MEL HARRIS : Don't Wait UNTIL TOMORROW

The Thirtysomething alum shares favorite memories, life lessons and more

- Susan Hornik

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," says Mel Harris, who played writerturned-stay-at-home mom, Hope. "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 readthrough 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?