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{{Short description|American sitcom (1975–1979)}}
{{More citations needed|date=August 2023}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=April 2012}}
{{Infobox television
| image         = Kotterdvdcover.jpg
| caption       = The box set cover for the ''Warner Bros. Television Favorites'' DVD release of the series
| genre         = [[Sitcom]]
| runtime       = 24–25 minutes
| creator       = [[Gabe Kaplan]]<br />[[Alan Sacks]]
| developer     = Peter Meyerson
| starring      = {{Unbulleted list | [[Gabe Kaplan]] | [[Marcia Strassman]] | [[John Sylvester White]] | [[Robert Hegyes]] | [[Lawrence Hilton-Jacobs]] | [[Ron Palillo]] | [[John Travolta]]}}
| open_theme     = "[[Welcome Back (John Sebastian song)|Welcome Back]]"<br />performed by [[John Sebastian]]
| country       = United States
| company       = The Komack Company<br />[[David L. Wolper|Wolper Productions]]<br />[[Warner Bros. Television]]
| language      = English
| related              = {{Plainlist|
* ''[[Mr. T and Tina]]''
}}
| network       = [[American Broadcasting Company|ABC]]
| first_aired   = {{start date|1975|9|9}}
| last_aired    = {{end date|1979|5|17}}
| num_seasons   = 4
| num_episodes  = 95
| list_episodes = List of Welcome Back, Kotter episodes
}}<!-- DO NOT USE IMDB AS A SOURCE -->

'''''Welcome Back, Kotter''''' <!-- Do not change -->is<!-- to "was" as that is incorrect per [[WP:TVLEAD]]. Fiction continues to exist even after creation of new episodes stops. --> an American [[sitcom]] starring [[Gabe Kaplan]] as a high-school teacher in charge of a racially and ethnically diverse [[Remedial education|remedial]] education class nicknamed the Sweathogs. Recorded in front of a [[Live Studio Audience|live studio audience]], the series aired on [[American Broadcasting Company|ABC]] from September 9, 1975, through May 17, 1979. It provided [[John Travolta]] with his breakthrough role.<ref>{{cite web |url= http://www.emmytvlegends.org/interviews/shows/welcome-back-kotter |title= Welcome Back Kotter: Andy Ackerman Interview |website= emmytvlegends.org | publisher= Archive of American Television |access-date=2016-01-17}}</ref>

== Premise ==
[[Stand-up comedy|Stand-up comedian]] and actor Gabriel "Gabe" Kaplan stars as the main character, Gabe Kotter, a wise-cracking teacher who returns to his alma mater - [[James Buchanan]] High School in [[Bensonhurst, Brooklyn]], New York City - ten years after graduating,  to teach a remedial class of loafers known as the Sweathogs. The rigid vice principal, Michael Woodman ([[John Sylvester White]]), who was formerly Kotter's [[social studies]] teacher, dismisses the Sweathogs as witless hoodlums. Woodman only expects Kotter to contain them until they drop out or are expelled or arrested. Kotter had been a remedial student and a founding member of the original class of Sweathogs. He befriends the current class and stimulates their potential. Kotter forms a rapport with his students. They begin visiting his Bensonhurst apartment, sometimes via the [[fire escape]] window, often to the chagrin of his wife Julie ([[Marcia Strassman]]).

[[File:Welcome back kotter 1977.JPG|thumb|The Sweathogs celebrate a winning lottery ticket as Mr. Kotter looks on.]]
The fictional James Buchanan High is based on the Brooklyn high school that Kaplan attended in real life, [[New Utrecht High School]],<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.genreonline.net/Welcome_Back_Kotter_Season_One_DVD.html |title= Welcome Back, Kotter: The Complete First Season |website= genreonline.net |access-date= 2016-01-17 |archive-date=February 3, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110203143214/http://genreonline.net/Welcome_Back_Kotter_Season_One_DVD.html |url-status=dead }}</ref> which is shown in the opening credits. Many of the show's characters were based on people Kaplan knew during his teen years as a remedial student, several of whom were described in one of Kaplan's stand-up comic routines "Holes and Mellow Rolls". 
The character Vinnie Barbarino was inspired by Eddie Lecarri and Ray Barbarino; the character Freddie 'Boom Boom' Washington was inspired by Freddie "Furdy" Peyton; the character Juan Epstein was partially inspired by Epstein "The Animal"; and the character Arnold Horshack was inspired by someone of the same name.{{Citation needed|date=August 2020}}

== Characters ==

=== Gabe Kotter ===
*Played by [[Gabe Kaplan]]
Gabe Kotter is a flippant but well-meaning teacher who returns to teach at the high school he attended as a student. He is assigned to a class of remedial students known as the Sweathogs. Kotter has a unique insight of the potential of these purportedly "unteachable" pupils, as well as the difficulties and scrutiny they encounter on a daily basis, as he was a "founder member" of the original Sweathogs.

