It's not very often that you come across a TV show, let alone a situation comedy, in which the father is portrayed as more childish than his son. Nevertheless, such a program came into fruition in the form of Silver Spoons, when it debuted on NBC in September 1982. Joel Higgins was perfect as Edward Stratton III, a wealthy man who discovers that he is the father of a 12-year-old boy named Ricky Stratton, played by Ricky Schroder. But who could have guessed that someone like Ricky Schroder, known for dramatic movies such as The Champ and The Earthling, would star in a sitcom? Regardless, Schroder was great as Ricky Stratton.Silver Spoons is an enjoyable sitcom. The series ran for five years, on NBC from 1982 to 1986 and in first-run syndication from 1986 to 1987. It produced a total of 116 episodes. That was a good run. It has been over thirty years since the series ended its run, but I still have fond memories of it.

note: This review is based on the first season as it's the only season currently on DVD.Prior to this show, Ricky Schroder was known for dramatic roles-like the champ, the earthling and the last flight of Noah's ark. Yet it was this show that made him a household name.Ricky Stratton(Schroder)is a Rich kid who decides after being in military school-to move in with rather goofy father-Edward Stratton the third(Joel Higgins)who owns a toy factory. His "Living room" is equipped with toys, Video arcade games, a computerized chess set-and a mini-freight train! You could call it "The home version of Coney Island" Even the front door is operated by remote control! Ricky has the face of an angel-but don't let that fool ya-he is a regular kid who gets into situations any kid gets into. He can be obnoxious, devious and even sometimes rude-but Ricky is a real charmer! And has the most infectious smile to ever grace the small screen. It's really hard not to like this kid.The supporting cast includes Jason Bateman-who plays Ricky's arrogant pal Derek and my favorite John Houseman-who plays Edward Stratton the second the cynical father of Edward the third. Also Erin Gray plays Edward's loyal secretary-who he eventually marries.Ricky Shrorder is the star of this show! He never gets annoying at all. Though I like him in the films I listed earlier-He really shines here.The show is set in Long Island-and though they live in a mansion, we only see three or 4 rooms.This show is really funny-with a few dramatic moments here and there. Some of it maybe cheesy-but that is the real charm of this show-it was made before the more gritty "Reality" sitcoms that came in the 90's.About the first season DVDS: There are no special features at all-and they crammed it all on 3 discs-unless you have a surround system, it can be hard to hear-because of compression. However, at least they didn't put them on duel sided discs which are worse. There are 22 episodes including the pilot. Not the best in Quality sound or picture wise-but I've seen worse. I do have this to Say to Sony-Bring on the rest of the seasons! This set was released in 2007 and so far the first season's been released. If Sony doesn't want to release them Fine, License another company like Shout factory, MPI or Mill creek to release them.

Yes, if the poor kid was not by his dying father after a heavyweight fight he was having to deal with the loss of both parents in a mobile home accident then having the guy teaching him how to survive die. Yes, poor little Ricky had it rather rough, but then he got a gig on this show as a rich kid who finally gets to meet his father and live a life he has always dreamed of. Not sure what happened to the mother, but given little Ricky's past of tragedy she most likely succumbed to some long and painful disease as he sat by her bedside. Well I am not sure that happened all I know is that the first episode had him meeting his dad for the first time and finding that his dad was rich and was a kid at heart himself so he had lots of neat toys and video games in the house, so as a kid I thought that was cool. The early episodes were the best, but none of the show was what you would call spectacular. A lot of awkward episodes in the mix as well as some rather annoying ones. Also, a rather strange episode where Ricky and a bunch of his friends watch a porno as one of the kids hijacked the keys to the cable box from the father. What were they thinking? I watch an adult movie myself from time to time and think people are a bit overly critical of it at times, but showing an episode like that on a primarily family show was just insane. Also, that episode when they had Menudo guest star was just awful. Seriously, one of the first boy bands and still one of the worst with none of them doing much of anything after that band folded. Still, it had some laughs, aside from the strange episodes and the overly sentimental ones.

Another one of my favorite shows during the '80s. Who couldn't help but love Rick Schroder as a kid? He moves in with his wealthy father and learns that dad has never really grown up himself. The show concentrated on the "little lessons" that each member of the show tried to provide each other with.