Written by John Hill and directed by Daryl Duke, it first premiered on the ABC television network on February 27, 1976,[1][3] and was also released to theaters in select countries under the title Today Is Forever from 1977 through 1980.

[5][6] It tells the story of two ill-fated middle-aged characters who both face a terminal cancer diagnosis and have months left to live.

He has a flashback to a doctor's visit where he is told that he has an inoperable form of terminal melanoma and will soon die, which is assumed to have been the motivating factor behind his initiative to take the trip, which his family had talked about doing before he and his wife separated.

After becoming increasingly frustrated at his family's apathy about the trip, their reviling attitude toward him, and their trivial demands such as that he stop to walk the dog, he detaches his car from the camper and drives away, deserting them.

Geoffrey drives to Los Angeles, where he meets with his brother, George, who updates him on his ex-wife and children and gives him $1,500 to spend at his leisure.

Among their activities include sneaking into a movie theater, freighthopping, riding amusement park roller coasters and evading police after being caught painting messages on a water tower, where Phoenix writes "Class of '59" and Griffin secretly writes "Griffin Loves Phoenix" encased in a heart and arrow design.