That Was Then

Poignant and smart, and its cast is a pleasant lot that mixes unknowns with vet thesps Bess Armstrong and Jeffrey Tambor. The upside is strong --- it's sweet and sentimental --- but the downside is a fate similar to critical faves "Freaks and Geeks" and "My So-Called Life," two skeins that won raves but no ratings. [27 Sept 2002, p.6]

An often entertaining series.

Not that That Was Then is poorly done. The production is polished, and performances are excellent throughout, particularly those of Jeffrey Tambor as the self-absorbed father and Tyler Labine as Pinkus, Travis' manic pal...But the atmosphere is awfully heavy, self-consciously sober. [27 Sept 2002, p.E-7]

Occasionally bogged down by hokey dialogue, the drama is ultimately redeemed by a veneer of hope and some wonderful performances, notably Jeffrey Tambor as Travis' cynical bookmaker father and Labine as his follicle-challenged best friend.

You could do worse than check this out. [26 Sept 2002, p.E1]

This family show isn't in the same area code as that paragon of television, but for those of us who can't go time-traveling, it'll do in a pinch. [27 Sept 2002, p.E11]

Alas, the trip turns out to be unacceptably bumpy. [27 Sept 2002, p.17D]

Purposeful, thought-provoking and unpredictable but also much too joyless and plodding. [27 Sept 2002]

A blast of blahs from the past. [27 Sept 2002]

This is, of course, the stuff of all serial dramas, but we usually see baby steps in some direction. That Was Then promises only chaos. [27 Sept 2002, p.1C]

It's good to see Dr. Phil look-alike Jeffrey Tambor and "My So-Called Life" alum Bess Armstrong working as his bookie dad and frustrated mom, respectively. But someone should tell Tyler Labine that Jack Black wants his act back. [27 Sept 2002, p.49]

The show offers up a stale fantasy, but it does have a few fresh moments.

Unlike The WB's funny, wistful, pop culture-filled "Do Over," the one-hour That Was Then goes for pathos instead of laughs and it mostly misses.

The plot twist at the end (of the first episode) may wind up redeeming future episodes of That Was Then, but for now you may find yourself wishing afterward that you could travel back in time and get that hour back. [27 Sept 2002, p.E1]

If this show has a future, it's got to be a bit more imaginative about its past and present.

Manages to be complicated and monotonous at the same time. As with other new fall shows, this one puts too much reliance on narration, the sign of a lazy scriptwriter.

Successful series have been built around less interesting fantasies, but the creators of That Was Then are almost as hapless as their hero. They saddled themselves with a casting nightmare. As the supposedly 16-year-old Travis, Bulliard looks closer to 26. And in the fake beard that's intended to make him look 30, he just looks silly. In fact, none of the cast members who have to play two ages is convincing. [27 Sept 2002, p.B39]

Nothing here works. For one thing, beaming back to 1988 is hardly atmospheric to anybody older than 20. More fundamentally, this is teenhood on Mars. What you get are kids who not only look about 10 years older than they're meant to be, but who also have adult sensibilities. Lacking credibility even for a fantasy like this are Claudia's intimate chat about her virginity with Travis and his with his mother (Bess Armstrong) about an affair she's having. What's more, Travis' obnoxious, ever-present best friend, Pinkus (Tyler Labine), is just about unbearable.

Sort of "Back to the Future" by way of "thirtysomething" -- a derivative, annoying drama with a time-travel conceit. [27 Sept 2002, p.C08]

What are the odds that two networks could each make such a horrible show in the same year?