Editing Growing Pains

{{short description|American sitcom}}
{{About|the American television series}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=May 2022}}
{{Infobox television
| image                = Growing Pains (Warner Bros. TV series) logo.svg
| caption              = 
| genre                = [[Sitcom]]
| creator              = [[Neal Marlens]]
| director             = {{Plainlist|
* [[John Tracy (director)|John Tracy]] (seasons 1–6)
* Various (seasons 1–2 and 7)
}}
| starring             = {{ubl|[[Alan Thicke]]|[[Joanna Kerns]]|[[Kirk Cameron]]|[[Tracey Gold]]|[[Jeremy Miller]]|[[Ashley Johnson]]|[[Leonardo DiCaprio]]}}
| theme_music_composer = [[John Bettis]]<br />
[[Steve Dorff]]
| opentheme            = "[[Dusty Springfield discography#1980s–2000s|As Long as We Got Each Other]]"<br />performed by [[B. J. Thomas]] (season 1 solo) and with [[Jennifer Warnes]] (seasons 2, 3, 5, and most of 7) and [[Dusty Springfield]] (season 4);<br />[[Joe Chemay]], [[Jim Haas]], Jon Joyce, and [[George Merrill (songwriter)|George Merrill]] (seasons 6, part of 7, and the series finale)
| endtheme             = "[[Dusty Springfield discography#1980s–2000s|As Long as We Got Each Other]]" (instrumental) (except on "Happy Halloween")
| composer             = [[Steve Dorff]]
| country              = United States
| language             = English
| num_seasons          = 7<ref name="tvguide">{{cite web|url=http://www.tvguide.com/tvshows/growing-pains/100193/|title=Growing Pains TV Show: News, Videos, Full Episodes and More|access-date=2017-06-24|publisher=TV Guide}}</ref>
| num_episodes         = 166
| list_episodes        = List of Growing Pains episodes
| executive_producer   = {{ubl|Neal Marlens (1985–1986)|[[Michael Sullivan (film maker)|Mike Sullivan]] (1985–1991)|Dan Guntzelman (1986–1991)|Steve Marshall (1986–1991)|[[Dan Wilcox]] (1991–1992)}}
| producer             = {{ubl|[[Arnold Margolin (television producer)|Arnold Margolin]] (season 1)|Henry Johnson (seasons 4–5)|Joseph Scott (season 6–7)}}
| camera               = [[Multiple-camera setup|Multi-camera]]
| runtime              = 21–24 minutes
| company              = Guntzelman-Sullivan-Marshall Productions (seasons 5–6)<br/>[[Warner Bros. Television]]
| network              = [[American Broadcasting Company|ABC]]
| first_aired          = {{Start date|1985|09|24}}<ref name="tvguide" />
| last_aired           = {{End date|1992|04|25}}<ref name="tvguide" />
| related              = {{ubl|''[[The Growing Pains Movie]]''|''[[Growing Pains: Return of the Seavers]]''| ''[[Just the Ten of Us]]''}}
}}

'''''Growing Pains''''' is an American television sitcom created by [[Neal Marlens]] that ran on [[American Broadcasting Company|ABC]] for seven seasons from September 24, 1985, to April 25, 1992.<ref name="tvguide" /> The series follows the misadventures of the Seaver family, including psychiatrist and father Jason, journalist and mother Maggie, and their children Mike, Carol, Ben, and Chrissy. 166 episodes were produced. <ref>{{Cite news |date=1989-02-26 |title=Why Do People Watch These Shows? : A tale of two sitcoms: Audiences often seem to love what the critics hate |work=[[Los Angeles Times]] |url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1989-02-26-ca-1134-story.html?_ga=2.266177415.9023747.1651826464-1336423025.1651826463 |access-date=2022-05-06}}</ref><ref>{{Cite magazine |last=Stransky |first=Tanner |date=2011-10-07 |title='Growing Pains': The Seavers explain why their sitcom makes you go 'Aww' |url=https://ew.com/article/2011/10/07/growing-pains-reunion-seavers-interview/ |access-date=2022-05-06 |magazine=[[Entertainment Weekly]] |language=en}}</ref>

==Premise==
The show centers on the Seaver family of [[Huntington, New York|Huntington]], a town on [[Long Island, New York]].<ref>{{cite web |date=2016-12-14 |title=Alan Thicke, '80s icon and renaissance man, wasn't a Long Islander, but he played one on TV |url=http://www.newsday.com/entertainment/tv/alan-thicke-80s-icon-and-renaissance-man-wasn-t-a-long-islander-but-he-played-one-on-tv-1.12754978 |website=[[Newsday]] |publisher=}}</ref> Dr. Jason Seaver ([[Alan Thicke]]), a psychiatrist, works from home because his wife, Maggie ([[Joanna Kerns]]), has gone back to work as a reporter. 

