Critic Reviews

The guest performances were delightful and contributed greatly to the success--in my opinion--of the opener. [28 Sep 1977, p.49]

The Love Boat practically whispers "relax" with every scene. It drifts in and out like a dream.

Love Boat strives for "Love American Style"-- and misses. [29 Sep 1977, p.47A]

A pilot for this series showed promise, but the premiere is disappointing. Most of the writing is trite and the Walker episode is juvenile -- for that matter, so is Walker. [23 Sep 1977, p.55]

Any evaluation of the show should include all of that Schopenhauer quote: "Much ado about nothing--this comedy of reproduction." [24 Sep 1977]

There's a pinch of sex, a pinch of comedy, a pinch of romance, and a pinch of glamor, but darn little entertainment. [24 Sep 1977, p.37]

Overall, there's nothing wrong with "The Love Boat" that couldn't be remedied by sharper writing, better casting, more original situations, an end to the indefatigable laugh track or, barring those changes, an enormous tidal wave. [24 Sep 1977, p.24]

An excessively manic laughtrack is supplied to mark off the points of supposedly irresistible mirth. Each vignette has its own separate writer and director, and that may account for a certain lumpiness of execution in the dreadful porridge of a conception.

When an announcer midway through the show says, "The Love Boat will continue in a moment," it's more of a threat than a promise. Obviously there's always going to be a certain amount of worthless tripe on television, but shows like Love Boat pull the median level of mediocrity down to unfathomable lows. Nothing is worth the boredom of the deep. [24 Sept 1977, p.C5]