thirtysomething Returns To ABC With New Episodes

Will it be called sixtysomething now? Or OK Boomer?

I loved the original series, but it was VERY of its time. This is not a concept that translates to millennials.

All trans children.

Ahhh... I remember the original show. Ten pages of script drawn out to 43 minutes.

Not going to happen with a set of all white characters. Some of the couples will have to be changed to have new multiracial relationships.

Dear Hollywood:

Kill. Me. Now.

Thanks,

Viewers

Why the fuck do we need this? I don't think there is any nostalgia feelings for this show.

Link to story.

Wtf?? Why? Wasn’t it like Reaganism come to life?

I can't imagine anything grosser.

Have you seen Ken Olin (dreamboat Michael Steadman) lately? Yeesh. Have any of the others (Elliott, Nancy, Hope ) worked at all since then?? Hard Pass on this. Unless Leo and Ethan are married!

Don't see this going past one season.

This is like the Murphy Brown and Mad About You reboots.

A reboot that really showed the negative effects baby boomers and their richly-rewarded and perpetually-enabled malignant narcissism has had on our culture would be the only way this would work.

R11, Oh, dear!

I guess they decided that bringing [italic]Moonlighting[/italic] back would be asking for the moon.

Will Gary be resurrected? If not, forget it!

Does this mean the "Patricia Wettig is the new Meryl Streep" campaign is starting up again?

So they were laid off in advertising in the 90s and haven't worked since because no one will touch anyone over 45. Or is it a fantasy show?

Surprised Melanie Mayron is not in the mix to return. Melissa always wanted a child.

I believe it will be called "Like,thirtysomethink"

was one of my fave shows bak in the day.....good drama with a dash of heart and bit of laffs. .. one of the best of that time.

Wont it look like tokenism if they throw some blacks into the show just for....pc ness...

I wonder whether Peter Frechette and David Marshall Grant's characters will have survived the '90s.

How does the triumvirite of old networks hold on? Is it just ancient people watching local news stories about crime and weather, and middle Americans watching big sports?

They haven't produced anything in this century but, wait, a rehashed "woke, thirtysomething whinging adult kids of geriatric thirtysomethings" is going to turn the tide.

More than anything the show looked great which is one of the reasons I liked it. It was filmed like a movie. I loved Peter Horton, damn he was fine.

R23: I hope you can answer this honestly. Do you or people like you say things like that because you're actually racist (this is where the honesty part comes in) or you just don't know any people of color in your world and it worries you that one might pop up on your television screen?

While I'm sick of reboots, the one thing that gives me hope this might actually turn out well: Herskovitz and Zwick are at the helm.

These guys know how to make great TV – from "thirtysomething" through "My So-called Life," "Once & Again," "Relativity" and "Nashville" – so hopefully that'll translate into a not-terrible series.

My guess is that ABC wants something to compete with "This is Us," thematically.

Corey is still alive!

Ken Olin is producing and directing This Is Us. Why would he leave successful show?

^I bet he can't do both. This will be interesting. I really loved this show. Great storytelling without any crimes, mysteries or other bs. I especially loved the DAA advertising storyline. At the end Michael moved to L.A. to start a new company with Elliot, right? And Melissa ended up with this much younger guy Corey(?) ? Too bad we won't see her. Sally from MadMen would be great as Jane, but she is probably too young to play her.

Michael planned to do that but then realized he had PTSD from Gary's death and couldn't go back to advertising or work. Also Hope wanted to go to Washington for a job and he didn't want to break up the family.

Oh God, just no. I hated this show back then and hate it now.

*Meant: I bet he can do both, not can't.

[quote] My guess is that ABC wants something to compete with "This is Us," thematically.

So one of them will be about thirtysomething hundred pounds?

would like to know how Luke Rossi looks now.

I didn’t own a television for most of the 1980’s (too busy working and going to clubs). Did I miss something? Mel Harris was a television madonna, right?

Slightly off topic.... radio DJ Delilah sounds EXACTLY like Patricia Wettig.

This was a great show and had more depth than being a mere yuppie dramedy. I was kid/tween when this was on and I remember staying up sometimes to watch it and even though some of the themes went over my head, I knew then it was quality and it didn't hurt that Ken Olin was so handsome. I've since watched it as an adult in its entirety and it was indeed a very well written and surprisingly not completely dated show. I think a lot of it still holds up today and the actors were all ace, especially Patricia Wettig and Timothy Busfield (the Elliot/Nancy relationship definitely eclipsed the Hope/Michael relationship). I also loved that they didn't neglect the single characters (Melissa, Gary, Ellen) and gave them fully fleshed out lives rather than just serving as ornaments for the married couples. That being said, I'm sure a reboot will be a pale imitation of the original.

That still doesn't forgive ABC putting two of the worst sitcoms ever at 8:00 and 8:30.

To me the point of reboot, though, is revisiting the original characters. So I would hope they get screen time. All I remember about the kids is Janey was a toddler, Leo was a name I wouldn't have given a kid, and Ethan should have been drowned.

