Official Synopsis:
For the first time on DVD, its time to set sail on the high-larious seas with Captain Stubing (Gavin MacLeod), Doc (Bernie Kopell), Gopher (Fred Grandy), Isaac the bartender (Ted Lange), Julie your Cruise Director (Lauren Tewes) and a boatload of memorable guest stars that will keep you laughing from port to port on their search for romance. Enjoy this 3 disc set with the first 12 classic episodes that kept you home on Saturday nights...The Love Boat promises something for everyone.

  
Our Take:
It may seem hard to believe now, but there was a time when Saturday nights weren’t a television wasteland of repeats and not-so-special specials. Once upon a time, it was home to… Love! Exciting and new…!

Okay, well if that doesn’t instantly conjure up The Love Boat’s unforgettable theme song in your head, you probably aren’t going to be excited to see The Love Boat: Season One, Volume One on DVD. I don’t know how you can’t be, though; this is The Love Boat we’re talking about, people! Where else can you find romance, comedy, mystery, exotic locales, and Isaac the Bartender all in one place? Seriously, the show blended genres with aplomb, mixing together storylines such as a bickering couple rekindling their romance and a jewel thief being loose on board the Pacific Princess. It might be cheesy now, but the formula worked. There’s a reason why shows stay on the air for 10 years as this one did, and it’s not because people don’t like them.

The first season of the show was probably the least structured of them, with much of the cast taking almost a back seat to the guest stars, whose stories took front and center stage. Admittedly, it was the variety of new characters and plots each week that kept the show from getting stale. And speaking of guest stars, to name all the notable guest stars in just the first season alone would take up way more space than I have here. This show managed to attract some of the biggest names in entertainment in its time, and if you were anybody at all in the 70’s and 80’s, you probably guest starred on The Love Boat. Just a taste of season one gusts include Milton Berle, Bill Bixby, Patty Duke, Loni Anderson, Robert Urich, Suzanne Somers, Scott Baio, and, of course, Charo, but that’s really just the tip of the proverbial iceberg.

Sadly, The Love Boat: Season One, Volume One comes with no extra features, which is very disappointing. It’s bad enough the first season was split in half, but then to come out bare bones when there are so many extra we could have enjoyed? Commentaries, retrospective featurettes, guest star features… come on Paramount, give us something!

Despite my low grade on the DVD (see below) due to the lack of extras coupled with splitting the set in half for no discernible reason, The Love Boat: Season One, Volume One is still a worthy purchase. The show and the stars are the main attractions here, and it’s a lot of fun. Cheesy, yes, and probably fueled more by nostalgia than anything else, but still a lot of fun.

Overall Picture:
Show: B+
DVD: D

- Mike Spring
Editor