That Was Then

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]

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.

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

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 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]

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.

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.