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thirtysomething

Season 4

23 listed hours · 1987–1991 · ABC

← All seasons · Show package

From the desk

How this season is filed

Filed by Rex Fontaine · Golden Age Dispatch

The founding text of modern relationship prestige TV — for better and for the mockable. Herskovitz and Zwick made yuppie interiority a drama genre: marriages, babies, advertising careers, exquisite overthinking. Character detail over car chases, always. The title escaped the show and haunted marketing forever. Critics said navel-gazing; devotees called it true.

TV Flash files Season 4 of thirtysomething (1987–1991) on ABC as the last listed season of 4 — 23 listed hours, 1990-09-22–1991-05-28 from “Prelude to a Bris” (S04E01) to “California” (S04E23). Titles, dates, and synopses on file — no invented recaps.

Desk essentials in this season

  1. S04E01 Prelude to a Bris

    Prelude to a Bris is late-run ritual as plot: yuppie interiority still treating a family ceremony like a season thesis.

  2. S04E23 California

    California is the last relocation: four seasons of relationship prestige signing off toward the coast it always implied.

  1. S04E01

    Prelude to a Bris

    Prelude to a Bris — Season 4, Episode 1 of thirtysomething. Aired 1990-09-22. Full plot synopsis not yet on file; see the show package for context.

  2. S04E02

    Life Class

    Life Class — Season 4, Episode 2 of thirtysomething. Aired 1990-10-02. Full plot synopsis not yet on file; see the show package for context.

  3. S04E03

    Control

    Control — Season 4, Episode 3 of thirtysomething. Aired 1990-10-09. Full plot synopsis not yet on file; see the show package for context.

  4. S04E04

    The Distance

    The Distance — Season 4, Episode 4 of thirtysomething. Aired 1990-10-16. Full plot synopsis not yet on file; see the show package for context.

  5. S04E05

    The Haunting of DAA

    The Haunting of DAA — Season 4, Episode 5 of thirtysomething. Aired 1990-10-30. Full plot synopsis not yet on file; see the show package for context.

  6. S04E06

    The Guilty Party

    The Guilty Party — Season 4, Episode 6 of thirtysomething. Aired 1990-11-13. Full plot synopsis not yet on file; see the show package for context.

  7. S04E07

    Photo Opportunity

    Photo Opportunity — Season 4, Episode 7 of thirtysomething. Aired 1990-11-27. Full plot synopsis not yet on file; see the show package for context.

  8. S04E08

    Never Better

    Never Better — Season 4, Episode 8 of thirtysomething. Aired 1990-12-04. Full plot synopsis not yet on file; see the show package for context.

  9. S04E09

    Guns & Roses

    Guns & Roses — Season 4, Episode 9 of thirtysomething. Aired 1990-12-11. Full plot synopsis not yet on file; see the show package for context.

  10. S04E10

    Happy New Year

    Happy New Year — Season 4, Episode 10 of thirtysomething. Aired 1990-12-18. Full plot synopsis not yet on file; see the show package for context.

  11. S04E11

    Melissa and Men

    Melissa and Men — Season 4, Episode 11 of thirtysomething. Aired 1991-01-08. Full plot synopsis not yet on file; see the show package for context.

  12. S04E12

    Advanced Beginners

    Advanced Beginners — Season 4, Episode 12 of thirtysomething. Aired 1991-01-22. Full plot synopsis not yet on file; see the show package for context.

  13. S04E13

    Sifting the Ashes

    Sifting the Ashes — Season 4, Episode 13 of thirtysomething. Aired 1991-02-05. Full plot synopsis not yet on file; see the show package for context.

  14. S04E14

    A Second Look

    A Second Look — Season 4, Episode 14 of thirtysomething. Aired 1991-02-12. Full plot synopsis not yet on file; see the show package for context.

  15. S04E15

    Fighting the Cold

    Fighting the Cold — Season 4, Episode 15 of thirtysomething. Aired 1991-02-19. Full plot synopsis not yet on file; see the show package for context.

  16. S04E16

    The Difference Between Men and Women

    The Difference Between Men and Women — Season 4, Episode 16 of thirtysomething. Aired 1991-02-26. Full plot synopsis not yet on file; see the show package for context.

  17. S04E17

    The Wedding

    The Wedding — Season 4, Episode 17 of thirtysomething. Aired 1991-04-09. Full plot synopsis not yet on file; see the show package for context.

  18. S04E18

    Closing the Circle

    Closing the Circle — Season 4, Episode 18 of thirtysomething. Aired 1991-04-16. Full plot synopsis not yet on file; see the show package for context.

  19. S04E19

    Out the Door

    Out the Door — Season 4, Episode 19 of thirtysomething. Aired 1991-04-30. Full plot synopsis not yet on file; see the show package for context.

  20. S04E20

    Hopeless

    Hopeless — Season 4, Episode 20 of thirtysomething. Aired 1991-05-07. Full plot synopsis not yet on file; see the show package for context.

  21. S04E21

    A Stop at Willoughby

    A Stop at Willoughby — Season 4, Episode 21 of thirtysomething. Aired 1991-05-14. Full plot synopsis not yet on file; see the show package for context.

  22. S04E22

    Melissa in Wonderland

    Melissa in Wonderland — Season 4, Episode 22 of thirtysomething. Aired 1991-05-21. Full plot synopsis not yet on file; see the show package for context.

  23. S04E23

    California

    California — Season 4, Episode 23 of thirtysomething. Aired 1991-05-28. Full plot synopsis not yet on file; see the show package for context.

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