The quest continues to reboot thirtysomething for the small screen.
Original series star Peter Horton, who played Gary Shepherd in the drama that aired from 1987 to 1991 on ABC, gave his followers an update Wednesday on where the project stands. He first engaged fans about the possibility last August by asking them to “try blasting” Amazon Studios and MGM Studios about doing the reboot.
“The bad news,” he wrote on X Wednesday, “Amazon has decided not to program our reboot. Good news: they gave us permission to take it out wide! Take it anywhere without encumbrance. This is big! So keep it up. Stay tuned for progress reports! Keep up the pressure!!!”
Series star Mel Harris (Hope Steadman) responded by encouraging fans to keep tweeting with the whereisthirtysomething hashtag.
The idea of a thirtysomething reboot first surfaced in 2019, when creators Marshall Herskovitz and Ed Zwick’s began pitching a new incarnation of the show. ABC not only gave it a pilot order the following year but revealed that four of the original cast members were game to recur — Ken Olin (Michael Steadman), Mel Harris (Hope Murdoch), Timothy Busfield (Elliot Weston) and Patty Wettig (Nancy Weston). They would be joined by an ensemble of new faces playing the grown-up, 30-something children of the original main characters.
The promising project was shelved, however, during the pandemic. Now it’s Horton’s mission to keep the dream alive.
“Help us get first thirtysomething streamable and thirtysomething reboot off the ground,” he tweeted in August. “We’re already so close! But we need your help.”