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The Worst Episodes of A Year in the Life

Every episode of A Year in the Life ranked from worst to best. Explore the Worst Episodes of A Year in the Life!

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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

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  1. #1 Worst Episode
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    A Year in the Life Season 1 Episode 4 - What Do People Do All Day?
    0.0/10(0 votes)

    #1 - What Do People Do All Day?

    S1:E4

    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:Unknown

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  2. A Year in the Life Season 1 Episode 5 - Dixie Chicken
    0.0/10(0 votes)

    #2 - Dixie Chicken

    S1:E5

    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

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  3. A Year in the Life Season 1 Episode 6 - E.M. 7 Grizzlies Minus 3 1/2 for a Nickel
    0.0/10(0 votes)

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

    S1:E6

    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:Unknown

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  4. A Year in the Life Season 1 Episode 9 - So Much Water, So Close to Home
    0.0/10(0 votes)

    #4 - So Much Water, So Close to Home

    S1:E9

    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:Unknown

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  5. A Year in the Life Season 1 Episode 10 - I Think You Know Something I Don't Know
    0.0/10(0 votes)

    #5 - I Think You Know Something I Don't Know

    S1:E10

    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:Unknown

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  6. A Year in the Life Season 1 Episode 11 - While Someone Else is Eating or Opening a Window
    0.0/10(0 votes)

    #6 - While Someone Else is Eating or Opening a Window

    S1:E11

    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:Unknown

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  7. A Year in the Life Season 1 Episode 12 - The Little Disturbance of Man
    0.0/10(0 votes)

    #7 - The Little Disturbance of Man

    S1:E12

    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:Unknown

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  8. A Year in the Life Season 1 Episode 13 - Sometimes It's Hard to Remember
    0.0/10(0 votes)

    #8 - Sometimes It's Hard to Remember

    S1:E13

    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:Unknown

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  9. A Year in the Life Season 1 Episode 14 - At the Last Moment, Enormous Changes
    0.0/10(0 votes)

    #9 - At the Last Moment, Enormous Changes

    S1:E14

    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:Unknown

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  10. A Year in the Life Season 1 Episode 15 - Goodbye to All That
    0.0/10(0 votes)

    #10 - Goodbye to All That

    S1:E15

    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:Unknown

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  11. A Year in the Life Season 1 Episode 16 - The Go-Between
    0.0/10(0 votes)

    #11 - The Go-Between

    S1:E16

    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:Unknown

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  12. A Year in the Life Season 1 Episode 17 - Fathers and Other Strangers
    0.0/10(0 votes)

    #12 - Fathers and Other Strangers

    S1:E17

    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:Unknown

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  13. A Year in the Life Season 1 Episode 18 - Common Ground
    0.0/10(0 votes)

    #13 - Common Ground

    S1:E18

    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:Unknown

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  14. A Year in the Life Season 1 Episode 19 - Glory Days
    0.0/10(0 votes)

    #14 - Glory Days

    S1:E19

    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:Unknown

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  15. A Year in the Life Season 1 Episode 20 - The Politics of Being
    0.0/10(0 votes)

    #15 - The Politics of Being

    S1:E20

    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:Unknown

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  16. A Year in the Life Season 1 Episode 22 - Love Mother
    0.0/10(0 votes)

    #16 - Love Mother

    S1:E22

    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:Unknown

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  17. A Year in the Life Season 1 Episode 1 - Don't I Know You From Somewhere?
    8.3/10(9 votes)

    #17 - Don't I Know You From Somewhere?

    S1:E1

    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:Unknown

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  18. A Year in the Life Season 1 Episode 8 - In Dreams Begin Responsibilities
    8.6/10(8 votes)

    #18 - In Dreams Begin Responsibilities

    S1:E8

    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:Unknown

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  19. A Year in the Life Season 1 Episode 3 - What Do You Think Love Is?
    8.8/10(8 votes)

    #19 - What Do You Think Love Is?

    S1:E3

    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:Unknown

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  20. A Year in the Life Season 1 Episode 7 - Acts of Faith
    9.2/10(8 votes)

    #20 - Acts of Faith

    S1:E7

    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:Unknown

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  21. A Year in the Life Season 1 Episode 2 - Things You Should Know Before and After
    9.8/10(8 votes)

    #21 - Things You Should Know Before and After

    S1:E2

    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:Unknown

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  22. A Year in the Life Season 1 Episode 21 - Peter Creek Road
    9.8/10(10 votes)

    #22 - Peter Creek Road

    S1:E21

    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:Unknown

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Worst Episodes Summary

"What Do People Do All Day?" is the worst rated episode of "A Year in the Life". It scored /10 based on 0 votes. Directed by Jack Bender and written by Unknown, it aired on 10/21/1987. This episode scored 0.0 points lower than the second lowest rated, "Dixie Chicken".