Customer Reviews

My Two Dads: Season One

5 star:		(10)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Those Nielsen Ratings that have never and will never reflect what the viewers are watching, and the networks who lead themselves by them, we never see good shows get a fair chance or a chance at all. This is one of those shows. My Two Dads tought values and morals. Because this were 2 men living together, some people couldn't take it for what it was, missunderstood the message and couldn't accept it.

It was a very entertaining show, funny, and dramatic at times, sweet, witty, full of snappy comebacks and presented us with a lot of the problems kids encounter in life and how two men would handle the situation. The plot is very today. Sort of Full House kind of comedy. The mom passed away and left her teenage daughter with her two best friends and all the situations they go through to raise and deal with a teenager.

Has a great cast Paul Riser, a comedian that makes me laugh anytime, Greg Evigan a great actor that should be recognized and given greater chances, Staci Keanan, very good actress, ( she was Dana in Step By Step ) and Giovanni Ravisi, now an excellent movie actor, among others.

This sitcom deserves 5 stars and a hall of shame of the networks for not given it a chance. We need more quality sitcoms and shows like this that are family oriented, clean and great for the whole family and one that kids today would relate to.

Thank you Shout Studios for finally releasing this long awaited sitcom.

Just got the email from TVshowsonDVD that My Two Dads is being released on DVD in March 2009.

This was one of the shows I grew up with and have always longed for it to come on DVD, or at the very least be repeated on TV sometime.

The company that have decided to release this get a huge thanks from me, and I will be definitely buying on day of release.

It gets 5 stars as even if its the worst transfer in history, it still deserves 5 stars for the effort of releasing this great show.

I just hope its a good as I remember, as its been about 20 years, but even if its not, its still a must buy.

Big thanks to the releasing company!

All the great things everyone else has said is true. I waited years to see this show again. I think Shout Factory gets it! We love this stuff-we crave this stuff! Classy comedy and the comebacks and quick one liners were great-yes even for the year 2009! These stars were so likable and that's important in a sitcom. Gee, Paul Riser should be so greatful. He went on to Mad about You. Another funny show. And it lasted quite awhile, so where was he in the commentary??? Good to see Greg and Staci are still humble! Now listen, Shout Factory, to all our responses and pleas! Give us the rest of the seasons! Everyone else agree????

I was so excited when I heard My Two Dad's was FINALLY going to be released on DVD from a reputable distribution company! I have already watched every episode on Season 1. I enjoyed remembering the days when I was in high school watching My Two Dads. The show is still great after all these years! What I love is they did not cut out any parts! Some DVDS released cut out small parts. I esp. enjoyed the commentary by Greg Evigan and Stacy Keanan. Wish Paul Reiser could have joined them. I look forward to the release of Season 2 soon I hope!

I've waited for this show for years - It's pretty good. I used to watch this show growing up, and being older, it's fresh from the parent's perspective. One thing I would caution is that the transfers are not what I'd expect from Shout Factory. The credits are missing from one episode, one is completely missing the music cues, and I think the laugh track, while some still sport the NBC logo. Shout Factory was on the top of my list, along with BCI/Eclipse as releasing above average sets, esp. after "The Electric Company" but this one was clearly rushed. But other than that, from a show enjoyment point of view, I am very very happy w/this set!

Just a really great show that I was worried we'd never get to see again. But finally after years of other less deserving DVD tvset hitting the shevles...a real quality show. Comedy without being too cheesy. Interesting premise and way beyond its time. Loved it. Plus Joey was adorable and loved Michael.

One of the most nostalgic and pleasurable sitcoms of the 1980's has finally arrived on DVD after several years of not getting so much as a few occasional television airings. The lack of re-runs have caused it to be slowly forgotten by the general public, including some of those who watched it faithfully during its run (although I was not one of them). Thanks to the increasingly reliable Shout Factory, however, the first season is finally available!

I firmly believe that "My Two Dads" is a family-friendly version of the raunchy adult sitcom "Two and a Half Men." Both shows offer a comical depiction of two grown men raising a child under one roof, and when I recently learned that "Two and a Half Men" creator Chuck Lorre wrote several of the episodes for "My Two Dads," it's blaringly obvious that this show from nearly 25 years ago was slightly ahead of its time, yet it was perfectly clean and appropriate for viewers of every age.

