Happy Days (seasons 1-4)
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 "These happy days are yours and mine."
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Happy Days is an American television sitcom that aired on ABC from January 15, 1974, to July 19, 1984, with 255 episodes and 11 seasons over the course of its decade-long run. Created by Garry Marshall, the series is based on a skit that aired on the ABC anthology series Love, American Style, which was titled "Love and the Television Set" (later retitled "Love and the Happy Days" for syndication). One of the most successful television series of the 1970s, the show is an idealized vision of life in the 1950s and mid-1960s, set in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
The series stars Ron Howard (who was previously known for his role as Opie Taylor on The Andy Griffith Show) as Richard Cunningham, a red-haired, average teenage boy who's trying to get dates with girls; Henry Winkler as Arthur "Fonzie" Fonzarelli, a "cool" and badass greaser with superhuman powers who can pick up chicks with just the snap of his fingers; Anson Williams as Warren "Potsie" Weber, Richie's dimwitted friend who possesses a talented singing voice; Donny Most as Ralph Malph, another one of Richie's slightly dim friends who's more levelheaded than Potsie but still serves as the comic relief; Tom Bosley as Howard, Richie's father who is the business owner of the family harware store "Cunningham Hardware", is a lodge member, and a family man; Marion Ross as Marion, Richie's mother and Howard's wife who is a traditional homemaker; Erin Moran as Joanie, Richie's feisty little sister who is frequently coddled by her parents and seen as a child by everyone; and Al Molinaro as Al Delvecchio, the new owner/cook of Arnold's Diner after the eponymous owner got married.
Why These Happy Seasons Are Yours and Mine
- Catchy, feel-good theme song reminiscent of the '50s.
- The music, fashion, technology, and plots all embody 50s trends quite accurately. The theme of high schoolers hanging around a diner after school, trying to pick up chicks at the restaurant, and going to a "point" (in the show's case, "Inspiration Point") for making out in a car aren't too far out of line with what they did back in those days.
- Sometimes the series would portray social issues accurately to their time. For example, Joanie being overprotected by Howard and Marion while Richie has more freedom represents the family gender role of the 50s during which it was a social obligation for parents to be more protective of their older daughters due to girls naturally being more vulnerable, while the son was the "man of the house" in their father's absence.
- The epilogues were lighthearted and showed how close the Cunningham family and Richie's friends were.
- Each character has their own style of humor matching their personality.
- Memorable catchphrases like Ralph's "I still got it!", Richie's "BUCKO!", and Fonzie's "Aaaaaay!!", "Whoa...", and "Correctamundo".
- The Fonz was a badass.
- Ralph and Potsie's moronic antics were quite funny.
- Joanie was a cute little kid in the first two seasons, and had the most cheerful smile throughout the run.
- Lessons were always learned whenever the characters would make bad decisions.
- The series gave limelight episodes to all of the main cast at one point or another.
- Some episodes break the status quo and have the characters try new things for once - Mrs. C for one finally breaks out of her unemployment and gets an (albeit short-lived) job at Arnold's in "Marion Rebels".
- Even when the show was perceived to be going downhill in season 5, the guest appearance by Robin Williams with his character Mork seemed to win back the crowd a bit, even if only temporarily, as it gave the show a touch of surrealism that the "jumping the shark" episode failed miserably with. Williams' character was even successful enough to earn him his own spin-off.
- Al Delvecchio was played by an Italian American actor from Wisconsin (Al Molinaro).
Sad Qualities
- The show went downhill, or as fans call it, "jumped the shark", after the infamous eponymous incident in season 5 in which Fonzie literally jumps over a shark on water skis. Many fans thought that particular incident was stupid, over-the-top, and more laughable than dramatic as it was intended. This episode flanderized Fonzie by emphasizing his superhuman abilities and gave him too much spotlight which Henry Winkler himself was annoyed by, overall turning the Fonz into a creator's pet.
- This season also marked the introduction of Chachi Arcola, an uninspired love interest character who served no purpose other than to act like an obsessive stalker to Joanie and be the "tagalong kid" to Richie and the gang. The only reason he seemed to be popular was that teenage girls watching the show found Scott Baio attractive.
- The show virtually had zero purpose after Ron Howard (the main star whose status as such is exemplified by his inclusion at the top of the billing list) left in the eighth season, other than to further emphasize Fonzie's status as a creator's pet and have him overuse the same catchphrases and antics we'd already seen 100 times before, giving him no character development whatsoever (other than his father-daughter relationship with Ashley Pfister's daughter Heather, but Fonz' friendliness to kids had already been a focal point of several past episodes). With Ralph Malph having left too and the character of Potsie being reduced to an extra, the only other characters left to hold the show were Joanie and Chachi, but instead of giving them episodes of individual focus, practically every episode involved their relationship before Erin Moran and Scott Baio themselves left the show to star in a (short-lived) spin-off series, reducing their roles to guest stars on the regular series. With Al Molinaro having left around this time too, the show was officially dead and had no purpose other than being the "The Fonzie Show with Mr. and Mrs. C". (Though thankfully the entire main cast returned in the final season.)
- The series gave no explanation for the sudden disappearance of Richie's older brother Chuck. He's not even acknowledged by Howard and Marion in the series finale!
- The Fonz could get a bit abrasive with his tendency to pull on others' shirts, not to mention a bit egotistical and vain.
- Howard and Marion are a bit too strict when it comes to Joanie and even sometimes Richie (although the former's case is justified since it was the norm for parents to coddle their daughters back in the period in which the show is set).
- Joanie grew up too quickly in a span of just three seasons and lost her innocent charm, going from a sweet, naive, and snarky little girl to a rebellious boy-crazy teenager. The same baby-faced 12-year-old girl who was part of the Junior Chipmunks auditioned for a modeling agency intent on distributing nudes when she was 17. Not to mention her bratty behavior can be obnoxious at times rather than funny as intended.
Trivia
- The series spawned three spin-offs: Laverne & Shirley, Mork and Mindy, and Joanie Loves Chachi.
- It became ABC's longest-running sitcom and still holds the record today.
- Since Modern Family hold the record of 12 years, which makes it the second-longest year, with a total of 11.