Benjamonster's TV

Here is a look at all eleven seasons of  Happy Days  including the ultimate countdown of the best and worst episodes! HAPPY DAYS January 15, 1974 - July 19, 1984 255 episodes Starring Ron Howard as Richie Cunningham  (170 episodes) Henry Winkler as Arthur Fonzarelli  (255 episodes) Tom Bosley as Howard Cunningham  (255 episodes) Marion Ross as Marion Cunningham  (250 episodes) Erin Moran as Joanie Cunningham  (233 episodes) Anson Williams as Potsie Webber  (208 episodes) Don Most as Ralph Malph  (166 episodes) Al Molinaro as Al Delvecchio  (142 episodes) Scott Baio as Chachi Arcola  (129 episodes) Ted McGinley as Roger Phillips  (60 episodes) Lynda Goodfriend as Lori Beth Allen Cunningham  (58 episodes) Cathy Silvers as Jenny Piccolo  (54 episodes) Linda Purl as Ashley Pfister  (15 episodes) Pat Morita as Arnold Takahashi  (25 episodes) Beatrice Colen as Marsha Simms  (21 episodes) Harris Kal as Bobby...

On Thursdays, I take a critical look at a TV show by season. Here's a look at Season 11 (Part 2) of  Happy Days ! For Part 1,  click here ! 245. Like Mother, Like Daughter (1/24/84) Marion's high school boyfriend comes to visit and Howard prepares to be jealous but then turns angry when he starts dating Joanie. I don't know why the show felt the need to do so many gross Joanie storylines in the final season, especially in the last stretch of episodes. From her "shower screaming" recurring gag to the student hitting on her to the much older man dating her, the show is really doing some icky things with the character. And surprise, surprise, it requires Fonzie and Howard to attempt to save her. The show spent basically the entire second half of its run with Howard treating Joanie like a helpless little girl who can't make any decisions on her own and, like most things with  Happy Days  at this point in its run, it's tiresome. RATING: 1.5/10 246. Social Studi...

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 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) Scott Baio as Chachi Arcola  (22 episodes) Erin Moran as Joanie Cunningham  (20 episodes) Anson Wi...

On Thursdays, I take a critical look at a TV show by season. Here's a look at Season 10 (Part 2) of  Happy Days ! For Part 1,  click here ! 223. Hello, Pfisters (1/4/83) Ashley attends her parents' 30th anniversary party in an attempt to reconcile with them but ends up getting drunk and making a fool of herself. This episode is sort of a successor to the Christmas episode as it focuses more specifically on Ashley's fractured relationship with her parents. The show was definitely trying to give Ashley more depth as a character and while Linda Purl is better than Ted McGinley, she's not that strong of a comic actress. So when the show is requiring her to be drunk at the wedding reception, she can't really pull it off with the comic timing necessary. It's not horribly bad but it just doesn't stick the landing. This is probably Heather O'Rourke's best episode to date though. RATING: 5/10 224. I Drink, Therefore I Am (1/11/83) Flip starts drinking despite...

On Thursdays, I take a critical look at a TV show by season. Here's a look at Season 10 (Part 1) of  Happy Days ! HAPPY DAYS: SEASON TEN 1982-1983 22 episodes This is the infamous season of  Happy Days . Ron Howard and Don Most are long gone. Scott Baio, Erin Moran and Al Molinaro are only there occasionally as they spent their time on  Joanie Loves Chachi  and Anson Williams has become an afterthought by this point. So we are left with a shell of the show  Happy Days  once was. Henry Winkler, Tom Bosley and Marion Ross are still around but this season is primarily focused on brand new characters or characters we barely got to know up to this point. It's a rough one all around. I'm glad  Happy Days  got one more season after this one to right some of the wrongs because this would have been a sad season to go out on. Starring Henry Winkler as Arthur Fonzarelli  (22 episodes) Tom Bosley as Howard Cunningham  (22 episodes) Marion Ross as Ma...