Of course if it's modern 30 somethings, they'll all be living in their parents' basement. Well, most of them. ;)

Ken Olin without stage/film makeup looks like Francis Ford Coppola in his director chair.

I loved thirtysomething and LA Law and never missed an episode. I also loved their opening credits.

Ken Olin was so gorgeous when he was on the show (he was like a more attractive Zachary Quinto). Time hasn't exactly been kind to his appearance, but he doesn't seem like someone concerned with vanity these days.

The show that invented the phrase "White People Problems."

[quote]To me the point of reboot, though, is revisiting the original characters.

Tell us about it.

SNL did a funny commercial parody.

This is Ken from 2018. He could look good enough to play one of the parents of the new thirtysomethings.

[quote] Have any of the others (Elliott, Nancy, Hope ) worked at all since then??

Did you not watch The Sally Field Programme?

He looks like a blogger.

Mel Harris... that rarest of Hollywood creatures... no to not much work done and looks great. From 2018.

and... Melissa...

Lord, I hated this show when it originally aired and thought it was a snooze fest 😴. The dialogue moved so slow. Why they’re resurrecting this shit is beyond me.

[quote]Ahhh... I remember the original show. Ten pages of script drawn out to 43 minutes.

This sums it up perfectly right here.

Olin would look amazing without that beard and a proper hair dye.

They all still look good. Only Melanie looks a bit haggard, but she's doing well as a director and is not part of this, right?

Polly Draper in 2016... again if there's work it's so well done.

Wettig

I wasn't quite thirtysomething myself when the original show aired, but I loved it. Enjoyed the writing and dialog, the sets and storylines. It was one of the first shows to talk about real themes like cancer, AIDS, financial and career woes in any sort of meaningful way. I get how people looking for lighthearted distraction from real life wouldn't like this show, and there were certainly lots of detractors. Still, they won plenty of awards and most of the cast went on to other things in front and behind the camera.

Will be pleasantly surprised if the reboot turns out well. Not holding my breath, but I hope it's good.

Why aren't Polly and Melanie joining the reboot? Jesus, Ellen was such an uptight, boring character they probably did not know what to do with her in the reboot. I will miss Melissa though.

R60: While the focus will be on the four original cast members whose characters are key to the storyline created by Herskovitz and Zwick, more original actors could pop in should the project go to series as expected, Burke said. (is the ABC exec.)

[quote]and there were certainly lots of detractors

I just didn't see the big deal. When I was thirtysomething, it was the Great Depression and Sal and I were worried about putting food on my family's table. These kids are spoiled.

The dead guy could appear as a ghost. Oh, wait—do ghosts age?

^Haven't seen The Irishman, yet?

wasn’t Melanie Mayron rumored to be a DL’er back in the day?

I want to know if grandma Melissa is still banging the hot painter in 2020.

And was the gay ad guy actually HIV positive or was he just scared after unprotected sex? I don't remember.

And while this show was new, ABC brought back [italic]Mission: Impossible[/italic] even after having passed on the reboot on [italic]What's Happening!![/italic], which was still on in syndication.

Elliott was one of the.most repulsive characters ever on TV. I couldn't watch his scenes.

Elliott was a frustrated horndog who thought he was entitled to more bedroom action.

Heterosexual men are jerks. I'm tired of watching them on TV.

So, really, Elliott was everyman.

Of all the children Ethan was the one who had real storylines.

His angst about his parents divorce was shown through that fantasy world Nancy later turned into a children's book.

As for This is Us it wouldn't exist without thirtysomething its creators proudly talk about the influence the show had on them.

As for tokenism it was criticized back then by the perpetually-oppressed-black of its day for being too WASPy which is ridiculous. A show should be allowed to portrayal whatever the writers want. I always laugh at the token blacks in predominantly white settings because I know in real life not a single POC would exist on that reality it looks fake and forced at least Herskovitz and Zwick didn't pretend they were woke and they were really the wokest in Television back then.

A black family moved into the cul-de-sac on [italic]Knots Landing[/italic] the same year this show premiered, R72.

Nancy's (Patricia Wettig) cancer was ovarian , right? Is it at all realistic that she would survive that and be alive almost 30 years later? And is Patty Heaton still her oncologist?

[quote]As for tokenism it was criticized back then by the perpetually-oppressed-black of its day for being too WASPy which is ridiculous.

Indeed. It was infinitely more Jewy than WASPy.

[italic]The Middle[/italic] is off the air so she can come back to it at any time if they ask.

Funny, I found Patricia Heaton quite likeable as an actress on the show. Then her incessant whining about being disliked for her politics turned me off her.

[quote]As for tokenism it was criticized back then by the perpetually-oppressed-black of its day for being too WASPy which is ridiculous.

Half the cast were Jewish.

They had black characters and even gay characters (portrayed in a favourable way for the time and Aids hysteria). One of the executives at the ad agency was black and an acquaintance/friend of Michael and Elliot.

No internet then so no spoilers and I was shocked when they killed off Gary.

