I'll always remember Bosom Buddies as the show that my mom never wanted me to see, yet I somehow always managed to watch anyway. At the time I didn't get all of the jokes, and even now some didn't seem as funny as they probably were because of the dated references, though I've always found the idea of men in drag rather amusing to watch (well, except when they REALLY try... then it just gets creepy). Besides that... even at a young age I could see that Donna Dixon was hot.
Bosom Buddies, for those who need a setup for the series, centers on Kip Wilson (Tom Hanks) and Henry Desmond (Peter Scolari), advertising executives who dress as "Buffy" and "Hildegarde" in order to live at the female only Susan B. Anthony Hotel because of the dirt cheap rent. Kip originally doesn't think the plan will work, though he changes his mind after meeting Sonny (Donna Dixon), who also lives in the same complex. The only other person in on the plan is Amy (Wendie Jo Sperber), who works with the two at the agency and has a crush on Henry.
Although the "drag gag" is still a central part of the show in the second season, it is dropped early on, putting more focus in the guy's new production company, Sixty Seconds Street, and the relationship between Sonny and Kip. Even though the show was built on the gimmick, it actually works in the long run. Since the guys dressing in drag isn't completely central to the plot, it allows the writers to use it as comedy device - which is where it is better suited.
Both Hanks and Scolari are excellent in their roles. The two manage to play off each other with expert timing. Scolari typically plays the role of straight man, though it is sometimes hard just to figure out given how easily they bounce jokes off each other. This is Hanks at his pre-Gump best and matches his role in my all-time favorite Tom Hanks movie, The 'Burbs. The rest of the cast does a pretty good job at matching pace with the two stars. Mrs. Dunbar (Holland Taylor), the guy's boss, does the best job at keeping up. Her character is easily one of the most interesting; even though her screen time is limited, she manages to fill your head with so many questions that you'll start to wonder about her wild backstory. Dixon is funny, though her timing and delivery is sometimes way off, making funny jokes cringe-worthy.
The only thing that really holds back Bosom Buddies are the jokes. The show was one of the first to make heavy use of pop-culture references as jokes. While it was funny back then, they feel dated and unless you remember 80's trends, like New Wave or video dating, you probably won't find them all that funny. Another issue is that Billy Joel's "My Life" has been replaced as the show's theme song. This was more of a minor annoyance in the grand scheme since I tend to just skip the credits anyway.
Bosom Buddies: The Second Season features 18 episodes, each running a half-hour. The back of the DVD case notes that some scenes were edited from their original network versions, though there's no mention of what was cut and were it not for the blurb, I never would have known. Also included is a sales pitch for the show that was shown to stations to sell it for syndication. The pitch runs about 7 minutes and really pushes Tom Hank's earlier career successes (like Splash).
Although much of the humor doesn't quite stand the test of time, Bosom Buddies: The Second Season is still a good purchase for people who remember the show, enjoy good comedy teams or enjoyed Tom Hanks early in his career.