Jason has to take care of the children: Ladies' man and rebellious troublemaker Mike ([[Kirk Cameron]]); his sister, bookish honors student Carol ([[Tracey Gold]]); and rambunctious Ben ([[Jeremy Miller]]), who follows Mike as his role model and becomes a troublemaker too. A fourth child, Chrissy Seaver (twins Kelsey and Kirsten Dohring; [[Ashley Johnson]]), was added in Season 4 and, in Season 7, Luke Brower ([[Leonardo DiCaprio]]), a homeless teen, was adopted into the Seaver family.

Often mentioned but rarely seen are the Seavers's next door neighbors, the Koosmans, a reference to the [[1969 New York Mets season|1969 Miracle Mets]] (and players [[Tom Seaver]] and [[Jerry Koosman]]).

== Cast and characters ==

=== Main ===
* [[Alan Thicke]] as Dr. Jason Roland Seaver. Dr. Seaver is a graduate of [[Boston College]] and holds a Doctorate in Psychology. He initially practiced at [[Long Island]] General Hospital before working from home and volunteering at his local community's free clinic.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Terrace |first=Vincent |title=Television Series of the 1980s: Essential Facts and Quirky Details |publisher=Rowman & Littlefield Publishers |year=2017 |isbn=9781442278318 |pages=92}}</ref>
* [[Joanna Kerns]] as Margaret Katherine "Maggie" (née Malone) Seaver. Maggie is also a graduate of [[Boston College]] where she met her future husband and majored in [[Child Psychology]] before switching to [[Journalism]]. Prior to her marriage, she worked as a researcher for ''[[Newsweek]]'' magazine. She is a reporter for the ''Long Island Daily Herald'' (as Maggie Malone) and for the television news program ''Action News'' on Channel 19. She is also a columnist for the ''Long Island Sentinel''.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Terrace |first=Vincent |title=Television Series of the 1980s: Essential Facts and Quirky Details |publisher=Rowman & Littlefield Publishers |year=2017 |isbn=9781442278318 |pages=92}}</ref>
* [[Kirk Cameron]] as Michael Aaron "Mike" Seaver. Mike, the oldest child, attended Wendell Wilkie Elementary School before moving to Dewey High School. He accumulates multiple menial jobs. [[Waiting staff|Waiter]] at The World of Burgers, [[Salesman]] at The Stereo Village, [[Car wash]] attendant, night man at the Stop and Shop [[convenience store]], singing waiter at Sullivan's Tavern. Of average ability, he aspires nonetheless to become an actor. He enrolls at Alf Landon Junior College and, later, at Boyton State College. At Alf Landon, Mike was a member of the Drama Club where he meets his girlfriend Kate McDonald in the play "The Passion". He eventually becomes a teacher of remedial studies at a [[Community health center|Community Health Centre]].<ref>{{Cite book |last=Terrace |first=Vincent |title=Television Series of the 1980s: Essential Facts and Quirky Details |publisher=Rowman & Littlefield Publishers |year=2017 |isbn=9781442278318 |pages=92}}</ref>
* [[Tracey Gold]] as Caroline Anne "Carol" Seaver. Carol is the second born child. She attended Dewey High School where she was the 1988 [[Homecoming Queen]] and President of the Future Nuclear Physicists Club. She later attends [[Columbia University]] (to the disappointment of her parents who would have preferred her to enroll at their [[Alma mater|alma-mater]]) but drops out to work as a computer page breaker at GSM Publishing. She returns to Columbia to study law and works with her father at the free clinic. <ref>{{Cite book |last=Terrace |first=Vincent |title=Television Series of the 1980s: Essential Facts and Quirky Details |publisher=Rowman & Littlefield Publishers |year=2017 |isbn=9781442278318 |pages=92}}</ref>  
* [[Jeremy Miller]] as Benjamin Hubert Horatio Humphrey "Ben" Seaver. Ben attends the same elementary and high school as his siblings. Heavily influenced by his older brother, Ben holds a number of menial jobs including newspaper delivery boy and attempts to make money by managing a rap group.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Terrace |first=Vincent |title=Television Series of the 1980s: Essential Facts and Quirky Details |publisher=Rowman & Littlefield Publishers |year=2017 |isbn=9781442278318 |pages=92}}</ref>

