Of all the spin-off series that came out of “Happy Days”, none were as popular as “Laverne & Shirley.” Determined not to be a clone of its parent show, it went in a completely different direction. Where “Happy Days” was mostly nostalgia oriented towards the 1950’s, “Laverne & Shirley” tended to go for more of a broad comedy (no pun intended). Roomates Laverne (Penny Marshall) and Shirley (Cindy Williams) worked together as bottlecappers at the Shotz Brewery in Milwaukee, and when they weren't working, trouble seemed to follow them everywhere. The series was a huge hit with audiences almost immediately, yet it somehow failed to set the critics on fire. Most claimed it was stupid or inane. But who listens to the critics? The show went to number 3 in its first season, number 2 in its second, finally going to number 1 for its third and fourth. Part of what made the show so popular, at least in my opinion, was the great rapport between its two stars.

Both actresses proved quickly that they were great comic performers, which was only enhanced by their co-stars David L. Lander (Lenny) and Michael McKean (Squiggy). The humor of the series resembled the heyday of Lucille Ball in that everything was broad (again, no pun intended) and over the top. The series offered up everything from bank robbers to fainting deliverymen. There’s even an episode about a bachelor party where everything than can go wrong, does.

There’s no questioning the talent involved with the series. Marshall, like Ron Howard from “Happy Days”, went on to be a celebrated director. Films like “A League of Their Own” and “Big” proved she was a force to be reckoned with in Hollywood. But just as impressive to me was the later career of Michael McKean, who is probably one of the greatest underrated character actors around. He’s been around more film and TV than most people realize, unless they recognize him as I do. From his star turn in “This is Spinal Tap”, to stints on “The X-Files.” I was even surprised when he showed up a couple of years ago as Perry White on “Smallville.” McKean is a multi-talented performer whose presence on “Laverne & Shirley” did as much to make it as popular as it was as anyone else on the show.

Paramount released the DVD of the first season the same week as that of “Happy Days”, which was about 4 years ago. Popping in the first disc, I had to sing along to the memorable theme song (carefully making sure that no one was around). Then I settled in to catch up with old friends. Like “Happy Days”, the humor wasn’t at all dated, and the series was still every bit as funny as I remembered it being. I had forgotten about the special guest in the episode about the Bachelor Party, and it felt good to be surprised again…. “Ayyyyyy…”

Paramount has since released the second and third seasons and is now finally releasing the fourth season this month, with a full 24 episode slate. And these episodes were some of the best of the series before they started ‘jumping the shark.’ But I especially enjoyed the episode “Laverne and Shirley Move In”, where we learn how they ended up as roommates.
Unfortunately, it appears that the series also suffered the same fate as "Happy Days" as it had a lot of the music replaced. It's not as much of a chop job as the other show, but still noticeable. It turns out that that this was a big part of the holdup, trying to get all of these music rights covered. And like the “Happy Days” sets, it doesn’t have any extra features. I’m guessing this was still a cost issue since the studio wasn’t really sure how well the sets would continue to sell. Hopefully, they’ll sell like hotcakes and by the next time around there will be plenty of extras for both series. In the meantime, the set is still worth picking up as “Laverne & Shirley” aren’t just sitcoms, they’re a part of Americana. Now if they would just release the fourth season of “Happy Days!!”

Episodes:
Festival (part one)
Festival (part two)
Playing the Roxy
The Robbery
The Quiz Show
Laverne and Shirley Go to Night School
Date with Eraserhead
The Bully Show
A Visit to the Cemetery
Chorus Line
Laverne and Shirley Move In
Dinner for Four
It's a Dog's Life
Oh, Come All Ye Bums
Who's Papa?
The Third Annual Shotz Talent Show
Supermarket Sweep
Lenny's Crush
Fire Show
Squiggy in Love
The Feminine Mistake
The Tenants Are Revolting
There's a Spy in My Beer
Shirley and the Older Man

Starring: Penny Marshall, Cindy Williams, David L. Lander, Michael McKean, Eddie Mekka, Phil Foster, Betsy Garrett
Extras: None
Specifications: Full Screen, Dolby Digital English Mono
Studio: Paramount
Release Date: 4/22/2008
Region 1
MPAA Rating: NR
Website

We'll give Laverne & Shirley: Season 4 a B-.