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Reviews
Welcome Back, Kotter (1975)
One of the better 70's shows...
What made "Kotter" great was that it was just plain funny. Unlike some of its contemporaries, it didn't try to shock or send a social message. The four unique personalities of the Sweathogs, along with Kotter, worked together so well. The episode where they ran a telethon from the classroom was classic. The final season was a disappointment because the show's writers wanted to go in a different direction--attacking more serious issues. Plus, the departure of John Travolta after he hit it big in the movies hurt "Kotter" as well. It's probably all for the better that it only went four years because I think when a sitcom goes for too long, it tends to deviate from its originial concept (i.e. "Happy Days" and "Laverne and Shirley").
Welcome Back, Kotter (1975)
One of the better 70's shows...
What made "Kotter" great was that it was just plain funny. Unlike some of its contemporaries, it didn't try to shock or send a social message. The four unique personalities of the Sweathogs, along with Kotter, worked together so well. The episode where they ran a telethon from the classroom was classic. The final season was a disappointment because the show's writers wanted to go in a different direction--attacking more serious issues. Plus, the departure of John Travolta after he hit it big in the movies hurt "Kotter" as well. It's probably all for the better that it only went four years because I think when a sitcom goes for too long, it tends to deviate from its originial concept (i.e. "Happy Days" and "Laverne and Shirley").
New Monkees (1987)
a well forgotten show
Dusting off some old albums, I came across the one and only LP from "The New Monkees." The New Monkees was intended to cash in on the original Monkees popularity that was going on in the mid-80's. Unfortunately, the original Monkees was one of those extremely original and unique shows in TV history. New Monkees was a pretty lame attempt and I was disappointed in the output. C'mon, are they ever going to come up with a "New M*A*S*H" or a "New Cheers?" I don't think so. I will admit, the album actually had some good music on it. Not any better or worse than what had come out circa 1987. The concept for putting a whacky band in a show might have worked...had they had a different name and marketing scheme.