A Year in the Life (1986) User Reviews

Best TV Mini-Series Ever Made

[Andyrosenblum · 10/10 · 30 November 2005]

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 [e-mail]. 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.

Best Made for Television Mini Series

[julieredcarpet · 10/10 · 18 November 2007]

I loved this movie and was thrilled when it was made into a series. It didn't last more than one season. I can remember watching the movie during Thanksgiving break from college. I was hooked. I loved Sarah Jessica Parker's "Kay" and her romance with Sam. I would LOVE a copy of this movie and any of the subsequent television episodes. Even though it's been over 20 years (I can't believe that), I can still remember some of the most minute details of this amazing show. Acting was excellent, plots were relevant to the times, and the music used was perfect. I'm sure if it were on today they'd sell, "A Year in the Life" soundtracks similar to Grey's Anatomy. I was so sad to see that David Oliver (Sam) died several years ago. I really loved his character. Trey Ames was great as young David and I liked Adam Arkin's character and his wife, Jayne Atkinson. Great, great show. Came on same year as Thirtysomething and I think was overshadowed by the hype of that show.

Re-run or remake

[nonfiction18 · 10/10 · 17 October 2000]

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.

we loved it

[mathmaster8386 · 10/10 · 19 February 2006]

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!!

Loved this show!

[Breneah101 · 5 June 2004]

If anyone has tapes that they can make I would love to pay for them. This was my ultimate favorite show back in the eighties when it was on. I was just a teenager then but had such a crush at the time on Trey Ames! I also was a big fan of Amanda Peterson. I wish this show would have launched their careers among many others as well on the show. I sure do wonder what happened to Trey Ames and Amanda Peterson. I wish another network would pick it up. I know it was only one season but so was "My So-Called Life" and that has been picked up and the episodes aired on other networks. I just saw it the other night on a cable channel. "A Year in the Life" had an excellent cast and was excellently written/directed. Shows don't come around like this very often. I miss it and hope to see it on TV at some point in the future.

greatest mini series ever

[graynt1 · 10/10 · 3 November 2009]

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.

A Year in the Life

[vlyn-1 · 10/10 · 30 May 2006]

TWIMC,

I loved this show... Thought it was one of the better weekly shows on TV in 1986... I would love to find a copy of that one season.. What I remember most is Amanda's Peterson character was named "Sunshine" so they called her Sunny and Sara Jessica Parker was crazy about Sam, who was in love with her but marrying someone else... I thought the portrayals of a family dealing with the death of the their mother, the oldest daughter (Wendy Phillips) trying to hold onto her marriage... the children dealing with their grandmother's loss and their mother's failing relationship and trying to find their way, as well as the patriarch trying to live make a new life without his life mate... I thought it was all pretty amazing and believable... The show made me laugh and it made me cry.

Is anyone out there willing to sell copies of this series? I hope so.. Get in touch...Please.

The best series

[vibeke-holmdahl · 10/10 · 18 July 2003]

I saw the whole series during Christmas in 1988. I taped it and watched it over and over... I simply loved it! It's funny and sad at the same time. What that family goes through in one year is something that could happen to a lot of people. The actors, especially Adam Arkin and Sarah Jessica Parker is doing a good job. I remember I felt sad for the father in the house...

If someone ever reads this please send me an E-MAIL. My friend borrowed the tapes a year after, and destroyed it by accident... I was, and still are, very sad.

I would very much like to watch this movie again! If you know where to get/buy it please let me know!

Have a nice summer :o)

Amazing!

[vze3s8ge · 10/10 · 14 December 2002]

The best I have ever seen! I was lucky enough to tape it the first time around, and its episodes following. Even though it lasted a year, I watch it every year at Christmas. I wonder why it is never shown anymore. I thought for sure Lifetime would replay it. David Oliver and Sarah Jessica Parker were outstanding.

One of the best family shows ever to air on television

[sunsmith · 9/10 · 24 January 2015]

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!"

One of the best shows I've ever seen...

[jsbx5 · 10/10 · 19 January 2008]

I just got copies of the mini series and the majority of the first and only season, and wow..does it take me back.

This series really stuck with me, and although it's been over 20 years now, I, like various other people that commented here, didn't forget it obviously.

I loooovved Amanda Peterson back in the day, that was the big draw for me initially, but it was all about excellent writing and a terrific ensemble of actors.

I'm just amazed that I'm actually able to see it again...all thanks to this wacky internet! Great to see that I'm not the only one who loved this series and didn't forget it either.

To buy a copy....

[lynnshops · 10/10 · 23 January 2009]

Go to ioffer.com to buy a DVD copy I loved this show and wish someone would get it in their library as well as other good, old TV mini-series: Once an Eagle, Chiefs, The Last Convertible, Rich Man Poor Man, Testimony of Two Men. I did buy Testimony of Two Men from the above noted website and the quality is fine, not great, but worth the price and I've enjoyed viewing the show again after 30 odd years. Where has Wendy Phillips disappeared to? I've seen the Lindley character several times, Law and Order, comes to mind. I loved the reality of the characters in AYITL, they were people I would have liked as neighbors, friends or co=workers.

