Genitori in blue jeans

Growing Pains was a truly funny family show that walked the line between being "too mature" for young audiences and being corny (like Full House). The cast actually likes each other and still gets together to reminisce regularly. This chemistry comes through on screen.

Everything from the opening song to the closing credits is great. My only issues with the series were the fat jokes made at Tracey Gold's expense. The producers told her to lose weight, leading her down the dark path to anorexia. Even when she'd dropped from 133 to 112 lbs, they STILL included the occasional fat joke!

As any man will tell you, calling a woman 'fat' is the worst thing you can do. Calling a teenage girl fat on national TV every week is beyond cruel. Nevermind the fact that she never WAS fat!

Beyond that, I have no complaints about the show. I do prefer the first 3 seasons before "Luke" and "Chrissy" came in (and before Kirk converted to radical Christianity). Alan Thicke's character seemed harsher and meaner around Season 5, which I didn't like. Oh, and the "Carol's Carnival" episode is just sad and creepy.

This is sounding like a negative review, but I assure you it's not. Compared to some of the other crap that was on TV during these years, Growing Pains is a brilliant show that stands the test of time.

Long Live the Seavers!

Growing Pains was definitely the show to watch during the dreaded 80's. Kirk Cameron (Mike) was the heart-throb of the show, and it seriously got funnier every episode. There was not ONE THING wrong with this show, (although I did really want to see something FINALLY happen with Boner & Carol), but that's a whole other story. Best Show Ever. You know you want to admit it.

After the family ties success on NBC, ABC developed Growing Pains to rival it about the Seavers with their 3 children in Long Island, New York. Nobody in this show has the New York accent but it still beats other shows. Kirk Cameron became a huge teen star in the eighties. Tracey Gold shined as the middle sister, Carol Seaver. Alan Thicke finally had a successful show in his lifetime and Joanna Kerns came out of her big sister Donna Devarona's shadows as the Growing Pains mom. The writing could have been better and the show could have equaled Family Ties but nowadays, a show like this would have got Emmys. Sure, it was sweet and full of saccharine but I miss it now.

I find it funny that most reviewed this poorly based on actor Kirk Cameron's life outside of the show.

It occurs to me that the reviews should be based solely on the content and not on the politics of real life. It would make sense if this was a political show but it's not.

Having grown up watching The Seavers, what was it that separated this from all the others ones in the pack and gave it 8 seasons?

Answer: relatability

You have two parents who have professional lives raising kids with decisively different paths. That's it.

It's not meant to be "reality" it's meant to have broad stroke appeal of life. And, frankly, the "lessons" being taught aren't preachy. Again, they are broad stroke enough that it encompasses a possible scenario your family may be going through.

But, as with most sitcoms that exceed 5 seasons, there is a downhill slide. You can sense when the storylines start to exhaust themselves.

Mike only has so many antics he can do before it gets tiresome. And the kiss of death of introducing new characters permeates through the end of the series.

Alan Thicke and Joanna Kerns are a convincing married couple. And the children are convincing siblings. But, much like the often compared "Family Ties" The son (in this case Kirk Cameron) overshadows the rest of the cast.

There aren't laugh out loud moments here in 2022, but I will say there are nice smiles. This is a time capsule of its time. If you grew up in an era where there is no cell phones or social media, this will give you a warm feeling. For the younger crowd it may be too corny.

I would stop watching at season 5.

I know most of the people who comment on this probably were teenagers in th 1980's, I however was not. I first saw "Growing Pains" in 1999 as reruns . I fell in love with the show and later learned it was canceled already, then Disney threw it out the window. Fox Family picked it up three years later but they threw it out again. I really think this show is greatly missed by thousands of fans of the show. They say oh well the kids grew up times changed but their could have been so many more episodes and there should have been. I really think that the reruns should be picked up again and this time kept for a while or something like that. Look at the Brady Bunch most people I know hate that show and its a 70's show here its reruns play all the time constantly but yet a sit-com like growing pains from the 80's with more reality and morals is left behind. What's with that?