Before Alias, Jennifer Garner Starred In This Failed TV Spin-Off
by Jeremy Smith · /FilmPerhaps inspired by the runaway success of Amy Heckerling's "Clueless," there was an explosion of young acting talent in the mid-to-late-1990s. Leonardo DiCaprio, Kate Winslet, Alicia Silverstone, Neve Campbell, Sarah Michelle Gellar, and many more were becoming teen idols. As a result, Hollywood was scrambling to test their box office and ratings potential in the hopes they could hit an Elizabeth Taylor-type goldmine by placing one or more of these kids in the right project.
James Cameron won this contest in a walk by pairing DiCaprio and Winslet in "Titanic," while the likes of Silverstone failed to capitalize on their breakthrough hits. When it came to television, "Beverly Hills 90210" was winding down, which left an opening for earnest teen dramas like "Party of Five" and "Dawson's Creek." These shows launched the careers of multiple performers and were actually well worth watching for most of their runs.
I was especially fond of Christopher Keyser and Amy Lippman's "Party of Five," which was powered by an appealing ensemble that included Campbell, Matthew Fox, Scott Wolf, and Lacey Chabert. The series centered on a group of siblings struggling to hold together after their parents are killed by a drunk driver, and while it was terrific right out of the gate, it got a little spicier when Jennifer Love Hewitt joined the cast in Season 2 as Wolf's on-again, off-again high school girlfriend. Her character, Sarah Reeves Merrin, must deal with her own personal issues when she discovers she's adopted. When Hewitt became a full-fledged star thanks to the success of "I Know What You Did Last Summer," Keyser and Lippman created the spin-off "Time of Your Life" to capitalize on her popularity. And while the poorly reviewed show lasted only one season, it did introduce viewers to future star Jennifer Garner.
Time of Your Life damaged Jennifer Love Hewitt's career, but it gave Jennifer Garner's a boost
"Time of Your Life" stumbled straightaway with its pilot, which went through reshoots before finally making it to the air on October 25, 1999. Granted, reshoots aren't necessarily a death knell, but it was immediately clear that Christopher Keyser and Amy Lippman weren't sure how to build out the show. This left all of the heavy lifting to Jennifer Love Hewitt, who dialed up her high-wattage charm to a blinding degree. She was determined to make us love both her and the series, but this adrenalized version of Hewitt was exhausting. Worse, it was a betrayal of the Sarah we liked so much on "Party of Five."
If there was a bright spot on the show, it was Jennifer Garner's portrayal of struggling New York City actor Romy Sullivan. Yes, there's a bit of perkiness overload when Hewitt and Garner are on screen together, but, at the time, we were just getting to know the latter (she'd also been on "Felicity"), and I quickly found myself wanting to watch her in her own series.
What I didn't expect was that this adorable young woman would be perfect as the killing machine Sidney Bristow in J.J. Abrams' "Alias," which threatened to pigeonhole her when she got cast as the lethal Elektra in "Daredevil." Thankfully, though, she dispelled these fears when she starred in "13 Going on 30" as a precocious teenager who suddenly finds herself living as a 30-year-old New York City magazine editor. (It's her best work outside of "Juno.") As for Hewitt, her star faded for a while, but she ultimately recovered by landing a role on Fox's hugely popular "9-1-1." So, let's just forget "Time of Your Life" ever existed.