Fame

...I can officially say it doesn't disappoint.

Purchasing FAME ends a 23-year mystery for me. I watched the original show back in 1982, and was always blown away by the first season (the only season of the 5-year show on network television) more than any of the subsequent seasons. But when the show went into local syndication, Season 1 seemed to disappear into a vault. And I've been scratching my head since the 80's, wondering if it was really the magical thing I remembered in the first place.

FAME was an improvement on television because it was able to develop its ensemble of characters more fully (over a season at a time), and not denigrate them into stereotypes (the overachiever, the plain-Jane ingénue, the angry hood with a heart of gold, etc.), and do so without resorting to the 'R' factor of swearing dialog and partial nudity. I suspect that the people complaining about the series are missing all the dirty stuff that was in the film, but for a prime-time TV show broadcast in the family hour, the controversial stuff was highly unnecessary. The series wasn't perfect; some of the casting choices were less than inspiring, but once in a while there would be a fine song or an even finer dance sequence. Now I must admit that my bias is showing here because I was an actual art school student- though not in New York (and I was not a performer). I am, however, a fan of musicals from way back, and I think FAME appealed to me because it was something of a ground breaker in network television- the first ever musical series. There were musical variety shows on TV, and musical films done over the last 30 years- but FAME successfully integrated both genres, applying music to a dramatic series whose stars are student performers. Quite a brilliant idea. And some of FAME's individual episodes- a teacher's strike (how do unemployed art teachers make a living?), a promising dancer living with MS, a pianist living with stage fright, a competition for a role ruined by backstage politics- were some of the smartest and most imaginative scripts ever created for television.

Finally, FAME introduced some top-notch young performers. It's easy to mock and tease them and the concept 20 years later (we're an entire race of cynics nowadays), but the fact is many of these kids were not much older than the teens they were supposed to be playing, and they had boundless energy. I was especially pleased to see that the show allowed them to craft their individual strengths over time. Though the show was more than a bit biased towards the dance students (and dancing was probably FAME's most visually appealing art), I was always glad to see emerging dramatists (P.R. Paul, Valerie Landsburg), and especially glad to see Lori Singer- at the beginning of her acting career- as the beautiful cellist from the Midwest. My main reason for watching the series though will always be Debbie Allen. Allen- a relatively tiny thing- proved to be a contradiction in terms with her drill sergeant-like dance instructor, but when she was allowed to dance herself, she was a gorgeous force of nature. If you've any doubt of this, check out the very last scene in 'Passing Grade' (where Allen and fellow dancer Erica Gimpel both lose out on an audition) and watch an improvisation between teacher and student emerge into a stunning pas-de-deux that you would only see in a movie musical. It's still one of the series' most impressive moments.

My mom and I used to watch this show when I was a kid - a show about the students' and faculty's life stories at the New York City High School for the Performing Arts.

From the catchy and rhythmic theme to the classic 80s atmosphere, it's definitely a nostalgic show that brings you nice TV entertainment and an interesting plot to follow.

Grade B+

There has never been, nor will there ever be an awesome production like, "FAME". Many shows have tried to duplicate it's success, with story lines that feature a spectacular production number but they could never really capture the magic that "Fame" brought to me each week.

I loved the characters and their struggle to be famous and I especially loved "Dusty Tyler". She replaced Janet Jackson (who played Cleo) and what a wonderful gift God gave her. All she wants is a place to belong and when she sings about it, your heart reaches out to her. Your eyes fill with tears and your arms long to comfort her. She's so beautiful and sweet and deserves her chance to shine. They all do. And thanks to the wonderful production company, you get to see the cast do just that! I really miss the show and wish they would re-run it more often. I'd even like to see a "cable station" devoted to productions like "Fame". If great singing and dances lifts your spirits the way it lifts mine, then "Fame" is what you want to reach for... each and every day!

With plenty of time at its disposal, the series could give us a better-developed Sharofsky/Martelli relationship, a less frantic and exaggerated Doris, and in general a better look at the characters. The movie scarcely had time to give us a quick glimpse of each of the kids before forcing them one by one into crisis.

This is a TV series that raised the dreams and hopes of a whole generation. Everything was so well arranged, and the story was well written that you just had to watch the next episode. The soundtrack included excellent songs performed by the cast and on occasions the series hosted famous guest stars. Maybe the actors were not Brando Dean and Monroe but they all gave that little bit of pure artistic glamour. The show was really taken Europe by storm and for a long time it was a must to know what was going on. Something like the '90201' of the nineties. The School of Arts in New York was set to make stars and stars it made. The '80s would have never been complete without this. If you do have a chance to see the early years of the show don't miss it. 10/10