During the last years of the 1980s, Marshal Herskovitz and Edward Zwick created a television series for the baby boomer yuppie generation, connecting the “thirtysomethings” of the era to their youth and the transition into the struggles and responsibilities of adulthood. Inspired by the 1983 film, The Big Chill, thirtysomething revolved primarily around Philadelphia couple, Michael and Hope Steadman and their family and peer group.
Connected to the 1960s peace movement, as well as the feminism movement, the series broke ground, shedding light on the uprising yuppie population and the “thirtysomethings” dominating the viewing audience. Contrasting the lifestyles of the characters with their experiences during the 1960s to their strive to dominate the corporate and professional world during the 1980s, “thirtysomething” often dealt with issues like infidelity, divorce, career and the rising woman’s struggle between family and her responsibilities to maintain presence in the women’s rights movement.
Thirtysomething gathered a rabid cult following during its four year run, attracting millions of baby boomers who could easily identify with the characters, the influential time period that shaped them as individuals and their experiences in society and the workforce. Gone were the days of the nuclear family, with mom at home baking apple pies and fixing dinner for Dad and his clients, a premise which dominated the thread of identification for most television viewers for decades. The experimental nature of this new view on women was often critically received, portraying working women as dominant and pushy, while suggesting that homemakers were weak and easily pushed around.
Despite only running for four years on ABC, thirtysomething set the bar for dozens of series that followed in its wake, especially in the way they portrayed women and their place in the world. Due to the conversational tone of the series, it was also influential in the development of shows like Seinfeld, which relied heavily on the characters sitting around talking (usually about nothing at all.)
Even as the thirtysomethings of yesteryear are the fiftysomethings of today, the show still resonates with its target audience, connecting them nostalgically to the wonder years of their youth and their powerful rise into the corporate structure of the 1980s and early 1990s. For those who considered the show a staple in their viewing schedule, season one is currently available for purchase on DVD, with promises of a season two release in January 2010.
As a thirtysomething myself, I still remember sitting on the sidelines while my parents and their friends enjoyed this series, and can honestly say the unique experimental nature of the series is evident in a number of today’s treasured television dramas. You can see it in the dramatic interchange and character development of series like ER and Sex in the City.
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