The success of The Love Boat shouldn’t have been a surprise to anyone. With an all-star cast led by producer Aaron Spelling, the show reached new heights, defying the misgivings of critics. Despite the cancellation of many shows around it, The Love Boat managed to stay afloat.

“We’ve heard all this before,” said one of the show’s stars, Bernie Kopell, during an interview with Knight Ridder, referring to rumors that the series would soon find itself cancelled. “We weren’t supposed to last against Kojak or The Carol Burnett Show. We’re just going to go right on sailing. There’s no panic on set. We’re healthy and unconcerned. We don’t feel we have to play catch-up ball.”

In fact, Kopell believed that the longer the series went on, the more secure they became. “I think we’re more alive today than ever before,” said the actor. “We really didn’t have it down pat in the beginning. Since then, we’ve been getting better and better. It’s like a winning team. We have our stuff together.”

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According to Kopell, who played ship doctor Adam Bricker, The Love Boat didn’t just provide a vacation for the people on the ship; it gave a much-needed break to the audience watching.

“It’s a need for romantic fantasy,” said the actor. “It is a means by which people escape. We put people on a clean, pretty ship and take them to pretty places they’ve never been to. It relieves pressure and maybe puts a smile on their faces. It’s the same kind of romantic escapist fiction that thrived during the depression. Maybe if times were less trouble, there would be less of a need for us.”