I have been watching the reruns to Growing Pains and it seems like Mike is the big draw to this show even if an episode is not focused on him. Does anyone else think so?

Like "Family Ties," another show from that era in sitcoms, "Growing Pains" started out focusing on the Seaver parents while the kids were at the time young unknown actors. But once the kids (particulary girls) started to crush big time on Kirk Cameron, and the tons of fan mail started pouring in, the show's producers gave the people what they wanted - more Mike!

So yes, he eventually became the star of the show.

I'm sure Alan Thicke loved that.

;)

but mike seaver was the main character . the others were only average when it came to number of episodes. about them .

Like "Family Ties," another show from that era in sitcoms, "Growing Pains" started out focusing on the Seaver parents while the kids were at the time young unknown actors. But once the kids (particulary girls) started to crush big time on Kirk Cameron, and the tons of fan mail started pouring in, the show's producers gave the people what they wanted - more Mike!

So yes, he eventually became the star of the show.

I'm sure Alan Thicke loved that.

;)


well at least alan didn't pull a bob saget and basically disown kirk and pretend he never existed... it's great to know that alan still tries to keep in contact with beloved growing pains fans and his fellow cast members... i think he took the being second rate very well :)

He was a ticket meal and by 1988 or 1987, he was the star of the show.

Yep, he really was THE star of the show. Even later on when he's a teacher, it's still basically about him. They add 2 more kids to the cast....and it's still about Mike! :)

"well at least alan didn't pull a bob saget and basically disown kirk"

What did exactly Bob Saget do? Was there some rivalry in the Full House cast?

yea, bob saget was basically jealous of mary kate and ashley olson's fame and he basically acredited himself to their fame by helping the producers pick the girls for the role of michelle. While he was doing America's Funniest Home Videos (of coures during the same time as the later seasons in full house), he had a special where he invited the entire cast to join him at the end and announce the winner (probably a big money winner show) and there was no mary kate and ashley, but laurie laughlin, john stamos, dave coullier, candice cameron (who happens to be kirks sister :)), jodie sweedin, and the two boys who played nikki and alex (dont know their names), oh yea, and even the girl who played kimmi gibbler (i also forget her name) all made appearances. It was said that Bob Saget refused to invite them... you can kind of see in the later seasons when he's supposed to have a touching moment with michelle that sometimes he avoids touching/hugging her or what have you. i always thought bob saget was weird though, i mean he played a great danny tanner... but if you watch him on america's funniest home videos, sometimes you swear he's doing the show drunk! Anyways, there was major drama between bob saget and the olson twins, i'm sure that a reuinion will never happen for that show just becuase they still dont get along... and that's too bad!

I'm so glad that even though alan thicke was planning on comming into the show with the starring role that when kirk ended up sweeping it away from him he played a bigger man and helped kirk more and more with some issues he had with the playwrites. Becuase i thought i remembered reading somewhere that a couple of hte playwrites he had issues with now being a strong christian and alan really helped him through it all. So yea, i'm glad alan stepped in to coach kirck along the way, just goes to show you that alan thicke really must be a great guy!!! You also have to know that joanna kerns is also a great person as well since she took on the responsibility of tracy and her eating disorder. I'm sure she totally went into the show thinking she'd be the side kick to alan and basically they'd both be the stars of the show. She took things just as well as alan, and it sounds like the couple just had a BLAST together. And it shows great character in the situation with joanna and tracy. I mean, here she was, obviously not eating and looking so incredibly thin and nobody was really asking her about it, the producers were moreso excited for her to start losing weight. But Joanna took it all under her to confront tracy and ask her about it and bring the attention to her parents which eventually forced her into rehab for the problem (why they had carol in london for apart of the last season) but Joanna was the one who basically said to the producers that they need to give her an ultimatum that she either go to rehab or be fired and then with more encouraging words from joanna and alan and her parents, she agreed to go... of course, it's better that tracy didnt know that would be the last season of growing pains becuase i'm sure she would have just quit had she know.

But anyways... not that i've gone way off topic with this whole post, anybody else want to share what they know about the relationships with alan/joanna and the kids?

^ Well it's all said and done now. I don't know if any of that's true, but it's old news now. I saw recent pictures a few weeks ago of Bob and the twins together, hugging at some awards show, I think. It seems like it's all water under the bridge now. :)

taht's good, i just remember this all on the E! True Hollywood Story... sometimes those things are not all what they are cracked up to be, but yea... if it was all true, yay for it not being of any issues any longer!! :)

taht's good, i just remember this all on the E! True Hollywood Story... sometimes those things are not all what they are cracked up to be, but yea... if it was all true, yay for it not being of any issues any longer!! :)
I have that E!THS in my collection, so I'm going to watch it when I get around to it. I feel like double checking, lol. Thanks for reminding me. :wave:

haha no problem, it was years and years ago, and i thought it was on the E! THS, so if it's not on there, i'm sorry for having made you watch it! But i sure hope i was correct in my remembering! It's just so hard to remember what you heard what on, becuase with all of the child star's shows that tons of channels do and the 80's or 90's sitcom stars shows, it's so much info! :) But happy watching :)

haha no problem, it was years and years ago, and i thought it was on the E! THS, so if it's not on there, i'm sorry for having made you watch it! But i sure hope i was correct in my remembering! It's just so hard to remember what you heard what on, becuase with all of the child star's shows that tons of channels do and the 80's or 90's sitcom stars shows, it's so much info! :) But happy watching :)
:lol:

If it's not on there, that's fine too. I've been meaning to watch some of my E!THS episodes anyway.

even still to this day that cast seem to get along.but i had no clue that SAGETdidn't like the olsson twins.he even has a cameo in that most recent movie.i thought it stamoes who does't want to be associated with FULL HOUSE.

probably, maybe we should head over to that board and ask them! :)

I thought Mike was the breakout character on the show. Here is a thing that was interesting about Growing Pains. It was the beginning of the trend we now have of people working out of their house like Jason did. With Kirk Cameron being the breakout actor on the show it did not take anything away from Alan Thicke and Joanna Kerns. They stll were the main part of the storylines of the show compared to Meredith Baxter Birney and Michael Gross of Family Ties where they were shoved aside when Michael J. Fox became the breakout character on the show. GP did a lot of exploring into Jason and Maggie's relationship and made that TV marriage look real. All the characters on the show were good except for Ben. Something was not quite there with him and Crissy added insult to injury.