DVD
thirtysomething
(Not rated)
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Some people called it That Show About Yuppies Who Whine.
But for many loyal viewers, “thirtysomething” felt like a burst of refreshing honesty on network TV, a show that dared to highlight the difficulties of balancing marriage, career, parenthood and friendships; in other words, the stuff of life.
But here’s the funny thing about watching “thirtysomething: The Complete First Season,” released this week on DVD: What seemed groundbreaking about this drama back in 1987 — the sexual candor! the heated arguments between spouses! — plays now like pretty standard, albeit still compelling, TV.
That’s a testament to the thirtysomething’s place in American culture. Glimmers of the show’s almost cinematic approach to capturing upper-middle-class angst can be seen in many influential series that followed it, from “Sex and the City” to “Mad Men.” Even the lowercase title thing seems prophetic: Isn’t that the way people type and text and tweet?
As for the charge about the characters being too whiny, well … yes, they do have a tendency to sweat the small stuff. But even those dips into self-absorption seem a little ahead of their time. These days, everybody complains “thirtysomething”-style about how hard life is, only now they do it online.
The creators and cast members — many of whom participate in the DVD’s robust extras that include a 40-page booklet assessing the show’s impact — had a sense of humor about the criticisms lobbed at their show. During one of the collection’s several featurettes, we learn that cast members (and real-life spouses) Ken Olin and Patricia Wettig had T-shirts made for their fellow actors that said, “Skinny White People From Hell.”
Those fun little anecdotes are what will make fans extra happy to finally get their hands on this DVD.
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