Dream On (TV series)

Dream On (TV series)
Dream On
Genre Sitcom
Created by David Crane
Marta Kauffman
Starring Brian Benben
Michael McKean
Wendie Malick
Denny Dillon
Dorien Wilson
Chris Demetral
Theme music composer Michael Skloff
Composer(s) Michael Skloff
Country of origin United States
Language(s) English
No. of seasons 6
No. of episodes 120 (List of episodes)
Production
Executive producer(s) Kevin Bright
John Landis
Producer(s) David Crane
Jeff Greenstein
Robb Idels
Marta Kauffman
Jeff Strauss
Ron Wolotzky
Running time 30 min
Production company(s) MCA Television Entertainment
Broadcast
Original channel HBO (1990-1996)
Fox (1995)
Audio format Stereophonic sound
Original run July 8, 1990 – March 27, 1996

Dream On is an American adult-themed situation comedy about single New Yorker, Martin Tupper. The show used a gimmick where old black and white clips were used to punctuate the main character's feelings or thoughts. It was created by David Crane and Marta Kauffman, the team who would later create the TV show Friends, and ran for six seasons on HBO between 1990 and 1996.

Contents

Premise

To summarize the show, Time magazine said it depicted a "neurotic New Yorker (Brian Benben) coping with divorce, dating and other modern trials, while scenes from old TV shows rattle around in his head."[1]

The show centered on Martin Tupper's (Brian Benben) 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 and TV shows to express Martin's inner life and feelings, which lent it much of its quirky appeal, reminding viewers about the impact of TV on their consciousness. The show was also significant 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.

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.

Cast

Episodes

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]

Production notes

The show was created by Marta Kauffman and David Crane who also served as producers. Dream On was executive produced by Kevin Bright and John Landis. Landis also directed several episodes of the series.

Awards

Year Result Category Recipient
1991 CableACE Award Editing a Comedy Special or Series/Music Special John Axness
For episode "The First Episode"
1991 Comedy Series Kevin Bright, David Crane, Robb Idels, Marta Kauffman, John Landis, Bill Sanders, and Ron Wolotzky
Actress in a Comedy Series Wendie Malick
1993 Actress in a Comedy Series Wendie Malick
1994 Editing in a Comedy/Music Special or Series David Helfand
For episode "The Son Also Rises"
Actress in a Comedy Series Wendie Malick
1995 Actress in a Comedy Series Wendie Malick
1993 Emmy Award Outstanding Individual Achievement in Directing in a Comedy Series Betty Thomas
For episode "For Peter's Sake"
Outstanding Guest Actor in a Comedy Series David Clennon
For episode "For Peter's Sake"
1994 GLAAD Media Awards Outstanding Comedy Series
-
1993 Young Artist Award Best Young Actor Starring in a Cable Series Chris Demetral

Syndication

The series aired in syndication on Comedy Central in the United States.

International airings

In Canada, Dream On 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 (for the first 2 series, before the remainder was shown on Sky1 - the majority of the Sky episodes were later shown on ITV4 in a late night slot around 2006-07), In France, the show aired on Canal Jimmy, in Switzerland on TSR, in Germany on RTL2, in Norway on TV3 and on Raisat Cinema, Canale 5 and Rai 4 in Italy. It was also broadcasted by Canal + in Poland as one of its first shows.

In Israel the entire show aired on Bip, it is still aired on a regular basis, usually at night as it managed to retain its popularity.

DVD releases

Seasons 1-2 are currently available on DVD for both regions 1 and 2; Seasons 3-6 have not been released.

References

  1. ^ 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." 
  2. ^ "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." 
  3. ^ O'Connor, John J. (July 10, 1990). "A Modern Life Lived in 50's and 60's Images". The New York Times. 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. 
  4. ^ O'Connor, John J. (August 2, 1991). "Dream On and Some Other Games People Play". The New York Times. 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


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