On Thursdays, I take a critical look at a TV show by season. Here's a look at Season 9 (Part 2) of  Happy Days ! For Part 1,  click here ! 201. To Beanie or Not to Beanie (1/5/82) Instead of deciding between the University of Milwaukee and UCLA, Joanie makes a decision to not go to college which upsets Howard, Marion, Fonzie and Chachi. This is a nice episode because it really focuses in on the good characters on the show: Fonzie, the Cunningham family and Chachi. It's weird to count Chachi as one of the best characters on the show but at this point in the run of the show, that's absolutely true. This feels like the first episode in awhile that was really family-driven. And though it was a pretty ridiculous moment, it was still a funny sight gag to see Fonzie climbing into bed with the Cunninghams. It's also interesting to see a "go to your room" joke back in the mix after the series used that often in the early years. RATING: 7.5/10 202. Southern Crossing (1/...

On Thursdays, I take a critical look at a TV show by season. Here's a look at Season 9 (Part 1) of Happy Days ! HAPPY DAYS: SEASON NINE 1981-1982 22 episodes The ninth season of  Happy Days  might be the most consistent of the four non-Richie years of the show. The show seems to have found somewhat of a groove with their new ensemble focus and the dynamics between the main characters. That gets upended again at the end of the season when they spin Erin Moran and Scott Baio off to  Joanie Loves Chachi  and that really helps to accelerate the end of  Happy Days . But in the meantime, there are enough decent episodes. It doesn't soar to the highs it once did but it manages to often be a good enough version of the show it was by this point. Starring Henry Winkler as Arthur Fonzarelli  (22 episodes) Tom Bosley as Howard Cunningham  (22 episodes) Marion Ross as Marion Cunningham  (20 episodes) Anson Williams as Potsie Webber  (12 episodes) Erin Mor...

On Thursdays, I take a critical look at a TV show by season. Here's a look at Season 8 (Part 2) of  Happy Days ! For Part 1,  click here ! 179. Broadway It's Not (2/10/81) Chachi gets jealous when Joanie has a love scene with another boy at the school play, which is directed by Fonzie. As someone who is involved in school musicals, I'm not usually a fan of their depiction on TV and especially when Erin Moran and Scott Baio, though they are usually good actors, are certainly not comfortable in the musical theater realm. This episode follows a familiar jealousy trope (kissing on stage is a big deal for high schoolers on TV and in real life for that matter). But the weirdest part (aside from Fonzie being the director because, of course they do that to Fonzie) is the song Chachi sings to Joanie. It's a weird 70s song in a high school musical from the early 60s that seems to be set well before that. It's really bizarre. RATING: 2/10 180. Bride and Gloom (2/17/81) After J...

On Thursdays, I take a critical look at a TV show by season. Here's a look at Season 8 (Part 1) of Happy Days ! HAPPY DAYS: SEASON EIGHT 1980-1981 22 episodes Happy Days  embarks on a new era for its eighth season with the show soldiering on after the departure of Ron Howard (& Don Most). I think many would have assumed it just became "The Fonzie Show" but let's be honest, that was sort of the approach even in the later years of Ron Howard's run. Sure, Fonzie remains a dominant character but the show also clearly bulks up the Joanie & Chachi material and it even feels like Howard & Marion start to get more stories. Those changes help the show not crater completely but there are also bad choices like the addition of Cathy Silvers and Ted McGinley. It definitely feels like the beginning of the end. Starring Henry Winkler as Arthur Fonzarelli  (22 episodes) Tom Bosley as Howard Cunningham  (22 episodes) Marion Ross as Marion Cunningham  (20 episodes) Anso...

On Thursdays, I take a critical look at a TV show by season. Here's a look at Season 7 (Part 2) of  Happy Days ! For Part 1,  click here ! 156. Here Comes the Bride Again (12/18/79) With their anniversary coming up, Marion wants to have a real wedding after revealing their first wedding wasn't very romantic. This episode features a mostly forgotten comedy duo named Bob and Ray as guest stars. They aren't a duo you hear about very often these days but they were apparently well known enough in 1979 to get entrance applause. This is  Happy Days  doing surreal stuff in a much better way than the campy fantasy episodes. This episode is based on a sweet and completely normal concept (a renewal of vows) but it peppers the entire affair with some surreal elements courtesy mainly of the two guest stars. It makes it funny, not stupid and this is a strong episode. RATING: 9/10 157. Ah, Wilderness (1/8/80) Richie, Potsie and Ralph bring dates on a camping trip for Spring Break a...

