Trying Times

1 9 8 7 (USA)
6 x 30 minute episodes
1 9 8 9 (USA)
6 x 30 minute episodes

This offbeat comedy anthology series from PBS featured standalone episodes revolving around everyday stressful situations, such as going for your first job interview, moving house, taking a driving test, meeting your future in-laws, and encountering your spouse’s old high school sweetheart.

Each story was told in flashback, as seen through the eyes of the central character.

In the debut episode “A Family Tree”, Maxwell Fletcher (John Stockwell) takes his well-meaning but extremely nervous and klutzy fiancee Kara Dimley (Rosanna Arquette) to meet his family (Robert Ridgely, Hope Lange and Talking Heads frontman David Byrne). They arrive just in time for her prospective in-laws’ wedding anniversary dinner, and she inadvertently wreaks havoc, which helps his family face their pent-up issues.

In “The Visit”, Jim (Jeff Daniels) announces that his former high school sweetheart, Wanda (Swoosie Kurtz), is coming to visit, which makes his wife, Marsha (Julie Hagerty), jealous and annoyed. As soon as she arrives, Wanda starts boring them with her entire demented life story and her obsession with her own herpes, but they’re too polite to interrupt.

“Death and Taxes” featured geeky orthopaedic shoe salesman Howard LaMotta (Peter Scolari), whose true passion is playing sax. He decides to report all his unreported tip income to the IRS out of Catholic guilt, and the IRS decides to pulverise him in response. His pervy tax attorney, Agripina Gravanescu-Smith (Sally Kirkland), is of no help.

Cast members in the 12 episodes over two seasons also included Keanu Reeves, Teri Garr, Carrie Fisher, Judge Reinhold, Candice Bergen, Stockard Channing, Geena Davis, Catherine Bach, and deadpan comic Steven Wright.

Episodes

A Family Tree | Drive, She Said | Get a Job | Bedtime Story | The Visit | Moving Day || Hunger Chic | The Hit List | Death and Taxes | The Sad Professor | The Boss | A Good Life