First Years

{{short description|American television series}}

{{for|the 2014 Dutch TV series|The First Years}}

{{Use mdy dates|date=March 2025}}

{{Infobox television

| image =

| caption =

| genre = Legal drama

| creator = Jill Gordon

| based_on = This Life by Amy Jenkins

| writer = Jill Gordon
Mark B. Perry

| director = Timothy Busfield
Tucker Gates
Tom Moore
Ken Topolsky
Scott Winant

| starring = Mackenzie Astin
Ken Marino
Samantha Mathis
Sydney Tamiia Poitier
James Roday
Eric Schaeffer

| theme_music_composer =

| opentheme =

| composer = W. G. Snuffy Walden
Joseph Williams

| country = United States

| language = English

| num_seasons = 1

| num_episodes = 9 (6 unaired)

| list_episodes =

| executive_producer = Jill Gordon
Mark B. Perry
Ken Topolsky

| producer =

| editor =

| cinematography = John B. Aronson

| camera = Single-camera

| runtime = 45 mins.

| company = P.D. Oliver, Inc.
NBC Studios
Studios USA Television

| channel = NBC

| first_aired = {{Start date|2001|3|19}}

| last_aired = {{End date|2001|4|2}}

| related = This Life

}}

First Years is an American legal drama that aired on NBC from March to April 2001. It is a remake of the British series This Life.{{cite news|author=T.L. Stanley|url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2001-mar-19-ca-39665-story.html|title=Pulling NBC's 'First Years' Through a Rocky Birth|work=Los Angeles Times|date=March 19, 2001|access-date=2017-10-10}} The series premiered on March 19, 2001, but was canceled after only three of the nine episodes produced had aired.

Overview

The series chronicles the lives of five young lawyers who live together in a house in San Francisco.{{cite book|author1=Tim Brooks |author2=Earle Marsh|title=The Complete Directory to Prime Time Network and Cable TV Shows, 1946–Present |publisher=Ballantine Books|year=2007|edition=9|pages=477|isbn=978-0-345-49773-4}}

Cast

=Main=

=Recurring=

Episodes

{{Episode table

|total_width = 100

|background =

|overall = 5

|title = 20

|director = 14

|directorR =

|writer = 18

|airdate = 25

|airdateR = From the United States Copyright Office catalog: {{cite web |url=http://cocatalog.loc.gov/cgi-bin/Pwebrecon.cgi?DB=local&PAGE=First |title=Public Catalog - Copyright Catalog (1978 to present) - Basic Search [search: "First Years : no."] |publisher=United States Copyright Office |date= |accessdate=2017-10-10}}

|prodcode = 12

|prodcodeR =

|country = US

|episodes =

{{Episode list

|EpisodeNumber = 1

|Title = The First Thing You Do...

|DirectedBy = Scott Winant

|WrittenBy = Jill Gordon

|OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|2001|3|19}}

|ProdCode = E1902

|ShortSummary =

|LineColor =

}}

{{Episode list

|EpisodeNumber = 2

|Title = ...And Then You Die

|DirectedBy = Timothy Busfield

|WrittenBy = Mark B. Perry

|OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|2001|3|26}}

|ProdCode = E1903

|ShortSummary =

|LineColor =

}}

{{Episode list

|EpisodeNumber = 3

|Title = There's No Place Like Homo

|DirectedBy = Timothy Busfield

|WrittenBy = Mark B. Perry

|OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|2001|4|2}}

|ProdCode = E1907

|ShortSummary =

|LineColor =

}}

{{Episode list

|EpisodeNumber = 4

|Title = Porn in the U.S.A.

|AltTitle = First Day

|RAltTitle = From the Writers Guild of America, West catalog: {{cite web |url=https://apps.wga.org/coveredprojects/default.aspx |title=Signatory Project Confirmation [search: "First Years"] |publisher=Writers Guild of America, West |date= |accessdate=2017-10-10}}

|DirectedBy = Tom Moore

|WrittenBy =

|OriginalAirDate = Unaired

|ProdCode = E1901

|ShortSummary =

|LineColor =

}}

{{Episode list

|EpisodeNumber = 5

|Title = Touched by a Reindeer

|DirectedBy = Ken Topolsky

|WrittenBy =

|OriginalAirDate = Unaired

|ProdCode = E1904

|ShortSummary =

|LineColor =

}}

{{Episode list

|EpisodeNumber = 6

|Title = Lawyerboy

|DirectedBy = Tucker Gates

|WrittenBy =

|OriginalAirDate = Unaired

|ProdCode = E1905

|ShortSummary =

|LineColor =

}}

{{Episode list

|EpisodeNumber = 7

|Title = When I Grow Up

|DirectedBy =

|WrittenBy =

|OriginalAirDate = Unaired

|ProdCode = E1906

|ShortSummary =

|LineColor =

}}

{{Episode list

|EpisodeNumber = 8

|Title = Habeas Corpse

|DirectedBy = Ken Topolsky

|WrittenBy =

|OriginalAirDate = Unaired

|ProdCode = E1908

|ShortSummary =

|LineColor =

}}

{{Episode list

|EpisodeNumber = 9

|Title = This Life

|DirectedBy = Timothy Busfield

|WrittenBy =

|OriginalAirDate = Unaired

|ProdCode = E1909

|ShortSummary =

|LineColor =

}}

}}

Reception

Eric Mink of the New York Daily News critically panned the series, describing the lead characters as "collectively annoying".{{cite news|author=Eric Mink|url=http://www.nydailynews.com/archives/entertainment/outta-law-years-annoying-ripoff-article-1.915529|title=THERE OUTTA BE A LAW 'First Years' is an annoying ripoff|work=New York Daily News|date=March 19, 2001|accessdate=2017-10-10}}

References

{{Reflist}}