On Thursdays, I take a critical look at a TV show by season. Here's a look at Season 7 (Part 1) of  Happy Days ! HAPPY DAYS: SEASON SEVEN 1979-1980 25 episodes It's the end of an era with Season Seven of  Happy Days . Ron Howard and Don Most depart at the end of the season. It might have been time for Don Most but the show is never the same after Ron Howard leaves. His send-off season graded out the same as the previous season but it feels more grounded. The show doesn't go to as many crazy places with s many fantasy-based episodes. So even though the grade was the same, it feels like a better season of  Happy Days , or at least a more consistent one. Starring Ron Howard as Richie Cunningham  (25 episodes) Henry Winkler as Arthur Fonzarelli  (25 episodes) Tom Bosley as Howard Cunningham  (25 episodes) Marion Ross as Marion Cunningham  (24 episodes) Anson Williams as Potsie Webber  (25 episodes) Don Most as Ralph Malph  (25 episodes) Erin Mora...

On Thursdays, I take a critical look at a TV show by season. Here's a look at Season 6 (Part 2) of Happy Days ! For Part 1,  click here ! 130. Richie Gets Framed (12/12/78) While Richie is running for his college's class president, he gets framed while at a massage parlor. This is sort of an adult-themed episode that would probably have different consequences in modern times. This theme is a welcome relief after the string of silly, very kid-friendly episodes. It's one that firmly places Richie and the gang in college and deals with college level pranks instead of trying to make them all seem like high school students. I also like that the episode plays up Richie's nerdiness with his campaign speech. It's not something the show does all that often and I think they could have made that a character trait more regularly. RATING: 6.5/10 131. Christmas Time (12/19/78) At Christmas, Fonzie gets a package delivered to him from his father but he doesn't want anything to...

On Thursdays, I take a critical look at a TV show by season. I'm picking up where I left off last spring with Happy Days and its sixth season! HAPPY DAYS: SEASON SIX 1978-1979 27 episodes Season Six of  Happy Days  starts to lean in quite a bit to some surreal elements. It was almost as if they were emboldened by how well the "My Favorite Orkan" episode in Season Five was received and decided to do a whole lot more fantasy episodes were Fonzie gets to be the hero. As a result, we get downright strange episodes like "The Evil Eye," "The Claw Meets the Fonz" and the "Fonzie's Funeral" two part episode which, while very funny at times, is absolutely ridiculous. There's a pretty big drop off from the previous season and the show doesn't resemble the very realistic and gentle 1950s show it started as in the first couple seasons. But luckily it will recover a bit for Ron Howard's final season in 1979-80. Starring Ron Howard as Richi...

On Thursdays, I take a detailed and critical look at a TV show by season. Today I am looking at Season 5 (Part 1) of  Happy Days ! For Part 1,  click here ! 104. Joanie's First Kiss (1/17/78) Joanie goes on her first date, despite Howard's objections, at a party Ralph and Potsie throw at their apartment. Happy Days  seems to have realized they were doing too many Fonzie-themed episodes during this season because other ensemble members get a chance to shine in several different episodes. This one is Joanie's turn and it's a sweet story about young love. Richie can be a little insufferable in this episode but the most generous interpretation would be that he is just trying to be a good big brother. There are also some funny moments from Howard. RATING: 7.5/10 105. Marion's Misgivings (1/24/78) After a friend of hers gets divorced, Marion worries that the spark is going out of her marriage with Howard. Now it's Marion's turn to have a story and it's a good ...

On Thursdays, I take a detailed and critical look at a TV show by season. Today I am looking at Season 5 (Part 1) of  Happy Days ! HAPPY DAYS: SEASON FIVE 1977-1978 27 episodes Season Five is the year where Fonzie infamously jumps the shark. It happens at the beginning of the season and while  Happy Days  does eventually decline in quality, it is not this season. In fact, this season graded out slightly higher than the previous season even though it doesn't feel as strong. I think that's because there's not a lot of outright stinkers in this season. It's a very solid season with the show continuing to hum along. There are some signs of the troubles to come but it doesn't happen on a regular basis in the fifth season. Starring Ron Howard as Richie Cunningham  (27 episodes) Henry Winkler as Arthur Fonzarelli  (27 episodes) Tom Bosley as Howard Cunningham  (27 episodes) Marion Ross as Marion Cunningham  (27 episodes) Anson Williams as Potsie Webber  ...

