thirtysomething again

For the last couple of weeks I've been hooked on watching the first season of thirtysomething on DVD. I was a big fan when the series was on TV from 1987-1991. The characters were the same age as me at the time and I related to each in their distinct and flawed ways.

Watching this show again is like reconnecting with old friends you haven't seen in a long time. And they haven't aged a bit! What fun to see their clothes and hairstyles - not a caricature of the 80s, but the real thing. Watching this show sometimes makes me sentimental for that "simpler" time.

Not all the episodes hold up so well, but most of them do. I'll admit it took a while for this series to hit it's stride. But it was like nothing else on TV at the time. Creative and high-minded, it was more like something you'd see on HBO or Showtime now.

It was accused of being whiny, but I never saw it that way. Okay, maybe the Nancy character - she can get on my nerves. And Michael was aways a little too serious. But otherwise I thought it hit just the right blend of drama and comedy. It always seemed true.