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.
| Season | From | To | Episodes |
|---|---|---|---|
| All Seasons | |||
| Specials | July 2001 | 6 | |
| Season 1 | September 1987 | May 1988 | 21 |
| Season 2 | December 1988 | May 1989 | 17 |
| Season 3 | September 1989 | May 1990 | 24 |
| Season 4 | September 1990 | May 1991 | 23 |
| Unassigned Episodes | 0 |
| Season | From | To | Episodes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Unassigned Episodes | 91 |
| Season | From | To | Episodes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Season 1 | 0 | ||
| Unassigned Episodes | 91 |
| Name | Number of Episodes | Dates | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Joseph Dougherty | 24 | 01/19/1988 - 05/28/1991 | |
| Richard Kramer | 20 | 11/03/1987 - 05/28/1991 | |
| Ann Lewis Hamilton | 17 | 02/02/1988 - 05/28/1991 | |
| Marshall Herskovitz | 14 | 09/29/1987 - 05/28/1991 | |
| Edward Zwick | 11 | 09/29/1987 - 05/28/1991 | |
| Scott Winant | 9 | 02/02/1988 - 05/28/1991 | |
| Ken Olin | 7 | 01/10/1989 - 02/12/1991 | |
| Peter Horton | 7 | 01/26/1988 - 01/23/1990 | |
| Ron Lagomarsino | 7 | 03/22/1988 - 01/16/1990 | |
| Ellen S. Pressman | 4 | 02/06/1990 - 05/21/1991 | |
| Timothy Busfield | 4 | 02/20/1990 - 05/14/1991 | |
| Dan Lerner | 3 | 01/05/1988 - 02/28/1989 | |
| Claudia Weill | 3 | 12/01/1987 - 01/17/1989 | |
| Melanie Mayron | 3 | 05/01/1990 - 10/16/1990 | |
| Jerry Stahl | 2 | 05/10/1988 - 01/17/1989 | |
| Tom Moore | 2 | 11/03/1987 - 04/04/1989 | |
| Victor DuBois | 2 | 04/03/1990 - 12/18/1990 | |
| Susan Miller | 2 | 11/17/1987 | |
| Rob Cohen | 2 | 01/19/1988 - 01/09/1990 | |
| Ramsey Fadiman | 2 | 02/13/1990 | |
| Peter O'Fallon | 2 | 11/07/1989 - 02/13/1990 | |
| Mel Harris | 2 | 04/30/1991 | |
| Gary Sinise | 2 | 02/14/1989 - 12/05/1989 | |
| John Pasquin | 2 | 10/13/1987 - 12/08/1987 | |
| Martin Nicholson | 1 | 02/05/1991 | |
| Ken Gilbert | 1 | 05/03/1988 | |
| Steve Robman | 1 | 01/03/1989 | |
| Mark Cullingham | 1 | 11/17/1987 | |
| Norman Seeff | 1 | 11/13/1990 | |
| Deborah Reinisch | 1 | 01/22/1991 | |
| Susan Monsky | 1 | 12/15/1987 | |
| Robert Lieberman | 1 | 12/15/1987 | |
| Randall Miller | 1 | 01/08/1991 | |
| Ellen Simon | 1 | 02/06/1990 | |
| Jean Vallely | 1 | 12/01/1987 | |
| Joshua Brand | 1 | 04/11/1989 | |
| Mark Harris | 1 | 05/07/1991 | |
| John Olive | 1 | 05/03/1988 | |
| Kathleen Tolan | 1 | 03/15/1988 | |
| Mary Beth Fielder | 1 | 11/28/1989 |
| Name | Number of Episodes | Dates | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Winnie Holzman | 11 | 02/13/1990 - 05/28/1991 | |
| Susan Shilliday | 10 | 01/12/1988 - 05/28/1991 | |
| Liberty Godshall | 8 | 12/08/1987 - 05/28/1991 | |
| Paul Haggis | 3 | 12/01/1987 - 02/09/1988 | |
| Jill Gordon | 3 | 10/10/1989 - 04/09/1991 | |
| William H. Macy | 1 | 02/05/1991 | |
| Cynthia Saunders | 1 | 03/07/1989 | |
| Paul Monette | 1 | 04/16/1991 | |
| Racelle Rosett Schaefer | 1 | 11/27/1990 | |
| Hugh O'Neill | 1 | 05/01/1990 | |
| Steven Schacter | 1 | 02/05/1991 |
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From time-capsule sitcoms to cutting-edge Peak-TV dramas — the definitive ranking of the game-changing small-screen classics
TV (The Book): Two Experts Pick the Greatest American Shows of All Time is a collection of essays written by television critics Alan Sepinwall and Matt Zoller Seitz. It was published in 2016. The main purpose of the book was to provide a canonical list of the top 100 greatest television programs in American history.
Mike Wallace and a vampire slayer? Letterman and Oprah? Andy Griffith and the Sopranos? On one list? What were we thinking? Simply put, the best of the best, from Day 1 to last night: quality, innovation and the ability to stay in our lives year after year after year. A touch of sentiment? Sure, but nostalgia alone couldn’t make the cut (sorry, Beav). And TV-movies, miniseries and specials will have to wait. These are the series we watched regularly — and will watch again. And again.
From a pioneering variety show from the black-and-white days to two faves on now -- see our No. 1. To see EW's picks of the top 100 all-time greatest TV shows
The “TV 101” list honors classic, trailblazing series and miniseries, as well as current and critically acclaimed programs, from comedies and dramas to variety/talk and children’s programming. At their core, all of these wonderful series began with the words of the writers who created them and were sustained by the writers who joined their staffs or worked on individual episodes. “This list is not only a tribute to great TV, it is a dedication to all writers who devote their hearts and minds to advancing their craft.
We are what we watch-and over the last half century, we've watched some pretty fabulous TV. From Mary to Jerry, from Tonight to Today, from the sublime (Prime Suspect) to the ridiculous (Gilligan's Island), EW recalls everything you need to know about 100 shows that tell us who we are.
What makes a great television show? There may be as many types of excellence as there are excellent shows. Series can wow us with how broadly they changed society, from “Seinfeld” redefining American slang to “Mad Men” bearing all the hallmarks of an early-21st-century TV Golden Age to “The Oprah Winfrey Show” making daytime viewers feel part of a special club of millions. Or they can feel like closely held secrets, always ready to welcome curious viewers for the first time, like “The Leftovers” or “Enlightened.” They can bring together insights about a rapidly shifting society with humor that stands the test of time, like the shows created by Norman Lear, who died this month at age 101. And they can dazzle us with spectacle or entrance us with intimate character moments — or, if they’re “The Sopranos,” they can do both.
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