Kotter is married to Julie throughout the series; they eventually have twin girls, Robin and Rachel. It is confirmed by Julie in the episode "Follow the Leader (part 1)" that Gabe is [[American Jews|Jewish]].

During season four, Gabe Kaplan had contract issues with the executive producer, which resulted in Kotter's character appearing in only a handful of episodes. In season four, the [[Unseen character|invisible]] principal John Lazarus retires, and Kotter becomes the vice-principal. Though he is said to maintain some social studies training duties, most of that season's shows are filmed outside his classroom or, if inside it, Mr. Woodman is teaching. To minimize Kotter's absence, scenes were shot in either the school's hallway, the schoolyard, or the principal's waiting area. Season four ended the series.

=== Julie Kotter ===
*Played by [[Marcia Strassman]]
Julie Kotter is Gabe Kotter's wife and closest friend. Though she has a sense of humor, she often wishes Gabe would take matters more seriously. She is occasionally upset with the amount of time he devotes to his students (inside and outside of the school), and she is troubled that he allows them to visit their apartment regularly. In the two-part story "Follow the Leader", the Sweathogs' constant intrusions lead Julie to separate briefly from Gabe and even seriously consider divorce. Mrs. Kotter is originally from [[Nebraska]] and holds a college degree in anthropology. She eventually becomes a secretary at Buchanan High School, and later a substitute teacher after Gabe's promotion to vice-principal. She makes several references to her "world famous [[tuna casserole]]", a common meal at the Kotter dinner table, which Gabe and the Sweathogs deem inedible.

=== Michael Woodman ===
*Played by [[John Sylvester White]]
Michael Woodman is the curmudgeonly vice-principal (and later principal) of Buchanan High. He makes no secret of his dislike for the Sweathogs, whom he considers the bottom of the [[social stratum]] at his school. He refers to non-Sweathogs as "real" students. When Kotter was a student at Buchanan High, Woodman taught social studies, the same class Kotter returns to teach. The students regularly joke about Woodman's advanced age, and sometimes his diminutive height. Woodman opposes Kotter's unorthodox teaching methods. At one point he even puts Kotter in front of the school's review board in an unsuccessful attempt to have him fired. As the series progresses, Woodman begins to tolerate Kotter and the Sweathogs marginally. In a season one episode, Woodman is shown to be a gifted teacher, willing to wear historic costumes and role-play in front of the class during his lessons.<ref name = follow2>{{cite episode | title = Follow the Leader (Part 2) | date= | publisher =| series = Welcome Back, Kotter}}</ref>

=== Vincent "Vinnie" Barbarino ===
*Played by [[John Travolta]]
Vinnie Barbarino is a cocky Italian-American, the "unofficial official" leader and resident heartthrob of the Sweathogs. He has a need to be the center of attention, as seen when he admits to making it rain in the school gymnasium. In the two-episode "Follow the Leader", Barbarino quits the Sweathogs and drops out of school in anger when Freddy Washington is chosen as the "leader" of the group, though he returns as leader at the conclusion of the episode. Barbarino's prowess with women is sometimes a source of envy and more often, amusement among his classmates. On occasion, he breaks out in a song about his last name sung to the tune of the [[Beach Boys]] song "[[Barbara Ann]]". He was the first of the Sweathogs to move out on his own, when he got a job as a hospital orderly. In the first episode of the series' fourth season, he has a girlfriend, Sally. Vinnie is Catholic and often describes his mother Margie<ref name= debate>{{cite episode | title = The Great Debate| date= | publisher =| series = Welcome Back, Kotter}}</ref> as a saint. He is a [[Star Trek: The Original Series|''Star Trek'']] fan.<ref name= follow2 /> Little is known about Vinnie's home life, other than that his parents frequently argue<ref name = having>{{cite episode | title = I'm Having Their Baby| date= | publisher =| series = Welcome Back, Kotter}}</ref> and take turns beating him when in a mutual rage. He shares a bed with his younger<ref>{{cite episode | title = Don't Come Up And See Me Sometime | date= | publisher =| series = Welcome Back, Kotter}}</ref> brother. The character is seen less frequently in season 4, appearing in only 10 of the first 15 episodes of the season; he then exits the series entirely.

