Dream On: Seasons 1 & 2 (1990)
Film:
DVD:

Created by David Crane & Marta Kauffman
Starring Brian Benben, Denny Dillon, Wendie Malick, Dorien Wilson, Chris Demetral

Features:

• All twenty-eight first and second season episodes
  
• Introduction by executive producer John Landis
  

Released by: Universal
Rating: NR
Region: 1
Anamorphic: N/A; appears in its original 1.33:1 format

My Advice: Fans should own.

Martin Tupper (Benben) is a book editor who's undergone a bit of a life change. His ex-wife (Malick) is ready to move on with her life and get him to sign the divorce papers after months upon months of Martin's denial. His son (Demetral) is taking the whole thing a hell of a lot better than he is. And his buddy Eddie (initially Jeffrey Joseph, then Wilson) seems to have the whole dating/women thing under control. But not Martin. He's much more comfortable with his daydreams than he is with real women--after all, dating is a scary place, right?

This series was groundbreaking in the fact that it dealt very frankly with sex and nudity and, as John Landis points out in his intro, this was on HBO before HBO became the place for cutting edge television. This was truly a trip to see in its first run. And amazingly, again as the intro states, it was built around the desire to use a bunch of old films that nobody else wanted: hence, Martin's constant flashbacks to television programs and the like for his reactions to things.

And honestly, if the show had used that gimmick as...well, a gimmick, and not had backup, it's doubtful the thing would have lasted past a season. Instead, you have good writing first and foremost that gives you characters to quickly care about and root for, even though you know that the situation--Martin's lovelife, mainly--is screwed from the word jump. And it's a testament that the show holds up with age--how many TV shows have you seen come out on DVD, you pop it in and realize that the humor has gotten stale since you last watched it? Not the case here.

Right behind the writing is the cast: Brian Benben is a master of being befuddled and playing a guy that anyone with a penis can relate to. Divorce or not, who hasn't been at the tailend of a relationship and trying to figure out, "Well, hell, now what?" This comes across perfectly. Also standouts are Denny Dillon as the assistant from hell, and Wendie Malick who's even better here than in harpy-mode on Just Shoot Me. Michael McKean joining the cast in the second season is a winner move as well.

While the aforementioned introduction by Landis is nice in that it encapsulates a quick making of in a very short amount of time and does so in a humorous way (I'm convinced Landis is happy about everything--he seems to always be so damn gleeful every time I see him in anything), it's no substitute for further features. A full featurette would have been nice, and especially a commentary--even just on the pilot--from cast members. Hearing Benben and company looking back on the series would have been priceless. But alas.

The true fan of the show is going to want to buy this regardless of features, but anybody who just would like to revisit it should rent it before buying. But still, the show is damn funny, so everybody should rent and experience it if nothing else.