The plot was simple, if not slightly absurd, and the title alone may raise more than a few eyebrows with contemporary audiences, but considering the dynamic of the typical sitcoms from the '80's and '90's, it worked just fine (and rest assured that the relationship between the two male characters isn't what you might think it is). Nicole Bradford is a plucky, easygoing 12-year-old who gets left in the care of two single guys--a responsible businessman and a carefree artist--after the untimely death of her mother. Both men are suspected to be her biological father. They are best friends who haven't seen or spoken to each other in years, reuniting only in the event of some unsettling details that their late former girlfriend (yep, she was with both of them around the same time) has included in her will. While doing a paternity test would make the most sense, they ultimately realize that their polar opposite personalities may be the best way to provide this young girl with some balance in her life. From there, the show examines how these two mismatched "dads" re-establish their friendship while struggling to raise a child who has already lost her mother and is right on the cusp of adolescence--and for a girl, that means going on dates, attending make-out parties, and doing all those things that come with growing up.

The storylines didn't emphasize anything that you haven't seen in other sitcoms of its type. Whispers of shows like "Silver Spoons," "Punky Brewster," and "Full House" are evident over various episodes, but the concept of two guys fathering a teenage girl hadn't been done yet, so that's what made it unique. It isn't particularly innovative or phenomenal screenwriting, but it's entertaining enough, and it certainly brings you back to the youthful nostalgia of its time. Its innocent humor and emphasis on the daughter's daily adventures make it appropriate for kids and enjoyable for adults who miss the days where shows used to have more heart and substance. Perhaps if this show was airing today, it would focus more on the guys and function with the dirty humor that characterizes "Two and a Half Men," but according to the standards of the 1980's, it was geared more towards the children.

The casting is great, of course. Since I didn't watch this as a kid (I was one year old when it premiered), I only remember Staci Keanan as superachieving oldest daughter Dana on "Step by Step," but she actually played an even sweeter character here, even though the series was so short-lived. She carried the role very well and was surprisingly effective for being only 12. Her performance allowed the girl to be a normal teenager without being a spoiled brat, and while most shows love to bombard their child actors with snappy dialogue and rebellious personalities, such was not the case with Nicole Bradford, which makes you like her even more. Greg Evigan and Paul Reiser were also good, and although Reiser looked bored half the time (he later referred to the show as "saccharine" and more "child-oriented" than he anticipated), Evigan embodied his character's "big kid" style and seemed to relish in every second of it. Florence Stanley stepped in as the judge/social worker who lived in their apartment building and stopped by periodically to make sure things were running smoothly (although there was never any real danger of this makeshift family being split apart for any reason). Former football icon Dick Butkus also played a role as the owner of a restaurant in the basement of the building, meaning that even the sports fanatics out there may find something to like in this show.

Now that the DVD's are out, one of the biggest questions is if nearly two decades later, the show will have any relevance entertainment factor for people today. Obviously, it's going to fit its target audience perfectly no matter what, but keep in mind that this series aired in the late 1980's, and it shows. The dialogue is often corny, the fake and bulky scenery is evident, and several of the jokes are outdated, but they didn't just go to the trouble to release this on DVD for no reason at all. Newfound parenthood, adolescence, family bonds, and growing pains are relatable themes for any age group, and as long as we experience these things in real life anyway, it's nice to be able to laugh about it when you see it on a sitcom. "My Two Dads" is very much a show for the kids, and while it may have been easy to draw in older audiences with more obscene jokes and controversial plot threads, it is light, fluffy family fare that never pretended to be more or less than that.