=== Arnold Dingfelder Horshack ===
*Played by [[Ron Palillo]]
The [[class clown]] of the Sweathogs, Horshack is completely comfortable with his oddball, if naïve, personality. Horshack was known for his unique observations and his wheezing laugh, similar to that of a [[hyena]].{{notetag|Palillo revealed on a 1995 episode of ''[[The Jenny Jones Show]]'' that it originated from the way his father breathed during the last two weeks of his life as he lay dying from lung cancer.}} It is possible that academically he is the smartest Sweathog. He is the only central Sweathog character to be promoted out of a remedial academics class, but he soon returns after feeling out of place. He has an affection for acting and enjoys old movies, particularly 1930s musicals. He eventually marries Mary Johnson, a co-worker and fellow Sweathog. Although his surname sounds like a term for a [[brothel]], he claims it is a "very old and respected name" meaning "the cattle are dying." His middle name (and his mother's [[maiden name]]) is Dingfelder.

=== Freddie Percy "Boom Boom" Washington ===
*Played by [[Lawrence Hilton-Jacobs]]
Freddie Washington is the hip student known as the athletic Sweathog for his skills on the basketball court (although in the episode "Basket Case", Mr. Kotter almost beats Freddie in a one-on-one game). Washington claimed his nickname came from his habit of [[air guitar|"pretending to play]] [[double bass|the bass"]] and singing "Boom-boom-boom-boom!". His trademark phrase is, "Hi, there" (spoken with a deep voice and a broad smile) and he calls Mr. Kotter "Mister Kot-''TAIR''". Though often the voice of reason among his classmates, Washington nonetheless is a willing participant in the Sweathogs' various antics and pranks. He also finds success as a radio [[disc jockey]] along with another former Sweathog, Wally "The Wow" Wexler (played by [[George Carlin]]). At one point, Washington challenges Barbarino for leadership of the Sweathogs and even replaces him for a time until the group grows tired of his dictatorial style.

Washington has an older sister, who got divorced twice while living in Vermont <ref>{{cite episode | title = The Longest Weekend | date= | publisher =| series = Welcome Back, Kotter}}</ref> and a brother, Leroy. He has another brother, Douglas, and his father's name is Lincoln, portrayed by R&B singer [[King Coleman|Carlton "King" Coleman]].<ref name= debate /> Kotter reveals details of his own past to [[Human bonding|bond]] with Washington, because, in addition to being a former Sweathog he was also a former star of Buchanan's basketball team.

=== Juan Luis Pedro Felipo de Huevos Epstein ===
*Played by [[Robert Hegyes]]
Epstein is a fiercely proud [[Stateside Puerto Ricans|Puerto Rican]] Jew. When asked if his mother was Puerto Rican, Juan replies that his mother's maiden name was Bibbermann and that his grandfather "saw Puerto Rico from the ship as he was making his way to America and decided to settle there instead of [[Miami]]", making him one of the earliest Puerto Rican Jews. Juan is thus Puerto Rican on his father's side and Jewish on both parents' sides.

He is one of the toughest students at Buchanan High, despite his short stature. He normally walks with a tough-man strut and was voted "Most Likely to Take a Life" by his peers. In season one of the series, Epstein is said to be the sixth of ten children (when speaking on the phone to his mother, who had failed to notice that he had been missing for three days, she apparently failed to recognize his name and he had to further identify himself as "Number Six"),<ref name= missing>{{cite episode | title = One of Our Sweathogs Is Missing | date= | publisher =| series = Welcome Back, Kotter}}</ref> although in a later episode, he mentions that his mother only gave birth eight times,<ref name= having /> implying two of them were twin births. Only four of his siblings are mentioned by name: his brothers Pedro, Irving, and Sanchez<ref name= missing/> (establishing that some of his siblings had Jewish names and others Puerto Rican names) and a younger sister, Carmen.<ref>{{cite episode | title = A Love Story | date= | publisher =| series = Welcome Back, Kotter}}</ref> Epstein's toughness is downplayed in later episodes, and he became more of a wiseguy. He was also known to have a "buddy" relationship with Principal Lazarus, as he often referred to him by his first name, Jack. On a few occasions, when Kotter performs his [[Groucho Marx]] impersonation, Epstein would jump in and impersonate [[Chico Marx]] or [[Harpo Marx]]. Epstein's diminutive height, [[Afro#Similar styles internationally|large hair]], and fake excuse notes (always signed "Epstein's Mother") were running gags.

=== Recurring characters ===
==== Rosalie "Hotsie" Totsie ====
*Played by [[Debralee Scott]]
Rosie Totsie is the [[femme fatale]] purported to have put the "sweat" in Sweathog, though her reputation is largely exaggerated by the Sweathogs' word of mouth. Her [[promiscuity]] is at least in part a reaction to the strict discipline enforced by her father, the Reverend Totsie. To restore her good name, and to prove a point, she fabricates a story about one of the Sweathogs getting her pregnant. The character was a favorite among male viewers but was phased out of the series at the end of the first season when Scott was picked to co-star in the syndicated Norman Lear comedy ''[[Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman]]''.{{Citation needed|date=January 2016}} She reprised the role in its third season in a 1978 episode, "The Return of Hotsie Totsie", in which it was revealed that she dropped out of school because she became pregnant and had to become a stripper to support her infant child.

