Happy Days (TV)

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Name: Happy Days
Abbreviation(s):
Creator: Garry Marshall
Date(s): 15 January 1974 – 24 September 1984
Medium: television series
Country of Origin: United States
External Links: Happy Days on Wikipedia
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Happy Days was an American sitcom created by Garry Marshall that aired from 1974 to 1984. Set in the 1950s, it centered on Richie Cunningham (Ron Howard) and his friends, family, and overall daily life in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. It is especially well known in popular culture for the Breakout Character Arthur "Fonzie/The Fonz" Fonzarelli (Henry Winkler). Happy Days also spawned multiple spin-offs with varying degrees of success, including Mork & Mindy, Laverne & Shirly, Joanie Loves Chachi, Blansky's Beauties, Out of the Blue, and The Fonz and the Happy Days Gang.

Fanworks

Fanfiction

Fanzines

Front cover of Dyad #22. Art by Alayne.

Happy Days fanfiction has appeared in the following zines:

Terms coined by the series

  • Jump the shark: defined as the moment a serial canon takes a noticeable downward turn in quality, the term was coined in 1985 by radio personality Jon Hein referring to the fifth season episode "Hollywood, Part 3" wherein Fonzie, dressed in his trademark leather jacket, literally jumps over a shark while on waterskis. The stunt was seen as an absurd moment in an otherwise realistic series focused on "everyday American life in the 1950s" and derided for making Fonzie look almost superhuman as opposed to simply a "cool guy".
  • Chuck Cunningham Syndrome: coined by TV Tropes, Chuck Cunningham Syndrome is defined as a phenomenon where a character in an ensemble cast disappears from a series/franchise with no in-universe explanation and is never seen, heard from, or mentioned again. It is named after Richie's older brother Chuck, who abruptly disappeared from the series after the first Christmas special and seemed to be completely forgotten about, with Richie's parents Howard and Marion acknowledging that they only have two children (Richie and Joanie) at the end of the series. An alternate name for this is Mandyville, named after Mandy Hampton, a supporting character from the first season of The West Wing who was inexplicably never seen again after the season ended (this was due to actress Moira Kelly departing the series after she and series showrunner Aaron Sorkin mutually agreed that she didn't fit in with the rest of the show but no explanation for how and when the character left was ever provided in the show).

Online Resources

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