Get a Life

Get a Life is a television sitcom that was broadcast in the United States on the Fox Network from September 23, 1990, to March 8, 1992. The show stars Chris Elliott as a 30-year-old paperboy named Chris Peterson. Peterson lived in an apartment above his parents' garage. The opening credits depict Chris Peterson delivering newspapers on his bike to the show's theme song, "Stand" by R.E.M. The show was a creation of Elliott, Adam Resnick and writer/director David Mirkin. Mirkin was executive producer/showrunner of the series and also directed most of the episodes. Notable writers of the series included Charlie Kaufman, screenwriter of Being John Malkovich; and Bob Odenkirk, co-creator of Mr. Show with Bob and David and Tenacious D. The show was unconventional for a prime time sitcom, and many times the storylines of the episodes were surreal. For example, Elliott's character actually dies in twelve episodes. The causes of death included being crushed by a giant boulder, old age, tonsillitis, stab wounds, gunshot wounds, falling from an airplane, strangulation, getting run over by cars, choking on cereal, and simply exploding. For this reason, it was a struggle for Elliott and Mirkin to get the show on the air. Many of the executives at the Fox Network hated the show and thought it was too disturbing and that Elliott's character was too insane.

Season 1 - Get a Life
23 Sep 1990
"Chris wakes up, kisses Daryl Hannah, does his paper route, drags his neighbor to an amusement park and gets stuck on a roller coaster."
30 Sep 1990
"Chris decides to enter the exciting world of male modeling when he joins the Handsome Boy School of Modeling."
07 Oct 1990
"Chris convinces his father to accompany him to the father-son competition at the annual paper boy picnic."
14 Oct 1990
"When Sharon's sister pays a visit, she, surprisingly, finds Chris to be charming."
21 Oct 1990
"To save his childhood park, Chris raises money by trying to break the world record for having things piled on you."
04 Nov 1990
"The newspaper fires Chris and the rest of the delivery boys and replaces them with a robot, so Chris challenges the machine to a contest."
11 Nov 1990
"Chris asks out a waitress but first has to get a driver's license."
18 Nov 1990
"The home in which Chris is house sitting appears to haunted."
02 Dec 1990
"Chris takes a group of young punks under his wing to make them better citizens."
16 Dec 1990
"Chris auditions and gets the lead in a musical based on animals that wear roller skates - much to the chagrin of his nemesis, Sharon."
06 Jan 1991
"Chris finds evidence that he was adopted and goes in search of his birth parents."
03 Feb 1991
"Chris buys a counterfeit watch from a disreputable vendor who won't refund his purchase price."
10 Feb 1991
"At the family reunion Chris is still struggling to get out from under the shadow of his cousin Donald."
24 Feb 1991
"Chris wins a weekend with his favorite talk show host, a contest the host first regrets he agreed to, but later Chris regrets he entered, when the host decides to stay."
10 Mar 1991
"After destroying her kitchen, Chris becomes Sharon's slave to work off the $2000 in damage and she also brainwashes him to break his will."
24 Mar 1991
"During one day, Chris meets his soul mate, marries her and goes through an entire relationship with her."
31 Mar 1991
"Chris and Larry join Mr. Peterson on a camping trip. When Mr. Peterson manages to lose them, the hungry boys eat some berries that cause them to hallucinate and become paranoid."
07 Apr 1991
"Chris hangs out with the construction workers who are working on his parents house."
21 Apr 1991
"Chris' wallet is stolen in The Big City, and the Big City gives him the key to the city and other perks to make him feel better."
28 Apr 1991
"20 years after mail ordering Chris receives the submarine kit \"Neptune 2000\". After putting it together with the aid of his father, they embark on the sub's maiden voyage inside Chris' bathtub."
12 May 1991
"Chris and Larry ignore an Indian curse and wind up switching lives. This way Chris realizes how pathetic and submissive is Larry's life."
Season 2 - Get a Life
16 Nov 1991
"After listening to Chris reminding him of what a living hell his life truly is, Larry runs away. So Chris goes in search of Larry and thinks he found him - but it's actually just a hobo who doesn't speak any English."
23 Nov 1991
"Sharon makes Chris pretend to be her boyfriend to impress her snooty friends but things go awry when the two of them get locked in her walk-in meat freezer."
30 Nov 1991
"Chris gets a job as a health inspector after finding a dead rat in his carton of milk."
14 Dec 1991
"N\/A"
21 Dec 1991
"Chris decides to become a male escort to meet woman but winds up with a much older woman."
12 Jan 1992
"Chris falls in love with a woman who hit him with her car and starts stalking her."
19 Jan 1992
"Chris becomes intelligent after exposure to toxic waste, so Gus enters him in spelling bees across the world."
02 Feb 1992
"Gus and Sharon get amnesia after eating rancid shellfish and Chris convinces them they are all three best friends."
09 Feb 1992
"When an alien creature crashes in Gus' front yard, Chris tries to keep it from the Government, but this alien is nothing like E.T. or ALF as its only superpower is the ability to spew and spray body fluids all over the place."
01 Mar 1992
"The sad story of Gus's dismissal from the police force fifteen years ago inspires Chris to travel back through time and attempt to set things right."