thirtysomething on ABC

[1987, TV Show]

thirtysomething: TV Guide News

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An Emmy-winning chronicle of the angst-ridden lives of 1980s baby boomers in Philadelphia. Creators Ed Zwick and Marshall Herskovitz drew on personal experiences to develop storylines rich in introspective dialogue. The results often packed an emotional wallop, though all that soul-searching occasionally translated into an excess of whining. The ensemble performances are all first-rate, and David Clennon's ad-agency head Miles Drentell is one of TV's most memorably smarmy characters.

Ask Matt | 10/19/2007
I love Brothers & Sisters but cannot stand Holly. I mean, how realistic is it for Nora to invite her late husband's mistress to her daughter's engagement and birthday parties? What annoys me the most about her is that she has no remorse for her actions and basically demands that the Walkers be nice to her. Also, it feels like the writers are making Sarah look like the bad guy sometimes, to make Holly look more sympathetic. In my opinion, the show should write out Holly. What is her purpose, ... read more
Starbuck's Tailspin: More Shocks to Come | Roush Dispatch | 3/5/2007
Although the February sweeps officially have been over for several days, Sunday night sure felt like a sweeps extravaganza, with game-changing episodes of two major series. Both pivotal hours, of Sci Fi’s Battlestar Galactica and ABC’s Brothers & Sisters, dealt with the fate of daughters whose respective departure and arrival is setting off shock waves for their unconventional families (the Galactica crew and the Walker clan).The episode that undoubtedly will cause the largest stir in TV fandom was Galactica’s riveting and ultimately devastating journey into the metaphysical, as Starbuck (a brooding, tormented Katee Sackhoff) finally faced and embraced her destiny. Which meant, in a series of visions and hallucinations guided by the specter of the not-quite-Leobon as if he were the Ghost of Psychodramas Past, that Kara had to confront the soul-crushing memories of her abusive mother, who instilled in the self-destructive Starbuck a belief that suffering was good... read more
Keeping the (Friday Night) Lights On | Roush Dispatch | 2/8/2007
I usually save these things for the Ask Matt Q&A, but I opened the following e-mail from Bill C shortly before watching this week’s episode of Friday Night Lights, and it haunted me (and, frankly, annoyed me) throughout the episode, which I found to be one of the most accessibly and endearingly entertaining of the entire season.Here’s what Bill wrote: “Would it be a real tragedy if Friday Night Lights got canceled? It’s not like we’re talking about a show that, however good it is, does not [sic] match the consistency and creative heights of superior shows like 24, House and Grey’s Anatomy.”Way to use the double negative there, a bit of a metaphor considering the disdain shown for one of the finest dramas network TV has produced in years.In my world of TV appreciation, which has to be flexible enough to include everything from guilty pleasures to reality shows, there are two types of top-tier TV. First and foremost, there are the great... read more
TV Guide Interviews & Features | 2/2/2007
Polly Draper has returned to series television — more than 15 years after audiences first fell in love with wry ca read more
Brothers, Mother and Other Odds and Ends | Roush Dispatch | 10/23/2006
Some random TV thoughts:Each week since its overly somber premiere, ABC's Brothers & Sisters has improved, slowly becoming a more entertaining, if not yet compelling, family drama. The most recent episode, involving a series of eventful dates for most of the major characters, had a mostly deft light touch, showing (I think) the influence of Everwood's Greg Berlanti on the creative direction of the show.It's becoming a more suitable companion for Desperate Housewives, which also has improved from last season's doldrums. Housewives is still far from perfect, but give me some Edie Britt bitchiness, a little manipulative scheming from Bree and several mysterious twists (why was Mike Delfino's phone number etched in ink on the season's mystery corpse?), and I'm relatively satisfied. I can even get past the tiresome Gabby-Carlos feuding and Nora meddling in the indifferently plotted Lynette-Tom story line. (Did you notice, by the way, a walk-on by Who Wants to Be a Superhero's Major... read more

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Cast & Details

Premiered: September 29, 1987, on ABC

Rating: None

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Premise: An Emmy-winning chronicle of the angst-ridden lives of 1980s baby boomers in Philadelphia. Creators Ed Zwick and Marshall Herskovitz drew on personal experiences to develop storylines rich in introspective dialogue. The results often packed an emotional wallop, though all that soul-searching occasionally translated into an excess of whining. The ensemble performances are all first-rate, and David Clennon's ad-agency head Miles Drentell is one of TV's most memorably smarmy characters.

Cast

Mel Harris: Hope Steadman
Ken Olin: Michael Steadman
Polly Draper: Ellyn
Peter Horton: Prof. Gary Shepherd
Timothy Busfield: Elliot Weston
Melanie Mayron: Melissa Steadman

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Photo courtesy Bob D'Amico/ABC