Brooklyn Bridge (1991–1993) User Reviews

"BBBB" (Bring Back "Brooklyn Bridge") on DVD!

[rchowe-1 · 10/10 · 9 June 2007]

The short-lived television series "Brooklyn Bridge" was one of the finest family programs ever. It was nostalgic... and funny... and sad... and entertaining... and educational... and worthy of many other superlative accolades, as well.

With a good marketing effort, "Brooklyn Bridge" on DVDs would, we believe, be the popular program it should have been when originally aired, but was prematurely canceled.

PLEASE... "BBBB"-- Bring Back "Brooklyn Bridge" for a new generation (as well as for those who remember it fondly).

--R. Howe / Erskine, Minnesota

Brilliant and just a lovely show!

[coullgal · 10/10 · 21 September 2006]

This show was absolutely brilliant. I first saw it when they played it on bravo a few years back. My Mum and I would sit and watch it together. I was 13 or 14, and I remember really enjoying it. I really wish they would bring it out on DVD! I cant believe it only lasted two seasons. Every episode I enjoyed and loved. It was so very well written. I truly loved the different characters! They were so real and you could totally connect with them. They encountered real life problems and when the show ended you felt you learned something too. I think the show really gave a true color of how life was back in those days. I certainly hope they bring it out on DVD! PLEASE BRING IT OUT ON DVD!! -Fiona

A show all about life and family

[devstk · 10/10 · 14 May 2006]

I enjoyed this series from the first moment it started. With an outstanding cast and story lines, it is by far in my personal Top 5. My Mother grew up in Brooklyn and adored the Dodgers. Being 100% Irish, she can attest to the Irish family. She can remember the Knot Hole Gang and seeing the Bums at Ebbets Field all the time. The show hits on many of the traditions of various faiths and how they interacted with others. I just hope that sooner rather than later, this series can be found on DVD. It would be a shame if this did not happen. It truly is a wonderful show! Also, it is surprising that more of the younger actors and actresses didn't go on to other projects. The older cast members, have already had some great bodies of work. Marion Ross for one. Happy Days was a fantastic show and Mrs. Cunningham was one of TVs most popular mothers.

VERY ENTERTAINING SERIES...WARNING--MAY BE ADDICTIVE!

[KID DR · 23 June 1999]

Kind of a "Jewish Wonder Years". I didn't catch Brooklyn Bridge during its initial run on CBS; probably a good thing, since it was cancelled. Bravo to the BRAVO network for picking it up! It only took one episodes for me to become hooked. I've never lived in NY, only visited- and Brooklyn has got to be the most colorful city in the whole US. Brooklyn Bridge represents REAL people with REAL feelings in REAL life. It's fast-moving and the writing is authentic. Love it!

Too smart for television!

[planktonrules · 10/10 · 5 August 2007]

This was an amazing show that frankly was too good for television. Most of the time, TV hooks you because it's loud and brash and appeals to the lowest common denominators and that is the main reason why this wonderful show failed. That, and CBS kept moving it around so often that fans had a hard time finding it! Describing the genre isn't easy. It wasn't exactly a comedy, though there were some wonderfully funny moments (such as when Grandpa meets the ball player Gil Hodges after he'd been telling his grandson that they were teammates back in Russia). It wasn't exactly just a period show, though it bore some similarity to THE WONDER YEARS. It wasn't exactly a drama, but the Holocaust episodes which guest-starred Joel Grey brought me to tears. Instead, it felt like you were magically transported from your home to the home of a very decent and normal Jewish-American family who lived in 1950s Brooklyn. And, despite having Marion Ross as the grandma (she was WONDERFUL), it was not a phony HAPPY DAYS type of 1950s--it was like you were really there.

Amazing writing, superb direction and nice and believable characters you could care about and love--this was one of the sweetest and best family shows ever made. If it ever comes out on DVD, I guarantee you I'll be one of the first to get a copy.

Brooklyn Bridge

[ellalee4 · 10/10 · 4 August 2006]

I, too loved this show. It was like being back in South Bronx in the 50's (has it been that long?) and running all around my apartment building where relatives lived on different floors.

We played in those halls and the neighborhood was our world .. Everyone knew each other and the building was made up of all races and nationalities.

Marion Ross was excellent as Sophie Berger. Her personality was one I recognized. The constant urge to have people eat her food and listen to her opinion was very typical of the grandmas I remember. Thank you Harry David Goldberg!

