Which show did you like better? I like Laverne and Shirley MUCH MUCH better than Happy Days. Even as a kid, I never really liked HD, but I LOVED L&S. What do you guys think? I think L&S was much funnier, and more fun. And the cast was better, IMO. L&S is one of my all time favorite Sitcoms.

I like, and have always liked, Laverne & Shirley MUCH more than Happy Days. Happy Days was more of a corny little family show that basically revolved around the time period it was in, which Laverne & Shirley kind of dropped as the show progressed.

I always thought that L&S had more developed characters as well. Though most of the episodes are comedic, there are some awfully sad ones where you find out the little sad backgrounds of all of the main characters. For instance...

Laverne lost her mother at a young age. She lost her boyfriend/almost-fiancee, Randy in a fire. And in the end, you find out that she's really a hopeless romantic... maybe even more so than Shirley.

Shirley's parents were divorced, and both her father and brother Bobby are alcoholics.

Lenny's mom walked out on the family on his fifth birthday, and it's obvious that he has low self-esteem a lot of the time.

Squiggy's dad wasn't around when he has a child, and during some of the earlier episodes, it's hinted that he had a foster mother... amongst other things.

So, really, Laverne & Shirley was better for me because there was a story behind the comedy. I don't watch it only because it's nostalgic, or quick humor, but you feel like you can really get into the characters, sometimes. You know why the way they are. And even though all of this isn't really in the front of your mind, you atleast know that there's some substance to it ;) I'm not saying that Happy Days had no substance, but you just never really got all the information about the characters like you do with L&S.

I like both Show's.

I like, and have always liked, Laverne & Shirley MUCH more than Happy Days. Happy Days was more of a corny little family show that basically revolved around the time period it was in, which Laverne & Shirley kind of dropped as the show progressed.

I always thought that L&S had more developed characters as well. Though most of the episodes are comedic, there are some awfully sad ones where you find out the little sad backgrounds of all of the main characters. For instance...

Laverne lost her mother at a young age. She lost her boyfriend/almost-fiancee, Randy in a fire. And in the end, you find out that she's really a hopeless romantic... maybe even more so than Shirley.

Shirley's parents were divorced, and both her father and brother Bobby are alcoholics.

Lenny's mom walked out on the family on his fifth birthday, and it's obvious that he has low self-esteem a lot of the time.

Squiggy's dad wasn't around when he has a child, and during some of the earlier episodes, it's hinted that he had a foster mother... amongst other things.

So, really, Laverne & Shirley was better for me because there was a story behind the comedy. I don't watch it only because it's nostalgic, or quick humor, but you feel like you can really get into the characters, sometimes. You know why the way they are. And even though all of this isn't really in the front of your mind, you atleast know that there's some substance to it ;) I'm not saying that Happy Days had no substance, but you just never really got all the information about the characters like you do with L&S.


All great points. I also loved that we had some serious stuff every now and then. it made it more real. I love sad stuff in Sitcoms, lol.

I luv them both! :)

I never liked Happy Days except the Suzi Quatro episodes. She was a real life lady rocker who was huge in every country except the United States.

L&S was wayyyy better than HAppy Days. For some reason HAppy Days always had this weird overtone on it for me. Can't explain it.

Happy Days for me. Up through season seven, HD was a fun show. There was a great cast and the while the humor wasn't edgy, it made me laugh as a kid.

Laverne & Shirley was always just an okay show IMO. To be honest, if I come across a rerun, I find L&S kind of annoying. The two best characters on the show were Lenny & Squiggy, who provided the real laughs.

The two shows do share something in common: They both "jumped the shark" for good during the 1980-81 season - Happy Days by losing Ron Howard and gaining Ted McGinley and Laverne & Shirley by uprooting the entire neighborhood to California. Happens all the time.;)

LAVERNE & SHIRLEY was hilarious at times, but I found myself really caring more
about the characters on HAPPY DAYS. Laverne & Shirley were like a younger
version of Lucy & Ethel. Great slapstick (and Lenny and Squiggy fit perfectly).
But, at least until Ron Howard left, HAPPY DAYS was (in my opinion) a better
show. The last season of LAVERNE & SHIRLEY was awful (after Cindy Williams
left the series). She didn't even appear at her own wedding (a stand-in,
with her face covered with bandages was used!). How lame is that?

Happy Days was better then Laverne and shirley

Happy Days was better then Laverne and shirley

And it's starting to gain some ground in the poll. L&S is still the favorite, but its lead is diminishing.

Yeah, I just noticed that too. AYYYYYYYY! (Two thumbs up!)

Which show did you like better? I like Laverne and Shirley MUCH MUCH better than Happy Days. Even as a kid, I never really liked HD, but I LOVED L&S. What do you guys think? I think L&S was much funnier, and more fun. And the cast was better, IMO. L&S is one of my all time favorite Sitcoms.


This question would have fit better on the General Discussion Board. But I liked happy days better

I prefer Laverne & Shirley.

The last season of LAVERNE & SHIRLEY was awful (after Cindy Williams
left the series). She didn't even appear at her own wedding (a stand-in,
with her face covered with bandages was used!). How lame is that?

Actually, Cindy did appear in that episode. The groom, an army medic stationed in or headed to England, was in the bandages.

The use of bandages for the army medic in lieu of a human, living, and breathing person puzzles me. Did they fail to find a male guest star to play the role for the man to which Shirley would get married? Were the powers that be at ABC too cheap to use one? It's no wonder I wish they had had Shirley and Carmine get hitched. :mad:

Originally Posted by tv star collector
The last season of LAVERNE & SHIRLEY was awful (after Cindy Williams
left the series). She didn't even appear at her own wedding (a stand-in,
with her face covered with bandages was used!). How lame is that?

I didn't think the Series Finale was THAT bad, LOL. it has a moment or 2. I think L&S stayed better for a longer time. I admit, both shows did kind of lose steam in their 7th Seasons.

Save for a few episodes at the beginning the final season was The Laverne Show. Not Laverne & Shirley. Hell, Michael McKean even left midway through the season. He knew he was on a sinking ship and left to do This Is Spinal Tap with Penny's ex-husband Rob Reiner.

Smart move.;)

Laverne & Shirley for me.