"thirtysomething"

So, I admit I have never watched the show thirtysomething. When it first aired I was a fifth grader and after just four years of episodes it ended just before I became a freshman in high school. So why would a preteen/tween want to watch a show about a group of baby boomer friends and their daily life and struggles?

The thing is, now that I am approaching my thirty-second birthday (on March 13th) I find that there's not really a television drama to which I can really relate. But from what I've found on the Internet concerning thirtysomething I think I would really like it now that I am a true thirtysomething. One of the main characters was Hope, a writer and stay-at-home mom who struggled between her desire to be home with her children and her need to work. This sounds familiar! I would like to think of myself as something of a writer and while I am absolutely thrilled to be able to be home with my boys I often feel like I should be out contributing more to the workforce. I also like shows that delve into family and personal relationships.

I was a Friends junkie through college and had a standing date with my girlfriend, Steph, to watch it each week when I finished my Thursday night class. I was a dedicated fan until the show ended in 2004. For me, it was heart-breaking to watch it all come to a close. Ross, Rachel, Monica, Chandler, Phoebe and Joey were my friends too. Everyone in their twenties said they could relate to one character the most - mine would have been Monica for her obsessive qualities and love of cooking, not to mention her constant search for Mr. Right. Funny how as the show came to a close Monica and Chandler got married and I found Brian :)

Brian caught on to my obsession pretty early in our relationship. He knew not to call me Thursday evenings between eight o'clock and eight-thirty. He even planned out a Scrabble tournament one weekend I was visiting him in Tahoe with DVD seasons of the show as prizes. It took several games for me to finally win the first four seasons. And since then my collection has grown to include all but season 7 (not quite sure how we ended up missing that one). I can quote more lines than you can imagine and even have the Friends board game (though I'm yet to find a worthy opponent) and the Friends cookbook.

I now watch mostly reality TV shows like The Amazing Race, Survivor, and Hells Kitchen. Brian also got me into American Idol and Mythbusters. I am a fan of almost everything on the Food Network and am a sucker for Grey's Anatomy. But seriously, as much as I love the relationship and medical drama on Grey's, what do I really have in common with Meredith Grey, Izzy Stevens, and Dr. McDreamy other than I lived in the Seattle area for a year? It's a great show for entertainment but lacks in the area of personal connections for me.

With any luck I will find a new group of television comrades as I travel through my thirties. Until then, I'll just relive my twenties with the Friends and watch in amazement as teenagers sing their hearts out on their way to million dollar recording contracts on American Idol.