Dharma & Greg

"Dharma & Greg" is one of my favourite shows of recent years. It's cute and smart and I'm missing it already! I absolutely adore Jenna Elfman and I thought that the chemistry between herself and Thomas Gibson was absolutely infalliable. For the most part, the supporting cast were strong too, particularly the continuous bickering between Kitty and Edward (Susan Sullivan and Mitch Ryan) In the last series I missed my other favourite character, Jane (Shae D'Lyn), very much.

Yes, there are parallels to "I Love Lucy," but with a degree of introspection which was impossible for TV in those days. I regard this show as one of the last of the US broadcast networks' "second golden age," which emerged at the end of the seventies.

The actors use their voices extremely well; their timing, phrasing and range of modulation are expertly refined and restrained, and amazingly accomplished for TV. There are very few essential sight gags; when replaying the (excellent quality) audio track alone, I am intrigued by how well it would have worked on radio.

I notice some don't seem to "get" the parents, seeing them as shallow stereotypes. But their roles were written and played with the winking insight that the characters have become quite well aware their lifestyles, values and belief systems were folly. With evident embarrassment, they pragmatically and self-consciously stick to their pretensions, as they provide the only structure they dare trust enough to hold their fragile self-identities and relationships together.

This is gently revealed in the dynamic between and among the folks. The kids may seem to be center stage, but having themselves already caught on, essentially play "straight man" together to the poignant unfolding of their parents' subdued realizations as they sail into the fading expectations of middle age.

The show is great, plain and simple. Absolutely funny, mixing a nice balance of silliness and humor, with wit and drama. The show at times can really pull at you and make you think. The culture clash--social clash is more accurate--is eye opening and brings out real ideas and social issues. But never strays from the comedy. It's been nearly two years since the show ended, but I still watch and love the show. To be honest I barely had seen the show when it still produced new episodes, but I still love it and find that it still relates to what's going on in society now. Like I said, the show is great. Plain and simple.

Dharma & Greg is my all-time favorite TV show, and I was in hog heaven with the re-runs. I wish they were still on regularly. I always considered the character of "Dharma" as "my idol" and really loved the idealistic marriage portrayed on the show, peppered with real issues that happen with real relationships. I yearned to have such a loving, happy marriage. Then, last year, on the first date with my now-husband, we discussed the show and it turned out he loved it and felt the same way about it. We are now in a wonderful, Dharma&Greg-esquire marriage filled with surprises, kookiness, hot, adventurous sex and lots of communication and love. Thanks for the inspiration!

Dharma & Greg has changed how I view sitcoms. Having seen all of D&G I don't find anything else to be as funny as it used to be. Frasier, Home Improvement, Drew Carey, According to Jim, Sports Night, all used to be my favorites but now none of them make me bellow out in laughter as hard and as often as Dharma & Greg does.

This show has everything! Intelligent humour which requires the viewer to pay attention and of course the plethora of silly humour for which Dharma is famous. It's hilarious, but also very touching at times, both sides of the coin are written superbly and acted with great skill. Unrealistic things such as dead Indian ghosts and the general craziness of Dharma go side by side with the common realisms of life, characters munching on something as they talk, brushing their teeth, paying their bills. The show covers all types of humour, all types of emotion, all types of situations, it has everything.

The writing and acting in this show are superb. The perfect timing and tremendous skill of Jennal Elfman and Thomas Gibson translate into one of the most memorable relationships on television, Dharma and Greg are as real a TV couple as you can get. The other cast members are also all very talented and play their roles perfectly. With such a high quality of actors, the writers and producers were able to pull off some amazing shows.

Where Dharma & Greg stands apart from all other shows is in how you laugh at it. you don't! You laugh WITH it. In Raymond you laugh at the characters when they get in one of their many arguments. In Frasier you laugh when he and Niles do something snobbish. There is a general trend in sitcom humour, akin to the newspaper saying of 'it bleeds, it leads', that trend is making us laugh by making the characters miserable, making them argue, in general, we laugh at their misfortune. On the other hand Dharma is at its best when we are laughing with the characters, at their happiness, because unlike most other shows, the characters in D&G do laugh. They laugh at themselves, at each other, at the situations they encounter, and when they are laughing and having a good time I find it much more funny, much more real, then when I'm asked to laugh at Ray's pathetic brother or Jim's flimsy excuses to his angry wife. Life is funny, why do none of the characters in other sitcoms realize it?

In short, I find Dharma & Greg to be a very funny, uplifting show, the best I've ever seen. It's sappy to say, but watching D&G makes me feel good, and that's amazing seeing as its only a television show, but I guess that's what makes it such a good one.