On Thursdays, I take a detailed and critical look at a TV show by season. Today I am looking at Season 4 (Part 2) of  Happy Days ! For Part 1,  click here ! I will not have a Friday Five post tomorrow as I am away and not able to update the TV news from the week so see you Monday for a new week of blog posts! 77. The Book of Records (1/18/77) Al tries to get Arnold's restaurant into the Magilla Book of Records at the same time Fonzie's shy and clumsy cousin Angie is visiting. There's a lot happening in this episode as the story is simultaneously about Fonzie's cousin and the wild attempts to get into the Book of Records. I think in general that's a good idea to keep the show moving. As I mentioned before, shows back in the 70s rarely had A, B and C stories. They primarily had one story with some side things. The plus side is more in depth stories. The downside is long episodes when the plot isn't strong enough to sustain a full episode. So episodes like this wor...

On Thursdays, I take a detailed and critical look at a TV show by season. Today I am looking at Season 4 (Part 1) of  Happy Days ! HAPPY DAYS: SEASON FOUR 1976-1977 25 episodes Season Four is the season that  Happy Days  shot to #1 in the ratings and with good reason. It's certainly the show at its best in its multi-cam era. Everything is clicking for the show at this point with a particularly good stretch of episodes starting with "Fonzie's Hero." You can tell that this is a show that is confident with what it was doing and it is not tired yet. Everyone seems enthused by the studio audience and the performances are strong and funny. Sure, a jump over the shark was looming but it didn't happen in the fourth season. Starring Ron Howard as Richie Cunningham  (25 episodes) Henry Winkler as Arthur Fonzarelli  (25 episodes) Tom Bosley as Howard Cunningham  (25 episodes) Marion Ross as Marion Cunningham  (25 episodes) Anson Williams as Potsie Webber  (2...

On Thursdays, I take a detailed and critical look at a TV show by season. Today I am looking at Season 3 (Part 2) of  Happy Days ! For Part 1,  click here! 52. They Call It Potsie Love (12/2/75) After Potsie sings to her at Arnold's, Joanie develops a crush on Potsie. This is one of the first Joanie-centric episodes and it's a good plot because I think many families can relate to a younger sister falling for the friend of an older brother (or vice-versa). It suffers some from a bizarre dream sequence.  Happy Days  is very hit and miss when it comes to dream sequences and this is a miss. The rest of the episode is solid though with a good exploration of puppy love and Erin Moran proving she was up to the task of taking on bigger stories. Anson Williams does a nice job in the climactic scene too. RATING: 6.5/10 53. Tell It to the Marines (12/16/75) Ralph is upset after breaking up with his girlfriend and decides to join the Marines. One episode after a Potsie/Joanie ep...

On Thursdays, I take a detailed and critical look at a TV show by season. Today I am looking at Season 3 (Part 1) of  Happy Days ! HAPPY DAYS: SEASON THREE 1975-1976 24 episodes The third season of  Happy Days  kicks off a new era for the show. It is no longer the gentle, nostalgia-drenched sweet sitcom. It is louder and broader with a rambunctious studio audience. The move paid dividends for them as  Happy Days  started to fly up the ratings charts in its third season. The series is still very firmly set in the 50s with its plots and style but the live studio audience makes a huge difference in the feel of the show. This season graded out a little lower than the second season, but it's a mostly smooth transition. Starring Ron Howard as Richie Cunningham  (24 episodes) Henry Winkler as Arthur Fonzarelli  (24 episodes) Tom Bosley as Howard Cunningham  (24 episodes) Marion Ross as Marion Cunningham  (24 episodes) Anson Williams as Potsie Webber...

On Thursdays, I take a detailed and critical look at a TV show by season. Today I am looking at Part 2 of Season 2 of  Happy Days ! For Part 1,  click here ! 29. Fonzie's Getting Married (1/14/75) Fonzie decides to get married and doesn't know the girl he has chosen is a stripper. This episode is notable for being the first  Happy Days  episode to be filmed in front of a live audience. It was done as a test run for a possible switch which did happen for the third season. There's a noticeable difference in style as it feels broader. Maybe equally momentous - this is the first time Fonzie hits a jukebox to get the music to stop playing, an iconic Fonzie move. The performances are definitely more geared to a live audience. The story itself is funny at times with a good performance from Tom Bosley but it does feel a little out of place in season two. RATING: 5.5/10 30. The Cunningham Caper (1/21/75) Richie is the only one home when the Cunningham's house gets burglarized...