In the spring of 1991, a show premiered on ABC to great reviews. No one watched and it was quickly canceled.
That show was MY LIFE AND TIMES.
From Ron Koslow, the creator of the cult classic BEAUTY AND THE BEAST, the premise had a man named Ben Miller (played by Tom Irwin) in a nursing home in the year 2035. Each half hour episode had him looking back on his life, telling the story of some event that happened in his past, which was our present.
The show opened with his narration:
"I can't say that I seen everything but I've seen a lot.
I've seen footsteps on the moon and seen myself stumble.
I've seen fear and did my darnedest not to be afraid.
I've survived the nineties and braved the millennium.
I've loved and lost and learned to love again.
And I've learned that life is an adventure.
You have to hold on and let it carry you away.
I've let in carry me to me to the year 2035 and I'm here to tell the tale.
I'm Ben Miller and this is my life and times."
He looked back on events that happened during the stock market collapse of the 80’s, the turn of the millennium, and his wedding.
The best episode of the series, and one of the great half hours of television in the 90’s, was the second episode, entitled “Jessie”.
Irwin sees a beautiful woman walking down the street (played by Claudia Christian). They end up having a one night stand, and she disappears. He never sees her again, but never forgets her. He finds her again, while they are in the nursing home, and she tells him what really happened. A beautifully crafted episode that I have never forgotten.
The series aired Tuesday nights at 9:30 PM on April 24, and May 1, 1991 and then was taken off the air. It returned on May 23rd and May 30th, where two episodes were paired back to back, so that all six could be aired and then it was gone and forgotten. It never reran, and it never made it to video.
The cast had better luck on later projects. Tom Irwin would go on to play the father in MY SO-CALLED LIFE. He is always such a likable performer, I never understood why he didn’t become a lot bigger. And his wife was played by Helen Hunt, who soon after would star on MAD ABOUT YOU.
7 comments:
You are not alone... 17 years later I still to this very day remember this show. Though nearly two decades have since wiped away the details of those episodes I still remember the feeling they left me with. That is something few shows will ever accomplish let alone one with such a short run. I wish I could find these episodes again, but I fear they may be lost to time. It was a different time then, but people are always people. You are not alone...
Right on this series ROCKED i was fifteen when this was out and it was great can you watch the series anywhere now like you can the old star treks? I use to have this on tape boy do I wish I still had the tape.
The episode that you recounted, "Jessie" was so poignant... SOMEwhere I have that on tape... unmarked, of course! If I ever find it I'll digitize it and throw it out on the Net.
I just stumbled upon your blog. I was a fan of the show when I was young, like 10 years old. I agree, certain shows were ahead of its time and the great ones are certainly lost these days. I've been researching for a while to find the title and more about it. Online videos or release on DVD would be great but not likely. If anyone has it on a tape somewhere, please upload at least one?
any chance that anyone has found a source for this series?
Could never remember the name of the show or actor till I saw Irwin in movie tonight and Googled it.
Had taped the "Jessie" episode but long lost it. Would enjoy seeing it again
I thought I was the only one who watched this show. No one I know ever heard of it. It was a good show and im been trying to find eps online of it forever.
I know this is a few years old , but I too loved this show and watched it when it ran in '91. I finally found the episodes on youtube, so if anyone reads this you can watch them again. I watched "Jesse" (again) last night. It's not as powerful as it was 20 years ago , but it was still great to watch again
Post a Comment