| Dream On | |
|---|---|
 Dream On Season 1&2 DVD Boxcover |
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| Format | Sitcom |
| Created by | David Crane Marta Kauffman |
| Starring | Brian Benben Michael McKean Wendie Malick Denny Dillon Dorien Wilson Chris Demetral |
| Country of origin |  United States |
| No. of episodes | 120 |
| Production | |
| Executive producer(s) | John Landis Kevin Bright |
| Camera setup | Single camera |
| Running time | 30 minutes |
| Broadcast | |
| Original channel | HBO |
| Original airing | July 8, 1990 - March 27, 1996 (HBO) January 8, 1995 - July 3, 1995 (Fox) |
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Dream On is an American adult situation comedy about Martin Tupper, a dreamer whose life is full of colorful characters. It ran for six seasons between 1990 and 1996.
Contents |
Description
To summarize the show, Time magazine said it depicted a "neurotic New Yorker (Brian Benben) cop[ing] with divorce, dating and other modern trials, while scenes from old TV shows rattle around in his head."[1]
The show centered around Martin Tupper's life in an apartment in New York City with his teenage son, and relating to his ex-wife, while trying to date other women and succeed as an editor for a small book publisher. The show was notable for its frequent use of clips from old movies to express Martin's inner life and feelings, which lent it much of its quirky appeal. The flashbacks of old film and television show scenes also had the immediate appeal, reminding viewers about the impact of TV on their consciousness. The show is primarily significant, however, for being one of the first American sitcoms (Showtime's Brothers and Steambath preceded this show by several years) to use cursing and nudity, uncensored. This was possible because it was on a pay-cable channel, rather than free network TV.
The show was created by Marta Kauffman and David Crane, and starred Brian Benben, Chris Demetral, Denny Dillon, Jeff Joseph, Wendie Malick, and Michael McKean.
Critical reception
Time magazine called the show "engaging", noting "a clever gimmick perks up familiar material"[1] and later called the second season of the "decidedly adult sitcom...better than ever."[2]
The New York Times had mixed opinions about the show. In their first season review, John J. O'Connor said Dream On wasn't "different from ordinary network fare...except for, as might be expected, the more freewheeling language and treatments of sex"; by the season's third episode, the show's protagonist is "already becoming just another nice bachelor father, not all that different from the one John Forsythe played on television several decades ago."[3] About a year later, O'Connor said while the show "has its weak spots, most notably in a pointless tendency to be smarmy" with "clips... that are sometimes less witty than painfully obvious. But Dream On takes unusual chances and has a habit of turning out to be refreshingly original.[4]
Networks
Dream On first aired July 1990 on HBO, and was cancelled by HBO in March 1996. One season of the show, with language and nudity edited for broadcast, aired in prime time on the Fox Network. This bowdlerized version was later made available in syndication. The show later[when?] aired on Comedy Central.
In Canada, Dream On also aired on the cable movie station Superchannel, in late night timeslots on CBC Television, and later on SexTV: The Channel, The Comedy Network and with French subtitles on Télé-Québec. In New Zealand, the edited version screened on TV2, while the unedited version appeared on SKY 1. The show aired on Channel 4 in the United Kingdom, on Canal Jimmy in France, in Switzerland on TSR and on Raisat Cinema and Canale 5 in Italy.
DVD releases
Seasons 1-2 are currently available on DVD for both regions 1 and 2; seasons 3-6 have not been released.
References
- ^ a b "Critics' Voices: Jul. 23, 1990". Time. July 23, 1990. http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,970693,00.html. Retrieved 2009-11-09. "A neurotic New Yorker (Brian Benben) copes with divorce, dating and other modern trials, while scenes from old TV shows rattle around in his head. A clever gimmick perks up familiar material in this engaging sitcom series from executive producer John Landis."
- ^ "Critics' Voices: Sep. 2, 1991". Time. September 2, 1991. http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,973724,00.html. Retrieved 2009-11-09. "Book editor and divorced dad Martin Tupper (Brian Benben) is trying to make sense of the '90s. So why do scenes from - '50s TV shows keep popping into his head? In its second season, this decidedly adult sitcom, which makes deft use of old black-and-white clips, is better than ever."
- ^ "A Modern Life Lived in 50's and 60's Images". The New York Times. July 10, 1990. http://www.nytimes.com/1990/07/10/arts/review-television-a-modern-life-lived-in-50-s-and-60-s-images.html. Retrieved 2009-11-09.
- ^ "Dream On and Some Other Games People Play". The New York Times. August 2, 1991. http://www.nytimes.com/1991/08/02/news/tv-weekend-dream-on-and-some-other-games-people-play.html. Retrieved 2009-11-09.
External links
- Dream On at the Internet Movie Database
- Dream On at TV.com
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