This show is another under the radar gem, it wasn't a show that was overlooked, the show was a hit and was popular in the 80's but as time went on it' s been forgotten. Though I never forgotten it, I actually saw a little of the show when I was about 8, though I'll admit I wasn't highly into it as there were lots of other sitcoms going on at the time, most notably "Who's the Boss" but I did like this show. The show is also kind of a lost gem as it hasn't had a DVD or Blu Ray release, hopefully somewhere along the line a release will be considered cause there are fans of the show let alone of actor Jason Bateman so why the heck not.
The only bad thing about the show would be it may seem a little uneven. Due to the fact the main star Valarie was dejected or quit, (I honestly don't know the real story), in the first half of the shows run. Which of course meant changes to keep the show going, this could put some people off as some were fans of the actress. Though personally this never really bothered me, I never watched the show for her, I'm not a fan of the actress (let alone never grew up watching the shows she was in), let alone this show by it's nature was never really all about her character it was about the entire family in general.
The change you could say is the one thing that gives the show a slight uniqueness if not complete; usually when things like that happen in any show it's a kiss of death but surprisingly it wasn't it actually worked, because they were able to keep the chemistry and bits of development going and storylines with the family interesting.
As for the rest of the format of the show, it's nothing special, but that's not a bad thing because it's everything done right. There is good comedy and like how it dealt with certain issues going on at the time and are still going on now. I like the brothers I thought they were all solid each of them are well rounded, they support each other but also clash with one another.
From Mark Hogan (Jeremy Licht) and Wille Hogan (Danny Ponce) both are fraternal twins but are total opposites, their sort of your teenage odd couple as Mark is brainier and cleaner while Wille is more athletic and messy.
Though my favorite character is David Hogan played well by Jason Bateman. This is cool because I really like the actor, this show was literally Jason's debut and it was a good start for the guy, which is true for a lot of other well known actors. But I like his character because he's an aspiring filmmaker and photographer which makes him a little relatable as I love both those things and am one myself. He's got a bit of an ego but on a small and harmless scale, he's also a bit of a smart alec in a funny sense.
Of course, there is that theme song, which is one of my favorite theme songs of all time, it's memorable and perfectly fits the show as it's really touching singing about the joy of family.
Overall, this is a solid show, it's not on the same level as other comedies/sitcoms I really like or love the best. But still if you're into vintage comedies from the 80's decade "The Hogan Family" is worth a visit.
Rating: 3 stars
