YMMV / Welcome Back, Kotter

• Hilarious in Hindsight: John Travolta would later spend a whole movie with a rubber hose up his nose.
  • In one episode, Freddie gives a Jive Turkey-laden speech about how he'd run things if he were president, talking a lot about change. Hmm, sound familiar? Also doubles as Heartwarming in Hindsight.
• Hollywood Pudgy: Judy Borden. The guys call her fat and make fun of her weight, but she's only a tiny bit thicker than the rest of the girls on the show.
• Ho Yay: Though the guys were most definitely straight, they had their share of moments. Most notably Horshack constantly hugging Epstein and calling him "little Juan", or a season 4 episode where Vinnie asked Beau to "look at his body". Arnold and Vinnie also go way back to their toddler years, and Arnold sometimes acts as a Morality Pet to the normally clueless and self-centered Vinnie.
  • In real life, actor Ron Palillo was gay, being involved in a same-sex relationship with his partner Joseph Gramm from 1971 to 2012 when Palillo died of a heart attack.
• Retroactive Recognition:
  • John Travolta as Vinnie Barbarino
  • Ron Palillo had a later career in voicing animated characters: Sgt. Squealy in Laverne and Shirley Join the Army; Rubik from Rubik, the Amazing Cube; Ordinary Guy from Darkwing Duck, among other roles.
  • James Woods as a rival teacher of Kotter's.
  • Marcia Strassman as Julie Kotter.
  • Robert Hegyes (Juan Epstein) is also best known for playing Det. Manny Esposito on Cagney & Lacey.
  • Debralee Scott had a recurring role as Rosalie "Hotsie" Totsie. Scott is best known for playing Cathy Shumway on Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman.
  • Charles Fleischer also had a recurring role as Carvelli.
  • Eric Cohen wrote 16 episodes. Cohen is best known as co-creator and executive producer of So Little Time.
  • Earl Barret wrote six episodes. Barret is best known as co-developer and co-executive producer of Too Close for Comfort.
  • Royce D. Applegate wrote an episode. Applegate is best known for playing Chief Manilow Crocker on SeaQuest DSV.
  • William Bickley and Michael Warren also wrote an episode. Both are best known as creators and executive producers of Family Matters and Step by Step.
  • Pat Proft also wrote an episode. Proft is best known for co-writing Police Academy.
  • Garry Shandling also wrote an episode.
• Seasonal Rot: The fourth season is universally agreed to be the weakest. Gabe Kaplan was MIA thanks to disputes with the producers and John Travolta's film career had taken off so he was only around for ten episodes out of twenty-three. The final episode featured an obvious backdoor pilot for Horshack and his new wife, so the whole season felt like everyone already had one foot out the door.
• The Woobie:
  • Horshack, especially early on. He puts up with a lot of crap from the other guys and has little to no self-esteem.
  • Beau, who reveals that he's had a tough life before coming to Buchanan High School, never really knew the father he talks up so much and feels he has to con people into liking him just to make friends. He ends up playing a prank in order to impress the Sweathogs and keep them as friends, but even that backfires when Mr. Woodman refuses to believe it was him and blames the other guys.