in the Life - Season 1

First aired Sep 16, 1987Season 1

Browse all 22 episodes in this season, including available images, air dates, runtimes, ratings and episode summaries from TMDB.

Episodes

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Episode 1

Don't I Know You From Somewhere?

NR
Sep 16, 198760 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.

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Episode 2

Things You Should Know Before and After

NR
Sep 23, 198760 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.

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Episode 3

What Do You Think Love Is?

NR
Sep 30, 198760 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.

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Episode 4

What Do People Do All Day?

NR
Oct 21, 198760 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 potential buyer.

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Episode 5

Dixie Chicken

NR
Oct 28, 198760 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.

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Episode 6

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

NR
Nov 4, 198760 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.

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Episode 7

Acts of Faith

NR
Nov 11, 198760 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 footsteps. Lindley invents an infant walker.

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Episode 8

In Dreams Begin Responsibilities

NR
Nov 18, 198760 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 club.

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Episode 9

So Much Water, So Close to Home

NR
Nov 25, 198760 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 cooking their Thanksgiving bird. Jack spends an empty holiday with a new friend.

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Episode 10

I Think You Know Something I Don't Know

NR
Dec 2, 198760 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 constant surprises.

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Episode 11

While Someone Else is Eating or Opening a Window

NR
Dec 16, 198760 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.

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Episode 12

The Little Disturbance of Man

NR
Jan 6, 198860 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.

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Episode 13

Sometimes It's Hard to Remember

NR
Jan 13, 198860 min

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

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Episode 14

At the Last Moment, Enormous Changes

NR
Jan 20, 198860 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.

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Episode 15

Goodbye to All That

NR
Feb 3, 198860 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.

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Episode 16

The Go-Between

NR
Feb 10, 198860 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.

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Episode 17

Fathers and Other Strangers

NR
Feb 17, 198860 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.

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Episode 18

Common Ground

NR
Mar 9, 198860 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.

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Episode 19

Glory Days

NR
Mar 16, 198860 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.

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Episode 20

The Politics of Being

NR
Mar 23, 198860 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.

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Episode 21

Peter Creek Road

NR
Apr 6, 198860 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 a new TV stand.

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Episode 22

Love Mother

NR
Apr 13, 198860 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.