A Year in the Life (1987)

Name: A Year in the Life
Genre: Drama
Rating: 8.6
Cast: Richard Kiley, Trey Ames, Adam Arkin, Jayne Atkinson, David Oliver

Drama

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 of four adult children. The Gardner family includes twice-divorced daughter Anne, who returns home with her two teenaged children; daughter Lindley and husband Jim, parents of a newborn baby daughter; black sheep son Jack; and conservative youngest son Sam, newly married to free-spirited Kay.

IMDb rating: 8.6 (307 votes)
Episode average: 9.1 +0.5 vs IMDb
Seasons: 1
Language: EN
Type: TV series

Rating trend: this show's seasons do not settle into one shape. Rising Shows ranks whole shows by the shape of their rating trend rather than one average score, which is how you find a show that got better rather than a show that started well.

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Ratings refreshed Oct 3, 2026 · 1 season indexed

Cast

Seasons

Season 1 (1987)

9.08 avg 6 episodes 8.3 → 9.8

Rollercoaster

Season 1 episodes - IMDb ratings
#	Title	Rating	Votes
1	Don't I Know You from Somewhere?	8.3	10
2	Things You Should Know Before and After	9.8	9
3	What Do You Think Love Is?	8.8	9
7	Acts of Faith	9.2	9
8	In Dreams Begin Responsibilities	8.6	9
21	Peter Creek Road	9.8	11