Alan Myerson Movies

The ABC series That Was Then was a less comic variation on the premise of the like-vintage WB sitcom Do Over. James Bulliard starred as Travis Glass, a 29-year-old salesman who was still living with his parents. A perennial loser, Travis would give anything to return to his youth and correct past mistakes; more specifically, he would like to correct the glaring social error which drove his high-school sweetheart Claudia (Kiele Sanchez) into the arms of Travis' obnoxious brother Gregg (Brad Raider). Then on the eve of his 30th birthday, while listening to the Kinks' "Do It Again," Travis was miraculously thrust back to the year 1988 -- thereby getting his chance to use the knowledge and the experience gleaned in adulthood to straighten out the life of his "teenaged" self. Described by co-creators Daniel Cohn and Jeremy Miller as Back to the Future meets The Wonder Years, That Was Then premiered September 27, 2002. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Sookie (Melissa McCarthy), scatterbrained chef at Independence Inn, is down in the dumps because her famous risotto was given only a lukewarm review in the local newspaper. In a similar vein, overachiever Rory (Alexis Bledel) receives her first-ever D from her new English teacher Max Medina (Scott Cohen). While Sookie will have to resolve her problems herself, Rory can depend upon her mother Lorelai (Lauren Graham) to help her cram for an important exam -- or at least, that's what she thinks until a series of temper tantrums, sparked by an injured deer (!), threaten to end Rory's prep-school career before it even begins. ~ All Movie Guide

To prove their love beyond all doubt, Cory (Ben Savage) and Topanga (Danielle Fishel) have decided to consummate their relationship on Prom Night. Shawn (Rider Strong) and Angela (Trina McGee-Davis) plan to do likewise--but at the last moment decide that they're not ready. Meanwhile, just when it looks like the Big Event will occur between Cory and Topanga, some unexpected news from Cory's mom Amy (Betsy Randle) abruptly changes the whole direction of Boy Meets World (at least during this episode!) ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Cory (Ben Savage) and Angela (Trina McGee-Davis) are accepted by Pennbrook College, Topanga (Danielle Fishel) gets acceptance letters from both Pennbrook and Yale. . .and Shawn is stuck on a waiting list. Feeling left out of things, Shawn declares that he isn't going to college as planned, but instead will take a job as a photographer's assistant. Thus, in keeping with the title of this episode,"things change"--and those changes include a major one in the life of Mr. Feeny (William Daniels). ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

The romance is gone from Valentine's Day when Topanga (Danielle Fishel) finds out about the passionate letter written to Cory (Ben Savage) by Lauren, the girl he met on his fateful ski trip. Meanwhile, several of the ex-girlfriends of Shawn (Rider Strong) conspire to prevent him from hurting his current sweetie Angela (Trina McGee-Davis). In both cases, extreme measures are taken--if not necessarily called for! ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

In the series' most self-referential episode to date, Eric (Will Friedle) is courted by two prestigious drama schools after appearing in a college production of "Romeo and Juliet". Instead, he chooses a role in the popular ABC sitcom "Kid Gets Acquainted with the Universe"--and in case anyone misses the resemblance to you-know-what, the show's stars are "Ben Sandwich" and "Schneider Strong." The experience proves to be most disillusioning for Eric when he finds out that the actors are the exact opposites of their TV characters, sometimes nastily so. Meanwhile, a bad case of chicken pox may patch up the damaged friendship between Shawn (Rider Strong) and Topanga (Danielle Fishel). ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Both Cory (Ben Savage) and Shawn (Rider Strong) have taken work-study jobs, but with surprisingly different results. Eternal underachiever Shawn proves to be extremely successful in the public-relations field, while Cory can't seem to get any further than the mailroom (and he can't even hold THAT job down!) Meanwhile, Eric (Will Friedle) dies a thousand deaths when his mom Amy (Betsy Randle) enrolls in his creative-writing class--and promptly begins revealing a whole bunch of scintillating family secrets. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

In this crossover episode with Boy Meet World's "T.G.I.F" neighbor Sabrina the Teenage Witch, Eric (Will Friedle) suspects that Jack's weird new girlfriend Millie (Candace Cameron-Bure) is a witch. Outraged, Jack (Matthew Lawrence) tells Eric that their friendship is over. Ironically, by the time the pals have made up, Eric is himself dating a certain Sabrina Spellman (Melissa Joan Hart), the "teenage witch" from the series of the same name. Meanwhile, Cory (Ben Savage) tries to help Topanga (Danielle Fishel) overcome her fear of flying--with unexpected results. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

In the conclusion of a two-part story (originally shown in tandem with Part One, "I Love You, Donna Karan"), Cory (Ben Savage) suggests that Shawn (Rider Strong) abandon his self-imposed "two-week" dating time limit and opt for a long-term romantic relationship with Angela--just like the one between Cory and Topanga (Danielle Fishel). Only problem is, Cory and Topanga may not be a couple much longer! Meanwhile, Eric (Will Friedle) and Jack (Matthew Lawrence) prepare to hold a Thanksgiving party in their tiny apartment; unfortunately, they've forgotten a minor little item called food. With this episode, Trina McGee-Davis becomes a regular in the role of Angela. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

This episode was originally part of a "special edition" of ABC's "T.G.I.F." lineup, in which all of the network's Friday-night sitcoms were linked by events occurring on Sabrina the Teenage Witch. After Sabrina's talking cat Salem swallows a "time-ball", Cory (Ben Savage) and his friends are transported back to the 1940s. While Cory is in Europe fighting the war, his pal Shawn (Rider Strong) and his gal Topanga (Danielle Fishel) remain in America. When word comes that Cory is missing in action, Shawn grimly prepares to carry out his promise to marry Topanga in the event of his friend's demise--while Cory, suffering from amnesia, dallies with a delectable mademoiselle named Versailles (Yvonne Scio). ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Insisting that he can maintain proper professional detachment, Cory (Ben Savage) makes a "Real World"-style student film about new roommates Eric (Will Friedle), Shawn (Rider Strong) and Jack (Matthew Lawrence). Trouble is, half-brothers Shawn and Jack have never gotten along, and in all likelihood probably never will. As the situation worsens, Topanga (Danielle Fishel) angrily urges Cory to forget about his movie and try to patch up the differences between the two warring siblings. And back at home, Morgan (Lindsay Ridgeway) hires a "new brother" named Larry (Ryan Gesell) to fill the void left by the departing Eric. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Produced for the USA cable network, Holiday Affair is a remake of the classic 1949 theatrical film of the same name, which in turn was inspired by John D. Weaver's short story "Christmas Gift." Cynthia Gibb and David James Elliott step into the roles of widowed mother Jodie Ennis and department store salesman Steve Mason, the characters originally played by Janet Leigh and Robert Mitchum. "Meeting cute" while Jodie's son Timmy (Curtis Blanck) enthuses over a model train set, Jodie and the raffish but likeable Steve immediately hit it off, but she is already engaged to conservative lawyer Paul Davis (Tom Irwin, taking over from the original's Wendell Corey). The days between Christmas and New Year's Eve, Jodie finds herself in the unenviable position of choosing between two men whom she adores equally--a job not made easier by the well-meaning interference of son Timmy. The remake faithfully recreates most of the familiar setpieces from the 1949 version, including the Christmas-dinner sequence with Timmy's grandparents and a climactic confrontation in a courtroom over a case of mistaken identity. The presence of Al Waxman in the cast is a sure tipoff that, despite its New York City setting, the film was actually made in Canada. Holiday Affair first aired December 15, 1996. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide