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This groundbreaking 1990
sitcom from future Friends creators David Crane and Marta Kaufman ushered
in a bold new era of original cable programming not bound by
broadcast network content restrictions. Hence, the profanity and
nudity, which distinguished the series and
helped put HBO on the pop culture map. Brian Benben stars as Martin, a New York
book editor still reeling from the breakup of his marriage. The show's gimmick
is that baby boomer Martin, a member of the first television generation, flashes
on vintage TV clips that express his innermost feelings and desires. When his
wife, Judith (Wendie Malick), visits Martin in "The First Episode," he
fantasizes reconciliation, but she wants him to sign the divorce
papers so she can remarry. The scene is punctuated by clips in which boxer Lee Marvin is pummeled in the ring and knocked
out. But the clips and the language and the sex would get old fast if we didn't
like the characters. Benben has the Everyman charm of a young George Segal and
he wears his anxiety to hilarious effect. He is devoted to his young teenage
son and still loves Judith, who is marrying a paragon, never seen, but
described at one point as a "Ghandi for our times." His dating relationships
spectacularly crash and burn. In one episode, he
comes undone when he discovers his new lover was a porn star. At the office, he
is at the mercy of his caustic secretary (Denny Dillon). Dream On is of
more than prurient interest. This was one of those
lightning-in-a-bottle series blessed with a fresh vision, a seamless
ensemble and smart writing. |
