User reviews

Dream On was one of HBO's 1st original series that not only made us laugh with unique comedy, it was sexy as well. Many comedies fall short when trying to be funny. More than half don't make it past the first year let alone hang around for 7 years! On top of that, it was the first series long before Sex and the City that tackled the world of relationships on a comical and sometime serious level. An Annie Hall for the 90's, the character of Martin Tupper reflects on moments from his past, his past spent in front of the television to deal with the moments of the present. An amazing series that the 90's had taken for granted. Among the rest of the programming that HBO was showing then, including Tales From the Crypt and the early Real Sex series, Dream On was one of the few original programs worth watching.

This show was one of the first HBO Original Series I watched. It was funny, had a great cast and guest stars. Each season is better than the previous one. I don't know why it isn't available on the HBO app! A Great Watch!

I remember watching this back in the 90s, and it was ahead of its time. It was created by Marta Kauffman and David Crane, who in the final years of Dream On went to create a modestly titled series called Friends.

The splicing of old movie scenes raised many chuckles that is probably the forerunner of GIFs, emojis and emotes.

I like Brian Benben's surname. Very alliterative.

Despite having a deservedly strong cult following, "Dream On" seems to have been overall under-appreciated. While mega hits like "Seinfeld", "Frasier" and "Friends" have been lavishly praised, one hears very little about "Dream On" despite its long 120 episode run.

Watching it after some 10 years after its original airing, it still works and extremely well. For any sitcom to work the characters have to be completely nailed down with their own personal idiosyncrasies in place. Then smart dialog has to be given to them, week after week after week. "Dream On" accomplished this and managed to maintain its level of comedic excellence thoughout its six seasons.

The main characters of Martin Tupper (Brian Benben), his ex-wife Judith (Wendie Mallick), best friend Eddie (Dorien Wilson) and secretary from hell Toby (Denny Dillon) form the core of the series. We become truly fond of this motley bunch, warts and all. Benben at the very heart of the series is wonderful. A comedy actor with perfect timing and physicality too, he also had his emotional moments. He became Martin Tupper for so long, and so well, that it's been tough moving on to other projects, a fate suffered by most of the Seinfeld gang.

Then there are the occasional secondary characters of crude boss Gibby (Michael Mckean), son Jeremy (Chris Demetral), overbearing mother (Renee Taylor) and recently turned gay father (Paul Dooley), all making welcome appearances. Many one time characters are played by well known stage and television actors.

"Dream On" addressed many sexual issues with the kind of unbridled candor sadly lacking on today's television screens. This it did with much chutzpah and a lot of humor. It's unique usage of old movie footage could have been intrusive and downright irritating in lesser hands. This gimmick however was so cleverly handled that one soon takes it for granted and almost waits for the appropriate clip. It's all part of the "Dream On" language.

120 episodes is a long run. Thankfully "Dream On" didn't peter out from becoming tired of itself as so often is the case. Until the very end, it was always a guaranteed half hour of really top class television entertainment.

Recently Jerry Seinfeld and Larry David accused Kaufman and Crane of ripping off their TV show Seinfeld when they made the show Friends. Well, before Friends, and before Seinfeld; Kaufman, Crane & John Landis made Dream on. And the Seinfeld writers must have thought it was Christmas.as they ripped it off liberally. Remember the Double Dipping scene in Seinfeld, or the scene where George walks around revaulating his life - Straight from Dream On. There's even a priest called Sherm McKigney who enjoys shaking hands with people.I think he must have been Ray McKigney's (the hand model's in Seinfeld) brother. Sadly Ray is no longer with us as he was not able to Master his Domain. The difference is that instead of a never seem euphemism, Mckigney on Dream on would have been shown beating off (from the back) and dying in the process.. With a vintage film clip of Ronald Reagan to cement the point.

Future stars of Friends, and other hit shows can be seen playing minor roles, as well as famous stars of the day, like Elizabeth Shue - Though I expect that the sheer amount of sex, nudity, and close to the edge humour has made it.unbroadcastable on most networks so syndication was never an option. ,and as such it has fallen from consciousness. But Easily one of the funniest comedies ever to be made,

If ever a series deserved to be remastered and put out complete on DVD or blu- ray this is it.