==== Judy Borden ====
*Played by [[Helaine Lembeck]]
A recurring non-Sweathog character in the earlier seasons, Borden is a straight-''A'' student and editor of the ''Buchanan Bugle'', the school newspaper. She was Barbarino's tutor, and even dated him at one time. Despite her academic superiority, she can easily hold her own in a [[The Dozens|Dozens]] contest against any Sweathog.

==== Beauregarde "Beau" De LaBarre ====
*Played by [[Stephen Shortridge]]
Introduced as a regular character in the fourth and final season, Beau is a handsome, friendly, blond, silver-tongued southerner who transfers from [[New Orleans]] after being kicked out of several other schools. He ends up in Kotter's class. The producers sought a heartthrob who was not a direct knock-off of the "Italian Stallion" trend that was permeating Hollywood in the mid-1970s, and who would improve ratings in the South, where the show's New York setting was seen as unrelatable. They wanted to retain female viewers but avoid a Travolta clone. Beau's first reaction to the term "Sweathog" was "That sounds gross." He seems to have a way with women, as shown in later episodes. One of his running jokes involves imparting esoteric and nonsensical sayings, such as "a real man never steps on a pregnant alligator".

== Other recurring characters ==
*[[Vernee Watson-Johnson|Vernee Watson]] as Verna Jean Williams, Freddie's girlfriend.
*[[Susan Lanier]] as Bambi, a female addition to the Sweathogs.
*[[Charles Fleischer]] as Carvelli, introduced as a student foil to the Sweathogs in Season 2.
*Bob Harcum as Murray, Carvelli's loyal, and extremely dim, sidekick.
*[[Dennis Bowen]] as Todd Ludlow, a nerdy academic high achiever.
*Irene Arranga as Mary Johnson, later became Arnold Horshack's wife.
*[[Melonie Haller]] as Angie Grabowski, introduced in Season 3 as the only official female Sweathog, but was gone by the end of the season.

== Show history ==
''Welcome Back, Kotter''{{'}}s first season was controversial. In Boston, the local ABC affiliate ([[WCVB-TV]]) initially refused to air the show.<ref>{{cite web| url=http://www.metv.com/lists/11-things-you-never-knew-about-welcome-back-kotter| title=11 things you never knew about 'Welcome Back, Kotter'| date=February 18, 2016 |website=Me-TV Network}}</ref> The city was going through a [[Boston desegregation busing crisis|tumultuous school busing program]] that involved widespread protests and riots, and the local affiliate felt Kotter's fictional integrated classroom would exacerbate the situation. The show became an early ratings success, however, and the affiliate relented, picking it up from its fifth episode.{{citation needed|date = October 2020}}

Teachers in other cities had concerns about how Kotter would be portrayed, so producers allowed a union representative on the set to ensure the show protected the image of those in the profession. Kaplan opposed the idea, at one point asking a reporter if there was a junkman on the set of ''[[Sanford and Son]]'' to protect the reputation of junkmen.{{Citation needed|date=January 2016}}

Censor concerns about depiction of [[juvenile delinquency]] faded after the Sweathogs' antics proved to be silly rather than criminal. Like Kaplan, Hegyes was a fan of the [[Marx Brothers]]. Hegyes claimed that he suggested that the Sweathogs be modeled after the Marx Brothers in order to reduce tension.<ref>{{cite web| url=http://www.roberthegyes.com/kotter9.html| title=Sweathogs, Groucho, et al.| website=Robert Hegyes| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120411164726/http://www.roberthegyes.com/kotter9.html| archive-date=April 11, 2012}}</ref>

Ratings slipped greatly in the third season. Kaplan later attributed the decline to the age of the actors playing the Sweathogs, all then in their mid- to late-twenties, claiming that they were no longer believable as high school students.  As the series entered its fourth and final season, Travolta, the youngest Sweathog, was 25—while Palillo, the oldest, would turn 30 before season's end.

Kaplan's idea to bring the show in line with the age of its cast was to have Kotter join the faculty of a [[community college]] attended by the Sweathogs,<ref>{{cite web |url=https://tv.yahoo.com/gabriel-kaplan/contributor/566728/bio |title=Yahoo TV |website=Tv.yahoo.com |access-date=2016-01-17 |archive-date=October 14, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121014063928/http://tv.yahoo.com/gabriel-kaplan/contributor/566728/bio |url-status=dead }}</ref> but this storyline never materialized. In order to increase viewership, the Kotters had twin girls, but this did not prove to be enough to regain the show's earlier momentum. The show introduced a female Sweathog, Angie Grabowski, played by [[Melonie Haller]].{{citation needed|date = October 2020}}

