Dream On

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" is (I should say was) the most innovative and original comedy series out there. The show ended in 1996, but is still in re-runs in many areas. The show follows Martin Tupper, a divorced New York City book editor, on his seemingly never-ending quest for love. Unfortunately, none of his one- night-stands measure up to the love of his life, his ex, Judith Tupper Stone.

But...he keeps looking. Martin goes through more women than socks. Still, he remains a truly lovable character, though a bit on the cheap side. And, of course, he's always loses in the end, poor schmuck!

As this show's main focus is Martin's quest for love (read: sex), it's definitely not for kiddies. The show features some pretty risque themes, and some rather graphic simulated sex. This may explain why "Dream On" is generally found only on premium cable channels (eg HBO).

The most brilliant part of the show is the constant interjection of old movie scenes which illustrate the inner workings of Martin's warped mind. While hard to explain, trust that this is both effective and hilarious.

And humor is what the show's all about. It's screamingly funny, not to mention incredibly well-acted. The show never shies away from controversial subject matter, either. Certainly, "Dream On" remains one of the overlooked gems of television history.

Despite having a deservedly strong cult following, "Dream On" seems to have been overall under-appreciated. While mega hits like "Seinfeld", "Frasier" and "Friends" have been lavishly praised, one hears very little about "Dream On" despite its long 120 episode run.

Watching it after some 10 years after its original airing, it still works and extremely well. For any sitcom to work the characters have to be completely nailed down with their own personal idiosyncrasies in place. Then smart dialog has to be given to them, week after week after week. "Dream On" accomplished this and managed to maintain its level of comedic excellence thoughout its six seasons.

The main characters of Martin Tupper (Brian Benben), his ex-wife Judith (Wendie Mallick), best friend Eddie (Dorien Wilson) and secretary from hell Toby (Denny Dillon) form the core of the series. We become truly fond of this motley bunch, warts and all. Benben at the very heart of the series is wonderful. A comedy actor with perfect timing and physicality too, he also had his emotional moments. He became Martin Tupper for so long, and so well, that it's been tough moving on to other projects, a fate suffered by most of the Seinfeld gang.

Then there are the occasional secondary characters of crude boss Gibby (Michael Mckean), son Jeremy (Chris Demetral), overbearing mother (Renee Taylor) and recently turned gay father (Paul Dooley), all making welcome appearances. Many one time characters are played by well known stage and television actors.

"Dream On" addressed many sexual issues with the kind of unbridled candor sadly lacking on today's television screens. This it did with much chutzpah and a lot of humor. It's unique usage of old movie footage could have been intrusive and downright irritating in lesser hands. This gimmick however was so cleverly handled that one soon takes it for granted and almost waits for the appropriate clip. It's all part of the "Dream On" language.

120 episodes is a long run. Thankfully "Dream On" didn't peter out from becoming tired of itself as so often is the case. Until the very end, it was always a guaranteed half hour of really top class television entertainment.

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.

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!