On DVD or VHS

[ladanal · 29 December 2006]

Pleasseeeeee! If anyone has found a copy of this mini-series on DVD or VHS please contact me. I loved it 20 years ago and have never been able to find it after I lent it to my aunt and she lost it. I am willing to pay for copies or an original just as long as they work. Has anyone tried contacting the Sarah J. Parker fan site? They just don't make them like they used to. I remember growing up and always looking forward to the big mini-series events.Who knew that so many of the actors would go on to be stars on the big screen. Please just respond to this comment via email or on the site. Thank you so much for your help, I will be glad to share if I find it.

Can I Get A Year In The Life on DVD?

[irishgirl1014 · 8/10 · 6 March 2005]

I remember liking this show a lot when it was on the air. It took me awhile to find the name of it because I was looking for the name through Jason Robards. I kind of remembered him as playing the father. But I finally located it through Sarah Jessica Parker. I was around 16 or 17 when it was on the air, so the details are a little vague almost 20 years later. I sort of remember the father being disappointed in one of the sons for some reason and I thought there was a little trouble between the son and his wife played by Sarah Jessica Parker. For some reason, I thought they weren't together anymore but that she was still close to the family. I do remember being disappointed that the show was canceled. I was hoping I could find this show on DVD and am upset that I can't. If anyone can help me out with this, please contact me at [e-mail].

I've just watched the entire series .....

[santa-rita · 10/10 · 15 August 2006]

I was fortunate to have gotten the entire series & just watched it from beginning to end. (It was hard not to!) I had forgotten how good this series was. I found myself laughing and crying - all within the same episode. The chemistry between all of the characters was magical. Was it the writers? the actors? the director? .... all of the above? I particularly enjoyed the relationship between Joe (Richard Kiley) and his grandson David.

When this series first came out, I appreciated that it was one of the only thing on TV worth watching. When it was abruptly canceled, there was no explanation to be found anywhere - though I recalled Richard Kiley remarking that it was "political". Perhaps this was the reason why it was never shown as a rerun nor likely to be aired again? In any event, I have the complete series ... and it's definitely a keeper!

Please help me find this tape

[cricket71463 · 10/10 · 24 April 2006]

I watched this movie when it first aired taped it and lent to my sister and she lost it.Every time I go to a Video place,I always ask if they could get the copy.And they never can.Would you please see if I can purchase it.My address is MArlene LAurence PO box 655 Elizabeth La 70638 I would greatly appreciate it.I will pay anything to see this show again.It is a wonderful family movie.Sarah Jessica Parker is a wonderful actress.I would watch it over and over again.Please help me find this movie.I have been diagnosed with Crohns Disease in 2004 and am no longer able to work.I have a lot of time now to do the things i have always wanted to do.I am 44 with 3 sons,Our last child will graduate this may.I would love to get this movie,I believe I could again watch it over and over!!!!!!!Thanks again marlene

A True Gem of a Show - Highest Quality

[divadj77 · 10/10 · 20 January 2005]

I agree that this was a simply wonderful, heartwarming and intelligently written show. Richard Kiley was at his best. How it lasted only one season just shows that networks care more about shows appealing to a mass audience -- just witness the endless reality TV shows on now.

If anyone has tapes of this show I would TOO love to see it again. I had taped a few episodes when it aired but my NO CLUTTER sister tossed them when she "helped" me move -- it was like a free-for-all with stuff leaving I didn't even know what was going out the door.

Another quality show that came and went quickly and starred "Early Edition's" dreamboat Kyle Chandler was "Homefront."

year in a life

[lancashire_pride · 9/10 · 6 August 2005]

I remember watching the series '' a year in a life '' in 1986 it was shown at Christmas, from that day i have always have had fond memories of the show.

whatever happened to Amanda Peterson the last film i saw her in was '' can't buy me love'' with a young patrick dempsey does anybody out there knows what happened to amanda peterson like i said i first saw the series '' a year in a life '' many years ago and it still remains a favorite of mine

if anybody has any info on amanda peterson could you please post it.

thank you

Help me find the series

[caosman023 · 19 January 2012]

Anyone know where I can find the series to either buy or download please anyone who knows anything your help would be appreciated. have long sought this series please ask them to help me find whether to buy or download it does not matter or if you know where I can see it online please email [e-mail] Communicate to your help as I said before will be accepted please contact as soon as possible if the purchase is outside the country there is no problem because I have visa card The series is Sarah Jessica Parker and calls year in the life please help me find. The series is Sarah Jessica Parker and calls year in the life please help me find

Most excellent film I ever viewed!

[plee-1 · 23 July 2001]

I have been trying to locate this movie for viewing for over a decade. Please help! I saw this movie back in 1986 and thought it was one of the best movies I seen. I would definitely reccommend this movie to be played again on TV or on LIFETIME.