The Ten Best LAVERNE & SHIRLEY Episodes of Season Six

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After a disappointing fifth season that saw both the ratings plummet because the series was taken out of its reliable post-Happy Days slot, and a creative decline as weekly stories became so divorced from the “situation” that macro issues with the characters had no place to hide, Laverne & Shirley went into Six in need of major change. While the ratings dilemma had been somewhat “solved” earlier that spring with a move back behind Happy Days, the storytelling demanded additional attention. The show’s solution? A change of scenery, as the entire cast — yes, entire — packed up and moved from early ’60s Milwaukee to 1965 Burbank. This reformatting came with two new peripheral players (a vain actress neighbor and a hunky stuntman love interest for Laverne), a new job for Laverne and Shirley as gift wrappers at a department store, and a new Honky-Tonk hangout joint run by Frank and Edna (where there were more opportunities for the leads to sing). Yet despite all this seeming structural newness, and to the contrary of the natural tendency to separate the series into two eras based on its locale (“Milwaukee years = good; Burbank years = bad”), the truth of the matter is… Laverne & Shirley doesn’t actually change that much. Its characters still don’t have much internal emotional realism or story-pushing objectives, and the newbies, in particular, are no better, providing little support, which means those macro issues regarding character have not gone anywhere. Oh, sure, I understand that this season feels more like a “hangout” comedy than any other, with a few quiet low-concept episodes about young singles, and more attempts at dramatic sincerity (à la Season Four), hoping to suggest matured depictions of the ladies. But such scripts lack the broad comedy necessary to make winning segments of this series, and what’s more, the character work remains shallow and one-dimensional, with swings in behavior that feel heavy-handed and false from leads who don’t have the consistency or support within story to make them believable. That’s right; these plots still traffic in externally charged idea-led notions that aren’t well attached to character. So, ultimately, this move has done nothing to better tie the “situation” — the characters — to the series’ weekly projection of its identity, and, specifically, the right ideas needed to deliver its brand of comedy, the only thing it does great.

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Now it's time for Chris of the Night After Night podcast to count down his picks for Laverne & Shirley's rather different 6th season. With everything changed and getting a lot of different talent behind the camera, Chris comes to it with a certain cynicism. But can the comedic highs and playful creativity make up for this? Where does Chris land on this momentous shift? Find out!

What were your Top 5 of Season 5 of Laverne & Shirley?

Lisa of the Night After Night podcast counts down her Top 5 favorite episodes of Laverne & Shirley's game-changing 6th season. Everything abruptly changes when the whole gang moves to California. The show introduces new characters (Rhonda and Sonny), digs and occupations for our main characters -- as well as thrusting them firmly forward in time from the early 1960s to the mid 1960s. A rush of comedic highs ensue, but for many fans Season 5 is the ultimate stopping point of the show. Where does Lisa land on this momentous shift? Find out as she ticks off her faves of the season!