Craig T. Nelson, a reasonably popular character actor, achieved major stardom when he transitioned to the small screen for this beloved sitcom, which launched in 1989 and ran for nine seasons. By the time it ended in 1997, Coach had long since worn out its welcome, but the show's early years were the good ones. Nelson plays Hayden Fox, coach of the fictional Minnesota State University's Screaming Eagles football team. A rough-and-tumble guy who easily slips into male-chauvinist mode, Hayden can always be counted on for indelicate responses to touchy questions. His assistants, Luther (Jerry Van Dyke) and Dauber (Bill Fagerbakke), are loyal and hardworking but not especially bright. Long divorced, Hayden nonetheless enjoys a strong relationship with local news reporter Christine Armstrong (Shelley Fabares). The 13 first-season episodes collected here revolve to a large extent around Hayden's attempts to reconnect with his grown daughter Kelly (Clare Carey), whom he's rarely seen after divorcing her mother. Kelly enrolls at Minnesota State in the series pilot, and subsequent episodes find Hayden gnashing his teeth over her dating decisions (a college professor and a sensitive theater-arts major who is the antithesis of the coach's ideal man). Perhaps the standout of this first year is “Parents' Weekend,” in which Hayden's newly-slender and attractive ex visits the campus and has an awkward meeting with Christine, who's been led to believe that Kelly's mom is a frump. Nelson shines in this debut season, which boasts fine writing and winning performances from a terrific cast. DVD extras include the half-hour documentary “The Great ‘80s Flashback” (on popular ‘80s TV series—all Universal shows) and a bonus episode from the second season. Recommended. (E. Hulse)
Coach: The First Season
Universal, 2 discs, 312 min., not rated, DVD: $34.98 Volume 21, Issue 5
Coach: The First Season
Star Ratings
As of March 2022, Video Librarian has changed from a four-star rating system to a five-star one. This change allows our reviewers to have a wider range of critical viewpoints, as well as to synchronize with Google’s rating structure. This change affects all reviews from March 2022 onwards. All reviews from before this period will still retain their original rating. Future film submissions will be considered our new 1-5 star criteria.
Order From Your Favorite Distributor Today: