When did Growing Pains jump the shark? - Sitcoms Online Message Boards

catnap1972 · 02-23-2007, 08:42 PM

Seems like season 6 (1990-91) to me...I must've blocked the last two seasons from my memory because I'd forgotten just how horrendous some of these are (especially the 1990 Halloween episode that's on ION right now).

UMfan77 · 03-06-2007, 01:11 PM

The worst episode for me has to be "Ben's Rap Group". We are led to believe that Ben is a BUSINESS MAN. He was like 13 at the time! Brian Austin Green was in that episode.

But as far as jumping the shark goes, it was when Chrissy was born. The addition of Luke made matters worse.

Scoobiedoo30 · 03-06-2007, 03:01 PM

what does Jump The Shark mean

newlife · 03-09-2007, 11:32 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by UMfan77

The worst episode for me has to be "Ben's Rap Group". We are led to believe that Ben is a BUSINESS MAN. He was like 13 at the time! Brian Austin Green was in that episode.

But as far as jumping the shark goes, it was when Chrissy was born. The addition of Luke made matters worse.

Ben's rap group was bad- but worse of all is Carols carnival- what where they thinking ? it was just embarrassing to watch that episode I felt bad for the actors it was so so incredibly bad.

I know everyone blames Kirk getting religious and ruining the show- but I have been watching this again after years and years, and I think that's wrong. I think good writers could have dealt with that and still made a really good show.

But instead they write episodes like Carol's carnival and add useless clutter characters like the grandparents Chrissy- and worst of all Luke. you can't blame those mistakes on Kirk- watching this show after all these years I can see maybe he had a point the show jumped the shark when they started using sex and toilet jokes to get laughs instead of something well thought out ideas. How many episodes did Ben have a group of bikini girls - the show used to be better then half naked teen girls. it's not kirks fault the writers sucked and failed the show. thats why it jumped the shark- when the writers got lazy and added baby Chrissy - downhill from there.

ddd33323456 · 03-09-2007, 11:55 PM

Luke was a good character but Crissey was annoying

mstewart · 03-10-2007, 11:53 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by newlife

Ben's rap group was bad- but worse of all is Carols carnival- what where they thinking ? it was just embarrassing to watch that episode I felt bad for the actors it was so so incredibly bad.

I know everyone blames Kirk getting religious and ruining the show- but I have been watching this again after years and years, and I think that's wrong. I think good writers could have dealt with that and still made a really good show.

But instead they write episodes like Carol's carnival and add useless clutter characters like the grandparents Chrissy- and worst of all Luke. you can't blame those mistakes on Kirk- watching this show after all these years I can see maybe he had a point the show jumped the shark when they started using sex and toilet jokes to get laughs instead of something well thought out ideas. How many episodes did Ben have a group of bikini girls - the show used to be better then half naked teen girls. it's not kirks fault the writers sucked and failed the show. thats why it jumped the shark- when the writers got lazy and added baby Chrissy - downhill from there.

It began to jump shark when they aged Chrissy from a baby to preschool overnight and she was annoying to watch especially with that adult like dialogue. It jumped shark when the behind the scenes issues was going on and it filtered into their performances in the last two years. The battles they had with Kirk Cameron's Christianity and Tracey Gold's health problems took a lot out of the show.

Plus a family show especially with kids averages a good five year run. After that the storylines get tired and tried. The plug should had been pulled after the fifth season. It wasn't the greatest sitcom but in many ways it was ahead of its time at time it was on. A parent working from home while the other is out working. We have that today where one can work from their home.

KurtfromPitts · 03-10-2007, 12:51 PM

Definitely when they added Chrissy.

ssjenk6 · 03-10-2007, 01:15 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by agmfox8@yahoo.com

what does Jump The Shark mean

agm,

Do you remember the episode of Happy Days when Fonzie tried to Jump over a shark on water skis? Well it is said that episode was obviously so far fetched that the show started going downhill after that. Now almost every show is discussed as having a "jump the shark" moment. There is a jump the shark website that discusses this.

TMC · 04-24-2018, 08:37 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by KurtfromPitts

Definitely when they added Chrissy.

Also, the addition Chrissy may have undermined the initial premise of the show. What I mean is that a "real career woman" like Maggie having another kid (despite pledging to go back to work after 15 years away) seemed to be kind of a step backwards.

jets4life · 07-19-2018, 02:25 AM

Combination of adding Chrissy and Kirk Cameron's religious conversion at the peak of his popularity and the show's popularity,

RetroGuy2000 · 07-19-2018, 02:47 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jets4life

Combination of adding Chrissy and Kirk Cameron's religious conversion at the peak of his popularity and the show's popularity,

I didn't mind Chrissy, but I was annoyed when they added Luke, instead of letting Ben have ANY screen time.

Kirk Cameron's religious zealotry was weird, and unfortunately destroyed Julie's McCullough's blossoming career. (I have no problem with someone's religious beliefs, but he utterly destroyed her... seems un-Christian).

The show was definitely less good when Julie was replaced by Kate.

