I admit, I love it when obscure spin-off series come to DVD, especially because they offer chances to see some favorite and classic characters in situations and episodes I’ve never seen before. While I saw Happy Days quite a bit when TBS would show repeats during my teenage years, Joanie Loves Chachi was for the most part a mystery: I knew it was a thing, but I’d never actually really seen it, aside from a Happy Days episode that set it up and possibly some clips here and there. I did know about the “popular in Korea” rumor, and I did know that it’s often pointed to as a spin-off that was a bit of a disaster.
In actuality, it’s not that bad. Anyone familiar with Happy Days would be quite at home seeing Scott Baio’s Chachi Arcola, Erin Moran’s Joanie Cunningham, and Al Molinaro’s Al, who has now married Chachi’s mother Louisa (played by Ellen Travolta, who also played Baio’s mother in Charles in Charge). In the spin-off, which lasted for 17 episodes that are all included in a newly released DVD set, the Arcolas have moved to Chicago where Al has opened a restaurant, and Joanie joins in as she and Chachi enter the music world. Every episode features musical numbers, and familiar characters from Happy Days like Howard and Marion Cunningham as well as the Fonz show up from time to time.
One thing that actually might be a negative for the show, though, is how some supporting players — particularly Chachi’s cousins Mario and Annette, and brainless Bingo — are portrayed just as caricatures rather than fully fleshed out people. Instead, they are just receptacles for fat jokes and stupid jokes, even when an episode might be centered around them. I wouldn’t be surprised if this is one of those reasons why this spin-off was so badly remembered.
How is the DVD set?
For the most part, the video is good, although at certain aspect ratios you might see some flickering at the top of the screen. Some attention probably should have been given to the menus as well, as there’s a glaring typo on Disc One. The cover artwork for the DVD is nice, but it’s odd that the back cover is a very Happy Days-based shot featuring Howard and Marion who only appear in two episodes.
I also feel that it’s a shame that missing from this set are two Happy Days episodes that are very important to the scheme of things. I understand its costly to license, but it would have been nice to have had the Happy Days Season 9 episode “Love and Marriage” that set the series up. Additionally, there is a Happy Days Season 10 episode “Life is More Important Than Show Business” which features most of the Joanie Loves Chachi cast that I think would have been appropriate to include. It might not be so bad if the later seasons of Happy Days were on DVD already, but they’re not… which in itself is weird, that the spin-off would come out before the entire continuity of the main show. I guess for now I’ll have to rely on televised reruns to find out how this story began and ended.
Still, Joanie Loves Chachi is an amusing look at a mostly forgotten piece of TV history, and I really enjoyed the set. Joanie Loves Chachi: The Complete Series, Seasons 1 & 2 hits DVD February 4 from CBS Home Entertainment and Paramount Home Media Distribution… you can order a copy for yourself here. Now, if only the studios would release other rare spin-offs like AfterMASH and Enos and we might be on to something…!
