LIFE GOES ON: LIFE AFTER DEATH (TV)

Summary

One in this dramatic series about the challenges facing the Thacher family -- parents Drew and Libby, their daughter Becca, their son Corky, who has Down's Syndrome, and Drew's daughter Paige.

In this episode, Becca is attracted to a new student, Jesse McKenna, which infuriates her boyfriend Tyler. Also, when Libby tries to resign from the parents' council, she gets elected as president instead. When Becca kisses Jesse, he becomes volatile and reveals he has the HIV-virus.

After he vanishes from school, Becca tracks him down and argues with him, but soon realizes she is afraid to kiss him again and promises to keep his status a secret. But as Tyler's jealousy explodes into a fistfight with Jesse, Becca screams that Jesse is HIV-positive in front of a crowd of students. As a result, a movement to kick Jesse out of school develops. Corky wants Jesse expelled, despite having suffered discrimination for Down's Syndrome, which he notes is not contagious.

Meanwhile, Mary McKenna tells Becca how her son Jesse was ostracized and mistreated at his old school. Later on, Corky's fear of AIDS is assuaged and Tyler breaks up with Becca. At the parents' council, most people want Jesse expelled, regardless of assurances from a government doctor that HIV cannot be transmitted in cafeterias or restrooms.

Ultimately, Mary and Libby plead for compassion and the parents unofficially vote on whether they would expel Jesse if they could. The program concludes with a message about the HIV-virus from cast members Kellie Martin and Chad Lowe. Includes commercials. This program is closed-captioned.

Details

• NETWORK: ABC
• DATE: November 3, 1991 Sunday 7:00 PM
• RUNNING TIME: 0:59:54
• COLOR/B&W: Color
• CATALOG ID: T:23425
• GENRE: Drama
• SUBJECT HEADING: Drama
• SERIES RUN: ABC - TV series, 1989-1993
• COMMERCIALS:
  • TV - Commercials - American Airlines
  • TV - Commercials - Burger King restaurants
  • TV - Commercials - Carnival cruises
  • TV - Commercials - Clorox Cleanup bleach with cleaner
  • TV - Commercials - Early California olives
  • TV - Commercials - Farmers Insurance Group
  • TV - Commercials - Fisher-Price toys
  • TV - Commercials - Johnson's Baby Powder
  • TV - Commercials - KMart department stores
  • TV - Commercials - Love My Carpet
  • TV - Commercials - Lysol disinfectant spray
  • TV - Commercials - Motrin IB pain reliever
  • TV - Commercials - PLUS/Project Literacy U.S.
  • TV - Commercials - Power 106
  • TV - Commercials - Quaker Instant Oatmeal
  • TV - Commercials - Saran Wrap
  • TV - Commercials - Stouffer's Lean Cuisine frozen dinners
  • TV - Commercials - Total cereal
  • TV - Commercials - Trivial Pursuit game
  • TV - Commercials - Vidal Sassoon Ultra Care shampoo
  • TV - Commercials - Vlasic pickles
  • TV - Promos - "ABC World News Tonight With Peter Jennings"
  • TV - Promos - "Dinosaurs"
  • TV - Promos - "False Arrest"
  • TV - Promos - "Full House"
  • TV - Promos - "Home Improvement"
  • TV - Promos - "MacGyver"
  • TV - Promos - "Wonder Years"

CREDITS

• Michael Braverman … Executive Producer, Created by
• Michael Nankin … Supervising Producer
• R.W. Goodwin … Supervising Producer
• Phillips Wylly … Producer
• Lorenzo DeStefano … Co-Producer
• Bruce Ettinger … Associate Producer
• Larry Shaw … Director
• Thania St. John … Writer
• Craig Safan … Theme Music by
• William Olvis … Music by
• Bill Smitrovich … Cast, Andrew "Drew" Thacher
• Patti LuPone … Cast, Elizabeth "Libby" Thacher
• Chris Burke … Cast, Charles "Corky" Thacher
• Kellie Martin … Cast, Rebecca "Becca" Thacher
• Tracey Needham … Cast, Paige Thacher
• Tommy Puett … Cast, Tyler Benchfield
• Terri Ivens … Cast, Janet
• Judith Jones … Cast, Kari
• Dorothy Lyman … Cast, Mary McKenna
• Chad Lowe … Cast, Jesse McKenna
• Carol Ida White … Cast, Carol Matthews
• Emily Kuroda … Cast, Dr. Kito
• Judith Drake … Cast, Parent #1
• Lin Shaye … Cast, Parent #2
• Richard Penn … Cast, Parent #3
• Kaley Ward … Cast, Parent #4
• Mina Kolb … Cast, Dotty
• Robert David Hall … Cast, Mr. Mott
• Bradley Mott … Cast, Mr. Sommers
• Christine Joan Taylor (See also: Christine Taylor) … Cast, Drama Student #1
• Lindsay Price … Cast, Drama Student #2
• Bodhi Elfman … Cast, Mark