The opening song was wonderful. I'm so glad I finally found this series on DVD.

I have searched forever to find this show on DVD. AND I FOUND IT! Go to tvdvdplanet.com. It is pricey but I couldn't find it anywhere else.

TV series--one of the highest quality TV series ever made

[halkovich · 10/10 · 16 January 2007]

Goldberg's 'Brooklyn Bridge' was definitely one of the best TV Series ever made....next would be 'Mad About You'....both high quality TV. Loving, poignant and filled with family values that enriched family lives. Oh, how I wish my own grandchildren had grown up with shows like Brooklyn Bridge. Thank God Mr. Goldberg put this TV show on DVD for sale. My family bought it for me for the holidays--and I have watched it and cried...cried with joy!

God Bless Mr. Goldberg and his wonderful cast!!!

Sincerely--one of his many, many devoted fans C. Townshend Halkovich 1401 Rockville Pike, HFM-115/RKWL I/Suite 6150 Rockville, MD 20852

Any Boomer Can Relate to This Series

[jr-565-26366 · 10/10 · 1 August 2019]

I'm not Jewish and I've never lived in Brooklyn, but any boomer can relate to the sentiments and experiences that you would have felt growing up in a family of immigrants in the 1950s and 1960s. I remember watching the first episode in the Fall of 1991 and wanting to see more. Unfortunately, I was off to war and never saw another episode again until they started airing the series on the Decades Channel this year. My hats off to the late Gary David Goldberg for producing this series. His childhood will live on as long as this series remains on TV.

Must see TV

[rico1955 · 10/10 · 29 December 2014]

This show needs to be on television again. Each new generation needs to see how a family can function. Parents are "together" in marriage and love each other and are treated with respect. The grandparents are also respected and teach their culture quietly and effectively. I loved the morals and humor the show presented. The entire family and friends were of the same down to earth real people character. We need shows today that not only show two parents but also show Mom and Dad are not idiots who have to have their child or the "hip" friend explain life to them. This show needs to be on DVD. Don't miss this show if some network finally steps away from cookie cutter sitcoms. Brooklyn Bridge is MUST SEE TV.

smart TV

[jibski00 · 9/10 · 2 August 2007]

Agree with all prior comments- the show was well written & well acted. The kids were not stereotyped, sappy types -just real kids, as were the Parents/Grandparents. No canned laughter, no dopey, imbecilic unfunny lines. Shows like Seinfeld,The Honeymooners, The Wonder Years, MASH, All in the Family, NYPD Blue, West Wing & #1- The Sopranos are "quality" products. Programmers like to appeal to the lowest common denominator (Jerry Springer mentality)with Reality crap shows & unfunny cheesy comedies. TOO BAD for those of us who enjoy QUALITY- I guess that we are in the minority.There are so few TV shows worth watching- thank goodness for the History Channel, A&E & CNN.

"Brooklyn Bridge" is Back

[judy-spira · 8/10 · 26 August 2020]

"Brooklyn Bridge" is airing on Decades TV. It's being shown at 1:00 a.m. Eastern Time. I remember the show vaguely from its original airing so I watched the first two episodes. I'm surprised how assimilated the characters are. Absolutely no observance of Shabbos, kashrus, etc.

Outstanding Nostalgic 1950s Childhood Series . . . .

[sundayatdusk-97859 · 10/10 · 18 March 2023]

Somewhere I have some of the episodes on VHS tapes. I only had vague memories of the series, though, until I watched all or most episodes on YouTube a few years ago. That's the only place I could find them. No one ever has this series for streaming and it was never released on DVDs. My guess about no DVDs is because of copyrighted songs in the series. Apparently, songs and their royalty demands can prevent shows from being released on DVDs, unless the songs are left out.

Talking about songs, this show starts off with a great one by Art Garfunkel called "Just Over The Brooklyn Bridge". It also has lots of great photos of earlier days in Brooklyn. The episodes are all funny or touching or both, too. Marion Ross did a truly outstanding job as the Jewish matriarch of the family. Anyone nostalgic for 1950s Brooklyn, or the 1950s in general, should find much to love in this series. It's a shame only 35 episodes were made.

Where Are the Italian-Americans?