Polarity · 07-30-2018, 11:59 PM

I really stopped watching this show a season or so after Chrissy was born. That was the turning point for me. I think around season 5 was when I stopped watching. I never liked the Chrissy character at all. I also always found Ben annoying, too, really. He had some good episodes, and there were times I didn't mind him, but he could be irritating sometimes to me.

TMC · 08-31-2018, 04:35 AM

My gut wants to say that Kirk Cameron's conversion in the long run hurt Growing Pains more than the addition of Chrissy to the Seaver clan. Of course, it's natural to say Chrissy caused the show to jump the shark more because adding another kid to the household is straight out of the "jumping the shark" handbook. At the very least, before Ashley Johnson showed up to play Chrissy, the character rarely affected the plot of the show, and often she was mentioned in passing or was being held Maggie.

Kirk Cameron on the other hand, may have dramatically neutered where the show could go. He was more concerned with keeping things as inoffensive, sanitized, and bland as possible than whether or not something would make a good story. To put things in perspective, you can't be a strong storyteller and truly galvanize your audience if you're too wrapped up in trying to be as blandly inoffensive and one-dimensional (where everybody is pretty much perfect and morally upstanding like when Mike went into teaching) as possible. Does that mean that any and every show should be allowed to have as much profanity, sex and violence as it wants, absolutely not. But if you're trying to tell a story that can connect and resonate with an audience then there should be a level of depth and substance and dare I say, reality to it.

TMC · 02-18-2019, 05:14 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jets4life

Combination of adding Chrissy and Kirk Cameron's religious conversion at the peak of his popularity and the show's popularity,

The problem with Kirk Cameron is that after his religious reawakening, he seemed to suddenly start insisting that Mike be portrayed as a virtuous boy scout. Basically, he couldn't separate his personal life with his life as an actor and thus, wanted things to more or less, be one of the same. He went from being this witty, fun, cool popular guy to an arrogant, smug, humorless, prickly pain in the you know what!

02-23-2007, 08:42 PM	#1
catnap1972 Member Occasional Poster Join Date: Sep 14, 2003 Location: Pennsylvania Posts: 79	When did Growing Pains jump the shark? Seems like season 6 (1990-91) to me...I must've blocked the last two seasons from my memory because I'd forgotten just how horrendous some of these are (especially the 1990 Halloween episode that's on ION right now).

03-06-2007, 03:01 PM	#3
Scoobiedoo30 Member Forum Superstar Join Date: Jun 27, 2002 Location: KENNER, LOUISIANA Posts: 27,654	what does Jump The Shark mean
	__________________ Who Dat

03-10-2007, 12:51 PM	#7
KurtfromPitts Member Senior Member Join Date: Feb 10, 2006 Location: Carnegie PA Posts: 1,535	when did Growing Pains jump the shark? Definitely when they added Chrissy.

08-31-2018, 04:35 AM	#13
TMC Member Forum Idol Join Date: Jan 09, 2001 Posts: 126,393	My gut wants to say that Kirk Cameron's conversion in the long run hurt Growing Pains more than the addition of Chrissy to the Seaver clan. Of course, it's natural to say Chrissy caused the show to jump the shark more because adding another kid to the household is straight out of the "jumping the shark" handbook. At the very least, before Ashley Johnson showed up to play Chrissy, the character rarely affected the plot of the show, and often she was mentioned in passing or was being held Maggie. Kirk Cameron on the other hand, may have dramatically neutered where the show could go. He was more concerned with keeping things as inoffensive, sanitized, and bland as possible than whether or not something would make a good story. To put things in perspective, you can't be a strong storyteller and truly galvanize your audience if you're too wrapped up in trying to be as blandly inoffensive and one-dimensional (where everybody is pretty much perfect and morally upstanding like when Mike went into teaching) as possible. Does that mean that any and every show should be allowed to have as much profanity, sex and violence as it wants, absolutely not. But if you're trying to tell a story that can connect and resonate with an audience then there should be a level of depth and substance and dare I say, reality to it.
	Last edited by TMC; 11-22-2019 at 03:02 AM.

03-06-2007, 01:11 PM	#2
UMfan77 Member Senior Member Join Date: Nov 28, 2003 Posts: 1,064	The worst episode for me has to be "Ben's Rap Group". We are led to believe that Ben is a BUSINESS MAN. He was like 13 at the time! Brian Austin Green was in that episode. But as far as jumping the shark goes, it was when Chrissy was born. The addition of Luke made matters worse.

03-09-2007, 11:55 PM	#5
ddd33323456 Member Occasional Poster Join Date: Jan 02, 2007 Location: North Carolina Posts: 14	Luke was a good character but Crissey was annoying

07-19-2018, 02:25 AM	#10
jets4life Member Frequent Poster Join Date: May 02, 2009 Location: canada Posts: 366	Combination of adding Chrissy and Kirk Cameron's religious conversion at the peak of his popularity and the show's popularity,

07-30-2018, 11:59 PM	#12
Polarity Member Occasional Poster Join Date: Jan 25, 2017 Location: USA Posts: 28	I really stopped watching this show a season or so after Chrissy was born. That was the turning point for me. I think around season 5 was when I stopped watching. I never liked the Chrissy character at all. I also always found Ben annoying, too, really. He had some good episodes, and there were times I didn't mind him, but he could be irritating sometimes to me.