The beloved 1987 drama series, thirtysomething, is a step closer to getting a sequel at its original home. ABC has announced that they have ordered a pilot for a sequel series from creators Marshall Herksovitz & Ed Zwick.
ABC entertainment president Karey Burke, who happens to be a huge thirtysomething fan, confirmed that ABC has closed a deal for a new installment of the iconic series from Herskovitz and Zwick with four members of the original cast set to return. The list includes Ken Olin (Michael Steadman), Mel Harris (Hope Murdoch), Timothy Busfield (Elliot Weston) and Patty Wettig (Nancy Weston), reprising their roles. They will be joined by an ensemble of new faces playing the grown-up, 30-something children of the original main characters.
ABC seems to be all in on the project. Even though it’s just a pilot order at this point, the network has committed to Herskovitz and Zwick opening a writers room and is gearing up for a series. Burke had this to say about the potential sequel series:
“The show became so deeply embedded in pop culture. Ed [Zwick] and Marshall [Herskowitz] have been approached many times over the years and have always declined (to do a sequel). Three decades later, the young cast have now become thirtysomethings themselves. Today’s thirtysomethings are yesterday’s millennials, they are the first generation raised with the Internet, all of which provides a stark contrast [to the original].”
The original thirtysomething was a pop culture phenomenon, similar to what we have seen with This Is Us the last few years. The series captured the angst of the baby boomer generation and its struggles with real-life issues such as career, relationships, marriage, having kids and parenting. It centered around Michael Steadman (Ken Olin), his stay-at-home wife Hope Murdoch (Mel Harris) and their baby Janie. Melanie Mayron, Timothy Busfield, Patricia Wettig, Peter Horton and Polly Draper also starred in the series, which won 13 Primetime Emmy Awards, out of 41 nominations, and two Golden Globe Awards over the course of its four-season run.
