Retro TV: thirtysomething

I remember when thirtysomething set the screens alight in the late 80s and it was all everyone was talking about. I was in my (cough) late teens at the time and their lives did seem a distance from mine and quite suburban. Due to my part time job at good ole Marks & Spencer I was unable to catch the show and only began watching bits of the last series. However my best mate at the time was a real fan and kept me updated on what was going on. thirtysomething was the sort of groundbrealong show that made it's mark and stood out amongst other shows in its era. Think of  I Love Lucy in the 50s, The Avengers in the 60s, The Odd Couple in the 70s, LA Law in the 80s, ER in the 90s and Mad Men in the noughties. Well thirtysomething was right up there in the mix.

The show was set in Philadelphia and was about a group of baby boomers (advertising phrase for people born in the 50s and 60s) who were in their late 30s and settling down to marriage, babies, careers and mortgages. Like the name the show really encompassed the fears that the characters faced while leaving the carefree years of their 20s behind and moving into a new era of responsibility and commitment. The characters comprised of Micheal and Hope Steedman played by Ken Olin and Mel Smith who had just welcomed the birth of their daughter. Michael owned his own advertising business and Hope was a writer who was now a stay at home mum. Elliot and Nancy Weston were played by Timothy Busfield and Patricia Wettig. Elliot was Michael's business partner and Nancy was a former artist who had given up her career to raise their two kids. Gary Shepherd played by Peter Horton was Michael"s best friend and free spirited lecturer who embarked on a relationship with Melissa played by Melanie Mayron, an angst ridden photographer. Ellyn Warren played by Polly Draper was Hope's best friend who was career driven and relationship hapless. The show dealt with issues such as infidelity, cancer, death, marriage and break ups.

Like LA Law the show really was a representation of yuppie culture in the 80s but while the successful law show had a conservative, Reagan(esq) feel to it, thirtysomething really tapped into the Liberalism movement of that time. It also dealt with the changing expectations from men and women and the birth of second-wave feminism. thirtysomething broke many barriers; it was the first show to introduce an hour long drama based on the personal and professional lives of a group of friends. The show has been extremely influential on other programmes such as Friends, Cold Feet and Brothers and Sisters. It was created by Edward Zwick who directed films such as About Last Night, Blood Diamond and Love and Other Drugs. Also noticeable was the fashion which was very laid back preppy style with the characters seen in high waisted jeans, shoulder pads, braces, over sized shirts and sweaters topped with loafers. The hair was all about volume with bobs and flicks. Anyway I am glad it is back on the small screen so I can finally catch up with it.

thirtysomething airs on Sky Atlantic during weekdays at 10.00am and 3.00pm.

Quarterlife

Imagine a TV show that has an all female house share with a male house share across the corridor. They all get on famously, they hang out together, fall out and hell some even date each other. Sounds like Friends right? No it is an internet show called Quarterlife that revolves around the lives of a group of twenty something creatives. The show is a coming of age series that tackles all the issues that you face at that age as well as making choices that will effect the rest of your life. The main protagonist is Dylan, played by Bitsie Tulloch, a frustrated writer who has landed a job on a woman's title. Dylan fuels her passion for writing by blogging (writing and filming) about the perils of her life as well as as her friends. Her best mate and confident is Debra, played by Michelle Lombardo - a dynamic lass who makes time for everyone except herself. She is in a long term relationship with Danny, played by David Walton and wants to cement their courtship by setting up home with him but unfortunately Danny has other ideas. Then there is Lisa, played by Maїté Schwartz who has everything going for her; looks, talent, personality but also extreme low self esteem that manifests itself in self destruction. Jed, played by Scott Michael Foster is best chum, house mate and business partner to Danny and neighbours to Dylan and co. Oh and he is also in love with Debra.

Taking the lead from Katemodern and Lonelygirl15, Quarterlife is presented in the form of 20 minute lifestyle webisodes that are easily accessible. The show is created by Marshall Herskovitz and Edward Zwick, who brought us Thirtysomething and Once and Again, and producers of My So-Called Life. The pilot episode was aired online in November 2007 and climaxed in March 2008. Aside from a brief stint on NBC the show has been aired strictly online on the Quarterlife website as well as on its MySpace page. The Quarterlife website as acts as a social networking space for creatives but I don't think they pull it off as the site has too many things going on at once. Saying that the series is very enjoyable and extremely compelling. It takes a while to get into it but after the the third webisode I was totally engrossed and I was very disappointed when it ended. Do yourself a favour and check it out. In the UK we had a wonderful show called This Life well this is the US version.