The Big Chill is a 1983 film about a group of baby boomer college friends who reunite after many years and explore the aftermath of the 1960s. It stars Tom Berenger, Glenn Close, Jeff Goldblum, William Hurt, Kevin Kline, Mary Kay Place, Meg Tilly, and JoBeth Williams. Kevin Costner was cast as the dead character Alex, but all of the scenes showing his face were cut. It was written by Barbara Benedek and Lawrence Kasdan, and was directed by Kasdan. The Big Chill was filmed entirely on location in Beaufort, South Carolina, and was shot at the same antebellum home used as a location for The Great Santini, starring Robert Duvall and Blythe Danner.

The television show thirtysomething was influenced by The Big Chill.
However, this was not before the movie was directly adapted to television in CBS' short-lived 1985 dramedy Hometown, whose ensemble cast featured Jane Kaczmarek, Franc Luz and Daniel Stern.