On Thursdays, I take a critical look at a TV show by season. Here's a look at Season 11 (Part 1) of Happy Days!
HAPPY DAYS: SEASON ELEVEN
1983-1984
1983-1984
22 episodes
Happy Days ends its long run with the eleventh season. It's an improvement from the misguided and almost unrecognizable tenth season, but it doesn't restore the show back to its former glory. The closest it comes is when former star Ron Howard returns for a two part episode early in the season. The show also benefits from Scott Baio and Erin Moran returning to the series as full time characters and the departure of many superfluous and unmemorable characters. It helps send the show off in a way that leaves a slightly better taste in the mouth.
Starring:
Henry Winkler as Arthur Fonzarelli (22 episodes)
Tom Bosley as Howard Cunningham (22 episodes)
Marion Ross as Marion Cunningham (22 episodes)
Marion Ross as Marion Cunningham (22 episodes)
Scott Baio as Chachi Arcola (22 episodes)
Erin Moran as Joanie Cunningham (20 episodes)
Anson Williams as Potsie Webber (5 episodes)
Anson Williams as Potsie Webber (5 episodes)
Ted McGinley as Roger Phillips (12 episodes)
Ron Howard as Richie Cunningham (3 episodes)
Lynda Goodfriend as Lori Beth Cunningham (3 episodes)
Cathy Silvers as Jenny Piccolo (2 episodes)
Don Most as Ralph Malph (1 episode)
Al Molinaro as Al Delvecchio (1 episode)
Kevin Sullivan as Tommy (4 episodes)
Harris Kal as Bobby (3 episodes)
Pat Morita as Arnold Takahashi (1 episodes)
After finding a note taped to the bottom of a childhood cookie jar, Fonzie decides to try to conquer Suicide Hill on his motorcycle.
The final season of Happy Days begins with a twist on the theme song that makes the harmony line on the chorus the melody line, it's unusual and different after years of a very similar theme. The show is also "back to basics" in terms of the cast. Jenny, Ashley, Heather, Flip and K.C. are gone abruptly. Even Joanie doesn't appear in this episode. This is yet another in the "jump the shark" family of episodes with a nearly 40 year old Fonzie going up a ridiculous hill on his motorcycle. Some of it is tied to Fonzie's realization about who he is now but I would have preferred to see him not conquer the hill.
RATING: 4/10
235. The Ballad of Joanie and Chachi (10/4/83)
After a fight between Joanie and Chachi, Joanie decides they need to break up while Chachi decides to propose to her.
This episode marks a big milestone in the Joanie and Chachi relationship. After being together for quite awhile including on their own spinoff, Joanie and Chachi break up in this episode. I think it needed to happen to not have the eleventh season be a rehash of the ninth season. This was the right move temporarily to get the show and these characters to their endpoint. There's sort of an awkward subplot with Fonzie not being able to see after going to the eye doctor.
RATING: 5/10
236. Where the Guys Are (10/18/83)
Roger, Potsie and Chachi take Fonzie up to a singles weekend at a resort to help him get over his breakup with Ashley.
Happy Days finally addresses what happened to Ashley and Heather in this episode after they were abruptly out of the show. Of course Fonzie was hitting on girls in the previous episode so could he really have been that broken up over things as they claim he is in this episode? Either way, Henry Winkler does a nice job with his explanation of what happened with Ashley and Heather and the show takes advantage of four of the main male cast members being single at the same time. This episode works to a large extent.
RATING: 7.5/10
Richie and Ralph return home from the army and Richie isn't sure how to tell his family and friends that he wants to move to Los Angeles.
Ron Howard makes his grand return to Happy Days with this episode (along with Don Most and Lynda Goodfriend) and boy is it good to see Richie back. Ron Howard just brings so much strength to the show, it never felt the same after he left. The cast seems extremely energized in this episode and many of them give their best performances in awhile. Especially Henry Winkler seems as relieved as Fonzie to have his boys back. I also like that the show got Scott Baio and Ted McGinley out of the way quickly in the Arnold's scene so we could see Richie, Fonzie, Potsie and Ralph together like the old days.
RATING: 9/10
238. Welcome Home Part 2 (11/1/83)
Richie starts working for the local newspaper but is very unhappy because he wants to move to California.
