Thirtysomething sequel in the works

Marshall Herskovitz and Ed Zwick, the men behind the show’s original four series run, have reportedly reunited to pitch a sequel to the series to major US networks.

The new series, which will be directed by Zwick, will follow the children of the original Thirtysomething cast, who, funnily enough, will now all be in their thirties themselves, according to US industry insiders Deadline.

The original Thirtysomething focused on a group of close-knit friends living in Philadelphia, and examined relationships, heartbreak, parenthood and adult life in general in the eighties.

While the show was considered an ensemble, it centred around Michael Steadman (Ken Olin) and Hope Murdoch (Mel Harris), with their baby Janie.

It was seen as genuinely groundbreaking for its time thanks to its attempts to replicate real life drama, and paved the way for greater representation on TV after it became the first primetime series to show two gay men in bed together.

The hope appears to be that the original cast will want to reprise their roles, although the project is still thought to be in its early stages.

Zwick and Herskovitz discussed why Thirtysomething became so popular during a reunion of the show at the 2018 ATX Festival – saying their focus on the smaller struggles of everyday people made the show more relatable.

“You have to keep out the giant dramas or they would drown out these [smaller] stories,” said Herskovitz.