The producers contemplated giving Gary a black girlfriend before deciding upon Suzanna for all the others to hate, though they gave her a black assistant played by the great Lynne Thigpen. There were black characters in the later seasons - one of the ad executives and his wife played by Angela Bassett, and some women Hope encountered at the homeless shelter.

Gary's death was a great piece of writing and not bad acting.

[quote]and some women Hope encountered at the homeless shelter.

Yeah, the homeless crackheads were black. Gotta love the 80s!

[quote]No internet then so no spoilers

And that cunt Mimi had yet to add nighttime shows to her rag.

They had planned to kill Nancy off but the reaction to her illness caused a flood of requests from cancer survivors to keep her alive. Since they wanted to have a character die in the show, they chose Gary instead since the actor wanted to leave anyway.

Neighborhoods like the one these characters lived in were lily-white back in the 80s, there was NO diversity. Today, there are Asian and Indian families in those kinds of neighborhoods, but they're still mostly white.

I wasn't even allowed to stay up that late to watch it, R82, but I still knew about it.

Couldn’t stomach it then, won’t watch it now.

There was a black woman who managed the shelter who gave Hope a lot of grief for her volunteering.

They still had more black people than [italic]F(r)iends[/italic] without being goaded into resorting to tokenism.

They could have Emma marrying Ethan or Leo and then bring back Patricia Kalember.

They're calling it thirtysomething(else)

LOL, R18, I remember that heavy-handed PR push, which intensified after her scenery-chewing turn in “Guilty by Suspicion”!

M doesn't chew the scenery. She just swallows it whole.

Fans of the Sally Field Programme will remember that some of the stink of "Thirtysomething" was on that show.

Patricia Wettig played Holly, of course, and Ken Olin was there as an actor and a producer. David Marshall Grant, who played Russell (one of the gay characters) on Thirtysometing, went on to be the showrunner at Brothers & Sisters, too.

Sat across from Mayron when both she and a friend were auditioning for Crocodille Dundee Part 3. Told her how much I loved and identified with her character from the show. She appreciated it.

BTW, it has a kick-ass soundtrack.

[quote] Fans of the Sally Field Programme will remember that some of the stink of "Thirtysomething" was on that show.

That was nothing compared to the stink from the two shitty sitcoms that ABC started their Tuesday night lineup with. The stench from those two stink bombs could take down a fully-grown African elephant! To this day, I want reparations for both of them.

Wanna bet there will be a trans?

R93 - is that the film where de Niro plays a Elia Kazan-type and Patricia plays a Gale Sondergaad-type?

Shirley Knight is still alive. She can come back as Hope's mother.

[quote] Wanna bet there will be a trans?

They're pushing it on [italic]Saved by the Fucking Bell[/italic] now. I knew there was a reason I hated that goddamn fucking show. If they go down this path, I will boycott this and denounce the original series.

Melanie Mayron looked 45 on this show

That hideous red dyed hair did her no favors.

Nico Tortorella will be playing the gender non-binary child of Wetting and Olin, and he will be married to a Trans woman of color. They will have adopted children from China and Africa.

Would have sucked Michael Steadman until he was dry. I'll bet that bitch Hope never gave him the head he deserved.

No one wants to see white people on tv anymore. Not even white people.

I still like white people.

I don't really care for 30-something but I can't wait for the reboot of Once and Again: Once and Again and Again. God, I used to love that TV show so much. Also the last opportunity to watch Mischa Barton not yet drug-addled and commit to scissoring with Rachel Evan Wood.

I hope they get the Tuesday at 10 slot again.

Mel Harris has been married about 8 times. That's a biography I'd like to read.

More Francis Ford Olin from 2018. with Dan Fogelman, creator of "This Is Us."

Rabidly homophobic series, could never be made in this day and age.

This scene from the "rabidly homophobic" series resulted in certain advertisers dropping sponsorship of the show.

The Advocate.com said of this story line in the show-

[quote] (1989-1991) Heralded as one of the best shows ever on television by TV Guide, Thirtysomething depicted not just the lives of heterosexual baby boomers, but also the life of Peter Montefiore (Peter Frechette), a gay artist who contracted HIV from one of his sexual partners. The series entered new prime-time territory when it showed Peter naked and in bed with boyfriend Russell (David Marshall Grant), apparently after the two had sex on a first date. The episode provided a candid look into the lives of gay men without mainstream filters and lost some advertisers because of it.

Herskovitz and Zwick are responsible for pretty much the gay firsts on primetime network TV. They showed the first gay couple in bed in Thirtysomething as R113 pointed out, the first regular openly gay teenager of color in My so-called life and the very first open mouth and tongue kiss of lesbians with Relativity a show with a regular lesbian character played by Lisa Edelstein, not to mention Evan Rachel Wood and Micha Barton's lesbian storyline in Once and Again.

So learn your gay history before calling their shows homophobic.

My Boomer parents and their Boomer friends LOVED thirtysomething back in the day. It was "their show." Even as an adolescent, I thought it was self-indulgent, navel-gazing horseshit.

We didn't notice the self-indulgent, navel-gazing because we were more concerned with other things.