Also on my Hard-to-Find list, seasons 3 and onwards. This used to be a late night show on South African pay channel M- Net, Friday nights after the featured movie. Series is caught between its own corniness and other moments of far exceeding itself. The most memorable sequence to me will always be that very hot chick tied to the bed with Martin's fantasy of licking honey or cream or whatever off her going awry. Fortunately I did obtain that, for it was in Season Two, I think. I remember an episode with strong references to phallic imagery (in the lateral sense, of course, like train rushing into tunnel, rocket launching, etc) which I do not have on DVD, so that must be Season Three. M-Net didn't bother with it further on. Just learned today that it apparently tames down as it progresses, and these elements of naughtiness would be sorely missed, seeing that they drew my attention to the series in the first place. C'mon, I had to wait up for this, often. Without the delightful bits this would not have been worth it. Anybody out there with more info about just exactly what goes on in Season Four glamor- wise, welcome to contact ol' RavenGlamDVDCollector@gmail.com.

Hey, I know! This is a shoddy review! Have noticed another reviewer quite fond about the beloved characters. But my experience was that I got really bummed having to wait for tedious, endless movies to finally trundle, trundle past before this began and then it was Martin and company but all too often they got bogged down in silly scenes, and those irritating old film bits made the experience even worse. Years later, on DVD, unaffected by a long wait and bothersome commercials, the show remains, of course, a long way off from FRIENDS. Then, again, if FRIENDS had bare breasts (wow, :) Jennifer Anidton :) wow)... But if you catch my drift, there are lots of very lame- y bits in DREAM ON though I'm not calling it lame in its entirety.

Enjoyed seasons 1-4, a great idea and very funny, particularly like all the stunning females he has sex with, very very jealous, but by season 5 got sick to death of Martins annoying smile and fake laugh, plus he goes so over the top about everything, in the early series it seemed more balanced, now he has meltdowns over everything, maybe they started running out of ideas for confrontation.

"Dream On" is (I should say was) the most innovative and original comedy series out there. The show ended in 1996, but is still in re-runs in many areas. The show follows Martin Tupper, a divorced New York City book editor, on his seemingly never-ending quest for love. Unfortunately, none of his one- night-stands measure up to the love of his life, his ex, Judith Tupper Stone.

But...he keeps looking. Martin goes through more women than socks. Still, he remains a truly lovable character, though a bit on the cheap side. And, of course, he's always loses in the end, poor schmuck!

As this show's main focus is Martin's quest for love (read: sex), it's definitely not for kiddies. The show features some pretty risque themes, and some rather graphic simulated sex. This may explain why "Dream On" is generally found only on premium cable channels (eg HBO).

The most brilliant part of the show is the constant interjection of old movie scenes which illustrate the inner workings of Martin's warped mind. While hard to explain, trust that this is both effective and hilarious.

And humor is what the show's all about. It's screamingly funny, not to mention incredibly well-acted. The show never shies away from controversial subject matter, either. Certainly, "Dream On" remains one of the overlooked gems of television history.

Dream on follows the adventures of Martin Tupper (Brian Benben) as he tries to get on with life after his divorce from Judith (Wendie Malick). Dealing with her perfect new husband, caring for his son, dealing with his cranky secretary, and bedding stunningly hot women along the way. The first season was OK and had it's fair share of funny episodes. But season 2 with the introduction of a new Eddie (Dorien Wilson, replacing Jeffrey Joseph), Micheal McKean joining the cast as Gibby, Martin's new boss, and some great cameos the series really came into it's own. Sadly, none of the cast or creators (save for McKean and John Landis) went onto do anything even moderately entertaining in subsequent years after this show finished. And yes I know about "Friends" and "Veronica's Closet". I still stand by my statement. THIS is the series "Sex & the City" WISH it could have been.

My TV Grade: A

DVD Extras: John Landis Intro; Trailers for "Quantum Leap: Season 2"; "Magnum, PI: Season 1"; "Law and Order: Assorted spin offs and seasons"

Seasons 1 & 2 Eye Candy: The following all get topless: Jeanine Renshaw in episode 2, Susan Lentini in episode 3, Dedee Pfeiffer in episode 6; Deirdre Imershein in episode 8, Julie Carmen in episode 9, Monique Gabrielle in episode 12, Lisa Saxton and Anastasia Barzee in episodes 15 & 16, Carolyn Lowery in episode 17, Mimi Craven in episode 18, Connie Woods and Maggie Wagner in episode 20, Susan Ashley in episode 22, Laura Albert in episode 25, Cheryl Boudreau, Lisa London, Kimber Sissons in episode 26, and Cherie Michan in episode 27

