News archive footage features, along with subtitles as the means of narration, to recount important national and international events of the time.

The six series are marked by a knowing attitude, where certain stories that seemed inconsequential at the time are remembered because they have taken on significance in the present day.

An example is seen in the 1987 episode: Taoiseach Charles Haughey discusses what he would do if he were to win money in the newly formed National Lottery.

It features neither 1960 nor 1961 as these pre-date the official launch of Telefís Éireann, the television arm of the national broadcaster.

Indeed, the episodes covering the first half of the 1960s are characterised by extensive use of photographs and posters, as opposed to film and video footage, to represent various historical events.

The fifth series focused on the 2000s and first aired on Sunday nights from 17 October to 26 December 2010 except on 28 November due to European Financial Stabilisation Mechanism coverage.

[43] In the past, RTÉ had said that, because of the number of clips from external companies used in the series, it would be infeasible to release it on VHS or DVD.

When Cian O'Connor won his bronze medal at the 2012 Summer Olympics, RTÉ showed the 2004 episode of Reeling in the Years, complete with Anne Doyle's announcement that O'Connor was to be stripped of his gold medal won at the 2004 Summer Olympics.

TV3 (now Virgin Media One) aired a programme called series Those Were the Days with a focus on pop music followed by Don't Look Back in Anger in 2018.

In Britain, the BBC produced a similar series in the early 2000s, called "I Love...", in which public figures discuss the pop culture of each year.