God, watching a tv show just because a "hot guy" was on it. Do people even do that anymore?

[quote] the life of Peter Montefiore (Peter Frechette), a gay artist who contracted HIV from one of his sexual partners

Stereotype #1.

[quote] The series entered new prime-time territory when it showed Peter naked and in bed with boyfriend Russell (David Marshall Grant), apparently after the two had sex on a first date.

Stereotype #2.

Well, showing two healthy gay men reading poetry to each other on their first date during the high of a national health crisis isn't exactly thought provoking or helpful. If you guys remember, Reagan did not even acknowledge Aids and the deaths and suffering of the gay community for several years. The producers of thirtysomething showed two gay men having an active sex life for the first time on screen and acknowledged the impact and fear AIDS had on the gay community. What else could you expect at that time?

But I agree that now is the time to step away from any stereotypes and show gay men as "normal" people, friends, colleagues, neighbors, lovers, couples or parents on screen.

[quote]What else could you expect at that time?

The Clayton and Doug [italic]Golden Girls[/italic] episode overlapped with this show's final season.

[quote] Well, showing two healthy gay men reading poetry to each other on their first date during the high of a national health crisis isn't exactly thought provoking or helpful.

The Hell it isn't. Seeing a gay male couple do something unrelated to the fear of death would have done a great deal of good to a great many young gay men.

It's one thing for [italic]St. Elsewhere[/italic] to do a story about AIDS contracted through unprotected gay sex when they're actually set in a hospital. Their job is literally to treat with the sick and the dying. Showing a gay couple not be sick and dying would be a step in the right direction, Miss Price.

^Sorry, I disagree. I thought it was handled well and necessary.

Sorry, I disagree with your disagreement and submit that only an Uncle Tom could possibly not be offended by that.

And of course, both of the gay men are white and neither of them are Jewish.

Oh, for Christ's sake... it was the early 90s. All anybody thought was that gay men and fear of death went hand in hand - including most gay men. We lived with fear of this disease that no one understood and that killed you. That we could see two normal men (and I don't recall nor can I find any reference to Montefiore being positive) after having sex was somewhere between the Magna Carta and I have A Dream. It was a terrific, thoughtful and brave episode in that time and place.

R123 Who cares what you think? You can't even have a discussion without using petty nicknames. Says a lot about you. These scenes obviously freaked out conservative advertisers and opened the door for future gay storylines on other shows.

Advertiser-supported TV was the problem in the first place.

R125's definition of "normal" is "conforming to oppressive stereotypes of men."

Gay TV characters exist only to either reinforce oppressive stereotypes of gays or to reinforce equally oppressive stereotypes of men. Saying gay men are only desirable if they perform masculinity is homophobic and sexist.

[quote]All anybody thought was that gay men and fear of death went hand in hand - including most gay men.

Tell that to Danny fucking Pintauro, who singlehandedly proved that all that changed nothing.

If you guys read the post, you would know it's about the kids of the original characters who are now 30 somethings. A show featuring Millennials and maybe guest spots by parents - who don't speak millennial and someone in the new cast will get to say "Ok Boomer"

I can only remember one line from the show ( I didn't watch it consistently.)

The show took place in the early days of internet access, and there wasn't even a Google yet. Hope (Micheal's wife) was complaining that the Internet seemed to be filled with tons of porn, so a guy explained to her, "If they removed all the porn from the Internet, there would only be one website left. And it would be called "Bring Back the Porn."

[quote][R125]'s definition of "normal" is "conforming to oppressive stereotypes of men."

R125's definition of normal reflects two men who defied the stereotypes in the late 80s/early 90s.

You're a fool.

R125 - the Peter Montefiore character admitted to being diagnosed with HIV in the later episode "Closing the Circle" and that made him decide to leave the ad agency.

Will Melissa Gilbert Busfield be making a guest star appearance?

R115, your Boomer parents and their Boomer friends probably spent time during commercial breaks and after the show discussing their spoiled, entitled offspring.

They spent their time creating their spoiled, entitled offspring who grew up to embrace OK Boomer.

No r135 they were much too self-involved to care.

They were doing their job! You had enough coddling! I hope they sat around drinking Chardonnay and eating brie in between pot breaks on the deck.

Nobody was coddled, believe me lol!

"thirtysomething" premiered at the beginning of my senior year of high school, with a lot of hype in the weeks before. I watched about ten minutes of the first episode and hated it. Turned it off and forgot about it. Nearly two years later, I found myself with nothing to watch during summer rerun season (primitive times) and tuned in to an episode from the middle of the second season (Ellyn questioning her relationship with Woodman). Somehow I was hooked almost immediately. Was devoted to the show for its last two seasons, and crushed by its abrupt, unceremonious, premature end. We can't judge "thirtysomething" by today's standards--but it was actually quite prescient on a number of issues, such as the environment, cancel culture, changing family dynamics, and technology's alienating potential. Several of the actors were top-notch, and most of the others were quite good; the writing and direction were strong and creative; and it had a verisimilitude in the dialogue, set design, and character development that I've never seen before or since, certainly on network television.