=== Later additions ===
* A fourth child, Christine Ellen "Chrissy" Seaver (twins Kelsey and Kirsten Dohring; [[Ashley Johnson]]), is born at the beginning of season 4, a day after Ben's 12th birthday. She was played in her newborn/infant stage by 2 uncredited sets of twin sisters, who remained in the role until season 4 (1988–1989) ended. By season 5 (1989–1990), she was played in her toddler stage by alternating twins Kirsten and Kelsey Dohring. In seasons 6 and 7 (1990–1992), Chrissy's age was advanced to 5 years old.
* A new cast member was added for the seventh and final season (1991–1992) when homeless teen Luke Brower ([[Leonardo DiCaprio]]) is brought into the Seaver family to live with them until the end of season 7.

=== Recurring ===
* [[Andrew Koenig]] as Richard Milhous "Boner" Stabone (seasons 1–4), Mike's friend; left to join the [[United States Marine Corps]].
* [[Chelsea Noble]] as Kate MacDonald (seasons 5–7), Mike's girlfriend. They both meet at Alf Landon Junior College. She later becomes a model and appears in the 1992 [[swimsuit]] edition of The Sporting Man magazine.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Terrace |first=Vincent |title=Television Series of the 1980s: Essential Facts and Quirky Details |publisher=Rowman & Littlefield Publishers |year=2017 |isbn=9781442278318 |pages=92}}</ref>
* Jamie Abbott as Stinky Sullivan (seasons 2–6), Ben's friend.
* [[K. C. Martel]] as Eddie Ziff (seasons 1–7), Mike's friend.
* [[Sam Anderson]] as Principal Willis DeWitt (seasons 1–7), Mike's history teacher in season one and principal from season 2 onward.
* Betty McGuire as Kate Malone (seasons 1–7); Maggie's mother.
* Lisa Capps as Debbie (seasons 2–4), Carol's friend.
* [[Rachel Jacobs]] as Shelley (seasons 2–4), Carol's friend.
* [[Gordon Jump]] as Ed Malone (seasons 1–7), Maggie's father.
* [[Julie McCullough]] as Julie Costello (seasons 4–5), Mike's former girlfriend who was originally hired by Jason to be Chrissy's nanny.  Julie is a sophomore at [[Columbia University]] majoring in Child Psychology. When she and Mike break up, she quits school and becomes a waitress at Le Village Restaurant.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Terrace |first=Vincent |title=Television Series of the 1980s: Essential Facts and Quirky Details |publisher=Rowman & Littlefield Publishers |year=2017 |isbn=9781442278318 |pages=92}}</ref>
* [[Bill Kirchenbauer]] as Coach Graham Lubbock (seasons 2–3; starred in spin off ''[[Just the Ten of Us]]''), a gym teacher.
* [[Jane Powell]] as Irma Seaver (seasons 4–6), Jason's mother.
* Jodi Peterson as Laura Lynn (seasons 4–6), Ben's girlfriend/love interest.
* Kevin Wixted as Bobby Wynette (seasons 2–3),  Carol's former boyfriend.
* Christopher Burgard as Dwight Halliburton (season 7), Carol's love interest.
* [[Evan Arnold]] as Richie Flanscopper (seasons 1–3), Carol's school classmate who has a crush on her.
* [[Fred Applegate (actor)|Fred Applegate]] as Mr. Fred Tedesco (season 7), the principal of the learning annex where Mike teaches.
* [[Matthew Perry]] as Sandy (season 4), Carol's love interest of 3 episodes. He died several hours after a DUI accident following 'a few beers'.

