It's easy to forget about the rebranded Discovery Kids channel, now the HUB; though it offers a smattering of relative oldies in the nighttime hours, it's still essentially a family/kids channel with a ton of children's cartoons. But while I haven't been watching many of the classic reruns it does offer, I think it's good to have an outlet for shows like "Family Ties" and "The Wonder Years," and I appreciate the effort. This week, the HUB is running some Christmas episodes, and I put together a Garry Marshall double feature of sorts on my DVR with yuletide-themed installments of "Happy Days" and "Laverne and Shirley."
Let me thank this network for the unusual but welcome programming decision it implemented for its overnight airing of "Happy Days" the other night. About halfway through the episode, the picture got a little funky, and the audio fell out of sync. At first, I found this irritating enough to turn me into a Scrooge, but I soon realized the genius of this: The HUB was cablecasting in Festive Drunk-o-vision, attempting to simulate for the viewer the sensation of being agreeably inebriated after downing a few spiked egg nogs. Well done, folks!
The episode itself is one of the more heartwarming of its time, "Guess Who's Coming to Christmas" from the second season. Richie and Mr. C. realize that Fonzie's big talk about visiting his cousins is just bluster because of his pride, and that he in fact will be alone on Christmas Eve. So the Cunninghams talk Howard into giving up his dream of an old-fashioned holiday with just the family, and they invite the Fonz to celebrate them.
Looking at this one again from a modern perspective, it's interesting to see some of the vestiges of the early, single-camera days of the series: Fonz mock-threatening the guys, Fonz still being an outsider, and of course most notably, a Chuck sighting. It's clear from this episode that the Fonz ain't a hood, and there will be no turning back from the babyfacing of the character.
"Happy Days" really went off the rails eventually, but this episode is a great example of the quieter, nostalgic aura the show cultivated at first. It's sentimental without being pandering, and it's a genuine, heartfelt piece of Christmas cheer. Even if you're watching it in Festive Drunk-o-vision.
I'm not gonna spend a lot of time talking about "Laverne and Shirley," as I've never been a fan, but I can't resist "Let's put on a show" episodes of classic sitcoms. Somehow, the whole gang winds up putting on a revue at a mental hospital overseen by Howard Hesseman. It's corny, contrived, and cliched, but aren't most of these kinds of vanity episodes that let the cast "show their talent"? The only thing missing was the cast breaking character at the end to directly wish the audience a Merry Christmas.
While watching this, I started wondering what sitcom today would be best suited to do this kind of show, and it hit me: NBC's "Community." They just did a great holiday episode, but for next year, I think the creative team should work on something that pays homage to/mocks this kind of sitcom staple. I'll bet it would offer the same blend of stupid and smart that has made other "Community" episodes memorable. Dan Harmon, make it happen, please!
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