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(More customer reviews)Maybe it's true, that if you're just patient, the DVD gods will eventually get around to releasing a true buried gem like this one.
It's hard to imagine how a show like "Dream On" could stay under the radar for so long. It was created by David Crane and Marta Kaufman, the creative team behind "Friends." It was produced -- and many of it finest episodes directed -- by John Landis. It had a remarkable cast doing the best work of their respective careers, playing unforgettable characters, and it benefited from some of the best comedic writing on TV. It provided HBO with its first Emmy. And it paved the way for future HBO episodic comedy series, like The Larry Sanders Show, Sex in the City and Curb Your Enthusiasm.
But when it debuted on HBO in 1990, the concept of a pay-cable station qualifying for "appointment TV" was still in the future. TV critics loved it, but a lot of others remember it primarily because, taking advantage of the freedoms of pay cable, it used language not seen elsewhere on the tube. And it showed a little skin, although not nearly as much as people seem to remember.
"Dream On" follows the life of Martin Tupper, a book editor at a small Manhattan publishing house who's closer to 40 than he is to 30. He finds himself dumped into the dating scene of the '90s when his wife (a pre-"Just Shoot Me" Wendie Malick) divorces him to marry The World's Most Perfect Man. His son (Chris Demetral) is at an age where he's beginning to realize his father doesn't have all the answers. His best friend (Jeff Joseph in the first season, Dorien Wilson afterward) is a self-absorbed talk show host. And his grating secretary (a post-"SNL" Denny Dillon) has him on the verge of homicide.
"Dream On" came about because of Universal's desire to get some benefit from the library of early TV shows and B movies of its affiliate, MCA. It was founded on a gimmick: the "Dream On" concept is explained brilliantly without words, during the opening credits, as we see various stages in the life of young baby boomer, a member of the first generation to have TV as a babysitter. His sensibilities have been developed by what he's watched on the tube, and he finds himself relating to situations in his adult life by flashing on snippets of those old programs. The pairing of old clips and modern situations is usually done to good -- and often hilariious -- effect.
But no show would have lasted six seasons and 120 episodies on the strength of a gimmick. Over time, the "Dream On moments" melt into the general landscape. In the end, "Dream On" is less about sex in the city than it is about life at the end of the 20th Century, relationships and getting by with a little help from your friends and family. It tackles a lot of issues in ways that are not overbearing. And the cast creates characters that you'll end up caring about.
First and foremost of that group is Brian Benben as Martin Tupper. After seeing a few episodes, you'll wonder why you haven't seen more of him. Benben is a fine actor, and there is no better physical comedian working today.
This package of all 29 episodes from season 1 and 2 includes some classics, including the pilot, naturally; "Sole Sister," in which Martin has to come to terms with his sister dating his best friend, who is black; a three-episode relationship with an environmentalist, with whom Martin has nothing in common except in bed; "Play Melville for Me," in which Martin gets a late-night gig hosting a book show on public access cable, only to be stalked by Kathy Kinney ("Drew Carey's" Mimi); and "Calling the Kettle Black," in which Martin's "Just Say No" lectures to his son over marijuana use go up in smoke when his discovery of a joint in the apartment leads him to relive his own pot experiences. Early in the second season, Michael McKean joins the cast as the obnoxious Gibby Fiske, an Australian media executive who becomes Martin's boss and nemesis.
But the highlight of the package has to be the second-season opener, "The Second Greatest Story Ever Told," which follows Martin's agony as he visits the set of a film being produced about the life of his ex-wife's new husband, the impossibly perfect Richard Stone. Even worse, through getting involved with the actors in the movie, he finds himself reliving the end of his marriage. For this hour-long episode, director/producer Landis must have called in all his markers; the guest stars include Tom Berenger, Mimi Rogers and Stephen Furst, with David Bowie as the movie's pompous director and cameos by Sylvester Stallone, Ricardo Montalban and Eva Gabor.
This is the first release in any format for many of these episodes. Columbia included the show in its VHS subscription services a few years back, eventually releasing 40 episodes from the first three seasons, but no more. And, thankfully, these are the uncut versions, not the toned-down versions that were syndicated to Fox and Comedy Central.
For the uninitiated, even the Amazon discount price may appear to be more than they'd want to put down for an unknown quantity. But there's little risk here. By the time this is released in October, you may have had your fill of all the new sitcoms that look just like the old sitcoms, or the new reality shows loosely based on last year's reality shows, or the police dramas that are EXACATLY like last year's police dramas. Why not take the plunge with a well-written, well-acted comedy series that may finally get its due? I'll bet that after watching it, you'll be dreaming on of a third-season DVD release.
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Dream On - Seasons 1 & 2 (1990)Studio: Uni Dist Corp. (mca)Release Date: 10/12/2004
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