Created by Don Reo (My Wife and Kids), Blossom ran on NBC from 1991 to 1995. The half hour sitcom starred Mayim Bialik as Blossom Russo, a teenage girl living with her father and two brothers. As the series began, Blossom’s mother had recently left the family, leaving the rest of them to try and adjust to the new household dynamic. Blossom’s father (Ted Wass) was a session musician who was always going from gig to gig to make ends meet. Blossom’s oldest brother Anthony (Michael Stoyanov) is a recovering alcoholic and drug addict. Joey (named Donny in the pilot episode) (Joey Lawrence), the other brother, is a “dumb jock”, known for the drawn-out delivery of his catch phrase, “whoa”. Anyone who was around when Blossom first aired will remember that Joey (now Joseph Lawrence) had a major pop hit, “Nothin’ My Love Can’t Fix” back in 1993.


Blossom had a best friend, Six LeMeure (Jenna von Oÿ), who didn’t live with the Russo’s, but always seemed to be at their home. An incredibly fast talker, Six was always there to give Blossom advice and pick her up when she was feeling down. Many of the first seasons episodes deal with Blossom’s struggles to understand why her mother left the family; she and Six navigate through those struggles together. In a recent phone conversation I had with Jenna von Oÿ. She said that she and Mayim Bialik became very good friends during their years on Blossom. The chemistry between them was evident throughout the series and was probably the main reason for the show’s success.
As Blossom moved into its second season, the focus moved away from her parents’ divorce and took on puberty, sex and pregnancy. For a basic cable show about middle class teenagers in the 1990’s, this was noteworthy. Blossom wasn’t just going to be a show about crushes and acne; the producers were looking to say something more meaningful. The show never talked down to its audience, they respected them.
Before watching Blossom -Seasons 1 &2, I had completely forgotten the number of high caliber quest stars the show brought aboard. In the first episode alone, there’s Phylicia Rashad (The Cosby Show), Giovanni Ribisi (Saving Private Ryan), and Eileen Brennan (Private Benjamin). For the remainder of the first two seasons, there’s a virtual who’s-who of rising and passed on talent including Will Smith, Stephen Dorff, Estelle Getty, Jonathan Brandis, Sonny Bono, Phil Donahue, Don King, ALF, Parker Stevenson, and Leah Remini. In Season Two, there are wonderful recurring characters in grandfather Buzz (the late Barnard Hughes, Doc Hollywood) and Toni, Anthony’s AA partner (played by Tisha Campbell, House Party). If you look very carefully, you’ll see Tobey Maguire, who has a walk-on part in Episode 5, “Sex, Lies, and Teenagers.”
Shout Factory should be declared a national treasure for releasing shows that have been denied a DVD release by their copyright owners. Jenna told me that working on Blossom, “was truly one of the greatest experiences of her life.” Now, thanks to Shout Factory fans of the show can experience it all over again.
Here is a list of the 37 episodes (plus the pilot) included on six DVDs:
Pilot
1. 0- 1 5 Jul 90 Pilot
1st Season 1991
2. 1- 1 3 Jan 91 Blossom Blossoms
3. 1- 2 7 Jan 91 My Sister’s Keeper
4. 1- 3 14 Jan 91 Dad’s Girlfriend
5. 1- 4 21 Jan 91 Who’s In Charge Here?
6. 1- 5 4 Feb 91 Sex, Lies and Teenagers
7. 1- 6 11 Feb 91 I Ain’t Got No Buddy
8. 1- 7 18 Feb 91 Thanks for the Memorex
9. 1- 8 25 Feb 91 The Geek
10. 1- 9 4 Mar 91 Tough Love
11. 1-10 11 Mar 91 Such a Night
12. 1-11 25 Mar 91 School Daze
13. 1-12 8 Apr 91 Papa’s Little Dividend
14. 1-13 29 Apr 91 Love Stinks!
2nd Season 1992
15. 1- 1 16 Sep 91 Second Base
16. 1- 2 23 Sep 91 Here Comes the Buzz!
17. 1- 3 30 Sep 91 The Joint
18. 1- 4 7 Oct 91 I’m With the Band
19. 1- 5 14 Oct 91 Honor?
20. 1- 6 21 Oct 91 To Tell the Truth
21. 1- 7 4 Nov 91 Intervention
22. 1- 8 11 Nov 91 Run For the Border
23. 1- 9 18 Nov 91 Rockumentary
24. 1-10 25 Nov 91 Expectations
25. 1-11 2 Dec 91 You Can’t Go Home
26. 1-12 9 Dec 91 This Old House
27. 1-13 16 Dec 91 It’s A Marginal Life
28. 1-14 6 Jan 92 The Test
29. 1-15 13 Jan 92 Hot For Teacher
30. 1-16 20 Jan 92 Three O’Clock and All is Hell
31. 1-17 10 Feb 92 Losers Win
32. 1-18 17 Feb 92 The Letter
33. 1-19 24 Feb 92 Wake Up Little Suzy
34. 1-20 2 Mar 92 You Must Remember This
35. 1-21 23 Mar 92 House Guests
36. 1-22 6 Apr 92 Whines and Misdemeanors
37. 1-23 27 Apr 92 Driver’s Education
38. 1-24 4 May 92 Spring Fever
Blossom is presented by Shout Factory in the show’s original 1.33:1 full-frame aspect ratio. The picture is a bit soft, but given the age of the production, sharpness and detail are pretty good. Some minor wear on the elements was seen at times, but the show generally looked clean and clear. Colors looked bright and warm, with decent saturation; all and all, a fine presentation by Shout Factory. The music is presented well with the DD 2.0 stereo tracks. As with all of Shout!’s releases, there are no subtitles but there is closed captioning.
The extras are impressive, which include three featurettes, the pilot, and three commentaries. Don Reo, Mayim Bialik, Joey Lawrence, Jenna von Oÿ , and Ted Wass (on the primary featurette only) are all interviewed. Shout! has also included a snazzy booklet listing all the episodes with plot synopses, airdates, and production photographs.