Oh, and Ken Olin as Michael was HAF--sweet, protective, alternately insecure and confident, perhaps a tad too introspective at times but just the right amount of hairy....

Thirtysomething was more groundbreaking than most her understand. From its fragmented storytelling paying tribute to Kurosawa and Bergman (episodes from multiple points of views, dream sequences, etc they even had an entire episode backwards) to set design and blocking, this show changed TV language forever. It's still studied in Film school for what it did.

I was a baby when this show came up but I had to study it in film school, that's how important it is. What some of you don't get it is that they were doing in the late 80s and early 90s on network tv what premium cable would only dare to try 15 years later with the so-called golden age of TV.

Dismissing the groundbreaking of everything involving the gay storyline, which wasn't a special episode but almost an entire mouth worth of storyline with the couple with today's standards is stupid. It was groundbreaking in every aspect as someone here already pointed out.

The most controversial thing about the gay episode today would be the two of them smoking. Progress, I guess.

Good insights, R140 and R141. The creators and writers gave a knowing nod to James Joyce's 'The Dead' in the post funeral scene after Gary's death. And there was a 'Stop At Willoughby' episode that was a direct descendant of The Twilight Zone. Many of the cast became directors of several episodes. While M*A*S*H* had explored the dramedy format, thirtysomething was able to infuse some humor into serious topics.

And agreed: Ken Olin as Michael Steadman was the DILF-yest DILF who ever DILFed.

[quote][R125]'s definition of normal reflects two men who defied the stereotypes in the late 80s/early 90s.

The same stereotypes [italic]sWill & disGrace[/italic] doubled down on at the end of the 1990s and since then.

Here's an interesting oral history of the seminal gay episode and how ABC reacted to it.

I'm sharing the link at the exact time they talk about it. In case it doesn't load, it starts at 38:56.

The irony in all of this is that back in 1989 when the episode aired, it was written by a gay writer and the two actors were also gay. Talk about being ahead of its time. I bet most SJW don't even know about it.

Here's the full episode in case people want to have a lesson in gay history. The gay scene starts at 20:22.

[quote]I bet most SJW don't even know about it.

Oh honey, gay white males? No thanks.

Chris Wood cast as Leo.

No Melanie Mayron? Too bad.

Will they have the original theme song? Loved that.

R143 The episode that’s an hommage to Joyce’s The Dead is Happy New Year (Gary is still alive).

I stand corrected, thank you R151

I wonder how long it will be before Chris cheats on Melissa with another co-star 🤔

I wholeheartedly agree with R141. "thirtysomething" was and remains one of the best drama series of all time. I very much look forward to the update, especially given the involvement of the original creators.

Check out the episode in R146, at the 0:35 min mark. A dream sequence with Melissa fighting herself in the ring. It could have been done so that without context, you know it's a dream or spoof but it's done straight. I guess I'm going to rewatch thirtysomething.

Will there be a gay couple on the reboot?

^ Leo looks like a bit of a fuck up... he could be a badly behaved gay too but no basis for thinking they'd go there. I can't believe there won't be a gay couple. There's enough kids scattered about... the Steadmans had two, Eliot and Nancy had two, Gary had one.

Let me guess - there’s no gay couple, but a trans character instead?

The show seemed dated and boring back then, so if they can’t even have a gay male couple in 2020, I definitely have no desire to see this shit.

r157 Can you imagine what a priss Susanna would be if her son was gay?

One of the kids will probably be bisexual at the very least. Making them all straight would just be ridiculous.

R157 - particularly as she gave birth to a girl - Emma.

R159, Suzanna and the late Gary had a little girl. But I guess they could be trans. I'm sure something gay will show up somewhere. The creators also did 'My So Called Life" and "Once And Again", which both featured gay teens.

[quote]baby boomers and their richly-rewarded and perpetually-enabled malignant narcissism

Now THAT'S a mouthful.

Never saw the first series so I won't be watching this one.

If there's a child trans, I'm not watching. The struggle of gay people has barely been told. Unless the trans is like the nosy neighbour and hilarity ensues.

[quote] No Melanie Mayron? Too bad.

Isn't Melanie openly lesbian? I think so. Why isn't she attached? I loved Melissa. Winnie Holzman once said that Angela from My so-called Life was meant to be a younger version of Melissa.

[quote] One of the kids will probably be bisexual at the very least. Making them all straight would just be ridiculous.

It's a given this show will have a gay or lesbian character, possibly both. All shows from Herskovitz and Zwick had at least one of them as main characters in a time it was actually daring to have one. Let's hope they won't go the trans or non binary bullshit route, that would ruin for me.

Another good thing about them is that they write ensemble pieces so all characters end up having as much importance as any other.

I think of all the characters, Elliot is the most prone to not accept a gay son. Can you imagine if Ethan is bi or gay? I'd love to see this dynamic. Assuming Nancy and Elliot are on speaking terms.

Even if all of the original cast isn’t attached (like Melanie M. for example) I hope they’ll at least all make appearances.

