The BEST episodes of Thirtysomething season 1
Every episode of Thirtysomething season 1, ranked from best to worst by thousands of votes from fans of the show. The best episodes of Thirtysomething season 1!
When thirtysomething debuted in 1987 it was attacked by some critics as being a self-indulgent examination of the minutiae of yuppie life. Before the first season was over, some of those same critics were covering their tracks by calling it "the most improved show on television." Producers Ed Zwick and Marshall Herskovitz had teamed up before on Family and would go on to create My So-Called Life, Relativity and Once and Again. Often using feature-film techniques, their brand of what could be called "reality" television tackled not only the small subjects, but the big ones too, all the way from life to death, as they followed their characters on the road from the idealism of youth to the search for security and responsibility as they glided toward middle age.
#1 - Whose Forest Is This?
Season 1 - Episode 17 - Aired 3/15/1988
Nancy and Elliot's separation takes its toll on their son; Elliot prepares for a blind date with a chiropractor.
#2 - I'll Be Home for Christmas
Season 1 - Episode 9 - Aired 12/15/1987
Michael and Hope argue about whether their infant's first holiday should be Christmas or Hanukkah. A famous photographer shows interest in Melissa's work.
#3 - Pilot
Season 1 - Episode 1 - Aired 9/29/1987
Hope and Michael Steadman are still adjusting to parenthood while struggling with money problems and best-friend crises. After some intercut scenes of a courtship, wedding and pregnancy, we see married couple Michael and Hope Steadman at breakfast with their 7-month-old daughter Janey and their dog Grendel. At work, Michael tells off an important client over the phone, to the dismay of his good friend and business partner Elliot Weston. Both men realize that their fledgling advertising agency could be in danger of folding. Hope goes to meet her old friend Ellyn at a restaurant, but the occasion is ruined when Janey won't stop crying. Michael comes home to find Gary, his old friend from college, there with Hope. Arriving on the scene next is Michael's cousin Melissa, who is distraught because of a philandering boyfriend. From the conversation, it's revealed that Gary and Melissa have had a past romantic relationship.
#4 - Therapy
Season 1 - Episode 11 - Aired 1/12/1988
Elliot and Nancy seek professional help for their troubled marriage; Michael finds it hard to keep it a secret.
#5 - Accounts Receivable
Season 1 - Episode 16 - Aired 3/1/1988
A rocky relationship between Michael and his brother Brad is further strained when Michael learns the family business is almost bankrupt.
#6 - But Not for Me
Season 1 - Episode 5 - Aired 11/3/1987
Gary and Melissa rekindle their affair; Michael and Hope's first date in months is a disaster.
#7 - We Gather Together
Season 1 - Episode 6 - Aired 11/17/1987
Hope and Michael plan a quiet Thanksgiving but learn friends are counting on being invited.
#8 - Separation
Season 1 - Episode 13 - Aired 1/26/1988
Elliot temporarily moves in with Michael and Hope after separating from Nancy.
#9 - Housewarming
Season 1 - Episode 3 - Aired 10/13/1987
Michael and Hope race to renovate their crumbling mansion for a huge housewarming party.
#10 - The Parents Are Coming, the Parents Are Coming
Season 1 - Episode 2 - Aired 10/6/1987
Hope's anxiety over her parents' impending visit taxes everyone's patience. Hope gets devastating news: Her parents are coming to visit in two days! The Steadmans hope Gary can fix their out-of-order bathroom in that time. Hope grows more and more frantic as the arrival approaches, and the news that Gary won't have the bathroom fixed only adds to her anxiety. Michael and Hope go to pick up Ruth and Ted Murdoch at the airport. On the way home, a palpable tension already is noticeable between Hope and her mother. Despite the parents' protests, Hope and Michael insist they take their master bedroom with its own bath. At night, Michael needs his razor but is afraid to enter in on Ruth and Ted. When they do let him in, Michael perhaps is thinking he's taking a look at Hope and himself thirty years down the line. Hope goes shopping with her mother and buys a dress she really doesn't like, but was afraid to disagree about with her mother.
#11 - Weaning
Season 1 - Episode 8 - Aired 12/8/1987
Sensing baby Janey's decreasing dependency on her, depressed Hope decides to go back to work.
#12 - Born to Be Mild
Season 1 - Episode 21 - Aired 5/10/1988
Ellyn and Woodman's weekend is ruined when they are forced to babysit Janey.
#13 - Undone
Season 1 - Episode 19 - Aired 4/12/1988
Michael's old girlfriend from college pays a visit.
#14 - I'm in Love, I'm in Love, I'm in Love with a Wonderful Gynecologist
Season 1 - Episode 14 - Aired 2/2/1988
Competing for the attention of the same man jeopardizes the new found friendship between Ellyn and Melissa.
#15 - Competition
Season 1 - Episode 12 - Aired 1/19/1988
Michael's jealousy is aroused when an important client make it clear he prefers Elliot. Meanwhile, Hope and Nancy try to come to terms with computers.
#16 - Couples
Season 1 - Episode 4 - Aired 10/27/1987
A night out with friends degenerates as Nancy and Elliot's marital woes become apparent.
#17 - Nice Work If You Can Get It
Season 1 - Episode 7 - Aired 12/1/1987
Before a deadline, Michael and Elliot wrestle with a creativity block; Ellyn develops a crush on an associate.
#18 - Business as Usual
Season 1 - Episode 15 - Aired 2/9/1988
Michael's hopes for a joyous reunion with his father are destroyed when he discovers the real reason for the visit.
#19 - South by Southeast
Season 1 - Episode 10 - Aired 1/5/1988
It's a Hitchcockian nightmare as Gary falls in love; as the romance progresses, he begins receiving a series of threats against his life.
#20 - Nancy's First Date
Season 1 - Episode 18 - Aired 3/22/1988
Melissa's burgeoning romance slows when she learns he doesn't want any more kids. Nancy has her first date since the separation.
#21 - Tenure
Season 1 - Episode 20 - Aired 5/3/1988
Gary evaluates the fate of his academic career as he undergoes tenure review at the college. Ellyn learns her building is going co-op, leaving her to decide whether to buy her apartment.