==Episodes==
{{Main|List of Growing Pains episodes}}
{{:List of Growing Pains episodes}}

== Production ==

=== Casting ===
Soon after the cancelation of ''The Four Seasons'', [[Joanna Kerns]] auditioned for a new series in late 1984, called ''Growing Pains'', which was being developed by screenwriter Neal Marlens, alongside executive producer [[Michael Sullivan (filmmaker)|Mike Sullivan]]. She auditioned with [[Alan Thicke]], who was coming off the failure of his syndicated late-night talk show ''[[Thicke of the Night]]''.<ref>{{Cite web |last=James |first=Emily St |date=2016-12-15 |title=Before his death, Alan Thicke spoke to us about his legacy and being a TV dad |url=https://www.vox.com/culture/2016/12/15/13955480/alan-thicke-dies-interview-growing-pains |access-date=2022-05-06 |website=Vox |language=en}}</ref> Kerns joked in many interviews that she and Alan had immediate chemistry, especially when she kissed him on his nose by accident during their audition together. Kerns and Thicke's chemistry won them both the parts of lead characters Maggie and Jason Seaver, and the two became great friends off the show; both of them had many things in common, including being newly divorced single parents.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2015-05-06 |title=Mr. And Mrs. Seaver From 'Growing Pains' Considered Dating In Real Life |url=https://www.huffpost.com/entry/growing-pains-alan-thicke_n_7226248 |access-date=2022-05-06 |website=[[HuffPost]] |language=en}}</ref> [[Tracey Gold]] auditioned for the role of Carol Seaver, but was passed over in favor of [[Elizabeth Gracen|Elizabeth Ward]], who had starred alongside Gold in the 1983 ''[[ABC Afterschool Special]]'' ''The Hand-Me-Down Kid''.<ref name=":0" /> However, test audiences did not find Ward to be suited for the role of Carol, and Gold promptly replaced her; scenes featuring Ward in the original pilot were subsequently reshot with Gold for the broadcast version. 

Marlens and most of the original writing and producing staff (including wife [[Carol Black (writer)|Carol Black]], who had quickly ascended from story editor to co-executive producer during the first half of the season) were let go from the series midway through its first season; replacing Marlens and joining Sullivan as showrunners were Steve Marshall and Dan Guntzelman (who met and formed their writing partnership while working on ''[[WKRP in Cincinnati]]'').

In 1991, [[Leonardo DiCaprio]] joined the main cast in the role of Luke Brower, a homeless teenager who is taken in by the Seaver family at the behest of Mike (who, by then, was a substitute teacher at the high school where Luke had masqueraded as a student).{{sfn|Wight|2012|pp=331, 275}} Co-star Joanna Kerns recalled DiCaprio being "especially intelligent and disarming for his age," but also mischievous on set.<ref name="theindependent">{{cite news |last1=Yahr |first1=Emily |date=February 23, 2016 |title=How Leonardo DiCaprio went from being a dorky teenage actor to a superstar |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/people/leonardo-dicaprio-how-a-dorky-teenage-actor-became-a-superstar-a6891181.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191009133108/https://www.independent.co.uk/news/people/leonardo-dicaprio-how-a-dorky-teenage-actor-became-a-superstar-a6891181.html |archive-date=October 9, 2019 |access-date=October 9, 2019 |work=The Independent}}</ref> Then-15-year-old DiCaprio was cast in a bid to appeal to teenage female viewers (similar to how Cameron gained heartthrob status with that demographic during the show’s earlier seasons), but was written out towards the end of Season 7, in order to allow DiCaprio to begin work on the 1993 biographical drama film ''[[This Boy's Life]]''. Still, the addition of DiCaprio—who would earn a [[Young Artist Award]] nomination for Best Young Actor Co-starring in a Television Series for his work as Luke—did not improve the show's ratings.{{sfn|Wight|2012|pp=331, 275}}<ref>{{cite web |title=13th Annual Awards |url=http://www.youngartistawards.org/pastnoms13.htm |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20000202175308/http://www.youngartistawards.org/pastnoms13.htm |archive-date=February 2, 2000 |access-date=October 9, 2019 |publisher=Young Artist Awards}}</ref>

=== Opening and closing credits ===
The opening credits varied from traditional sitcoms by having sight gags involving specifically shot scenes with the cast on locations. This was similar to the ottoman gag on The [[The Dick Van Dyke Show|Dick Van Dyke Show]] however there were far more variations.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2011-10-03 |title=Hey Dick, Look Out for that Ottoman: Celebrating a Classic TV Moment |url=https://laist.com/news/entertainment/dont-trip-on-that-ottoman-50-years |access-date=2024-11-12 |website=LAist |language=en}}</ref> The opening theme song, "As Long As We've Got Each Other", was written by [[Steve Dorff]]<ref>{{Cite web |title=Songs |url=https://www.stevedorff.com/songs |access-date=2024-11-11 |website=Steve Dorff |language=en-US}}</ref> with lyrics by [[John Bettis]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=John Bettis: The Songwriters on Apple Music |url=https://music.apple.com/us/playlist/john-bettis-the-songwriters/pl.4fbf3041f4e84a90a593688a79c2c0ff |access-date=2024-11-11 |website=Apple Music - Web Player |language=en-US}}</ref> The end theme was an jazzy instrumental version of the song. 

