Dream On

The best American comedy series ever made. Yet also relatively unknown, probably because of it's explicit subject matter. When it was shown over here it was on at 2 o'clock in the morning, so the audience must have been negligible.

Any synopsis cannot do the programme justice. Martin Tupper, leaning toward lecherous, yet always likeable; his never helpful secretary Toby; his even more lecherous buddy Eddie; his repulsive Australian boss (Rupert) sorry I mean Gibby and finally his emotionally closed off ex-wife Judith, oh yes and his son Jeremy.

Anyway if a repeat is ever showing be sure to watch you'll find it shocking and hilarious. You'll also find that the recent series, Sex and the City, owes more than a little to it.

Dream On was one of HBO's 1st original series that not only made us laugh with unique comedy, it was sexy as well. Many comedies fall short when trying to be funny. More than half don't make it past the first year let alone hang around for 7 years! On top of that, it was the first series long before Sex and the City that tackled the world of relationships on a comical and sometime serious level. An Annie Hall for the 90's, the character of Martin Tupper reflects on moments from his past, his past spent in front of the television to deal with the moments of the present. An amazing series that the 90's had taken for granted. Among the rest of the programming that HBO was showing then, including Tales From the Crypt and the early Real Sex series, Dream On was one of the few original programs worth watching.

Dream on follows the adventures of Martin Tupper (Brian Benben) as he tries to get on with life after his divorce from Judith (Wendie Malick). Dealing with her perfect new husband, caring for his son, dealing with his cranky secretary, and bedding stunningly hot women along the way. The first season was OK and had it's fair share of funny episodes. But season 2 with the introduction of a new Eddie (Dorien Wilson, replacing Jeffrey Joseph), Micheal McKean joining the cast as Gibby, Martin's new boss, and some great cameos the series really came into it's own. Sadly, none of the cast or creators (save for McKean and John Landis) went onto do anything even moderately entertaining in subsequent years after this show finished. And yes I know about "Friends" and "Veronica's Closet". I still stand by my statement. THIS is the series "Sex & the City" WISH it could have been.

My TV Grade: A

DVD Extras: John Landis Intro; Trailers for "Quantum Leap: Season 2"; "Magnum, PI: Season 1"; "Law and Order: Assorted spin offs and seasons"

Seasons 1 & 2 Eye Candy: The following all get topless: Jeanine Renshaw in episode 2, Susan Lentini in episode 3, Dedee Pfeiffer in episode 6; Deirdre Imershein in episode 8, Julie Carmen in episode 9, Monique Gabrielle in episode 12, Lisa Saxton and Anastasia Barzee in episodes 15 & 16, Carolyn Lowery in episode 17, Mimi Craven in episode 18, Connie Woods and Maggie Wagner in episode 20, Susan Ashley in episode 22, Laura Albert in episode 25, Cheryl Boudreau, Lisa London, Kimber Sissons in episode 26, and Cherie Michan in episode 27

Witty literate sexy well-acted with a "dream" cast & continuously amazing guest stars (everyone who's anyone). Very very funny& and very very clever! No wonder it was overlooked! The prudish hypocrites on network TV can't stand it. Sex on network TV is usually crude, contrived or sneakily suggestive, whereas Dream on's sex was sophisticated and hilarious! I loved the cast and have been rooting for their careers every since. The sad part is how seldom we see Brian Benben. Where is he now - indeed! I loved the TV recollections (actually reminded me of Mystery science Theater's clever quips). Actually, one of the reasons the show is so seldom re-run might have to do with copyright restrictions. MST3K ran into this problem also, and even though they ran for a full 7 years, many episodes still cannot be made into DVDs. Complex negotiations must be completed in order for the films contained within the episodes to be shown. Lawyers! You gotta love em (or not).

Anyway, that could be the reason why dream on seems so "ignored" and why it's so rarely shown. It's too bad, especially because the showing of the clips was done with such creative flair!

I really miss this series and just might have to pick up the DVD!

I loved this series. Martin was a boy whose mom had continually used the TV as his baby sitter. Therefore, in the show Martin was continually flashing back on moments from old b&w TV shows that relate to the situation in his life. The technique was done very well, very funny, and I occasionally see it done on current television. Of course being a cable series, the show revolved around topics that can't be done on regular TV, usually Martin's sex life. The version of the show that aired on Comedy Central was cleaned up and a watered down version at best. How could you show a cleaned up version of the scene where Martin, while leaving a message on his mom's answering machine spills a beer on himself, and expect it to be funny? I wish this show would hurry up and come out on DVD.