I will admit, however, that the tone does seemed to be all over the place at times. Comedy was obviously their primary purpose, but when they attempted to dabble with a more dramatic effect, it was more heavy-handed and less convincing. In the pilot episode, Michael and Joey were two bachelors who had never even entertained the idea of marriage, let alone raising kids, but then a 12-year-old girl was placed in their laps, and by the next episode, they became indulgent, loving superdads who said stuff like "I love that little girl more than I've ever loved anything in my life, and more than I ever will love anything in my life." Also, Nicole was extremely well-adjusted for a pre-teen dealing with the loss of her mother, and she coped with a complete re-arrangement of her life, moving in with two men who were complete strangers to her, with remarkably little difficulty. While some episodes like "Tis the Season" and "Quality Time" addressed issues such as Nicole's grief and workaholic Michael's attempts to balance fatherhood with his career, it didn't flow as naturally as it could have. But of course, here I am watching the show and savoring the unrealistic sap that makes it all the more desirable, so in essence, who am I to criticize?

As usual, Shout Factory has brought another quality "old school" show to DVD and has actually done it the way it deserves to be done. The picture quality is fantastic (considering the show's age), the interactive menus are well-developed, and the packaging is very efficient. There are several different opening credits used for the episodes, but I don't remember the show from its original run, so it's likely that they kept changing it from one episode to the next. I've actually liked seeing all the different ones, and it's obvious that they kept getting better over time. As for the actual packaging, two jewel cases are housed inside the outer box cover, with two discs in each case. The episodes are listed on the cases, with a brief sentence about each. I thought that Shout Factory did a much nicer job on the packaging for Seasons 1 and 2 of the recently released "Blossom." With "My Two Dads," the cover art is a little more bland, but I guess you can't be picky about every little thing like that. Again, the actual menus on the DVD's are cool, so for me, that makes up for it.

There is only one bonus feature on the fourth disc, but it's an excellent one--a candid interview from Greg Evigan and Staci Keanan, who graciously agreed to be part of the DVD for a quieter, little-known show that ended its three-year run two decades ago. Keanan is in her thirties now and has grown into a beautiful, seemingly well-adjusted young woman. Evigan seems every bit as charismatic and likable as his character on the show, and the interview has the two actors bantering back and forth about their audition experiences, each of their main co-stars, and how they felt about being part of the series. Also included is some very interesting information about how Evigan initially rejected the role offered to him, why the network wanted to re-cast Keanan after the pilot episode aired (and why series creator Michael Jacobs defended her honor), and how she, as an everyday kid with an extraordinary job, dealt with the pressure of being swarmed by well-wishers once the series took off. It is a very satisfying interview for the original fans, and it puts Shout Factory a big step above the other DVD manufacturers for even just attempting to provide something extra--and then actually succeeding at it.

I will continue to purchase DVD's from this company, and I truly hope that the remaining seasons for this show are on the way. It's hard to say how well sales will go for this first collection, but it really is worth buying, and even if you're like me and never saw it before, it's just nice to pop in an episode and remember how television was good back in the day. I just knew it would be the kind of thing I'd love, and I was right. There's so much melodrama and teen angst on the silver screen these days, and sometimes there's just nothing better than revisiting the magical stuff from your childhood, no matter how more cheesy it may seem now that you're an adult. So show your support for Shout Factory and Season 1 of "My Two Dads," and with a little luck, we'll have the pleasure of rounding out our collections with Seasons 2 and 3!

I can't believe My Two Dads is finally out on DVD!! I periodically check for it, usually in vain...but not this time. I was a teenager when this aired in the late 80's, and loved it. The chemistry between the two dads (Paul Reiser - fresh from his "Aliens" fame, & Greg Evigan) was really good, often sparring off each other with hilarious lines. Then you had their daughter Nicole (Staci Keanan) who I had a crush on at the time! Their landlord & neighbour - "The Judge" - was also funny. It's a shame there's no sign of UK release as yet, but I'll happily make do with the region 1 version for the time being. I don't agree with the reviewer who said this is a poor transfer. I think for it's age - over 20 years old now - it looks pretty good. I have already watched a bunch of episodes and am glad to say that the show holds up well and is still just as funny as I remember it. There is only one extra in this dvd package, and it's a 15 min (approx) NEW interview with Greg Evigan (wearing a jacket from the show!) and Staci Keanan. It's a nice extra and is good to see them reflect on the show, but it's a shame Paul Reiser didn't contribute anything. My Two Dads unfortunately didn't run for long (3 seasons I think), so I just hope this first season sells enough copies for them to release the remaining seasons. If you never saw MTD at the time then check out what clips you can online, then go order this DVD boxset.

