WKRP DVD Set Review

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WKRP

Pilot Part 1: This episode introduces us to the cast of zanies that we have come to know and love, and it is a delightful one. The only character that seems off is Arthur Carlson, who is slightly more professional than he would be in subsequent episodes. However, it is Johnny Fever that steals the show, especially in his scenes in the booth. In one, he is bored out of his mind by the elevator music, and in the other, he introduces the new format is his usually insane style. 8/10

Pilot Part 2: A decent follow up finds the station flooded with protesters to the format change. Well, flooded is an exaggeration, as there are only six or so. Once again, Johnny steals the show, as his reaction to two protesters’ interruption of his broadcast is priceless. 7/10

Les on the Ledge: The first truly classic episode of the series, this revolves around two plots: Les’ despondency over being banned from sports lockerrooms due to misunderstandings about his sexuality, and Herb’s reaction to Fever’s lie about Jennifer having been previously a man. The ledge scene is particularly hysterical. 10/10

Hoodlum Rock: The station is promoting he UK band “Scum of the Earth” in their US debut, and the band is out and out insane. IMO, this episode hasn’t held up as well, mostly because there have been so many real bands that have outstripped Scum that the cliché doesn’t seem as funny. Not to mention the fact that they are suggested to be a punk band, but their music is closer to hair/glam metal than anything else. 5/10

Holdup: WKRP does its first remote at a stereo store. Needless to say, the remote doesn’t go as planned as they attract a grand total of zero listeners—except for the guy who hijacks the remote to become a DJ. The highlight of the episode is Del, as he is the pure frantic salesman, whether negotiating with Herb or giving a pitch on the air. You also gotta love the Dragnet style closing. 7/10

Baily’s Show :Bailey Quarters comes up with an idea for a talk show, but cannot seem to find a normal guest for the first show. While this show isn’t a laugh a minute, it is a nice coming-out episode for Jan Smithers as she nicely displays the frustration, pain and eventual determination. The first guest is also a pretty interesting “doctor,” who concludes that all children are insane. 6/10

Turkeys Away: This is yet another classic, thanks largely due the nice buildup of Carlson’s restlessness annoying of the staff, setting up the promotion, and the punchline. Les’ on-the-spot reporting is hysterical, as is the punchline. And of course, who can forget the classic closing line: “As God is my witness, I honestly thought turkeys could fly” One note: The Pink Floyd song has been replaced by another generic song, but the edited scene still works on a different level, as Johnny is pretending to be out of it so he doesn’t have to talk to Carlson. 10/10

Love Returns: An old flame of Andy returns, and she’s a famous singer. She invites Andy to join her on tour, but Andy is reluctant, wondering what he’d leave behind. A decent serious episode, but nothing I’d call very special. IN fact, the only real humor comes from the subplot of the Date w/ a DJ contest, and Herb’s reaction to the singer. Thus far this is the episode where the editing is most noted, as they do a clear fadeaway before Johnny announces the contest winner, and whatever music they had in the Andy/Linda scene was replaced by overly obnoxious romantic music that was too loud during the silences and absent for the dialogue. 5/10

Mama’s Review: Here’s one that I don’t get. Nine episodes in and we get a clip show? Still, it’s a moderately entertaining episode, which features many of the big moments from the first part of the first season, and a good setup, as Mama Carlson is reviewing the new format with Andy and Mr. Carlson. Carol Bruce steps in as Mama, and she does a good job. I like the end in which the Carlson family dynamic is fully displayed as Mama gives her son begrudging respect for standing up to her. 6/10

A Date with Jennifer: A charming Les-centered episode, as Les needs a date for an awards banquet and asks Jennifer, who accepts. A jealous Herb gets Carlson to ban office dating, and Les is heartbroken, even though Jennifer would go out with him anyway. A key moment when Les is getting dressed to the sounds of Foreigner is edited to a generic song that still works well. Not the most hysterical episode, but still fun to watch in its own right. 7/10

The Contest Nobody Could Win: Johnny accidently announcers a $5,000 prize on the air (originally $50) and this triggers panic, and an attempt by Herb & Les to gain more power. Another episode that is clearly edited, but they do a pretty smooth job of it. This has some very good moments, including the medley (even the edited one works here) and Herb’s “Dungarees v. Suits” theory. 8/10

Tornado: One the better episodes of the season, and indeed the series, this is a nice mix of the hilarious and the serious. A tornado has hit Cinncinnatti and the gang is stuck on their floor. Les is worried that he’ll miss the story, while the station is playing host to a group of Japanese tourists—with a Spanish interpreter. This leads to one of the funniest moments of the show, as Carlson uses his old WWII phrases to great effect. However, the real highlight of the show is Carlson talking to a panicked 8 year old. And you gotta love Les’ emergency bulletin about the “Godless tornadoes” 10/10

Goodbye, Johnny: Johnny has an opportunity to work in LA again, and he is about to take it. To hold him off, the gang throws him a goodbye party, making for a great set of speeches, especially from Herb and Jennifer. 9/10

