Neither was stolen from the other. Both came out at the same time, so that would be rather difficult. Do you have any idea how long it takes to get a TV series created, casted, pilot approved, pilot filmed, pilot aired, season approved, season filmed, and aired? It can't happen with two shows that debut within the same season for one to be a rip-off of the other (the same applies to those who still think that, for instance, "Babylon 5" is a rip-off of "Star Trek: Deep Space 9").Both series basically ripped (intentionally or otherwise) the plot of a novel published in 1998 entitled "Replay" (search for it on Amazon or BN.com). It was a serious drama with a fantasy element, and not at all a comedy. Good read, too, for those who like this sort of thing.I will agree, however, that "Do Over" was considerably superior to "That Was Then." They also weren't even all that similar in their basic plots, beyond the "adult relives youth" angle.Minor Spoiler Warnings for both series!:In "Do Over," the protagonist (Joel Larsen) found his 30-ish mind in his teenager body, and "stayed" there.In "That Was Then," the protagonist's adult mind went back and forth from his past high school body and time to the present, where he could see the results of his attempts to fix his own past and that of his family. Usually, he only made things worse. It was also more of a drama and less of a comedy than "Do Over."Note: opinions are opinions, but when you state a criminal charge such as plagiarism as fact, and do so in print (which includes online), you had better be able to back it up. Otherwise, you're committing libel, which is itself a serious crime.Saying that a TV series sucks is opinion. Saying that the acting is amateurish, the writing lame, the directing uninspired, etc. is opinion. Stating that one series is a rip-off of another is an accusation of the crime of plagiarism. Unless you know that to be true for a fact and can prove it (as in the series creator told you so in person, and you have a video of him doing so, or something in his handwriting confessing to it), don't make such charges.

This was such a great series, so of course ABC canceled it after just two episodes. The story was great, and so was the '80s music. The only problem with this series was the time slot (Friday night at 8pm.) If ABC had put this series in a decent time slot, it might have had a chance. What a shame.

I really wanted this show to have a good run. We all know we have wanted to go back to some time in our life and do things differently, so this was an intriguing concept, even though it has already been done. I suppose after watching a few other "back in time" ideas, I was holding this one to big standards. I did get a bit picky. I went through high school in the '80's and also graduated in 1988. What I find most difficult with most of these type shows that go back to the '80's is the music. The writers show their age. I was a little upset to hear the Kinks and Stones- I turned to my wife and said, "I grew up at that time, and what 16 year old listened to these bands?" I even called up my old buddies to find out if I was wrong...nope. I know there were some, and I'll get over it, (and I have feeling there will be a million comments from those who will say they indeed listened to the Stones and Kinks at that time) but it was the hair bands that everyone was into, but they always get dissed on these shows. I like the friction that is produced among the characters as well as each one's ability to carry their own story, which is interwoven throughout the show. I was hoping for more interaction with the teachers. We have one...where are the others?!?!? I will be watching this show for the duration, unless it simply takes some terrible turns, but so far so good.

It was nice to see that the networks both decided to do the exact same show this season. "That Was Then" and "Do Over" are almost mirror images of each other, with both pilots storylines being remarkedly similar. There are three differences. "Do Over" is 30 minutes, versus an hour for "That Was Then". "Do Over" is a sitcom..."That Was Then" goes for the drama-comedy. "Do Over" is the early 1980s versus the late 80s in "That Was Then."The half hour format seems to work better for these shows. "Do Over" was fun and quick moving. "That Was Then" tended to drag (at least the pilot so far.) I love time travel stuff, but I found myself bored during "That Was Then" at times. Hopefully it will improve. Otherwise, I don't see ABC giving it much chance. How much chance can it really be getting at 9 PM on Friday night?