Actress Mel Harris Gives Update on ‘Thirtysomething’ Sequel: ‘We’d All Love to Do It’
In 1987, Thirtysomething, a TV drama about young adults navigating the rough waters of relationships, children and careers, became a hit. The series ran four seasons and won 13 Primetime Emmys. “I didn’t realize the friends I was making were for life,” Mel Harris, who played writer-turned-stay-at-home mom, Hope, tells Closer exclusively. “And I didn’t know how it would change my life!”
Mel, who stars in the new film Queen of Knives, available on Apple TV+ and Prime Video, remains optimistic about the possibility of a Thirtysomething sequel. “We were in preproduction when COVID hit,” she explains about the project that would have reunited her with fellow show alums Ken Olin, Timothy Busfield and Patricia Wettig. “It was, like many, many pilots that year, a victim of COVID.”
So, the sequel was supposed to happen but was canceled?
"The pilot, Thirtysomething(else) was pitched to ABC in 2020 by the original series creators. The new series planned to revisit the same characters, but decades later. The script was done, everyone was cast. But between the network read-through and the network dinner that night, they postponed the show. Amazon owns the original but have given their blessing for the guys to sell it elsewhere. We’d all love to do it and see the story continue!"
Do you keep in touch with your 'Thirtysomething' castmates?
"Yes, we do reunions and get-togethers. When we do see each other, it’s like we never stopped. It’s a really good group. You don’t get that with many shows."
Tell us about your new movie, 'Queen of Knives'.
"This current film is a sequel [to 2020’s King of Knives]. So, we already knew each other as people and friends. We were able to have fun, work hard, cry a lot, laugh a lot. And we made this lovely piece of entertainment."
What do you like about your character?
"She’s got a girlfriend! In the movie, my ex-husband likes to say that I left him for another woman, but it was his behavior that got her out of that marriage. And yet we are still family, still together for family dinners — which look more like family disasters! The script is great."
What was your childhood like?
"I had a very traditional middle-class New Jersey upbringing. My mom was a science teacher, and my dad was a football coach at Princeton."
Did they know you wanted to act?
"Oh, good lord no! No one in my family did anything like that. My sisters are both educators. I was going to be a criminal defense attorney, the female F. Lee Bailey. I went into New York and started modeling to make money to pay for college. And it just changed my life. I started living all over the world. It was an eye-opener."
Where did you get to live?
"London, Paris and Milan. And I worked a lot in Frankfurt. I’d only been on an airplane once before that. All of a sudden, I was all these places I never knew existed."
Did your parents approve?
"My mother was very supportive. I don’t know that my father was as supportive. My mother always said, 'You can do whatever you want as long as you’re willing to work hard.'”
Do you remember filming the 'Thirtysomething' pilot?
"I remember so much. It was such a wonderful experience. I can look back and reflect on the whole experience. There were all these things we grew to know about each other, like, Polly Draper can really cry on cue! None of us could have predicted how incredibly popular the show would become."
Do you have a favorite episode?
"I always thought the Christmas episode, where they highlight the religious differences between the characters, was wonderful. I found it incredibly beautiful. I also directed an episode called 'Out the Door,' which I call the Elliot and Michael divorce show, because their business was breaking up. It was fun to direct and work with those guys."
Where is home for you?
"I live in Hudson, New York. I love it. I love that it’s two hours on the train to New York City. It’s endearing, with beautiful birds and bears and areas for me to walk and my dogs to roam."
Do you have any hobbies?
"My full-time hobby is buying houses — some old, some new — and redesigning them. I have a project right now that’s a farm in upstate New York. I took a tiny little house and made it bigger. We are working on rolling out a website for it and doing social media. One of my favorite things to do is designing kitchens and bathrooms. I think it appeals to my logic. This is my 13th or 14th project over the years."
You’ve been married six times. What has it taught you about marriage?
"I think any intimate relationship — whether it’s marriage, parent-child, siblings — I think they’re incredibly challenging and incredibly rewarding. And it is difficult. If something’s not working, and you try but it’s not working out, then it’s probably mutually beneficial for the parties to move on. It’s a hard decision."
Are any of your children involved in the entertainment industry?
"Byron is a comic. Molly is an oncology nurse. Lucy is a Pilates and yoga instructor, and my youngest, Madeline, is currently working with a group who do meals for disadvantaged communities. All four of them are incredible — two are my stepchildren, two are my birth children."
Are there any words you live by?
"My life’s motto is to enjoy yourself while you can. I recently lost a brother. And I lost a really good friend who got hit by a taxi in San Francisco a few years ago. You never know. It doesn’t mean you can’t have bad days, but try to enjoy the days that you do have. Love what you do."
