Watch full episodes of the series Fame, a favorite from the 1980s. Created by Christopher Gore and based on the 1980 movie hit of the same name, the weekly, hour-long musical drama series Fame was set in New York's famous High School of the Performing Arts, where gifted students prepared for careers as professional singers, dancers, and actors. Carried over from the movie version were Debbie Allen (who also directed and choreographed several episodes) as no-nonsene dancer instructor Lydia Grant, actor-composer Albert Hague as bearded, imperious music teacher Benjamin Shorofsky; Lee Curreri (who wrote most of the series' original songs) as music student Bruno Martelli and Gene Anthony as dance student Leroy Johnson, who in later years joined the school's faculty. Debuting January 7, 1982 on NBC, the series version of Fame featured scores of other regulars, many of whom went on to substantial show business careers. Among those introduced in Season One who appeared on the show for the longest period, were Erica Gimpel as singer-dancer Coco Hernandez, Carlo Imperato as aspiring stand-up comic Danny Amatulo P.R. Paul as drama student Montgomery McCall, Valerie Landsburg as wannabe actress-writer-director Doris Schwartz, Carol Mayo Jenkins as strict English teacher Elizabeth Sherwood and Ann Nelson as ditsy school secretary Mrs. Gertrude Berg. Several of the earliest episodes were told from the viewpoint of new student Julie Miller (Lori Singer), a cellist.