[mbrahms26 · 1/10 · 5 November 2021]

I grew up in the 1950's Bensonhurst falsely depicted in this show. It was about 50% Italian-American and 50% Jewish, but you would never know it from "Brooklyn Bridge," where practically every character is Jewish. Both ethnic groups got along very well, taking off on their respective religious holidays from public school, with friendships, inter-group dating and inter-marrying quite common. Yet the one time the main teenage character dates a Gentile, she is shown as Irish-American! I guess to suggest that there was a strong camaraderie between Italians and Jews in Bensonhurst (and other areas) back then is now a source of embarrassment for the writers of this show.

Truly universal appeal

[JNWesner · 20 July 2001]

I grew up Methodist,not Jewish. I lived in Oklahoma, not New York. Yet this series felt like family, with some delightful cultural differences. It could be warm without becoming cloying. The people were fully developed, not stereotypes or "characters." The episode in which the Jewish and Irish Catholic families went to a Chinese restaurant is one of the best racial and cultural commentaries I've ever seen in any medium. I wish it could have run forever.

Marion Ross is amazing!

[markm-00775 · 9/10 · 28 January 2024]

Brooklyn Bridge is a show that I missed in 1st run, just now catching it on a binge watch, apparently most people missed its first run. What was a personal project of creator Gary David Goldberg of Family Ties fame, this was based on Goldbergs family and stories.

With the 30 minute format, not quite the Comedy one would expect, but more family Drama, it was a well crafted show, with great actors and characters that really brought you into the stories. While I've seen a review critical of the lack of Italian American characters, I would say this isn't as much a show not being true to the time as much as how life was in the eyes of the creator as HE HIMSELF grew up in 1956 Brooklyn.

Many of the characters are so well written, that many viewers say they felt they could see themselves in this family. One never needed to be Jewish or from New York to feel the stories speak to them. How many of us had grandparents who wanted to spoil us. Parents who worked hard, yet still could come home and build the children's confidence with late night talks.

Marion Ross deserves a special shout out. After 11 years as Mrs Cunningham on Happy Days, as America's mom of the 50s, she shows up here about 6 years later on a role as different as Mrs C as possible. She actually looks 20 years older than when on Happy Days, and with her extreme Jewish centric views, she played grandma Sophie, a far different character.

I honestly found her character hard to be empathetic towards during the 1 hour pilot, who softened, a bit, later. Her skills as an actress shined here as you never once remembered her previous characters. This was the sign of an incredible actress who deserved an Emmy or 2 for her role. As time went on, most viewers could easily see their own mothers or grandmother's in her character.

A weak point of the show was actually the.main character of Alan. Danny Gerard as an actor was probably perfect for the role, the issue was how he was written. Alan was way too wise for his age. Always able to fix any problem with wisdom that came up. There were a few times where Alan needed his father or grandmother to show him the way, but way too often he played Yoda and just willed the solutions to work. Great examples were when he got his family to meet his girlfriends family to get them all to back his relationship. Even as it fell apart, his words suddenly got the dinner back on track to eventually work out. Another story was when he had to mend his relationship with his best friend Benny after a misunderstanding over who was dating who. His solution in the end was one a wise OLD man would get too, not a 14 year old child. Alan would of made Richie Cunningham (or even Opie Taylor) look like 50s rebels to his nice guy, boy next door persona.

This clearly isn't your Happy Days, but just a show about life back in the day, back home with friends and family.

GREAT SHOW

[boardingroom · 31 August 2003]

This is a great television show that can teach you a lot of lessons.Too bad it is not on television anymore,not even on reruns.I use to watch in Bravo.I think Mr.Grier and Grandma were the best characters.Usually,you don't get that many television shows these days that are so entertaining.A television show doesn't have to be laugh-out-loud funny,though it doesn't have to be a crappy police drama either.If this show is on video,I am buying it.

One of a kind!

