My Life and Times

This was a low rated by critically acclaimed show. It was original clever and well acted. It up a lump in my throat each time I watched it. I loved the one where the old man is tells his grandson what life was like in the 1980's. This is a show that deserved more of a chance to build an audience. This show was probably ahead of it's time, since most baby-boombers would have to imagine themselves living at a retirement home. In a few years, they probably will be better able to imagine it.

Perhaps it was the fickleness of the 90's or the fact that we were actively forgetting the identities of the 70's and 80's but when this show debuted it came off to such great critical acclaim and then like most critically acclaimed shows, it vanished. I am proud to have seen this series. As someone who considers himself a true lover of scifi and not just pulp or space operas this was a vista as open as any epic scifi novel. With the gentileness of one listening to their Grandparents tell stories of their youth and "salad days" we watch as elderly retiree Ben Miller regails all that will listen (including us) of his loves, losses, triumphs and pitfalls. The show was definately ahead of its time. When most scifi shows were exploring space, this one was more concerned with exploring the human condition, of the future and society on family and I think that has made all the difference. This was definately television too good for television.

Six episodes aired on ABC in the spring of 1991 and that alone was enough to make this my favorite TV show of all time. A unique concept, great writing, and an endless list of possible story lines had they given the show a chance to grow. The first episode dealt with the '89 San Francisco earthquake, subsequent episodes took place in New York City in the '70s ("Jessie") and 80s, as well as New Year's Eve, 1999. Whoever came up with the concept for this show had something unlike anything we've seen on TV before or since. Helen Hunt was terrific, as were all of the characters, but Tom Irwin as Ben Miller really stood out. He later went on to star in another great show that was pulled way too soon, My So-Called Life. Great memories of this show. A true classic. "I'm Ben Miller....and these are My Life and Times..."

I cannot recall how I first discovered this little gem, I just recall falling in love with it almost immediately. I watched it religiously. I had to hunt for it, since in San Diego it seemed like they moved its time slot every single week... it was on Wednesday at 8pm, then Saturday at 9pm, then I had to locate it at almost 1am... but I found it, and I watched it, and I loved it. Then it was gone.

Why? Was the acting sub-par? Hardly. It was some of the finest performances on television.

Was the writing bad? Not a chance. It was witty, intelligent, tender, and amazing. It was written as a story of a man that was telling his own life story, of what it was to live and learn in the 1980s. And it was told in such a way that, each time you thought you knew him, you learned something else to make you appreciate all that he had gone through.

So what was it? I haven't the faintest. It did, however, begin a trend -- each time I have really begun liking a television show, it gets canceled almost immediately. From "My Life and Times" all the way up to "Firefly" -- I just cannot seem to win.

Perhaps my all-time favorite show. I still remember the earthquake which prohibited Ben from seeing the birth of his child. It truly showed how things which are so important to us can be overshadowed by other events. We should not place too much value on anything.

Maybe what ended up making this show so great, fresh and well-written was the fact that it didn't have a chance to become redundant or stale. The show which stated that the only constant in life is change was, in fact, a victim of itself. In this day and age when shows are just thrown together it was so well written that every event was tied together - nothing was left hanging. I just wish I had taped the show so I could relive those shining moments of true literature on TV.