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'Thirtysomething' Withstands The Test Of Time

By David Bianculli

October 7, 2009 12:21 AM

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It's been 20-something years since the premiere of ABC's thirtysomething — 22 years, to be exact. Shout Factory has just released a DVD set of Season 1. It took that long because of the music: The series used a lot of popular songs on the soundtrack, songs whose rights were expensive to secure for home video. But they're all in there, so what you'll see when you watch this complete first-season set is what audiences saw and heard back in 1987.

That's the good news, but it's also the bad news.

I vividly remember hating thirtysomething when it premiered. I was 30-something then and married with two young kids of my own, so I should have loved it. Many of my friends did. But to me, these yuppie characters were either too noble or too whiny, and all of them spent far too much time talking about their feelings.

But I also remember not giving up on the show, and eventually being won over. Not long into the run of thirtysomething, as both the characters and their problems became more substantial, I was hooked: Eventually one of the characters got cancer; another died in a traffic accident; and others went bankrupt and had to work for a satanic boss at a large corporation.

Looking at the first season, after all these years, supports both of my initial impressions. Series creators Marshall Herskovitz and Ed Zwick, who went on to have enviable careers in both TV and movies, started awkwardly, but were fast learners. Despite some solid performances and funny scenes, though, the first three episodes of thirtysomething are just as off-putting as I remembered them. Honestly, when one of the big conflicts is having to postpone a reservation to play squash, I don't want to embrace these characters. I want to slap them.

But in Episode 4, a conflict at a dinner party between two of the characters — the long-married couple Nancy and Elliot — is re-enacted from four separate perspectives, each with a distinctly different take on what happened. It's a very clever episode, and a very ambitious one. And from that point, thirtysomething keeps getting better and better.

The conflict between Nancy and Elliott, for example, is explored fully rather than solved and tucked away after that one episode. They spend much of the season sniping at each other, subtly but constantly, until they finally decide to go see a marriage counselor. Their sessions play like an '80s version of HBO's In Treatment, with small complaints eventually leading to big observations.

These sorts of scenes, and discussion, were rare on broadcast TV then. It's rare on broadcast TV now — dramas about everyday life are as few and far between in the start of this century as they were at the end of the last one. So even though it took the show awhile to find its true voice, give thirtysomething credit for looking for inspiration, and meaning, in the little things.

Where the show also deserves credit — and this is much more clear in retrospect — is in its eye for talent. Some of the regulars have starred on other terrific shows — Ken Olin on EZ Streets, Tim Busfield on The West Wing. And almost every episode in this first season serves up a surprise. The ditsy receptionist at Michael and Elliot's ad agency? She was played by a very young Faith Ford, pre-Murphy Brown. And that's Terry Kinney, who went on to HBO's Oz, as Ellyn's boss and eventual boyfriend. And that extended salute to Hitchcock films, in which Gary falls in love with a woman for the first time? That was written by Paul Haggis, who went on to create EZ Streets, as well as to write the movies Million Dollar Baby and Crash. And the enchanting young woman — she was played by Dana Delany, before the rest of us fell in love with her on China Beach.

The closely bonded young adults of thirtysomething paved the way for such subsequent television series as Seinfeld and Friends, for example, but those were sitcoms. As a drama, thirtysomething was, and is, something special. The series definitely has its place in TV history — and deserves a place on your home-video bookshelf, as well.

View Transcript

TERRY GROSS, host:

The ABC drama series "thirtysomething" which premiered in 1987 and spent four years telling its stories about a group of young professionals living in Philadelphia, has never been released on VHS or DVD until now. Our TV critic, David Bianculli, takes a second look at the series, a series that took him a while to embrace the first time around.

(Soundbite of song, "thirtysomething" theme)

DAVID BIANCULLI: It's been twentysomething years since the premiere of ABC's "thirtysomething," 22 years, to be exact. Shout Factory has just released a box set of season one. It took that long because of the music. The series used a lot of popular songs on the soundtrack, songs whose rights were expensive to secure for home video. But they're all in there. So, what you'll see and hear when you watch this complete first-season set is what audiences saw and heard back in 1987. That's the good news, but it's also the bad news.

I vividly remember hating "thirtysomething" when it premiered. I was thirtysomething then and married with two young kids of my own, so I should've loved it, many of my friends did. But to me, these yuppie characters were either too noble or too whiny. And all of them spent far too much time talking about their feelings.

But I also remember not giving up on the show, and eventually being won over. Not long into the run of "thirtysomething," as both the characters and their problems became more substantial, I was hooked. Eventually, one of the characters got cancer, another died in a traffic accident, and others went bankrupt and had to work for a satanic boss at a large corporation.

Looking at the first season after all these years supports both of my initial impressions. Series creators Marshall Herskovitz and Ed Zwick, who went on to have enviable careers in both TV and movies, started awkwardly but were fast learners. Despite some solid performances and funny scenes, though, the first three episodes of "thirtysomething" are just as off-putting as I remembered them. Honestly, when one of the big conflicts is having to postpone a reservation to play squash, I don't want to embrace these characters. I want to slap them.