The original was the Whining Yuppie show. The remake will have to be the Triggered Millennial show.

[quote]The original was the Whining Yuppie show. The remake will have to be the Triggered Millennial show.

We should have "The Gen X Show" An hour of Gen Xers yelling "you're both cunts!" at Boomers and Millennials.

Yes, Mayron is openly gay. Was she really a DLer?

I'd rather they revived Once & Again.

It's a far superior show when re-viewed.

Marin wants it too.

(but please don't bring back her BF)

[quote] If there's a child trans, I'm not watching. The struggle of gay people has barely been told. Unless the trans is like the nosy neighbour and hilarity ensues.

I've had enough of the adult ones as it is. [italic]Saved by the Bell[/italic] would suck with or without this insidious ex-gay propaganda, but I draw the line on pushing it on a quality adult-centric drama.

Well, that's too bad R171, because we're [italic]having[/italic] Thirtysomething.

It can't start soon enough. I was still a kid when it first aired and for someone from a working class family the transition from a struggling self employed adman to a very successful businessman was fascinating. Even though they were all privileged and some even had Ivy League educations, I still loved the struggles of building a career, family, buying a house, sickness, insurance and marriage troubles.

What do you guys think happened to Michael, Elliot and Hope over the years? I think Michael first supported Hope with her new job, but eventually was offered a position in an even bigger ad agency. Nancy and Elliot eventually divorced and Elliot became a struggling director while Nancy became a successful writer, artist or designer. Ellen? Probably the same boring job with more money or she decided to run for office in Philadelphia. Melissa? No idea. But I doubt she became a famous photographer.

I want nothing but gay characters on this version. I’m sick of pandering to our oppressors by being expected to validate their existence at every fucking turn.

There's no doubt that Hope and Michael would have been divorced.

Mayron was the best thing in it....and Draper.

^Draper?

Draper, Polly >

^Haha, totally forgot about her. Thanks.

I used to watch reruns (they were on Bravo or A&E or something) as a teenager in the 1990s because I fell in love with Ken Olin after he played a cop in a great short-lived show called EZ Streets. Thirtysomething was horribly dated then and it had only been off the air for a few years at that point.

Olin showed impressive range in the two shows though.

Also, there are a lot of really great network TV series from the 1990s that were short-lived like EZ Streets that I would love to see revivals of.

I'd rather see how the original are living as retirees.

Need more older folks drama. Why not enjoy life at that age? Are you going to commit suicide at age 60? Come on.

[quote] I'd rather see how the original are living as retirees. Need more older folks drama. Why not enjoy life at that age? Are you going to commit suicide at age 60? Come on.

As pointed out, their shows are ensemble pieces, so although they're focusing on the kids, the parents will have just as much exposure. It happened to all their previous shows.

Who are they missing? I know they killed off hottie Peter Horton. What about Melanie Mayron?

What’s next, an [italic]LA Law[/italic] reboot?

Too bad Ken Olin has changed so dramatically over time. Fuck, was he ever handsome. I wanted to milk his cock and balls for every last pearly drop of his very soul back in the day.

Hopefully, he'll work out and thin down in prep for this show.

[quote]What’s next, an LA Law reboot?

Great idea! Let's have a show about 75 year-old lawyers in LA!

[quote]Hopefully, he'll work out and thin down in prep for this show.

You want the young gay look for him, right?

He'd look GREAT!..even though he's 65, he'd better fuckin' hit the gym and get on the gay diets.

And when he approaches 80, who knows...democratic candidate for President Of The USA!

Olin isn’t going to change. I’d just be happy if he shaved of his scraggly beard.

Ellen was annoying. Melissa was wonderful. The cancer arc (except for the new age episode) was probably the most realistic thing ever put on tv on the subject (I worked with cancer patients at the time). Wettig was underrated as an actress. Busfield was annoying. Olin was eye candy. Susanna was probably the most unlikable character ever on tv. The story design, lighting, etc. were one of the few times that a show was really contemporary. The show was a real mixed bag.

Susannah really was a cunt.

I hated Ellyn with a y, but she was reminiscent of a lot of single women at the time. Her relationship with Hope was really one-sided and masochistic (and in retrospect, Hope was really the worst of them all, except maybe Elliot, but at least Elliot knew he was a fuckup, unless Perfect Hope).

The straight, Jewish creators really did portray Hope as an absolute horror of a Waspy shiksa Always so dissatisfied. Probably pretty accurate.

I actually liked Susannah a lot because she was focused, driven, and soft under the prickly exterior. She held a mirror up to the others (especially Gary) that showed them how immature, irresponsible, annoying and selfish they were.

Melissa was my favorite. Ellyn was devious and dreadful, someone I'd never want to know.

Nancy's self-actualization arc was satisfying, until the cancer arc (which was amazing). Hope = fucking boring. Their divorce was imminent.

The hot Chris Wood has signed on to play Michael and Hope's son.

R187- He was kind of a YUPPIE DICK on the show.

Ethan has just been cast.

