LITTLE ROCK — What is it? thirtysomething Season 1, 21 episodes on six discs from Shout! Factory.
When is it out? Tuesday.
How much? $59.99.
What's it about? This cultural milestone series from the late 1980s tells the story of a tangled group of baby boomers adjusting to adult issues like careers, children and marriage - or the lack thereof.
At the center of the group are advertising man Michael (Ken Olin) and stay-at-home mother Hope (Mel Harris). Michael's business partner Elliot's (Timothy Busfield) marriage to Nancy (Patricia Wettig) is on the rocks.
Michael's cousin, photographer Melissa (Melanie Mayron), can't seem to catch a break when it comes to her love life and her ex, Gary (Peter Horton), still hasn't hit maturity. Meanwhile, Hope's best friend, career-focused Ellyn (Polly Draper), isn't sure she likes the way Hope'srole as a new mother is affecting their relationship.
They're not always likable people, but they're pretty realistic. The hair, fashion and cultural references may be rooted firmly in 1987-88, but the characters and their troubles are still relatable.
There is navel-gazing. There is whining. There is crying. There's also comedy. And fantasy sequences.
I've been waiting forever! What took so long? The stumbling blocks for this DVD release were primarilythe complications in clearing the music rights for the show's soundtrack and in finding usable copies of the episodes. I didn't watch the show the first time around so I don't know, but reports say that the episodes all have the original music. And the picture looks great.
As for extras, there's a pretty impressive roster of features here, loaded with new cast and creative team interviews offering insights into the making of the innovative series:
A Conversation Between MarshallHerskovitz and Edward Zwick features the show's creators discussing the series.
From thirtysomething to Forever is an indepth look at the early days of the show and a few later story lines.
Each character is examined indepth in either The Couples or The Singles.
The Writers and The Directors features also look at the work and cre-ativity that went into the series.
The Cultural Impact piece is exactly what it sounds like.
There are nine episode commentaries.
Also, in a nice concession to first-time fans, any feature that includes reflections on events beyond those in Season 1 has a warning at the beginning.
The set also comes with a booklet containing an introduction and two lengthy essays onthe show's history and impact as well as an episode guide and cast list.
Also debuting this week: House, M.D., Season 5; NCIS, Season 6; Smallville, Season 8; One Tree Hill, Season 6; Scrubs, Season 8; Californication, Season 2; Life, Season 2; Here's Lucy, Season 1; Lie to Me, Season 1; Samantha Who?, Season 2.
Coming soon: Supernatural, Season 4; Heroes, Season 3; Desperate Housewives, Season 5; Brothers and Sisters, Season 3; Two and a Half Men, Season 6; C.S.I., Season 9; Rescue Me, Season 5, Volume 1.
Style, Pages 47, 48 on 08/23/2009