Jason vs Adam - Who was better?

[JPJ]

My vote is for Adam.

[Jabeen]

Hey Cool, Michael Pearlman posted on the site!

As for the better character, definately Jason. He had a real bond with Charles, and I agree with whoever said that Jamie and Adam got on their nerves. The Powells in general got on my nerves, and I have a hard time sitting through the show after the first season. I just wished that the stupid networks would take the time and play the episodes from the first season. In any case, it's good to meet you Michael Pearlman, hopefully you'll stop by more often.

~(Jabeen)~

[Moonlight Lady]

I like Jason better. The Pembrokes were great!

[Nighthawk76]

It just goes to show how slow I am sometimes to notice these things. I have been visiting this site for a couple of months and have been a member for a month and I never noticed until today that Michael Pearlman posted here. In case he decides to drop by again..
Michael,
Jason was always my favorite Charles In Charge character. I think this had a lot to do with the fact that in 1984 I was eight when I started watching Charles In Charge. So your character was not that much older then me, and he and I were a great deal a like too. I'm sorry that you guys were not given a second chance by CBS or that when the show returned in syndication that better efforts were not made to keep the Pembrokes. It is also too bad that Nick at Nite isn't showing those first season episodes, because in my opinion those will always be the best. I'm happy to hear that you are enjoying life and that you have become a journalist.

[Michael Pearlman]

Hadn't swung by here in a while, so I thought I'd answer the two questions Jericho posted a while back.

I got started in acting when I was only five years old, my first jobs being a Libbys canned fruit commercial and three episodes of the Soap Opera, the Guiding Light. The way it happened was that my younger, red-headed brother was approached by a manager who was looking for little redheaded children for commercials. He did a few jobs, but was impatient with the whole process and basically didn't have the interest in acting that I did. I was somewhat precocious as a kid, and an enthusiastic, energetic actor so I got plenty of work, and did a lot of television and some NY stage until I was hired for CIC in April of '84.

I don't keep in touch with anyone from the show, mainly because I don't live in the Los Angeles area any more. The last person I saw was April Lerman, who played Lila. She and I hung out while I was attending college at USC and she was attending UCLA law school. That was about 1992.

One thing I should point out and have discovered from talking to people about the show and being recognized over the years. Aside from a small minority, people under the age of 25 don't remember the early episodes at all and are only familiar with the second family. The two shows represent different aspects of the sitcom genre. The more moralistic, "every epsidoe teaches a lesson" sitcom format was extremely common in the mid-80s when CIC was on CBS. When the show returned, the storylines focused more on Charles and Buddy (who had been "dumbed down" considerably in the syndicated version) and less on the children's growth and development.
I rarely watched episodes of the new show, but when I did I felt there was very little associated with the program we were trying to create when it ran on CBS.

As someone pointed out, CIC wasn't a very highly rated show when it was on CBS, finishing somewhere in the mid 30s for the season. However, it was rated about the same as Who's the Boss, which was also a first year show but was on ABC, the 3rd place network at the time. Who's the Boss was picked up and became a top 10 show, while CIC was cancelled and CBS began a multi-year nosedive and was no longer the highest rated network. That's just an example of how the TV business works.

[Jill]

I was somewhat precocious as a kid, and an enthusiastic, energetic actor so I got plenty of work, and did a lot of television and some NY stage until I was hired for CIC in April of '84.

As always, great to hear from ya again Michael! I had no idea you worked on all of those things before you were on Charles in Charge. That's awesome. Especially the part about you doing stage. It seems to me that takes real talent to do that kind of stuff.

I could tell you really enjoyed yourself acting. You just seemed so natural. Everything just flew through you. It didn't seem like you were intimidated at all. That's why you quickly became my favorite character from the show.

The two shows represent different aspects of the sitcom genre. The more moralistic, "every epsidoe teaches a lesson" sitcom format was extremely common in the mid-80s when CIC was on CBS. When the show returned, the storylines focused more on Charles and Buddy (who had been "dumbed down" considerably in the syndicated version) and less on the children's growth and development.

That is the reason why I love Charles in Charge-the Pembroke series. No sitcoms seem to have done that since. Ok, maybe Full House. But not many. I love that it taught morals and that it focused on the children's growth. That, to me, made it special. The syndicated version, in my humble opinion, was just like most other shows. I love the relationships the kids had with Charles. They were real and sweet. I think the Pembroke kids in general were stronger, more profound characters, with real kid problems. I liked that.

As long as you're here, I have just a couple of questions if ya get a chance...

Any favorite scenes, episodes, or guest stars?
Any times you changed the script? Improvised on camera?
Who did you work best with? You and Scott Baio seemed like you had a whole lot of onstage chemistry.
Any fun backstage memories?
What were the auditions like?

I also have a few personal questions if you don't mind. You don't have to answer them by any means. Just throwing these out.

How old are you?
Are you married and do you have children?
Any recent pictures maybe???

As always, thanks for being a part of the show and for sharing your memories with us, and may God bless you.

[Nighthawk76]

Thanks for visiting this site again, Michael. You are right about people under 25 not really remembering the Pembroke episodes of CIC. I just turned 27 myself, and people I know who are only two or three years younger then me only really remember the Powell episodes. I think that is really too bad, because those early episodes are the best. Being a writer now, you should write some sort of book on your experiences on CIC. I know there are many people who would love to read it.

[Jill]

I'm 17, born in 1986, and the Pembrokes are my favorite.

I can see how most people under 25 would remember the Powells only though, except that I think I grew up with reruns of both. I definitely remember seeing the "Pizza Playland/Enid/Charles cleans up the shower and the fireplace" episode when I was very young. I remember seeing Powell episodes too, like the one where Charles gets amnesia, but I distinctly remember that Pembroke episode. Of course I didn't pay attention to the families when I was little. I just liked all of the Charles in Charge shows. I really started liking the Pembroke shows about 3 or 4 years ago when WGN played them at noon during the summertime. I got hooked.

[Chad22]

Hi Michael. I Have never seen The Pembroke episodes because i just started watching last year and Nick At Nite Only showed the Powel Episodes. But i have heard good things about the first season and i hope to see them one day.

I Did see you in the first Powell episode though and it looked really sad in the scene when you said goodbye to Charles. Sorry to hear you lost your job, I Think that since you wanted to stay they should have had you stay on the show. Maybe They could have said your character didnt want to leave home and you could have lived with Charles and The Powells. Oh Well, I Hope everything worked out for you.

[Brett Ferino]

Originally posted by Katie_NY
I like Jason better. The Pembrokes were great!

Hey Katie!

Did you think the Pembrokes were better than the Powells? If you say so.. I had more laughs with the Powells though..

[Roaddawg71]

hello nicole eggert is a godess!! she was so hot on that show and jason was a bitch!! powell's kicked ass

[Roaddawg71]

hey..im interested if you did anything after charles in charge? or if you are doing anything latley? how old are you these days? and as sad as it must have been to leave the show...the powells were better!

[Roaddawg71]

i thought michael pearlman did a great job on the show but i just thought buddy was more funny and the show was as a whole was better....can someone fully explain what syndication is? like first run syndication? i know when a show is syndicated its sold to networks is there more to that? anyone who knows please answer

[spunkygirl]

I liked Adam slightly better. Don't get me wrong, I loved Jason, but there was just something about Adam. I think Charles/Scott had great chemsitry with Alexander and Michael.
I liked the Powell's better, but Jamie got on my nerves alot!

[Nighthawk76]

Though everyone is allowed thier own opinion, I just don't see how any one can think that Adam was better than Jason. Jason was so much better than Adam, who really was littlie more then imitation Jason to begin with.