Major changes took place in the fourth and final season.  Shortly before the season began, the series was moved from its successful Thursday 8:00&nbsp;p.m. time slot to Monday 8:00&nbsp;p.m. to make way for the impending hit series ''[[Mork & Mindy]]''.{{citation needed|date = October 2020}}  Much of the writing staff turned over after season 3, and Travolta, who had already starred in box office hits such as ''[[Carrie (1976 film)|Carrie]]'', ''[[Saturday Night Fever]]'', and ''[[Grease (film)|Grease]]'', began to focus more time on his film career. He appeared in ten episodes, earning $2,000 (roughly ${{Inflation|US|2000|1978|r=-2|fmt=c}} now){{Inflation-fn|US}} for each one, and he was billed as a "special guest star".{{citation needed|date = October 2020}}  Vinnie got a job as a [[hospital orderly]] and his own apartment and the [[Murphy Bed]] that came up and down at inopportune times became a [[running gag]]. Mr. Woodman was promoted to Principal of the school (Principal Lazarus quit to take a "less stressful" job at a high-security prison), and Kotter was promoted to Vice-Principal, purposely moving the show's focus away from Kotter's class.  {{citation needed|date = October 2020}}  Major off-screen disputes led Kaplan to break his contract and reduce his appearances. To help fill the voids, [[Stephen Shortridge]] joined the cast as smooth-talking [[Southern United States|Southerner]] Beau De LaBarre, and Kotter's wife, Julie, became a school secretary and occasional fill-in teacher, despite having one-year-old twin daughters.{{citation needed|date = October 2020}}  Also in season 4, [[Della Reese]] was introduced as English teacher and Buchanan High talent show coordinator Mrs. Jean Tremaine.

Knowing the series was in a nosedive, producer James Komack attempted to spin off a newly married Arnold Horshack into a new sitcom {{crossreference|(see {{slink||Spin-offs}})}}.{{Citation needed|date=February 2017}}

== Popularity ==
{{Unreferenced section|date=August 2023}}

[[File:Welcome Back Kotter cast 1975.JPG|thumb|right|200px|The Cast]]
The show enjoyed ratings success during its first two seasons, spawning a host of merchandising [[tie-in]]s, including [[lunchbox]]es, [[doll]]s, [[trading card]]s, comic books, novels, and even a [[board game]], advertised as "The 'Up Your Nose With A Rubber Hose' Game" in a commercial with a class full of Sweathog look-alikes featuring [[Steve Guttenberg]] as Barbarino and [[Thomas Carter (director)|Thomas Carter]] as Boom Boom Washington. The Sweathogs&nbsp;— or at least an impressionist's version of them&nbsp;— even made a crossover appearance with characters from the ''[[Happy Days]]'' universe on one track (the [[disco]]-themed "Fonzarelli Slide") of a 1976 TV-promoted [[oldies]] [[compilation album]].

In 2010, the cast, including Gabe Kaplan, Marcia Strassman, John Travolta, Robert Hegyes, Lawrence Hilton-Jacobs, and Ellen Travolta were honored at the [[TV Land Award]] ceremonies. Co-star Ron Palillo was not in attendance, nor were fellow co-stars John Sylvester White (who died in 1988) and [[Debralee Scott]] (who died in 2005).

== Theme song ==
{{Main|Welcome Back (John Sebastian song)}}
The popular theme song, "Welcome Back", written and recorded by [[John Sebastian]], former front-man for [[the Lovin' Spoonful]], became a No. 1 hit in the spring of 1976. The show was originally going to be called ''Kotter'', but that was changed because of the theme song lyrics. Sebastian has said he tried to find a more general theme for the song after being unable to find any reasonable rhymes for 'Kotter'.

== Merchandising ==
=== Comic books ===
[[DC Comics]] published ten issues of a ''Welcome Back, Kotter'' comic book starting in 1976.<ref>{{cite book |last1=McAvennie |first1=Michael |editor-last=Dolan |editor-first=Hannah |chapter=1970s |title=DC Comics Year By Year A Visual Chronicle |publisher=[[DK (publisher)|Dorling Kindersley]] |year=2010 |isbn=978-0-7566-6742-9 |page= 171 |quote=The first issue [was] written by Elliot S! Maggin with spot-on likenesses rendered by Jack Sparling.}}</ref> Following its cancellation in 1978, a ''[[Limited Collectors' Edition]]'' was issued, incorporating a four-page "On the Set" section and photographs from the show.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.comicvine.com/limited-collectors-edition-57-welcome-back-kotter/4000-184814/ |title=Limited Collectors' Edition #57 - Welcome Back Kotter (Issue) |website=Comicvine.com |date=1978-01-01 |access-date=2016-01-17}}</ref>

=== Novels ===
A series of novels based on characters and dialog of the series was written by [[William Joseph Johnston (novelist)|William Johnston]] and published by Tempo Books in the 1970s.

