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TV review by
Lucy Maher, Common Sense Media
Aaaaay! Classic feel-good sitcom is hokey but fun.
Syndicated, Discovery Family Channel
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The parents' guide to what's in this TV show.
The Cunninghams are close and supportive of each other and their extended family (including Fonzie). Most of their problems are mild (the kind that are neatly solved within a half-hour episode). That said, the show does tend to reinforce the idealistic (and unrealistic) way we tend to view the '50s.
Positive Role Models & Representations
Characters demonstrate humility.
Violence & Scariness
The friends get into benign, almost-simulated fistfights from time to time. In later seasons, Richie joins the army.
Plenty of dating and flirting, but it's all really tame.
Jeepers, these kids are clean!
Parents need to know that Happy Days is a landmark '50s-set sitcom (which originally aired from the mid-'70s to the mid-'80s). It's squeaky clean, especially by today's primetime standards. Although the show is definitely still funny a few decades down the line and will appeal to adults who remember it fondly, today's kids may not be able to relate to some of the scenarios it portrays and may find the dialogue trite or cheesy. It also idealizes the '50s in a way that a modern audience might not care for.
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Adult Written byTricia R. January 14, 2019
A little more mature than I remembered
I wanted to share a fun old family show with my kids (11, 9 and 7). We didn't make it through the first episode. The kids were bored because the subject... Continue reading
Adult Written byLowe's man June 26, 2015
all about family
I agree with the reviewer who said that the 1st 2 seasons are not for children under 10 and are, in fact, more for teenagers. The other seasons are for the who... Continue reading
Add your ratingSee all 7 parent reviews.
Teen, 14 years old Written byPJ Sasso January 2, 2014
It's not for kids under 16
There is one episode when Richie gets drunk. And there is one episode when Richie and Potsie go to a striptease show.
Kid, 10 years old November 16, 2013
GOOD!!! AAAYYYY!!!
Me and my best friend watch it!
Add your ratingSee all 12 kid reviews.
Set in a sanitized, idealized version of the 1950s, HAPPY DAYS centers on the life of the middle-class Cunningham family and follows the ups and downs they weather together in Milwaukee, Wisc. One of TV's truly classic comedies, it originally aired from 1974-1984 and is responsible for several spin-offs (including Laverne & Shirley), as well as one of pop culture's most iconic characters: Arthur "Fonzie" Fonzarelli (Henry Winkler) began his TV life as a local thug, but he quickly morphed into the Cunninghams' family friend, growing particularly close to clean-cut son Richie (Ron Howard). Richie's parents -- hardware store owner Howard "Mr. C" Cunningham (Tom Bosley) and homemaker Marion "Mrs. C" Cunningham (Marion Ross) -- hold down the fort, while Richie and his younger sister, Joanie (Erin Moran) cope with growing up. Rounding out the group are Fonzie's cousin Chachi (Scott Baio) and Richie's buddies Ralph Malph (Don Most) and Potsie (Anson Williams).
Is it any good?
This show has always been perfect for family viewing, but the dated settings and situations may conspire to have tweens and older kids leaving it off their personal must-see list.
Among the scenes that take place at the local drive-in and diner are situations that revolve around comic confusion and misunderstanding, which is still a popular plot device in today's sitcoms. But what you'll see on Happy Days is a lot more innocent than what might appear on an ensemble sitcom like Friends or Cheers. In one episode, for example, Ralph and Potsie go to great lengths to hide the fact that they left the Cunninghams' gate open, allowing Fonzie's new dog to escape.
Talk to your kids about ...
Families can talk about how TV has changed over the years since Happy Days aired. How are the situations seen in shows from the '60s and '70s different from what's onscreen today? Are the underlying problems the characters deal with all that different, or it is just that viewers have gotten more accepting of crass dialogue and mature situations over the years?
How does the show idealize the '50s? Is the show any less appealing because of that idealism? What might a more realistic '50s-set sitcom be like?
How do the characters in Happy Days demonstrate humility? Why is this an important character strength?
TV details
Premiere date: January 15, 1974
Cast: Henry Winkler, Ron Howard, Tom Bosley
Networks: Syndicated, Discovery Family Channel
Topics: Book Characters, Friendship, High School
Character Strengths: Humility
TV rating: TV-G
Available on: DVD
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