8.1/108 votes#1 - Don't I Know You From Somewhere?
Season 1 Episode 1 - Aired 9/16/1987
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.
Director: Thomas Carter
Writer: N/A
- 9.5/107 votes
#2 - Things You Should Know Before and After
Season 1 Episode 2 - Aired 9/23/1987
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.
Director: Michael Toshiyuki Uno
Writer: N/A
- 8.3/107 votes
#3 - What Do You Think Love Is?
Season 1 Episode 3 - Aired 9/30/1987
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.
Director: Michael Ray Rhodes
Writer: N/A
- 8.6/106 votes
#4 - What Do People Do All Day?
Season 1 Episode 4 - Aired 10/7/1987
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.
Director: Jack Bender
Writer: N/A
- NaN/100 votes
#5 - Dixie Chicken
Season 1 Episode 5 - Aired 10/14/1987
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.
Director: Michael Toshiyuki Uno
Writer: Pamela Douglas
- NaN/100 votes
#6 - Acts of Faith
Season 1 Episode 6 - Aired 10/28/1987
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.
Director: Kevin Hooks
Writer: N/A
- 8.7/107 votes
#7 - E.M. 7 Grizzlies Minus 3 1/2 for a Nickel
Season 1 Episode 7 - Aired 11/4/1987
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.
Director: Michael Ray Rhodes
Writer: N/A
- 8.2/107 votes
#8 - In Dreams Begin Responsibilities
Season 1 Episode 8 - Aired 11/18/1987
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.
Director: Kevin Hooks
Writer: N/A
- NaN/100 votes
#9 - So Much Water, So Close to Home
Season 1 Episode 9 - Aired 11/25/1987
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.
Director: Arthur Allan Seidelman
Writer: N/A
- NaN/100 votes
#10 - I Think You Know Something I Don't Know
Season 1 Episode 10 - Aired 12/2/1987
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.
Director: Helaine Head
Writer: N/A
- 8.0/106 votes
#11 - While Someone Else is Eating or Opening a Window
Season 1 Episode 11 - Aired 12/16/1987
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.
Director: Rob Cohen
Writer: N/A
- 7.8/106 votes
#12 - The Little Disturbance of Man
Season 1 Episode 12 - Aired 1/6/1988
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.
Director: Mimi Leder
Writer: N/A
- 8.4/106 votes
#13 - Sometimes It's Hard to Remember
Season 1 Episode 13 - Aired 1/13/1988
Jack encounters racism on the job. Joe vows to beat an arrogant neighbor in a tennis match. Anne stands up Lindley.
Director: Stephen Cragg
Writer: N/A
- NaN/100 votes
#14 - At the Last Moment, Enormous Changes
Season 1 Episode 14 - Aired 1/20/1988
Joe agonizes over a sudden decrease in company profits. Sunny agonizes over a good friend's hostility. Car troubles get the best of Kay.
Director: Gabrielle Beaumont
Writer: N/A
- 8.2/106 votes
#15 - Goodbye to All That
Season 1 Episode 15 - Aired 2/3/1988
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.
Director: Helaine Head
Writer: N/A
- NaN/100 votes
#16 - The Go-Between
Season 1 Episode 16 - Aired 2/10/1988
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.
Director: Michael Ray Rhodes
Writer: N/A
- NaN/100 votes
#17 - Fathers and Other Strangers
Season 1 Episode 17 - Aired 2/17/1988
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.
Director: Kim Friedman
Writer: N/A
- 8.2/106 votes
#18 - Common Ground
Season 1 Episode 18 - Aired 3/9/1988
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.
Director: Gabrielle Beaumont
Writer: N/A
- NaN/100 votes
#19 - Glory Days
Season 1 Episode 19 - Aired 3/16/1988
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.
Director: Mimi Leder
Writer: N/A
- NaN/100 votes
#20 - The Politics of Being
Season 1 Episode 20 - Aired 3/23/1988
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.
Director: Joel Oliansky
Writer: N/A
- 9.0/109 votes
#21 - Peter Creek Road
Season 1 Episode 21 - Aired 4/6/1988
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.
Director: Michael Ray Rhodes
Writer: N/A
- NaN/100 votes
#22 - Love Mother
Season 1 Episode 22 - Aired 4/13/1988
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.
Director: Joshua Brand
Writer: N/A
The Best Episodes of A Year in the Life Season 1
Every episode of A Year in the Life Season 1 ranked from best to worst. Discover the Best Episodes of A Year in the Life Season 1!
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...
Genre:Drama
Network:NBC
Season 1 Ratings Summary
"Don't I Know You From Somewhere?" is the best rated episode of "A Year in the Life" season 1. It scored 8.1/10 based on 8 votes. Directed by Thomas Carter and written by N/A, it aired on 9/16/1987. This episode is rated 1.4 points higher than the second-best, "Things You Should Know Before and After".