If I were the network President, and I had renewed "Growing Pains" for Season 8 instead of the real President canceling the series because of Kirk Cameron's religion, I would have the 8th season shift focus from the Seaver family (who at the end of the series moved to Washington, D.C.) to Leonardo DiCaprio as Luke Brower, who had joined the cast at the start of Season 7 as a homeless teenager taken in by the Seaver family.

Season 8's focus would be on Luke as he helps his father, George (played in 2 Season 7 episodes by character actor Gary Grubbs, who would become series regular and co-star alongside DiCaprio), start a truck stop business after George is forced by medical doctors to retire from truck driving.

The show's setting would also change, from Long Island, New York to Tucson, Arizona, where Luke & George would have their truck stop business.

Rather than tape the show in Tucson, all Season 8 episodes would have been taped on the Warner Bros. Studios back lot, with laugh tracks inserted when/if needed and called for.

The timeslot would be Tuesday nights at 8 p.m., with "Full House" at 8:30, Roseanne at 9, and Coach at 9:30.

Sounds more like a spin-off. I think the show had definitely run its course by the 7th season and was time to end.

Sounds more like a spin-off. I think the show had definitely run its course by the 7th season and was time to end.

I agree with you, while I like the 7th season a fair bit (it's still better than most of today's TV if you ask me), it had declined in quality a fair bit by this time, and I'm glad they ended it then, with a proper ending (many TV shows don't get proper finales :( ), rather than run it into the ground and go without a proper ending.

Not to mention Tracey Gold was still struggling with anorexia during this period, and having seen the episodes in Season 7 where she's not present, it's just not the same without her! Especially since Carol's my favourite character!