The second part of the "Richie returns" story spends a lot of the episode diving into Richie's unhappiness and it's a different side of the Ron Howard character and more dramatic work than we saw during most of his seven season run on the show. I know the show probably only had two episodes to work with because that's all that Ron Howard was willing to come back for, but I wish they had a little more time to flesh out the story because it makes Richie seem a little like a jerk for much of his two part return. That being said, the final scene between Richie and his family and then especially between Richie and Fonzie is very poignant with some genuine emotion from Henry Winkler that I'm sure was incredibly real. That scene alone pushes this into the upper echelon of episodes.
RATING: 9.5/10
239. Glove Story (11/8/83)
In an attempt to prove his toughness to Fonzie, Chachi takes up boxing and enters a city tournament but breaks his hand before the fight.
I'm really not a fan of boxing. I've never watched it in my life and I'm never interested when a TV show has an episode about boxing (and it seems like every long running sitcom does at least one). So after two very strong episodes, this one is a snooze to me. I guess if I was even a little bit into boxing, I would appreciate that the show does try to address an evolving relationship between Chachi and Fonzie and that is long overdue. But a show in its prime isn't going to interest me with a boxing episode, much less a show well past its prime.
RATING: 3/10
240. Vocational Education (11/15/83)
Roger takes a job as a principal at a vocational school but the rest warn him about what a horrible school it is.
Roger becomes a principal in this episode but in his first speech to the students at George S. Patton Vocational School, it appears he has never spoken to a student before in his life. At least the episode doesn't really redeem Roger. It goes to the well-worn tactic of Fonzie fixing things and while I'm tired of that solution to a problem on the show, I'll take it over dumb Roger really figuring things out. He's such an irritating character especially after some Richie episodes. He has all of Richie's irritating qualities with none of the redeeming ones and the acting is far worse.
RATING: 2/10
Fonzie gets a visit from a half brother he never knew he had and struggles to get along with him.
This episode really feels like Happy Days grasping for straws. We've already seen an episode where his father visits at Christmas and one where Fonzie thought he found his mother at a diner. It just feels like the show wanted to get one more "awww Fonzie" episode in so they suddenly decided to give him a half brother he never knew he had. Then to add in the melodrama, they reveal later that Fonzie's dad died. It never veers too melodramatic but it all just feels very unnecessary. After the effectively emotional Richie episodes, we didn't need this.
RATING: 2.5/10
242. You Get What You Pay For (12/13/83)
Howard decides to put a second bathroom in the house and Fonzie brings some guys into help which causes a fight between Fonzie and Howard.
With the series winding down to its end, we get one more "Howard and Fonzie go into business together and fight" episode. It's not really a plot line used often, but it certainly has before in episodes like "Two Angry Men" and "Fonz-How Inc." This episode treads over the familiar territory so there's not really anything new. This is a clear sign a show should end because they don't know at this point how to evolve key relationships like Howard and Fonzie. There's also a really unfunny recurring joke of Joanie always being in the shower and screaming when people accidentally see her. It feels sort of exploitative and it's certainly not funny.
RATING: 2/10
243. Kiss Me, Teach (1/10/84)
Against Marion's wishes, Joanie takes a job at Fonzie's school and a student falls in love with her.
It seems like everyone gets an episode at the school even though Roger has vanished as a character for the last several episodes and he's supposedly the principal? That's ok, I haven't missed having Roger around in this stretch. There's a whole lot of "Joanie needs saving because she's a helpless female" vibes in this episode from her father, mother and Chachi but that's a product of the time the show is set in and the time the show aired. Then it gets super creepy as the show continues and of course it's Fonzie who saves the day. To be fair, Fonzie saves everyone, not just females so it's a well-worn pattern for the show.
RATING: 4/10
244. The People vs. the Fonz (1/17/84)
Fonzie gets in trouble for allegedly hitting a student and has to go before the school board to try to keep his job.
It's Episode 244 and everything is feeling like it's been done before on Happy Days. Maybe it didn't feel this way back when years aired between episodes but we've certainly seen a court based episode before even though this one is a little bit different. It's not a terrible episode, there's a couple funny moments. But the actors just seem to be going through the motions at this point, which is understandable considering some of them have been at it for 11 years. The show seems to find it funny to provide "alternate history" flashbacks but they never land that well in my opinion.
RATING: 5.5/10
Tomorrow: The Friday Five - Top 5 TV news stories of the week!
Thursday in Two Weeks: A look at Season 11 (Part 2) of Happy Days!
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