LITTLE ROCK — What is it? Webster, Season 1, 22 episodes on three discs from Shout! Factory.
When? Now.
How much? $29.93.
Who is Webster? In the 1980s, TV sitcoms were littered with parentless moppets finding rather untraditional new homes: Punky Brewster, Willis and Arnold Jackson, Webster (Emmanuel Lewis).
In Webster’s case, his parents had recently died in a car accident. So he’s sent to live with his father’s best friend and former professionalfootball teammate, George Papadapolis (Alex Karras).
The timing isn’t exactly great for George. He and his wife, Katherine (Susan Clark), have just returned from the Greek cruise where they met, fell in love and impulsively married. Now, they have a 7-year-old to raise.
It’s more than a surprise - particularly for Katherine - but they’re good-hearted, well-meaning people, and the three start to settle in and adjust to family life.
It does take some adjusting. Neither George nor Katherine knows much about raising a child. And Katherine’s snooty assistant, Jerry (Henry Polic II), knows even less than they do.
Much of the show’s jokes come from the inevitable culture clashes. George is a sports-loving man’s man with no domestic skills. Katherine is a wealthy, cultured philanthropist - also with no domestic skills. Webster is a normal, lively kid.
Typical of family sitcoms, each episode generally involves somebody (usually Webster) learning some sortof lesson: Don’t steal. Running away doesn’t solve anything. Don’t make fun of people who are different. You can’t make a baby by mixing water and spices in a bucket.
It’s sometimes heavyhanded and the jokes aren’t exactly fresh, but it was better and funnier than I’d expected going in. And, yes, Lewis is adorable, while Karras and Clark (real-life spouses) have good chemistry.
Some viewers will probably like the fact that, unlike many sitcoms of later years, the cute kid isn’t a smart-aleck. And while they bicker, the characters all respecteach other.
If you have a low tolerance for adorable small children and family sitcoms that end with a very special lesson most weeks, stay away. But if you’re a child of the ’80s looking for a nostalgia hit, or you want to introduce your children to a harmless, cute show from your childhood, it’s a decent choice.
Any extras? No.
New this week: Leave It To Beaver, Season 6; Noah’s Castle, complete series.
Next week: Dalziel and Pascoe, Season 3; Hannah Montana, Season 4; Judge John Deed, Season 3.
Style, Pages 46 on 02/27/2011