The Love Boat Season One is a great reason to thank the Gods for DVDs. If not for multi-episode season releases, we would not have been graced by such TV gems as Silver Spoons, Knight Rider- season five, and Lidsville. Seventies television is often the best television, mostly because of its complete detachment from reality. The decade that brought us fifties pastiche (Happy Days) suspender-wearing aliens (Mork and Mindy) and superheroes (Wonder Woman, The Incredible Hulk and Spider Man) brought us this improbable sitcom where wacky and amusing love connections occur with alarming frequency on an ocean liner.

Your Captain on the ocean trip to parts of Mexico’s coast is Captain Merrill Stubing, played by the bald-n’-beautiful Gavin MacLeod. The bartender Isaac (the jovial Ted Lange) Doc (Bernie “Bespectacled” Kopell) Gopher (Fred “I look like Potsie” Grandy) and Julie (Lauren “Lotsa-Teeth” Tewes) “your Cruise Director” round out the cast. There are 12 episodes on the three-disc DVD set, but at nearly one hour per episode, this equals out to a whole lotta Love Boat.

It is the guest stars and not the regular cast that make The Love Boat so much fun. In one episode, Phil Silvers (It’s A Mad Mad Mad Mad World) plays Merrill Stubing, Sr., determined to override his son’s authority as the Captain of the Princess Cruise ship, a.k.a. “The Love Boat.” In another, Ray Bolger, “Scarecrow” from The Wizard of Oz plays a jinx who comes aboard the ship and wreaks havoc among the ship and crew. Best of all, the always hysterical John Ritter masquerades as a woman and attracts the amorous attention of the ship’s Captain, Merrill Stubing.

The extras are negligible, which is disappointing for a show that had literally hundreds of guest stars on its ten-season run. The only bonus is the ability to watch the promos for the show, either all at once or one before every episode. You can also quiz yourself about eight show-related questions that are printed behind the third disc on the packaging. Frequent Collider reviewer Rob Klein managed to answer all eight correctly, a feat that could only have been achieved by a lad who faithfully watched The Love Boat and Fantasy Island during their first run in the 70’s. Impressive enough, not to mention that he owns a complete set of Love Boat action figures. Most aren’t even aware that Love Boat action figures were ever produced, including Mego, the toy company who made them. Upon viewing these figures, one may notice that the Isaac and Julie dolls may perhaps be the ugliest action figures ever produced. But seriously, could Paramount, CBS or Spelling Television Inc. have slapped together even a ten-minute clip feature? It could have been better, but even as it is, The Love Boat is a silly trip into the 70’s, harmless TV fun for kids and grownups alike.