But in episode four, a conflict at a dinner party between two of the characters, the long-married couple Nancy and Elliot, is re-enacted from four separate perspectives, each with a distinctly different take on what happened. It's a very clever episode, and a very ambitious one. And from that point on, "thirtysomething" keeps getting better and better. The conflict between Nancy and Elliot, for example, is explored fully rather than solved and tucked away after that one episode.

They spend much of the season sniping at each other, subtly but constantly, until they finally decide to go see a marriage counselor. Their sessions play like an '80s version of HBO's "In Treatment," with small complaints eventually leading to big observations. Here are Patricia Wettig and Timothy Busfield as Nancy and Elliot, with Marshall Herskovitz, the show's producer, as the therapist who listens patiently before offering his own observation.

(Soundbite of clip "Thirtysomething")

Ms. PATRICIA WETTIG (Actress): (As Nancy Weston) I just think in these days you don't quit a job when you're making really good money to start your own company which might ruin us. I mean, Michael and Elliot had no experience doing this...

Mr. TIMOTHY BUSFIELD (Actor): (As Elliot Weston) Wait a minute, wait a minute, wait a minute, wait a minute. We had won two awards, two awards and we have three separate accounts that were promised us. I mean, that's a great start.

Ms. WETTIG: (As Nancy Weston) They were local awards.

Mr. BUSFIELD: (As Elliot Weston) Oh, excuse me, they forgot my Clio this year. I mean, what have you won lately?

Ms. WETTIG: (As Nancy Weston) No, I'm just saying that it's a risky thing to do.

Mr. BUSFIELD: (As Elliot Weston) You know, you didn't have any faith in me. That's what it was.

Ms. WETTIG: (As Nancy Weston) No, no, I was worried about the mortgage...

Mr. BUSFIELD: (As Elliot Weston) You did not have any faith in me.

Ms. WETTIG: (As Nancy Weston) No, faith has nothing to do about it.

Mr. BUSFIELD: (As Elliot Weston) What do you mean faith has nothing to do with it?

Ms. WETTIG: (As Nancy Weston) ...I can't figure...

Mr. BUSFIELD: (As Elliot Weston) That's the whole idea of what we're doing in this. Wait a minute, am I crazy? I mean, am I crazy? I mean, I'm doing something that I've dreamed about for a long time, but you think so at all...

Ms. WETTIG: (As Nancy Weston) ...I've had the same car for seven years.

Mr. BUSFIELD: (As Elliot Weston) ...because you enjoy being cheap, Nancy...

Ms. WETTIG: (As Nancy Weston) No, no, that's what not it is...

Mr. BUSFIELD: (As Elliot Weston) ...don't lay that on anything else.

Ms. WETTIG: (As Nancy Weston) ...you have to have everything you want when you want it. That's true.

Mr. MARSHALL HERSKOVITZ (Actor, Producer): (As Therapist) You know what's interesting is that for every accusation there's a counter-accusation and each one seems plausible in its own way. I guess it could go on that way forever.

Mr. BUSFIELD: (As Elliot Weston) What's - what's that mean?

Mr. HERSKOVITZ: (As Therapist) It could go on that way forever and neither of you would be any closer to getting what you want from each other.

BIANCULLI: This sort of scene and discussion was rare on broadcast TV then. It's rare on broadcast TV now. Dramas about everyday life are as few and far between in the start of this century as they were at the end of the last one. So even though it took the show a while to find its true voice, give "thirtysomething" credit for looking for inspiration and meaning in the little things.

Where the show also deserves credit, and this is much more clear in retrospect, is in its eye for talent. Some of the regulars have starred on other terrific shows. Ken Olin on "EZ Streets," Tim Busfield on "The West Wing." And almost every episode in this first season serves up a surprise. The ditsy receptionist at Michael and Elliot's ad agency, she was played by a very young Faith Ford, pre-"Murphy Brown." And that's Terry Kinney, who went on to HBO's "Oz," as Ellyn's boss and eventual boyfriend. And that extended salute to Hitchcock films in which Gary falls in love with a woman for the first time? That was written by Paul Haggis, who went on to create "EZ Streets," as well as to write the movies "Million Dollar Baby" and "Crash." And the enchanting young woman, she was played by Dana Delany, before the rest of us fell in love with her on "China Beach."

The closely bonded young adults of "thirtysomething" paved the way for such subsequent television series as "Seinfeld" and "Friends," for example, but those were sitcoms. As a drama, "thirtysomething" was, and is, something special. The series definitely has its place in TV history and deserves a place on your home video bookshelf, as well.

GROSS: David Bianculli writes for TVWorthWatching.com, and teaches television and film at Rowan University.

(Soundbite of music)

GROSS: You can download podcasts of our show on our Web site, freshair.npr.org. I'm Terry Gross. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright National Public Radio.

Source: NPR

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