Thirtysomethingis one of those shows from the ’80s that’s tough to watch today, having aged a lot more poorly than its contemporary TV shows. Whether a show has aged well can be a delicate topic that can ignite online comment sections with talk of “cancel culture”, misreadings, and all sorts of fun things for moderators to comb through.
The truth is that plenty ofTV shows have aged very poorly, even some you might consider recent. That’s not an indictment on the people who like it now, or people who enjoyed it then, or even the show itself. It just means that there’s something about the show that immediately places it in the years it was made.
When you bring up this topic, it can be easy to jump to obvious examples of shows where race or sex-related issues can immediately age a show, revealing an unpleasant or unfair reality about a certain time in pop culture. There are plenty ofother things that can age a show; however, just look atThirtysomething.
Thirtysomething Came Out In The ’80s, And It’s A Product Of Its Time
The Characters In Thirtysomething Complain Too Much About Their Enviable Lives
Thirtysomethingis a true product of its time. You can look at some shows and say, “Wow, that show is definitely from ‘X’ years”, andwhen you seeThirtysomething, you can immediately place it in the ’80s and early ’90s. The series premiered on ABC in 1987 and ran for four seasons until 1991.
The show features an ensemble of baby boomers in their thirties who live in Philadelphia, raising families and pursuing their career dreams and life goals.Thirtysomethingportrays these characters as adjusting to middle ageand coming to terms with the more rebellious era of their youth.
Now they have picket fences, homes, families, and jobs to worry about. The horror. It’s a bit rich that these characters seem to have it all, at least as thirty-somethings in the 2020s would see it, and yet complain about everything. The angst inThirtysomethingmay have been real in the ’80s. Looking back, it’s sort of embarrassing.
Watching Thirtysomething Would Be A Much Stranger Experience Today
Still, The Show Has Charm And Nostalgia Value
WatchingThirtysomethingtoday would be a strange experience indeed.The problems and lifestyles that the people in the show experience would be unrecognizable to a large portion of viewers in their 20s and 30s, possibly watching episodes while sitting in a small studio apartment with rent overdue.
That’s not to say thatThirtysomethingis unwatchable. Just because a show has aged poorly doesn’t necessarily mean it’s bad; it just means you should set your expectations appropriately when going into it. Who knows, maybe you’ll findThirtysomethinga charming, nostalgic, and fantastical depiction of young adulthood.
