The complete series of Welcome Back, Kotter gets a release on DVD. Fans of the show that didn't already have this will be please to have the chance to own all four seasons. This one is out now.
“Teacher Gabe Kotter (Gabriel Kaplan) returns to his former high school to teach a group of remedial students known as the Sweathogs – a group Kotter himself helped found as a student. As the loveable losers and delinquents of Buchanan High – including John Travolta in his breakthrough role as Vinnie Barbarino – adjust to their new teacher, they provide a nonstop string of laughs on Welcome Back, Kotter.”
Welcome Back, Kotter was a bit before my time, and even though I grew up watching shows older than this, it just wasn’t something that I was exposed to. Watching the show, it’s obvious that television has come a long way in the decades since. The live studio audience, the loud applause that drowns out most of the dialogue. There can be a certain charm at times, depending on the situation, but most of the time it just makes things difficult to hear and understand the actors. It’s a style that I’m glad has come and gone.
While the appeal of the show today is certainly a young John Travolta, the show itself can be very funny at times, still after all these years. When the comedy isn’t in full swing, it can deal with some serious issues and have a lot of heart in the process. Gabe Kaplan can be hit or miss for me. He’s not the greatest of actors, and his delivery is often monotone and stiff, but he manages to provides a balance between his character and the Sweathogs that gives the show a bit more credibility than it may have otherwise.
This is not the first time the show has been released on DVD, as Shout Factory released the entire series ten years ago. Still, if you are a fan of the show and never got a chance to pick that one up, this set from Warner Bros. includes all four seasons.
