# Welcome Back, Kotter (1975)

> A former student returns to teach a remedial high school class of street-smart misfits in Brooklyn, and the wisecracks never stop.

Canonical page: https://ember.film/tv/700

## Facts

- Seasons: 4
- Episodes: 95
- Episode runtime: 30 min
- Status: Ended
- Genres: comedy
- Created by: Alan Sacks, Gabe Kaplan
- Network: ABC
- Cast: Gabe Kaplan, John Travolta, John Sylvester White, Ron Palillo, Robert Hegyes, Lawrence Hilton-Jacobs, Marcia Strassman, Stephen Shortridge
- TMDB rating: 7.1/10
- IMDb: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0072582/

## Ember's analysis

- Pacing: brisk
- Intensity: mild
- Complexity: simple
- Violence: none
- Tone: breezy, witty, comforting, nostalgic, irreverent

## What critics say

Critics and audiences generally view the sitcom as a lighthearted, crowd-pleasing classroom comedy whose ensemble and star power carried it, with a mixed overall reception.

## Synopsis

Welcome Back, Kotter (1975-1979) is an American multi-camera sitcom created by Alan Sacks and Gabe Kaplan for ABC. Gabe Kaplan plays Gabe Kotter, a former student who returns to teach the remedial class of wisecracking misfits he once belonged to, nicknamed the Sweathogs. John Travolta plays the swaggering Vinnie Barbarino, while Ron Palillo's Arnold Horshack and Robert Hegyes' Juan Epstein fill out the mischievous group. John Sylvester White plays the stern principal Michael Woodman, who keeps the classroom uneasy. Each episode is built from classroom schemes, neighborhood hustles and rapid-fire banter, with Kotter's patience tested by his students' schemes and his own wish to see them succeed. Videotaped before a live studio audience, the series has the brisk rhythm and broad physical comedy of its era, mixing cheeky street humor with warmth toward its underdog class. Set in a 1970s Brooklyn high school, it is a light, nostalgic ensemble comedy across four seasons and ninety-five episodes. Fans of Happy Days, Sanford and Son and The Bowery Boys will find the same working class camaraderie and affectionate ensemble mischief.

## Shows like Welcome Back, Kotter

- [Barney Miller (1975)](https://ember.film/tv/3095)
- [The Facts of Life (1979)](https://ember.film/tv/1700)
- [One Day at a Time (1975)](https://ember.film/tv/2078)
- [The Michael J. Fox Show (2013)](https://ember.film/tv/52721)
- [Parker Lewis Can't Lose (1990)](https://ember.film/tv/2936)
- [Abbott Elementary (2021)](https://ember.film/tv/104407)
- [Saved by the Bell (1989)](https://ember.film/tv/4130)
- [Diff'rent Strokes (1978)](https://ember.film/tv/2290)
- [GTO: Great Teacher Onizuka (1998)](https://ember.film/tv/55246)
- [Laverne & Shirley (1976)](https://ember.film/tv/2885)

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