=== Action figures ===
[[Mattel]] produced a series of 9-inch ''Welcome Back, Kotter'' action figures in 1977. Figures produced included Barbarino, Horshack, Epstein, Washington, and Mr. Kotter.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.figurerealm.com/checklist.php?action=checklist&seriesid=313&figures=welcomebackkotter |title=Welcome Back Kotter (Mattel) Action Figure Checklist |website=Figurerealm.com |access-date=2016-01-17 |archive-date=February 2, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140202115057/http://www.figurerealm.com/checklist.php?action=checklist&seriesid=313&figures=welcomebackkotter |url-status=dead }}</ref>

== Episodes ==
{{Main|List of Welcome Back, Kotter episodes}}
{{:List of Welcome Back, Kotter episodes}}

== Home media ==
[[Warner Home Video]] released a 6-episode '''Television Favorites''' collection on February 28, 2006. Due to the success of this release, Warner released the Complete first Season on DVD in Region 1 on June 12, 2007.

On May 7, 2014, it was announced that [[Shout! Factory]] had acquired the rights to the series. Ultimately, they released ''Welcome Back, Kotter: The Complete Series'' on DVD in Region 1 on August 26, 2014,<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.tvshowsondvd.com/news/Welcome-Kotter-The-Complete-Series/19776 |title=Welcome Back, Kotter DVD news: Press Release for Welcome Back, Kotter - The Complete Series |website=[[TVShowsOnDVD]] |access-date=2016-01-17 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151222134005/http://www.tvshowsondvd.com/news/Welcome-Kotter-The-Complete-Series/19776 |archive-date=December 22, 2015 |df=mdy-all}}</ref> and have since released the second, third, and fourth seasons as individual sets.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://tvshowsondvd.com/news/Welcome-Kotter-Season-4/21067 |title=Welcome Back, Kotter DVD news: Announcement for The Complete 4th Season: The Final Season |website=TVShowsOnDVD |date=2015-06-05 |access-date=2016-01-17 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151222161829/http://tvshowsondvd.com/news/Welcome-Kotter-Season-4/21067 |archive-date=December 22, 2015 |df=mdy-all}}</ref>

As of April 2023, the entire series is available to stream on [[Tubi]].<ref>{{cite web |url=https://comicbook.com/movies/news/everything-coming-to-tubi-april-2023/ |title=Everything Coming to Tubi in April 2023 |website=ComicBook.com |date=April 2023 |access-date=2023-09-10}}</ref>

{| class="wikitable"
|-
!DVD Name
!Ep #
!Release Date
|-
| The Complete First Season
| style="text-align:center;"|22
| June 12, 2007
|-
| The Complete Second Season
| style="text-align:center;"|23
| January 20, 2015
|-
| The Complete Third Season
| style="text-align:center;"|27
| May 26, 2015
|-
| The Complete Fourth Season
| style="text-align:center;"|23
| August 18, 2015
|-
| The Complete Series
| style="text-align:center;"|95
| August 26, 2014
|}

== Nominations ==
''Kotter'' failed to win any major awards, though it was nominated for an [[Emmy Award]] for Outstanding Comedy Series in 1976<ref name="emmys1">{{cite web |url=http://www.emmys.com/shows/welcome-back-kotter |title=Welcome Back, Kotter | website=Television Academy |date=2015-11-13 |access-date=2016-01-17}}</ref> after its first season; it lost to ''[[The Mary Tyler Moore Show]]''. The series was also nominated for three technical Emmy Awards: Outstanding Achievement in Videotape Editing for a Series (to Editors Susan Jenkins and Manuel Martinez) in 1976, Outstanding Art Direction for a Comedy Series (to Art Directors [[Roy Christopher]] and James Shanahan) in 1978, and Outstanding Individual Achievement&nbsp;— Creative Technical Crafts (to Dick Wilson for sound effects) in 1979.<ref name="emmys1" />

== Guest stars ==
Several noteworthy performers enjoyed guest stints on Kotter either during or prior to their widespread fame. [[James Woods]] guest starred in the first episode of Season 1 ("The Great Debate") as Alex Welles, a drama teacher who leads the school debate team ("the Turkeys") in a competition against the Sweathogs. [[Pat Morita]] appears in the 1976 episode "Career Day" as Mr. Takahashi. Comedian [[George Carlin]] was featured, as was [[John Astin]]. Other guest stars included [[Scott Brady]], [[Ellen Travolta]], [[Richard Moll]], [[Della Reese]], and [[Dinah Manoff]] who would work with [[John Travolta]] again in ''[[Grease (film)|Grease]]''.