Johnny Comes Back: Johnny gets fired from his LA job, only to find that he has been replaced. He works the graveyard shift, and his half-awake reactions are nothing short of hysterical. We also get a glimpse of payola in the crooked record execs and DJs, leading to yet another hysterical moment—when Carlson realizes that the powder he has put on his feet is really cocaine. “I’ve got a monkey on my foot!” 8/10

Never Leave Me Lucille: Herb’s wife leaves him and he tries to find out what the single life is all about again. The key part is hitting on Jennifer even more than usual, which (needless to say) scares Jennifer to death. Loni’s reactions throughout the episode single-handedly save the show here, as she is hysterical. 7/10

I Want to Keep My Baby: A distraught mother leaves her baby at the station, and Johnny takes care of the child. Some decent moments here and there, but overall the episode is pretty weak. 4/10.

A Commercial Break: The station gets the biggest sales account yet, coming from a chain of funeral parlors. This is a very good episode, with the highlights being the morbid funeral manager and the catchy jingle that the gang comes up with. 9/10

Who Is Gordon Sims? We find out more about Venus, who as it turns out is a deserter from the US Army. Quite different in tone from many of the episodes, this takes a serious note at the end, with Venus’ monologue about why he left. Still, there are moments of levity, most notably Carlson’s problem with a blow-up raft and Venus’ reason for why Carlson is with him. 8/10

I Do, I Do…For Now: Jennifer’s old boyfriend comes in from West Virginia, and rather than dealing with the implications of him trying to re-ignite their relationship, Jennifer pretends to be married—to Johnny. This is a very funny episode, thanks largely due to Johnny’s reactions throughout the entire episode. The episode also works thanks to guest star Hoyt Axton’s music. Unfortunately, the original doorbell “fly me to the moon” song was replaced, which is one of the few times where a replacement song really undercut the humor. Still, a rather entertaining episode. 8/10

Young Master Carlson: Arthur Carlson Jr. arrives at the station, and he is a military academy brat. He insults just about everyone, and nearly gets his head taken off by Venus after he utters a racial slur. Usually, episodes with kids are annoying, but this is a pretty good one, thanks largely due to the reactions of the cast. Especially amusing is Les’ reaction upon hearing that he’s obtuse. 7/10

Fish Story: The zaniest episode of the season, this revolves around Herb as the WKRP Carp, a mascot who gets into a fight with the WPIG Pig. Another plot has Johnny and Venus doing an public service experiment to test their reflexes under the influence of alcohol. This is a hysterical episode, with a lot of great moments, such as Venus’ fascination with hats, and Herb’s fight with the pig. 9/10

Preacher: An imposing former wrestler is a Sunday morning preacher/shyster who has angered the religious community by huckstering religious “artifacts.” The guest star almost single-handed carries this episode, as he is intense and fun to watch. 8/10

Bonus Material

Pilot 1 Commentary: Hugh Wilson, Frank Bonner and Loni Anderson present a number of entertaining stories about the making of the series. Some interesting tidbits include their feelings towards the actress that played the Mrs. Carlson the first time, and the fights with CBS over Jennifer’s wardrobe

Turkeys Away Commentary: The same trio does this show as well, and although decent, it doesn’t quite match the pilot, mostly because for most of the 2nd half, they watch the show instead of providing stories.

Do My Eyes Say Yes-Featurette: An examination of the character of Jennifer Marlow, this features clips interspersed with comments from Frank Bonner, Tim Reid, Hugh Wilson and of course, Loni Anderson.

A Fish Story Featurette: This segment discusses how this episode was written as an angry reaction to CBS insisting on more slapstick—which backfired as it became one of the more popular ones.

Overall Assessment:

Watching this show again made me remember what I liked about it in the first place. This is a great bunch of characters who managed to be funny and serious, and yet never stray completely away from their characters. Granted, the lack of the original music can be annoying at times, but it doesn’t take away from what is otherwise a decent DVD set. In fact, the only major thing that this set lacks is a good bunch of extras. Yes, there is some commentary tracks and a couple of featurettes, but given the amount of time we’ve been waiting because of the licensing issue, I would have expected them to go a few extra steps. Why not have a complete 30 minute feature on how WKRP began? Or since they got Tim Reid to take part in the featurettes, why not have him do a commentary on Who is Gordon Sims?

Content Rating: 9/10
Special Features Rating: 4/10
Overall Rating: 7.5/10

Finally, let me close by saying that if you’re boycotting the set because it doesn’t have the original music, or because a couple of scenes have been poorly edited, you are not doing the cause any favors. Look at what happened to Night Court—after poor sales of S1 and the sampler DVD, the execs decided it wasn’t worth it to bring forth additional seasons. This may not be the WKRP that we all know and love, but it is probably the only version that we’ll get anytime soon. So suck it up, buy a set and support the cause. Hopefully, this will lead to future seasons.