[quote] Patrick Fugit (Outcast) is set as a lead opposite Odette Annable and Chris Wood in the ABC pilot thirtysomething(else), a sequel to Marshall Herskovitz and Ed Zwick’s beloved 1987-91 drama series, playing grown-up Ethan Weston.

Your Complete Guide to Pilots and Straight-to-Series orders

SEE ALL Written by Herskovitz and Zwick and to be directed by Zwick, thirtysomething(else) will follow an ensemble of new faces playing the grown-up children of the original cast, the new generation of thirtysomethings. They are being joined by returning original cast members Ken Olin (Michael Steadman), Mel Harris (Hope Murdoch), Timothy Busfield (Elliot Weston) and Patty Wettig (Nancy Weston), reprising their characters in supporting roles.

Fugit will play Ethan Weston, the son of Nancy (Wettig) and Elliot (Busfield). He’s a brilliant musician who refuses to compromise his artistic principles in order to succeed. He’s also a recovering drug addict with a lifelong history of depression, and has now had a baby with his current girlfriend, Kat. Ethan is not parent material–nor is Kat–and they often leave the baby with his parents when they go off to play gigs. But he is ferociously determined to stay sober, and takes offense when his mother accuses him of using again. Unfortunately, it’s not clear whether or not he’s telling the truth.

In the original series, Ethan was played by Luke Rossi. In the sequel, Annable and Wood play Hope and Michael’s offspring, Janey and Leo.

Herskovitz and Zwick executive produce for ABC Studios, part of Disney TV Studios, and MGM Television. Filming on the pilot is slated to begin in March in New Jersey.

Fugit, who burst onto the scene as the star of Cameron Crow’s Almost Famous, recently co-starred in Damien Chazelle’s First Man, headlined by Ryan Gosling, which premiered at both the Venice Film Festival and TIFF last year. He also starred in Robert Kirkman’s series Outcast, which aired on Cinemax for two seasons and had a heavily recurring role on USA Network’s Bourne offshoot series Treadstone. He is repped by Gersh and Gail Levin & Andrew Brown of Levin-Brown Management.

Odette Annable will play Janey.

[quote] Janey is the older sister of Leo, played by Chris Wood — who, like Annable, is a veteran of The CW's Supergirl. The grown-up Janey is a passionate, driven person, possessed of what her boyfriend, Brad, calls a very big engine in a small car.

Well, Janey is definitely straight.

You'd think she would have changed her name to Jane.

Ethan will also be straight. sighs

[quote] Fugit will play Ethan Weston, the son of Nancy (Wettig) and Elliot (Busfield). He’s a brilliant musician who refuses to compromise his artistic principles in order to succeed. He’s also a recovering drug addict with a lifelong history of depression, and has now had a baby with his current girlfriend, Kat. Ethan is not parent material–nor is Kat–and they often leave the baby with his parents when they go off to play gigs. But he is ferociously determined to stay sober, and takes offense when his mother accuses him of using again. Unfortunately, it’s not clear whether or not he’s telling the truth.

It looks like we'll have some token gay character who's friends with the main cast. I'm starting to worry. If this show is all straight I won't watch it. If they don't make Leo gay or at least bi, it's gonna be the cowards way out.

What other children we have? Emma and Brittany? I bet they'll go the safe route and make one of them lesbians and forget a gay character. Lesbians are always non threatening.

R194 - I don't think Ellyn was devious at all. She was my fave. I found Melissa too self-deprecating.

Someone posted a whole bunch of THIRTYSOMETHING episodes on youtube I've been watching them.

I wonder if the new thirtysomething will have diverse casting. They really can't get away with all-white casts anymore without it being controversial.

[quote] The straight, Jewish creators really did portray Hope as an absolute horror of a Waspy shiksa Always so dissatisfied. Probably pretty accurate.

That must have been their way of getting back at women who said or did bigoted things to them in the past.

[Quote] He’s a brilliant musician who refuses to compromise his artistic principles in order to succeed. He’s also a recovering drug addict with a lifelong history of depression, and has now had a baby with his current girlfriend, Kat.

Wow, this sounds horrible and something I've already seen a thousand times. Ethan could also be Coyote on Grace and Frankie. A "brilliant" artist with flaws and substance abuse issues is really not very original.

I hate that the parents are only supporting. Why not focus on them instead of the kids like on Grace and Frankie. They're probably trying to copy This is us here with a strong focus on the parents-kids relationships and siblings.

Neither Elliot nor Nancy showed musical talent so Ethan's seems to come out of left field.

Ken Olin then and now

Ken Olin would actually look great for his age with a decent haircut and without that nasty beard.

The beard isn't his problem, it's the gut.

Ken is an ardent Trump hater, so he’s ok in my book.

"The beard isn't his problem, it's the gut."

Looks fine in that photo at r207.

R203 there were lots of Jewish actors in the old show Jews ARE NOT white

So Patty Wetting is back as Nancy? That's not very realistic, is it, that a woman would still be alive thirty years after an ovarian cancer diagnosis? It was ovarian, wasn't it? I mean, I know Nancy went into remission, but ... for thirty years?

^Why not if she had a full hysterectomy?