Witty literate sexy well-acted with a "dream" cast & continuously amazing guest stars (everyone who's anyone). Very very funny& and very very clever! No wonder it was overlooked! The prudish hypocrites on network TV can't stand it. Sex on network TV is usually crude, contrived or sneakily suggestive, whereas Dream on's sex was sophisticated and hilarious! I loved the cast and have been rooting for their careers every since. The sad part is how seldom we see Brian Benben. Where is he now - indeed! I loved the TV recollections (actually reminded me of Mystery science Theater's clever quips). Actually, one of the reasons the show is so seldom re-run might have to do with copyright restrictions. MST3K ran into this problem also, and even though they ran for a full 7 years, many episodes still cannot be made into DVDs. Complex negotiations must be completed in order for the films contained within the episodes to be shown. Lawyers! You gotta love em (or not).

Anyway, that could be the reason why dream on seems so "ignored" and why it's so rarely shown. It's too bad, especially because the showing of the clips was done with such creative flair!

I really miss this series and just might have to pick up the DVD!

The best American comedy series ever made. Yet also relatively unknown, probably because of it's explicit subject matter. When it was shown over here it was on at 2 o'clock in the morning, so the audience must have been negligible.

Any synopsis cannot do the programme justice. Martin Tupper, leaning toward lecherous, yet always likeable; his never helpful secretary Toby; his even more lecherous buddy Eddie; his repulsive Australian boss (Rupert) sorry I mean Gibby and finally his emotionally closed off ex-wife Judith, oh yes and his son Jeremy.

Anyway if a repeat is ever showing be sure to watch you'll find it shocking and hilarious. You'll also find that the recent series, Sex and the City, owes more than a little to it.

I loved this series. Martin was a boy whose mom had continually used the TV as his baby sitter. Therefore, in the show Martin was continually flashing back on moments from old b&w TV shows that relate to the situation in his life. The technique was done very well, very funny, and I occasionally see it done on current television. Of course being a cable series, the show revolved around topics that can't be done on regular TV, usually Martin's sex life. The version of the show that aired on Comedy Central was cleaned up and a watered down version at best. How could you show a cleaned up version of the scene where Martin, while leaving a message on his mom's answering machine spills a beer on himself, and expect it to be funny? I wish this show would hurry up and come out on DVD.

Brian Benben is great in this show about Martin Tupper, a divorced father in his 40 something. This show is like a sex comedy, a little risque but still being decent. He is always looking for new girls to replace his old love Judith Tupper Stone who he divorced. Of course he can't forget her, she still got her own keys to his apartment. And look out for his secretary Toby, who is NOT the best secretary on this planet.

Always good looking girls on the show including the most sexy woman on TV today, Wendie Malick. If you can't see the show in your local area, check out Wendie on the show "Just Shoot Me!".

It's time Brian Benben got a high profile show on TV again!

I remember this series even if I didn't have a subscription to HBO at the time I had a friend who recorded me an episode. The episode was about a missing condom and it featured Martin teaching his son about sex. Most of the episodes I know of focused on sex and dating as Martin Tupper (Brian Benben) went from relationship to relationship in New York City Brian was divorced from his wife who was played by the sexy Wendie Malick. I do know also that Courteney Cox was a guest in an episode titled "Come And Knock On Our Door", Courteney looked very sexy in this episode like many other women who appeared on "Dream On". I believe this series did rerun on Comedy Central but was then taken off.

I must say, This has been one of the funniest sexiest comedies for its time. Martin Tupper, book editor and hung up on the ex wife. But persistance pays off, because he did finally get his true love (wife, exwife, wife again) It was great watching him as the funny experienced bachelor that he was. Boy oh boy, did this guy get women or what. What more can you say, the life and times of Martin Tupper will shock and amaze you. Martin, I trully admire you. You are great.

For me, it remains one of the most seductive American series. First, for the opportunity to discover Brian Benben. Second for fair definition of a marriage end but not exactly finished. For the flavors of old TV shows , for fair portrait of to be father and not have the best secretary, for lovely ingenuity and, not the last, for Wendie Malick.

Delightful can be, I hope, the fair term for define it in proper manner.

In same measure, provocatives sounds reasonable, too, for the sentimental web equilibrium.