It was made into a TV-movie as well. Pretty good, too.
In a tragic 1973 episode of “Love American Style”, a scientist uses a time machine to repeatedly return to a time several minutes before he struck out with a cute girl (Cindy Williams). Finally, the machine malfunctions, apparently trapping him in the moment just after he wins her heart but before their embrace.
Warning: This poster’s memory has also been known to function occasionally. Use information regarding a 30-year-old TV show with caution.
I can’t comment on the Seinfeld or Mad About You claims, but the food fight episode on Lizzy McGuire was definitely a nod to Rashomon, and not to Groundhog Day.
I think i saw an episode of a kids tv show that used this format, it was pretty crappy (no idea why i was watching it, or why I’ve just remembered it). I think it was called ‘Black hole high’.
The author of the short story on which this film was based and the film’s director wanted to sue the producers of Groundhog Day, according to Roger Ebert, but did not have the money nor the resources to. The author, Mr. Lupoff, comments that if he only had a time machine, he would go back to 1973 and not write the story (Source: Ebert, Roger. Questions for the Movie Answer Man. Kansas City: Andrews McMeel, 1997. pp. 205-206).
Richard Lupoff also rediscovered the novel “Lt. Gulliver Jones” written by Edwin Lester Arnold a century ago. It’s quite possible that this novel “inspired” Edgar Rice Burroughs’ “John Carter” series (active in another thread). In the early 1970s, Marvel Comics did a comic book version of “Jones,” greatly fleshing out a story that, in its original novel form, very little actually happened. The mysterious man on the flying carpet in the novel had no name. However, in a nod to Lupoff, they gave him a name in the comic book: Lu-Pov.
Doesn’t respond to the OP, but (well, I already had, anyway) Lupoff’s name came up, and John Carter is in another active thread, and I just thought I’d throw out some info that (sorta) ties them together.
Are there two versions of Ken Grimwood’s Replay? Everything I read says the book is about someone reliving the same time over and over again. The book I read has someone reliving progressively shorter and shorter periods of the end of their life. Surely I didn’t imagine this.
He also wrote another time dislocation story - Breakthrough which is worth finding.
Although the characters only relive the past once, and they can’t change anything, Vonneguts Timequake sort of follows along this premise. Although, as much as I like Vonnegut, I dont’ recommend it. It was a low note on which to end his novel writing career.
What about Elmo Saves Christmas?
The german movie ‘run lola run.’ Not tv, but the same idea. good movie.
FTR, the X-Files episode was called “Monday.” Which is so apt, given how many people hate Mondays
There’s a So Weird episode called “Exit 13” that does the repeated day over and over again, and the Charmed season one finale " Deja Vu All Over Again" uses this idea too.