So, as I've predicted @ R200 they went the safe route of a lesbian. So Brittany is the lesbian character of the new Thirtysomething. Sighs. No gay character, why am I not surprised?

[quote] Thornton's Brittany is smart and passionate, with a quiet but wicked sense of humor. She's in training to become a therapist but could use some therapy herself, as she's been acting out in various transgressive ways despite her inclination to be a peacemaker. She's also involved in an on-and-off relationship with girlfriend Angelica — with whom she recently broke up but can't stop loving.

Well, at least she isn't trans or non binary.

Wettig, not Wetting

[quote]Sighs. No gay character, why am I not surprised?

Lesbians ARE gay.

I know they need gay characters and drama, but all characters and character descriptions so far are boring, uninspired, unoriginal and seriously nothing we haven't seen a million times already. Depression, break-ups, struggling artist....lame. We will probably also get the typical money issues, substance abuse and they all had bad childhoods/conflicts with their parents.

Not sure what I'm expecting, but this doesn't sound risky, edgy or ground-breaking.

[quote] Lesbians ARE gay.

I meant what I said. No gay character and going the safe non threatening lesbian route because making one of the male kids of the main cast gay is too risky. That would've been progressive. Maybe this show will be a dated mess after all

*seventysomething

[quote]I meant what I said. No gay character and going the safe non threatening lesbian route because making one of the male kids of the main cast gay is too risky

HARD *eyeroll*

Be careful, r221, you may drop your mug.

The difference is that Disney didn't own ABC when the original series aired.

R219 - you give gay men a bad name. I'm assuming you're just an attention seeking, unloved douche. I'm a gay man and I love my lesbian sisters.

That's not the point. Heterosexual male movie executives fetishize lesbianism while treating gay men condescendingly when they ever depict us at all. It's one of many reasons I can't watch [italic]F(r)iends[/italic] and don't respect anyone who does.

I meant exactly what I said R224, which is that there isn't a gay (male homosexual) character in the series because they decided to pick a lesbian one instead. They could have picked both. Why make such a big deal out of this straightforward comment? Are you on your period? Never in that statement will you find anything putting down lesbians. You need some therapy and some better reading comprehension skills.

I meant exactly what I said R224, which is that there isn't a gay (male homosexual) character in the series because they decided to pick a lesbian one instead. They could have picked both. Why make such a big deal out of this straightforward comment? Are you on your period? Never in that statement will you find anything putting down lesbians. You need some therapy and some better reading comprehension skills.

[quote]there isn't a gay (male homosexual) character in the series because they decided to pick a lesbian one instead

Who gives a fuck? Not every show calls for a gay male character. Get a life.

Why does every show need full spectrum diversity anyway? Seems like every show these days needs a gay, black/Asian/Latino, trans etc. character plus the obligatory interracial couple and black friend or neighbor. I'm all for diversity, but add these characters if it actually fits the storyline. Why not have another show like Looking and really focus on gay issues instead of just always making them the weird or funny gay sidekicks.

[quote] Who gives a fuck? Not every show calls for a gay male character. Get a life

This is gay forum so we do care about this. So fuck you Frau.

R228 Why are you on a gay forum?

Shelved.

Fuck that's a bummer.

The pilot was never shot, it was supposed to start on March 16th and everything was shut down by March 13th.

That's a shame. Probably would have been shit, but still.

[quote] Still, Thirtysomething(else) not going forward is a shocker given ABC’s passion for the project, whose pilot order was announced with fanfare by the network’s entertainment president Karey Burke — a huge thirtysomething fan — at TCA in January. While the order for the project, from the iconic original series’ creators Marshall Herskovitz and Ed Zwick, was for a pilot, at the time ABC allowed them to open a writers room.

Why can the show then? I hope Netflix Hulu or Amazon picks it up. It would be great to watch this show in a free environment where characters can swear and go through more mature stuff stupid conservative network TV never allows. It was great with all the restrictions, can you imagine with freedom?

Of course ABC dumped 30something for something more "diverse", this is the climate we have now, even top notch talent will be replaced by quota to appease the horde of minority whiners.

Klan at r237

Of course. Anyone who points out the absurdities of Identity politics is either a Russian troll, a klan member or JK Rowling. You people are beyond stupid with your name calling.

Oh please your a bigot and too much of a punk to admit it.

R236 I can see it being on Amazon.

R237 I don't think there is much top notch talent left in Hollywood. They're all just a bunch of talentless whores.

It will get picked up somewhere, an 8-episode pity fuck of a pickup on Amazon or something.

The casting of the kids seems boring, though. And I could see why ABC didn't want to pay the salaries of six actors who are old enough to be retirees — not a good investment in a demographic no advertisers want.

It was not at all realistic that Nancy survived her cancer, but R85 is right; I remember reading the press about it at the time.

ABC was deluged with letters from people saying that if Nancy died they would never watch the show again. And cancer survivors thought it would be a terrible message that cancer was not survivable.

Unfortunately with ovarian, in most cases it isn't.

The original show sucked and was boring. Once was enough.