When Did Growing Pains Jump the Shark?

[TMC]

https://popculturereferences.com/whe...ump-the-shark/

In a feature looking at if or when a TV series "jumped the shark," Brian asks you all to determine when (or if) Growing Pains jumped the shark.



Today, we look at when (or if) you folks believe that Growing Pains “jumped the shark.”

This is “Just Can’t Jump It,” a feature where we examine shows and whether they “jumped the shark.” Jumped the shark (coined by Jon Hein) means that the show had a specific point in time where, in retrospect, you realize that show was going downhill from there (even if, in some rare occasions, the show later course-corrected). Not every show DOES jump the shark. Some shows just remain good all the way through. And some shows are terrible all the way through. What we’re looking for are moments where a show that you otherwise enjoyed hit a point where it took a noticeable nose dive after that time and if so, what moment was that?

Growing Pains was a long-running sitcom about a family in Long Island where, in a MAJOR TWIST THAT AN ENTIRE SERIES WAS SOMEHOW PREMISED UPON, the psychiatrist father, Jason Seaver (Alan Thicke) moved his practice into a home office so that he could take care of the house while the mother, Maggie Seaver (Joanna Kerns) went back to work as a reporter (she even used her MAIDEN NAME, Maggie Malone, at work!!!). A man…doing the cooking, cleaning and most of the child-rearing while the WOMAN was at work?!?! What the what?!? They had three kids to start, troublemaking Mike (Kirk Cameron), brainy Carol (Tracey Gold) and Ben (Jeremy Miller), who was the third child. In Season 4, Maggie gave birth to a fourth child, Chrissy, who was aged up in Season 6 to be played by Ashley Johnson. In the seventh and final season, Mike becomes a foster parent to Luke Brower (Leonardo DiCaprio, who would later go on to have a moderately successful career as a film actor).

So first…DID IT JUMP THE SHARK? I’d say so, yes.

WHEN DID IT JUMP THE SHARK Kirk Cameron became a Born Again Christian after Season 4. The fourth season ended with Mike getting engaged to Chrissy’s nanny, Julie Costello (Julie McCullough). Now, obviously they weren’t going to get married that young in Season 5, but it’s fair to note that they totally botched the ending of that plot, and Julie was written off the show instead of just not getting married to Mike (how THAT made any sense is beyond me) and from that point onward, Cameron’s religious views essentially de-fanged Mike to the point where he wasn’t the same character anymore. Season 5 wasn’t TERRIBLE, but nor was it particularly good, and it only got worse in Seasons 6 and 7. So I am going with the Season 5 two-part premiere as the shark-jumping moment.

Let me know what you think in the comments or on social media!

[TMC]

I think that it's obvious that Growing Pains really began to suffer in quality when Kirk Cameron all but anointed himself as the de facto showrunner. While it's sensible or within reason for him to want his character to grow up, he merely wanted his fictional character to share his own values. So in affect, he wanted a non-religious show to suddenly convert to what you could argue, was his irrational lifestyle. Thus, Kirk objected to his fictional character living with his girlfriend of two years without being married because it didn't align with his real life Christian beliefs. It probably didn't help when the Just the Ten of Us spin-off was created and a lot of the talent went there.

[paul.austin]

Originally Posted by TMC

I think that it's obvious that Growing Pains really began to suffer in quality when Kirk Cameron all but anointed himself as the de facto showrunner. While it's sensible or within reason for him to want his character to grow up, he merely wanted his fictional character to share his own values. So in affect, wanting a non-religious show to suddenly convert to what you could argue, was his irrational lifestyle. Thus, Kirk objected to his fictional character living with his girlfriend of two years without being married because it didn't align with his real life Christian beliefs. It probably didn't help when the Just the Ten of Us spin-off was created and a lot of the talent went there.

I never liked Kirk Cameron and i kind of wish cis-swap gender benders hadn't been fet//ished (i admit to enjoying them as a teenager in the 1990s e.g. Spells R Us or Bikini Beach. Ah the folly of youth!) cause i kind of wonder what ABC etc would do if during the season break that Kirl became a PITA born-again he was actually irreversibly (if they try surgery or haircuts etc the magic just resets to the original transformation outcome) into a female toddler or kindergartener that is 110% perfect for a Little Miss Cutie Queen (as in a beauty and a cutie even without JonBenet type goop on them) but no so good for being Mike Seaver on national TV.

[Edward216]

When we got the older Chrissy (I don't know if I'd say it "jumped the shark" but I think after that the quality of the show wasn't as good). If I remember the young actress's name was Ashley Johnson and I know this is going to sound mean, but I didn't think she was a very good child actress and I didn't like watching Growing Pains as much after she was added to the cast. I really thought her acting was kind of wooden. Oh, and also when they added Leonardo DiCaprio's character Luke to the cast. Adding his character was so weird and out of left field to me, I just didn't think it made any sense. And like Ashley Johnson I don't think Leonardo DiCaprio's a good actor. Now that he's become this huge movie "superstar", I've watched a couple of his movies and I just don't get why everybody thinks he's such a big deal. I think his acting's boring and terrible.

Ed.

[TMC]

Originally Posted by TMC

https://popculturereferences.com/whe...ump-the-shark/

The episode "Mike and Julie's Wedding" aired on September 27, 1989 💍