[[Groucho Marx]] was set to have a brief walk-on role in one episode. He arrived on-set, but was deemed to be too sick to appear. Pictures of Marx with the cast were taken, but not released.<ref>{{cite web |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120717220054/http://www.povonline.com/cols/COL239.htm |title=Groucho, Part 2 |last=Evanier |first=Mark |url=http://www.povonline.com/cols/COL239.htm |date=11 June 1999 |archive-date=July 17, 2012 |access-date=7 September 2013}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120411165458/http://roberthegyes.com/kotter4.html |title=kotter4 |last=Hegyes |first=Robert |url=http://roberthegyes.com/kotter4.html |archive-date=April 11, 2012 |access-date=7 September 2013}}</ref> However, the photographs did appear on the Internet decades later.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Evanier |first1=Mark |author-link1=Mark Evanier |title=Welcome Back, Groucho |url=https://www.newsfromme.com/2016/12/03/welcome-back-groucho/ |website=News from ME |access-date=2020-09-20 |date=December 3, 2016}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last1=Evanier |first1=Mark |title=Groucho Day |url=https://www.newsfromme.com/2017/08/19/groucho-day/ |website=News from ME |access-date=2020-09-20 |date=August 19, 2017}}</ref>

== Spin-offs ==
{{Unreferenced section|date=August 2023}}

At least three spin-offs of ''Kotter'' were seriously considered, but only one ever became a series. The short-lived ''[[Mr. T and Tina]]'' starred [[Pat Morita]] as Taro Takahashi (Mr. T for short), a brilliant Japanese inventor whom he portrayed in one episode of ''Kotter''. The show was not received well by critics and lasted for five episodes on ABC. There was also talk of developing a spin-off built around the Horshack character and his family, ''Rich Man, Poor Man; Horshack!'', but it never went beyond the [[Television pilot#Backdoor pilot|backdoor pilot]] stage, shown as an episode of ''Kotter''. In the mid-1990s, Hegyes announced on ''[[The Jenny Jones Show]]'' that plans were in the works to create a spin-off featuring the Sweathogs, all grown up, minus Travolta's Barbarino, but the project never got off the ground and little information about it was ever made public.

== Broadcast history and Nielsen ratings ==
{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Season !! Time slot (ET) || Rank !! Rating<ref>{{cite book |last1=Brooks |first1=Tim |last2=Marsh |first2=Earle |date=2007 |title=The Complete Directory to Prime Time Network and Cable TV Shows 1946-Present |publisher=Ballantine Books |pages=1687–1688 |isbn=978-0-345-49773-4 |edition=Ninth}}</ref>
|-
| [[1975–76 United States network television schedule|1975–1976]] || Tuesday at 8:30–9:00&nbsp;p.m. <small>(Episodes 1-16)</small><br />Thursday at 8:00–8:30&nbsp;p.m. <small>(Episodes 17-22)</small> || 18 || 22.1
|-
| [[1976–77 United States network television schedule|1976–1977]] || Thursday at 8:00–8:30&nbsp;p.m. <small>(Episodes 1-18, 20-23)</small><br />Thursday at 8:30–9:00&nbsp;p.m. <small>(Episode 19)</small><ref>{{cite web |url=http://tvtango.com/listings/1977/02/03/welcome_back_kotter |title=TV Listings for February 3, 1977 |website=TV Tango |access-date=January 7, 2017}}</ref> || 13 || 22.7
|-
| [[1977–78 United States network television schedule|1977–1978]] || Saturday at 8:00–8:30&nbsp;p.m. <small>(Episode 1)</small><ref>{{cite web |url=http://tvtango.com/listings/1977/09/10/welcome_back_kotter |title=TV Listings for September 10, 1977 |website=TV Tango |access-date=January 7, 2017}}</ref><br />Thursday at 8:00–8:30&nbsp;p.m. <small>(Episodes 2, 4-27)</small><br />Thursday at 8:30–9:00&nbsp;p.m. <small>(Episode 3)</small><ref>{{cite web |url=http://tvtango.com/listings/1977/09/15/welcome_back_kotter |title=TV Listings for September 15, 1977 |website=TV Tango |access-date=January 7, 2017}}</ref> || 26 || 19.9 <small>(Tied with ''[[The Incredible Hulk (1978 TV series)|The Incredible Hulk]]'' and ''[[Family (1976 TV series)|Family]]'')</small>
|-
| [[1978–79 United States network television schedule|1978–1979]] || Monday at 8:00–8:30&nbsp;p.m. <small>(Episodes 1, 3-6)</small><br />Monday at 8:30–9:00&nbsp;p.m. <small>(Episode 2)</small><ref>{{cite web |url=http://tvtango.com/listings/1978/09/11/welcome_back_kotter |title=TV Listings for September 11, 1978 |website=TV Tango |access-date=January 7, 2017}}</ref><br />Saturday at 8:00–8:30&nbsp;p.m. <small>(Episodes 7-14)</small><br />Saturday at 8:30–9:00&nbsp;p.m. <small>(Episodes 15-19)</small><br />Friday at 8:00–8:30&nbsp;p.m. <small>(Episode 20)</small><ref>{{cite web |url=http://tvtango.com/listings/1979/05/25/welcome_back_kotter |title=TV Listings for May 25, 1979 |website=TV Tango |access-date=January 7, 2017}}</ref> <br />Friday at 8:30–9:00&nbsp;p.m. <small>(Episodes 21-23)</small>|| 78<ref name="americanradiohistory.com">{{cite magazine| title=Rounding up the ratings for 'the season' |url=https://www.americanradiohistory.com/hd2/IDX-Business/Magazines/Archive-BC-IDX/79-OCR/BC-1979-06-18-OCR-Page-0056.pdf#search=%22rounding%20up%20the%20ratings%22 |page=56 |date=June 18, 1979 |magazine=[[Broadcasting & Cable|Broadcasting]] |access-date=January 28, 2022}}</ref> || 14.8<ref name="americanradiohistory.com"/>
|}

