| Thirtysomething | |
|---|---|
Main cast |
|
| Format | Drama |
| Created by | Marshall Herskovitz Edward Zwick |
| Starring | Ken Olin Mel Harris Melanie Mayron Timothy Busfield Patricia Wettig Peter Horton Patricia Kalember Polly Draper David Clennon |
| Composer(s) | W.G. Snuffy Walden |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Language(s) | English |
| No. of seasons | 4 |
| No. of episodes | 85 (List of episodes) |
| Production | |
| Running time | 60 minutes |
| Production company(s) | The Bedford Falls Company United Artists Television |
| Distributor | MGM Television |
| Broadcast | |
| Original channel | ABC |
| Original run | September 29, 1987 – May 28, 1991 |
| Chronology | |
| Related shows | Once and Again |
Thirtysomething is an American television drama about a group of baby boomers in their late thirties. It was created by Marshall Herskovitz and Edward Zwick for MGM/UA Television Group (through United Artists Television) and The Bedford Falls Company, and aired on ABC. It premiered in the U.S. on September 29, 1987. It lasted four seasons, with the last of its 85 episodes airing on May 28, 1991.
The title of the show was designed as thirtysomething (with a lowercase "t") by Kathie Broyles, who combined the words of the original title, Thirty Something.
In 1997, "The Go Between" and "Samurai Ad Man" were ranked #22 on TV Guide's 100 Greatest Episodes of All Time.[1]
In 2002, thirtysomething was ranked #19 on TV Guide's 50 Greatest TV Shows of All Time.[2]
Contents |
thirtysomething depicts the lives of a group of baby boomer yuppies during the late 1980s. They are bonded by their involvement with the peace movement and counterculture of the 1960s during their youth, a past that is in marked contrast to their current, middle-class lives in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
Although seen as an ensemble drama, the series tended to revolve around husband and wife Michael Steadman (Ken Olin) and Hope Murdoch (Mel Harris), who provided the focal point for the group. Michael's cousin is photographer Melissa Steadman (Melanie Mayron), and his business partner is Elliot Weston (Timothy Busfield), who has a troubled marriage with his wife Nancy (Patricia Wettig). Michael's best friend is Gary Shepherd (Peter Horton), who eventually married Susannah (Patricia Kalember). Hope's best friend is Ellyn Warren (Polly Draper).
Thirtysomething was influenced by the 1983 film The Big Chill.[4] The show reflected the angst felt by baby boomers and yuppies in the United States during the 1980s,[5] such as the changing expectations related to masculinity and femininity introduced during the era of second-wave feminism.[6] It also introduced "a new kind of hour-long drama, a series that focused on the domestic and professional lives of a group of young urban professionals, a socio-economic category of increasing interest to the television industry [...] its stylistic and story-line innovations led critics to respect it for being 'as close to the level of an art form as weekly television ever gets,' as the New York Times put it."[4] During its four-year run, Thirtysomething "attracted a cult audience of viewers who strongly identified with one or more of its eight central characters, a circle of friends living in Philadelphia."[4] Even after its cancellation in 1991, it continued to influence television programming, "in everything from the look and sound of certain TV advertisements, to other series with feminine sensibilities and preoccupations with the transition from childhood to maturity (Sisters), to situation comedies about groups of friends who talk all the time (Seinfeld)."[4] The show also influenced the British television series Cold Feet, which featured similar storylines and character types. The creator of Cold Feet wanted his show to be in the mould of successful American TV series like Thirtysomething and Frasier.[7]
Some were particularly critical of the show. Susan Faludi, in her 1991 bestseller Backlash, argues that the show exhibited a disdainful attitude toward single, working, and feminist women (Melissa, Ellyn, and Susannah) while at the same time "exalting homemakers" (Hope and Nancy).[8] The season three episode Strangers, which showed a male couple in bed in one scene, prompted five regular sponsors to pull out of the episode.
Almost immediately after the introduction of the show, the term "Thirtysomething" became a catchphrase used to designate baby boomers in their thirties. This cultural shift was reinforced by the Oxford English Dictionary, which added Thirtysomething in 1993 (under the word thirty) and defined the term as follows:
Thirtysomething was also responsible for the coinage of the word "twentysomething," to describe Generation X. This was reflected in Douglas Coupland's 1991 novel Generation X: Tales for an Accelerated Culture.[10] The Fortysomething Team was used to describe the Clinton-Gore ticket in the US 1992 presidential election, as both members of the ticket were Baby Boomers.
Thirtysomething aired Tuesdays at 10:00 on ABC.
Note: Ratings data from TVTango.com
Shout! Factory (under license from MGM) has released all four seasons of Thirtysomething on DVD in Region 1.
| DVD Name | Ep# | Release Date |
|---|---|---|
| The Complete First Season | 21 | August 25, 2009 |
| The Complete Second Season | 17 | January 19, 2010 |
| The Complete Third Season | 24 | May 11, 2010 |
| The Complete Fourth Season | 23 | November 9, 2010 |
On January 18, 2011, Mill Creek Entertainment released half of season one of Thirtysomething on DVD. It contained 10 episodes and was released as part of their "TV Flashbacks" collection. Other TV shows were released under the TV Flashbacks banner including Punky Brewster, My Two Dads, Blossom, and Simon and Simon.
Thirtysomething won numerous Emmy Awards and nominations for:
1988 Winners:
It also received the following nominations in 1988:
1989 Winners:
It also received the following nominations in 1989:
1990 Winners:
It also received the following nominations in 1990:
1991 Winners:
It also received the following nominations in 1991:
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