MY TWO DADS, a pretty swell family sitcom from the '80s, begs the question: Can a straight-laced, conservative corporate financial advisor and a carefree, hedonistic artist co-exist well enough to raise a 12-year-old orphan girl? For several seasons, this show demonstrated the affirmative. Thirteen years ago, fastidious Michael Taylor (Paul Reiser) and easy-going Joey Harris (Greg Evigan) fell in love with the same woman, Marcie Bradford. On her passing, she bequeathes her own precious daughter, Nicole (Staci Keanan), unto them in a joint custody. Michael or Joey, one of them, happens to be Nicole's biological father, but for the good of the show and for shrewd dramatic effect, we never do learn which one. As time goes on, Michael and Joey come to prefer it that way. Nicole, for her part, is adamantly playing the "ignorance is bliss" card. These three rapidly develop into a tight-knit fam in the Big Apple. It doesn't hurt that there's an intimidating family court judge constantly looking over their shoulders. Who also happens to be their landlord.

Years ago, I initially tuned in to MY TWO DADS because of Greg Evigan whose earlier B.J. AND THE BEAR show was one of my favorite television programs. But I was quickly captivated by Staci Keanan's enchanting smile and by Paul Reiser's sharp wit and impeccable timing and pointed delivery. In fact, more than anything, I think MY TWO DADS thrived because of Reiser's comic skills. But I'll tell you what, the well-bearded Evigan also had his share of wicked zingers. It probably hasn't escaped you that Joey Harris is somewhat of a precursor to FRIENDS' very own Joey. And never underestimate Florence Stanley - who plays the acerbic Judge Margaret Wilbur - and her dry, cutting way with a one-liner. A young Giovanni Ribisi is also featured in a semi-recurring role as Nicole's hopeful boyfriend wanna-be "Cory Kupkus." This was a cast with sauce.

And then there's Greg Evigan himself singing the show's theme song "You Can Count On Me."

MY TWO DADS - THE COMPLETE FIRST SEASON has all 22 episodes on four discs, and I am trying my damndest to get you on board. This is a terrific show. While the complications that crop up weekly are predictable stuff, the scripts are still tightly written. And, thanks to the likable stars and jokes that haven't gotten stale, these episodes still hold up very well. Viewing them again after so many years, I'd forgotten about the occasional mild but risque content, this usually when the writing focused on the two dads' love life. Anyone remember Joey's sexy botanist date? Don't get it twisted, I'm not condemning this. It's more fun when a show offers something for both the young and the old. That particular episode was "Whose Night Is It Anyway," the plot of which has Michael hoping that Joey's ardent botanist date would heat up his own frigid date. The botanist's passion rubs off on Michael's date and the two couples then retire to Michael and Joey's loft apartment... only to run into Nicole's pajama party.

A love for one's child is one of the primal forces in the universe, a life-altering thing. It's enough to generate a cease fire between two rivals, whose respective notions of parenting are separated by a wide gulf. For his daughter, an uptight man will loosen up. For his daughter, a measure of responsibility is injected in one's bohemian lifestyle. There are quite a few memorable episodes. "The Wedge" guest-stars the Monkees' Davy Jones as he plays a wild old pal of Joey's; Jones and Greg Evigan do a full rendition of the MY TWO DADS theme song. "She'll Get Over It" has the dads trying to make Nicole feel better after she didn't get a modeling gig. This one guest-stars Scott Baio as the clumsy "Scott Cameo" in a hilarious commercial shoot. In "The Family in Question," an episode shot documentary-style, a vicious media smear campaign targets Judge Wilbur and questions the family dynamics of Nicole and her two dads. Can Nicole, Joey, and Michael rise to the occasion? In "My Fair Joey," even though Michael has fallen in love with Joey's new upscale girlfriend, he doesn't hesitate to help make him over to set a good impression with her stately father (and keep an eye out for the hilarious butler).

Bonus feature: "A Look Back at MY TWO DADS" - Greg Evigan and Stacie Keanan reflect on the show and share their thoughts on their fellow cast members (00:16:28 minutes long).

This is a great show! It is a family show that all can watch. So much better than what is available on tv in today's world.