A dramatic series, based on the NBC miniseries that aired in December 1986, chronicling the lives and relationships of the Gardners, a middle-class suburban American family headed by widower Joe Gardner.
As divorce proceedings draw near, Anne (Wendy Phillips) accepts a date with a co-worker; Lindley and Jim scrutinize candidates for a full-time baby sitter; and Joe loses a valued employee.
Sunny is embarrassed about her lack of experience with boys; Joe and a neighbor have an unneighborly exchange over the Gardners' dog; and Jack awaits news from the Seattle police academy.
A baby-naming ceremony for Ruthie causes dissension in the Eisenberg home; Lindley seems overwhelmed by the commitment to Judaism; a fishing trip causes friction between Jack and David; and Sam is in Kay's doghouse after inviting his father to dinner.
Joe assembles his family after proposing to Alice; a nervous Anne teaches Sunny to drive; Kay is pressured into taking her co-worker's advice before meeting a potential buyer.
Anne's college boy friend reenters her life; guilt takes its toll on working mother Lindley; and Sam asks for Joe's assistance in a scheme to help Kay "sell" herself in her real-estate job.
Jim's flimflam artist father visits, bringing back feelings of embarrassment and resentment for Jim; David is humiliated by a school bully; and Jack paints a house for a bickering couple.
Joe believes David's social-studies teacher has gone overboard to instill a fear of nuclear disaster in his students; Sam sees Kay's visiting mother as an aging hippie and fears Kay could follow in her footsteps; and Lindley invents an infant walker.
Tempers flare during tryouts for a football team that Jack is coaching; a lonely Anne gives in to temptation on a business trip; and Joe's apprehension stems from his popularity with a ladies' garden club.
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 in the park; Kay feels remorseful after selling a dilapidated home to a young couple; Sam tires of constant surprises in his marriage.
A visit to a turkey farm turns Sunny into a vegetarian; a rainstorm traps Anne and Sam in Spokane; a blackout forces the Gardners to improvise on the cooking of the Thanksgiving bird; Jack spends an empty holiday with a new friend.
Sunny's behavior around the house annoys Joe, while Billy Putzi becomes a disruptive force in the Eisenberg home; and Kay's classes begin to dominate her life, much to Sam's dismay.
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.
Jack encounters racism on the job; Joe vows to beat an arrogant neighbor in a tennis match; Lindley is stood up by Anne.
Joe agonizes over a sudden decrease in company profits, while Sunny agonizes over a good friend's hostility; and car troubles get the best of Kay.
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.
Sunny realizes too late the consequences of her actions 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.
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; and Kay serves as a juror.
A strike breaks out at Joe's ailing plastics plant; David's school play causes stress for Anne and David; and Kay gets her hopes up over the perfect house, assuming Joe will co-sign.
A friend's death causes Jim to worry about his own mortality; a fallen chandelier prompts Joe and Anne to redecorate; and an old flame appears at Jack's high-school reunion.
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.
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; and Jim decides to build a new TV stand.
A journey to visit her ailing mother is a painful one for Alice; Anne refuses to celebrate her thirtysomething birthday; Kay learns she's pregnant; and a sick baby wearies Lindley.
Complete episode guide for A Year in the Life with detailed information about every season and episode including air dates, summaries, ratings, and streaming availability in United States.
This episode guide is organized by seasons, making it easy to track your viewing progress or find specific episodes. Use the episode information to plan your binge-watching sessions or catch up on missed episodes.