== International airing ==
{{unreferenced section|date=August 2021}}
*In Germany, 23 episodes of ''Welcome Back, Kotter'' were shown dubbed, but under its original title&nbsp;– first from September 1979 until May 1980 by the [[ZDF]], then again from April to July 1985 by [[Sat.1]].
*In the United Kingdom, 26 episodes were shown from December 1981 until July 1983 on [[ITV (TV network)|ITV]].<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.bbc.co.uk/comedy/guide/articles/w/welcomebackkotte_7776765.shtml | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20041210085523/http://www.bbc.co.uk/comedy/guide/articles/w/welcomebackkotte_7776765.shtml | archive-date=December 10, 2004 | title=BBC - Comedy - Guide - Welcome Back, Kotter }}</ref>
*In Australia, the show was broadcast on The Seven Network from June 1976 and rated very well for the first two seasons.
*In New Zealand, the show was screened on [[TVNZ|Television New Zealand]]'s [[TVNZ 1|TV ONE]]. As in Australia, the first two seasons rated highly.
*In Italy, the show was aired by the Italian TV second channel [[Rai 2]] in the spring of 1980. Since at the time there were only two national TV networks, the rating was high. The show was dubbed, and the title was translated in Italian into ''[[:it:I ragazzi del sabato sera|I Ragazzi del Sabato sera]]'' (''Saturday Night Guys''), clearly aiming to build on the success of ''[[Saturday Night Fever]]'' by presenting the show as some sort of prequel.
*In [[Greece]], the show was screened on [[ANT1]] in the summer of 1992, on a morning slot (07:30).

== After the show ==
{{Unreferenced section|date=August 2023}}

Kaplan welcomed back Hegyes and Jacobs on his short-lived 1981 sitcom ''[[Lewis & Clark (TV series)|Lewis & Clark]]''. Their characters joked that Kaplan seemed familiar and, being a smart guy, "should become a teacher."

In 1997, Ron Palillo, Robert Hegyes, and Lawrence Hilton-Jacobs reprised their respective roles in a dream sequence in the ''[[Mr. Rhodes]]'' episode "The Welcome Back Show".

In 2012, both Ron Palillo and Robert Hegyes died.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://abcnews.go.com/Entertainment/slideshow/welcome-back-kotter-cast-where-are-they-now-13088042 |title='Welcome Back, Kotter' Cast: 40 Years Later Photos |website=[[ABC News (United States)|ABC News]] |access-date=2016-01-17}}</ref> Other members of the cast who have died include Marcia Strassman in 2014, John Sylvester White in 1988, and Debralee Scott in 2005. {{As of|2024}}, Gabe Kaplan, Lawrence Hilton-Jacobs and John Travolta are the only main actors still living.

== See also ==
* ''[[Head of the Class]]'' (1986–1991)

== Notes ==
{{Notefoot}}

== References ==
{{Reflist}}

== External links ==
{{Wikiquote}}
{{Commons category}}
*{{IMDb title|0072582|Welcome Back, Kotter}}
*{{The Interviews title|welcome-back-kotter}}

{{John Sebastian}}

[[Category:1975 American television series debuts]]
[[Category:1979 American television series endings]]
[[Category:1970s American high school television series]]
[[Category:1970s American teen sitcoms]]
[[Category:1970s American workplace comedy television series]]
[[Category:1976 comics debuts]]
[[Category:Comics based on television series]]
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[[Category:American English-language television shows]]
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[[Category:Television series by Warner Bros. Television Studios]]
[[Category:Television series by The Wolper Organization]]
[[Category:Television shows set in Brooklyn]]
[[Category:Television series about educators]]
[[Category:American Broadcasting Company sitcoms]]