That Was Then
That Was Then
| 27 September 2002 (USA)
SEASON & EPISODES
  • 1
  • Reviews
    Cathardincu Surprisingly incoherent and boring
    Pluskylang Great Film overall
    Konterr Brilliant and touching
    Dynamixor The performances transcend the film's tropes, grounding it in characters that feel more complete than this subgenre often produces.
    billyt63 You can disregard what the previous poster said. He obviously never watched this show. My wife and I both loved this show. Do Over was terrible in comparison. Anything with Tyler Labine in it is just plain awesome. I really wish that the network had shown the rest of the episodes of this show to finish out the season at least. I'm still disappointed it wasn't given the chance it deserved. Tyler Labine is the new Jack Black and he rocks. He was great in Evil Alien Conquerors. The whole 1980's high school/college scene in this show took me back to a simper and better time. It was refreshing to watch. I'm still hoping the DVD set is released someday for this show.
    COMALite_J Neither was stolen from the other. Both came out at the same time, so that would be rather difficult. Do you have any idea how long it takes to get a TV series created, casted, pilot approved, pilot filmed, pilot aired, season approved, season filmed, and aired? It can't happen with two shows that debut within the same season for one to be a rip-off of the other (the same applies to those who still think that, for instance, "Babylon 5" is a rip-off of "Star Trek: Deep Space 9").Both series basically ripped (intentionally or otherwise) the plot of a novel published in 1998 entitled "Replay" (search for it on Amazon or BN.com). It was a serious drama with a fantasy element, and not at all a comedy. Good read, too, for those who like this sort of thing.I will agree, however, that "Do Over" was considerably superior to "That Was Then." They also weren't even all that similar in their basic plots, beyond the "adult relives youth" angle.Minor Spoiler Warnings for both series!:In "Do Over," the protagonist (Joel Larsen) found his 30-ish mind in his teenager body, and "stayed" there.In "That Was Then," the protagonist's adult mind went back and forth from his past high school body and time to the present, where he could see the results of his attempts to fix his own past and that of his family. Usually, he only made things worse. It was also more of a drama and less of a comedy than "Do Over."Note: opinions are opinions, but when you state a criminal charge such as plagiarism as fact, and do so in print (which includes online), you had better be able to back it up. Otherwise, you're committing libel, which is itself a serious crime.Saying that a TV series sucks is opinion. Saying that the acting is amateurish, the writing lame, the directing uninspired, etc. is opinion. Stating that one series is a rip-off of another is an accusation of the crime of plagiarism. Unless you know that to be true for a fact and can prove it (as in the series creator told you so in person, and you have a video of him doing so, or something in his handwriting confessing to it), don't make such charges.
    Tim Pudenz "That Was Then" grabbed my attention in mid-July when ABC started running promos for the new fall season. I'm a big fan of the "Back to the Future" movies so I was really hoping they would pull this one off in the same way.Flash forward to late September: The show airs and I love it instantly. The writing, the acting, everything, is perfect. I laugh, I feel inspired, and I believe I've just witnessed the birth of a very popular show.Though James Bulliard (Travis Glass), looks a little old to be in high school, we soon forget this as he plays the part to a T. Tyler Labine (Donnie Pinkus) is the perfect wise cracking mulleted-buddy. He steals every scene he's in, and plays one of the funniest new characters on TV this season. Top that off with the beautiful Kiele Sanchez (Claudia), who turns in great performance as the innocent "love that got away" from Travis. I actually remember seeing her on MTV a few years back on the wannabe VJ contest, and I was happy to see her career blossoming. Along with the youthful stars, veterans Jeffrey Tambor (who could forget him on "The Larry Sanders Show") and Bess Armstrong round out the cast as Travis's parents.The cast is perfect. The writing is perfect. This is a great show, one that I certainly hope will get a second chance in a much better time slot than 8 on Friday night. It deserved better, and I can only hope ABC will have sense enough to bring it back when the time is right.
    jersey-3 It was nice to see that the networks both decided to do the exact same show this season. "That Was Then" and "Do Over" are almost mirror images of each other, with both pilots storylines being remarkedly similar. There are three differences. "Do Over" is 30 minutes, versus an hour for "That Was Then". "Do Over" is a sitcom..."That Was Then" goes for the drama-comedy. "Do Over" is the early 1980s versus the late 80s in "That Was Then."The half hour format seems to work better for these shows. "Do Over" was fun and quick moving. "That Was Then" tended to drag (at least the pilot so far.) I love time travel stuff, but I found myself bored during "That Was Then" at times. Hopefully it will improve. Otherwise, I don't see ABC giving it much chance. How much chance can it really be getting at 9 PM on Friday night?