Welcome Back, Kotter

Welcome Back, Kotter is an American television sitcom that originally aired on the ABC network from 1975 to 1979.

After the show

Following the 1979 cancellation, the stars enjoyed varying degrees of success. After several strong showings, Travolta's film career took a nosedive until 1994's Pulp Fiction revived his status as a strong box office draw. Kaplan made a few comedic films and television guest appearances, but began to focus on investments and a passion for professional poker. He has, however, returned to his stand-up comedy roots in recent years. Hegyes continued acting in movies and on television, where he landed a regular role on Cagney and Lacey on CBS. Palillo also appeared on television and in films, including a three-episode guest shot as himself on the ABC sitcom Ellen. In one of the Ellen episodes, Palillo expresses regret at how he is known almost exclusively for his role as Horshack. One of the episodes was entitled Horshack's Law. Hilton-Jacobs found steady work in movies and television, including his role as the father of the Jackson musical family in the 1992 made-for-TV film, The Jacksons: An American Dream. With the exception of Travolta, none of the cast members ever regained the fame they enjoyed during the four-year run of Kotter.

Related Topics:
1979 - Pulp Fiction - Poker - Cagney and Lacey - CBS - Ellen - 1992

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When Travolta hosted Saturday Night Live in 1994, he appeared in a sketch that lampooned his old show. Quentin Tarantino's Welcome Back, Kotter gave viewers a humorous look at how the Pulp Fiction director might have brought a strong dose of violence to the tame show. Travolta reprised his old character, Barbarino, with Mike Myers as Mr. Kotter, Adam Sandler as Epstein, Tim Meadows as Washington and David Spade as Horshack.

Related Topics:
Saturday Night Live - 1994 - Pulp Fiction - Mike Myers - Adam Sandler - Tim Meadows - David Spade

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The closest thing to a reunion show came in 1997, when Hegyes, Hilton-Jacobs and Palillo reprised their Sweathog roles on an episode of the short-lived NBC sitcom Mr. Rhodes. Kaplan did not appear; instead, actor John Kassir (who would later play Shemp Howard in The Three Stooges television movie) assumed the role of Mr. Kotter. The episode originally aired on February 3, 1997 and was entitled The Welcome Back Show.

Related Topics:
1997 - NBC - Mr. Rhodes - John Kassir - Shemp Howard - The Three Stooges

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Kotter enjoyed a renewed surge in popularity in the mid-1990s when it aired as part of the Nick and Nite lineup on Nickelodeon. Kaplan later said that the show found plenty of new fans during that run but that they were turned off by the quality of the episodes from the fourth season.

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Cast members opened up about their experiences on the show in 2000's Welcome Back, Kotter: The E! True Hollywood Story. The two-hour program included interviews with cast members, including Kaplan, Palillo, Hilton-Jacobs, Strassman and Shortridge. Kaplan spoke of a difficult relationship with executive producer James Komack, whom he saw as not serving the show's best interests. Like many viewers, Kaplan said the quality of the show dropped off in the fourth and final season. Hilton-Jacobs agreed, saying that the new writers brought in that year were not suited to a show of this nature. Palillo said the impact of an attempted ratings-grabber in the final season, Horshack's wedding, was derailed when President Jimmy Carter gave a televised speech that pre-empted the heavily advertised episode. Strassman recalled how disappointed she was at her limited time on camera, a situation that changed in the fourth season when her character became a substitute teacher at Buchanan High.

Related Topics:
2000 - Jimmy Carter

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In 2003, as part of ABC's 50th Anniversary Celebration telecast, Kotter was featured in tribute montage and the original cast appeared together on stage. Notably absent was White, who died of pancreatic cancer in 1988 at the age of 68.

Related Topics:
2003 - 1988

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Kotter lives on in reruns as fans hope that the show will be released on DVD like numerous other sitcoms. Today, Kaplan calls the show a "period piece." It's hard to disagree given the dress worn by the characters (including bell bottoms), hairstyles (afros), language and references to then-current events (Washington exclaims in one episode, "President Ford wasn't elected").

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