[apawnintheirgame · 31 May 2004]

'Brooklyn Bridge', although I was a little kid when it first aired on television, has always been one of my favorite TV shows. My family taped nearly every episode from the time the show began until its life was cut short by network executives who didn't think it was good enough to continue. Unfortunately, video tapes do not have the longest life and our tapes have begun to deteriorate from our constant use. Years have passed and I still watch these tapes. My family still has fun reciting the different characters lines. Dad is always Mr. Cavaretti-- making fun of Warren Butcher. They just don't make shows like this anymore. A show with such a wide variety of topics and issues would seemingly attract wide audiences but it did not. It's hard to describe the immense connection I felt I had to the characters as a little child. I thought they were real; I loved the thought of living in an apartment in Brooklyn, your grandmother always there to cook for you when you wanted anything. It was a life that I don't have; a life I think I would have liked. My dad recently took me to New York. On our last day there we walked across the Brooklyn Bridge. It was a long but beautiful walk. Along the way I hummed the theme song in my head. A world of its own/ the streets where we played/ the friends on ever corner were the best be ever made..... Whenever I think of yesterday/ I close my eyes and see/ that place just over the Brooklyn Bridge/ that'll always be home to me./ It'll always be home to me. I have read many of the other comments that people have written about this show, and the feeling seems to be mutual. Everyone who watched the show loved it. A DVD would be great, if only there were a way.

Thank you 'Brooklyn Bridge', you'll always be home to me.

Great Series

[ttor · 24 November 1999]

I was very sad when Brooklyn Bridge was discontinued. It was a funny and charming and gentle portrayal of a Jewish family living in Brooklyn about half a century ago. I was among the lucky ones who discovered this program while it was being aired, and therefore had the opportunity to see television at its greatest.

One of the best ever ... but viewers weren't interested

[stlouis6 · 21 March 2002]

Goldberg's "Brooklyn Bridge" is one of the best television series ever made. But viewers ignored it, as did so-called watchdogs who whine about there not being high-quality programs for families. The cast, led by Gerard as the oldest son, was excellent. The stories about growing up and trying to get along with an extended family were down-to-earth and sometimes poignant. If it comes back to cable, watch it. Every episode was solid, with most rising to a level untouched by TV. "Brooklyn Bridge" should be considered classic television.

this was great, because it was real.

[tesla110v · 7 December 2005]

I lived 2 blocks from the producer and went to Seth Low Jrhs with him. this was warm and moving because it was based on true stories, I was there so I know, names, places, people, (gary Zaner) were real people. Phillis, was real. Mr. Web was real.......I love this show.......put in on DVD. The show where the kids is going to Bronx High schools of science, he is trying to make up his mind. The train ride, my friends aren't going there, and so on......His mother says "Gary Zaner got accepted as well and his mother Gerty will be driving him. It was moving because they are real and years ago Gary died very suddenly.

What a nice tribute Gary Goldberg paid his friend.

a graduate of Jack and Irv's Luncheonette

Bensonhurst at the time this story took place was a very different place then when a black guy was killed looking at a used car,many years before that unfortunate situation.......

I couldn't wait to watch it each week

[vev46-1 · 2 December 2009]

What a poignant, lovely, well done show of real people in a real neighborhood, in an era when children grew up with an innocence that somehow has disappeared. I feel sorry for everyone who did not and those who will never experience life as it was then. I was lucky enough to do so in a similar setting in late 1950's Baltimore, but I did not appreciate it until adulthood. I thought the series was expertly cast, especially the grandparents and the father.

Most of the episodes were of situations that most of us raised in that time could identify with. But in typical fashion, CBS could not see beyond the end of their noses, and summarily killed this high quality, critically praised series. Too bad for us, and too bad for them.

I am going on a quest to find the series on DVD.

I would like a video or DVD of the series.

[gilmanj · 31 October 2002]

Three generations in my family watched this show together every week. I would love to have a copy of the series, in DVD or video, or taped from Bravo, which I didn't have access to when it aired Brooklyn Bridge. The show is a gem, and I would love to be able to watch it again, with friends who have never had the pleasure of seeing it.

best ever series

[jodee · 12 September 1999]

I have been around long enough to have looked at t.v. from its earliest years and "Brooklyn Bridge" was by far the best series I have watched to date. I can remember when this series came out in 1991 that I was hoping for a long run but evidently the mind set of most people out there can't accept extraordinary television.

One of the very best TV series ever

[shostako · 26 December 1998]

How predictable and unfortunate that CBS took "Brooklyn Bridge" off the air-an "oasis" in the desert of television-one of the very best television series that ever existed. How fortunate that Bravo (on cable) has picked it up. What a treat to watch something as alive and vital as this series is-something not "canned" and contrived as most television is today.

Wonderful

[LS-2 · 8 January 1999]

This is one of the best series on television - especially for someone growing up in the NYC area in the 1950's. So unfortunate that it never picked up an audience during its original run. Kudos to BRAVO for airing it now.