A Year in the Life

The original "A Year in the Life," mini-series aired on NBC during the evenings of December 15, 16, and 17, 1986. This is one of the most heart warming and well produced movies that has ever been broadcast. Very few movies impact me the way that this one did. I simply can't understand why it was never released on either VHS or DVD. The musical score, composed by Elizabeth Swados is every bit as moving as the storyline. The writers of this mini-series did an exceptional job and the acting was superb. I was very sad to learn that David Oliver, who plays the role of Sam Gardner, died of AIDS in 1992. Richard Kiley, who died in 1999 does an outstanding job as the father and the overall emotional up and downs portrayed by the rest of the cast reminds me of very real life situations. I originally recorded the movie on VHS, EP mode, so the quality is marginal at best. If anyone learns that this exceptional mini-series becomes available on DVD or if the musical score becomes available on CD, please contact me at mr0370307@aol.com. If you are reading this but have never seen the original mini-series, try to get your hands on a rare copy that was recorded on VHS and may be available on eBay or from some other source. I guarantee you won't be disappointed.

This started out as a mini-series and then ran as a regular series for a short time. I would like to see it again in either reruns, or it should be remade. As I recall, much of the music that was a part of each episode was popular at the time, so that may be one of the reasons why we do not see it in reruns. Never-the-less, the storyline was very good and the cast of characters were a good blend. Fans of Sarah Jessica Parker would enjoy seeing her in her role as a free-spirited young woman involved with a rather conservative young man. If it is being shown as a re-run somewhere, please tell me when and where. Thank you.

this show was the best!! My wife and i loved it! Why do they cancel excellent shows like this ? We remember waiting all week for the show. I think it was a series after the initial mini- series. Maybe some time in 1987. Sarah Jessica Parker was great as a free spirited woman, opposite "sam" , her conservative husband ( or was it boyfriend). The father , Richard Kiley, did his best to keep the family together through a series of real -life (or so it seemed) situations. I remember he met a woman while bike riding and they met for coffee.. Then a romance began. It was the woman who played Roz Shays on LA LAW. The show was wholesome, sad, and funny, all at the same time.. They should bring it back as a one time movie or mini series. It seems like many people remember it fondly!!

I remember watching this back in December of 1986 and I couldn't believe how great this mini series was. Richard Kiley was at his absolute best as the patriarch of a typical American family and we got to see Sarah Jessica Parker in one of her early roles. The ensemble acting was first rate. I recorded it on VHS,but lost the tapes about ten years later. I did happen to come across Sell.com, where they seem to have everything ever shown on television, of course bootlegged,but lets face it, not everything you want is commercially released. I got the mini series and the episodes that comprised the shows one year run from 1987 to 1988.

To this day, "A Year in the Life" remains one of the greatest shows ever produced. It's too bad it was only on for a year.

Now that "Parenthood" is ending, I recall how much I loved this show and how sad I was to see it canceled. It seems like the best series don't survive the ratings but it probably says less about the viewers and more about who dictates what we watch. Perhaps networks just don't give the public credit for having the consciousness to value anything more than sex and violence. One of the reasons this show didn't get a following is because the network kept moving the air date to different days and times during the week. Family dramas like, "A year in the Life," "Once and Again" and "Parenthood" seem to suffer the same fate. They reflect real life experiences... & that's my kind of "reality TV!"