X
  • 2002
  • ABC
  • 2002
  • ABC
That Was Then

Summary Travis Glass is about to turn 30 and his life couldn't be worse. He lives with his mother. He's a door salesman. And the longtime love of his life is married to his brother. His descent into loserdom dates back to a fateful and humiliating week in high school, and all Travis wants is a second chance to get it right. Be careful what yo...

Created By: Dan Cohn, Jeremy Miller

  • 2002
  • ABC
  • 2002
  • ABC

That Was Then

Season 1 Premiere: Sep 27, 2002
Metascore Mixed or Average Based on 22 Critic Reviews
47
User Score Available after 4 ratings
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Summary Travis Glass is about to turn 30 and his life couldn't be worse. He lives with his mother. He's a door salesman. And the longtime love of his life is married to his brother. His descent into loserdom dates back to a fateful and humiliating week in high school, and all Travis wants is a second chance to get it right. Be careful what yo...

Created By: Dan Cohn, Jeremy Miller

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Critic Reviews

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Metascore
Mixed or Average Based on 22 Critic Reviews
47
23% Positive
5 Reviews
45% Mixed
10 Reviews
32% Negative
7 Reviews

  • All Reviews
  • Positive Reviews
  • Mixed Reviews
  • Negative Reviews

Critic Reviews

 View All
Metascore
Mixed or Average Based on 22 Critic Reviews
47
23% Positive
5 Reviews
45% Mixed
10 Reviews
32% Negative
7 Reviews

  • All Reviews
  • Positive Reviews
  • Mixed Reviews
  • Negative Reviews
80
Aug 19, 2015
All this should seem precious and dumb, but it doesn't, thanks to the cast's deadpan intelligence and some sharp, self-aware writing (the characters' names often refer to characters in fiction by J.D. Salinger ). Best of all, Travis fails to wrap everything up in a neat, happy way; the second episode, which is much better than the first, essentially starts all over again, picking up on the time-travel mayhem Travis wreaked a week earlier. [27 Sept 2002, p.59]
By Matt Zoller Seitz FULL REVIEW
63
Aug 19, 2015
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.
FULL REVIEW
50
Aug 19, 2015
Alas, the trip turns out to be unacceptably bumpy. [27 Sept 2002, p.17D]
By Robert Bianco FULL REVIEW
50
Aug 19, 2015
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]
By Phil Rosenthal FULL REVIEW
40
Aug 19, 2015
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]
By Aaron Barnhart FULL REVIEW
30
Aug 19, 2015
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.
By Howard Rosenberg FULL REVIEW
20
Aug 19, 2015
ABC takes television to lower depths with That Was Then, which starts in a dreadful spot and keeps doing variations on it...This annoying show will push you out of the house to enjoy Friday nights.
By Hal Boedeker FULL REVIEW

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Details

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Production Company:
  • Brookline Productions
  • Lemonade Stand Productions
  • Touchstone Television
Initial Release Date: Sep 27, 2002
Number of seasons: 1 Season
Genres:
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