Happy Days (1974) Cast: Then and Now [48 Years After] by HollywoodNuts
A total of 255 half-hour episodes from Happy Days’ 11 seasons of first-run television broadcast on the ABC network from January 15, 1974, to July 19, 1984. It was one of the most popular programs of the 1970s and was created by Garry Marshall. Ron Howard played Richie Cunningham, Henry Winkler played his pal Fonzie, and Tom Bosley and Marion Ross played Richie’s parents, Howard and Marion Cunningham. The show offered an idealistic depiction of life in the Midwest during the 1950s and early 1960s.[1] Happy Days was first met with mixed reviews from reviewers, but it eventually found success and gained popularity.[2]
The pilot episode for the series, starring Howard, Ross, and Anson Williams, premiered in 1972 as a piece on ABC’s anthology series Love, American Style under the title “Love and the Television Set” (later renamed “Love and the Happy Days” for syndication). Director George Lucas adapted the pilot into the major role in his 1973 movie American Graffiti, which rekindled ABC’s interest in the first episode. In its first two seasons, Happy Days attempted to “honestly depict a wistful look back at adolescence” by focusing on the experiences and struggles of “innocent teenager” Richie Cunningham, his family, and his high school classmates.
The sitcom had a moderate success at first, but by its second season, the ratings started to decline, prompting Marshall to retool it. The new format focused on broad comedy and gave Fonzie, a “cool” biker and high school dropout who had previously been a supporting role, more screen time.[2] Following these adjustments, Happy Days rose to the top of television in 1976–1977, Fonzie became one of the 1970s’ most popular fictional characters, and Henry Winkler gained prominence.[3][4] A variety of spin-offs from the sitcom were subsequently produced, including Laverne & Shirley and Mork & Mindy.