Welcome Back, Kotter: Father Vinnie

Welcome Back, Kotter: Father Vinnie
ABC
February 26, 1976
Sitcom
DVD
B-

This Eric Cohen script mentions Gabe's Uncle Jerry and Aunt Jewel, clearly a reference to the Rannows, who were executive script supervisors.  The main story is about how Vinnie considers becoming a priest to make his dying grandmother happy.  Bambi (Susan Lanier) is one reason why he can't go through with it.  It's a bit sad listening to Gabe and the Sweathogs talk about death, knowing that Epstein and Horshack, as well as Julie and Woodman, would be gone less than 40 years later.

WBK in its "freshman" year (when the Sweathogs are in the eleventh-grade), is scruffy and sometimes adorkable.  It lacks the slickness of most of my other shows, even of its peers.  It has the narrow range of C+ to B, with almost half of the episodes earning a B-.  From what I recall, the show got slicker and more formulaic as it went on, but that's not to say there aren't some fun episodes ahead.