"Dream On" (1990) TV series 1990-1996

User Rating:

7.4/10   

Creators:

David Crane
Marta Kauffman

Seasons:

1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6

Release Date:

8 July 1990 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy

Plot:

Cult adult comedy about dreamer Martin Tupper, whose life is full of colourful characters. Divorced and living with his growing teenage son...

Plot Keywords:

Nudity | Erotica | Female Nudity | Sitcom

Awards:

Won 2 Primetime Emmys. Another 9 wins & 22 nominations

Cast

Brian Benben

...

Martin Tupper (113 episodes, 1990-1996)

Runtime:

30 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Certification:

Singapore:M18

Company:

MCA Television Entertainment (MTE)

Trivia:

The opening credits began with a TV set turning on to display nothing but static. This has since become the generic logo for all HBO Original Series.

Quotes:

Claire: I'm sorry, is the smoke bothering you?
Martin: Actually, yes.
Claire: Then don't inhale.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "Mystery Science Theater 3000: Eegah! (#6.6)" (1993)

Funny and original

Martin is a divorced New York book editor, trying to juggle the facets of his life - his work, teenage son, ex-wife, his TV-star best friend - while living the single life. Martin's youth was heavily influenced by television, as his mother was used to parking the youngster in front of the TV to keep him entertained, as neatly shown by the opening credits to each episode. Hence his formative years were spent watching lots of old black-and-white movies, and as Martin deals with the travails of his adult life, quotes from these movies pop into his head at relevant and humorous moments, shown to the viewers as clips. This was an original and ingenious device, and sets Dream On apart from a lot of its contemporaries, such as Friends and Frasier. Another surprising facet was the honest nudity - admittedly usually female - that the show contained, and was indeed a precursor to Sex And The City.

Unfortunately, Channel 4 here in England did not show the whole series, just the first couple of seasons, which was a shame. Nevertheless, there were some memorable moments - Eddie's plastic surgery scene in the second season opener, a wonderful tongue-very-firmly-planted-in- cheek way of introducing Dorien Wilson into the role, replacing Jeffrey Joseph; the strip-poker game; Martin trying to gain favour with his female boss by sleeping with her (and joining her in her office shower)-only to get usurped in the position by an even more ambitious female colleague; sleeping with his wonderfully obnoxious PA, Toby; and Martin's every desperate attempt to sustain a relationship with a woman. Brian Benben's Martin was an affable, sympathetic character, and you couldn't help feeling for him in his endeavours. Like I say, it was a pity we didn't get to see the whole series shown on UK terrestrial TV, so when I eventually get cable I will be keeping an eye on the schedules - I want to see if Martin does finally get the girl...