In the first season, the song was performed by [[B. J. Thomas|B.J. Thomas]], with [[Jennifer Warnes]] added for season 2. In seasons 4, Thomas and singer [[Dusty Springfield]] performed the theme song. In season 5, the theme returned to a slightly altered Thomas/Warnes performance. Season 6 introduced an [[a cappella]] version of the tune, before again returning to the Thomas/Warnes version. The last few episodes of season seven brought back the a cappella version of the song.  

In addition to the changes in the theme song, the imagery depicted on screen varied. In season 1, vintage photos of families played, with a sepia toned photo (that morphed into color) of the cast at the end.<ref>{{Cite AV media |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nq7Z61wdttE |title=Growing Pains Season 1 Opening Credits |date=2008-01-21 |last=Bobby Francis |access-date=2024-11-12 |via=YouTube}}</ref> Season 2 initiated the familiar show title over a live-action shot of the cast standing in front of the set of the house, before mixed imagery of clips from the show and photos of the cast when they were younger. At the end of the intro, the cast left their standing position to walk towards the house and a rotating member of the cast would lag behind.  

For the third season opening two-part Hawaiian episodes, the family was depicted standing in front of the Maui Prince Hotel, with the clips interspersed with the vintage cast photos from the episode itself. The closing credits music (over scenes from the episode) was an instrumental version of the song "Swept Away", written for the episode by Dorff, Bettis and [[Christopher Cross]] (who also performed the full version of the song in the episode).[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r5I98g8BAWg] The remainder of season 3 was similar to season 2, with updated show clips and old photos of the cast.  

With the introduction of the pregnancy storyline, the first episode of season 4 depicted a pregnant Joanna Kerns with the rest of the cast standing before the house set. For the second episode of the season, as the family begins to move towards the house, the theme music fades and Kern's character announces that she is giving birth, with the family ushering her back to the house while the theme music finishes.  

The remainder of season 4 again had the family standing in front of the house set, now with the youngest member (infant Chrissy) depicted. The remainder were again vintage photos of the cast.

== Cast issues ==

=== Cameron's religion ===
Kirk Cameron, who was an [[atheist]] in his early teens,<ref>{{cite magazine |url=https://billygraham.org/decision-magazine/july-august-2019/kirk-cameron-candace-cameron-bure-hollywood-siblings-leverage-stardom-audience-of-one/ |title=Kirk Cameron and Candace Cameron Bure—Hollywood Siblings Leverage Stardom for Audience of One |magazine=Decision |publisher=[[Billy Graham Evangelistic Association]] |date=July 1, 2019 |first=Lee |last=Weeks |access-date=September 21, 2019}}</ref> became a [[born again]] [[Protestantism|Protestant Christian]] when he was 17, during the height of his career on the show.<ref name=":0" /> After converting to Christianity, he began to insist that the show’s plotlines be altered to remove anything he thought was too inappropriate, objecting to even mild innuendo in show scripts (one such example involved a segment from the [[cold open|teaser]] scene of the Season 6 episode "Midnight Cowboy", which cut to his character, Mike, and a girl talking in bed, only to reveal they were rehearsing a scene for a stage play; Cameron, however, did the scene as written).<ref name=":1">{{Cite web |date=2022-05-01 |title=Did Kirk Cameron Really Get His TV Wedding Canceled Over a Playboy Appearance? |url=https://www.cbr.com/kirk-cameron-growing-pains-tv-wedding-canceled-playboy-appearance/ |access-date=2022-05-06 |website=[[CBR.com]] |language=en-US}}</ref><ref name=":0">{{cite news |date=2020-12-13 |title=The Cast of 'Growing Pains:' Where Are They Now? |work=[[MSN]] |publisher= |url=https://www.wonderwall.com/entertainment/where-are-they-now/growing-pains-cast-where-are-they-now-383217.gallery |access-date=May 6, 2022}}</ref> [[Julie McCullough]] was cast as Julie Costello, a recurring character hired by Jason to work as a nanny for newborn Chrissy Seaver, during the fourth season in 1989, appearing in eight episodes until she was fired at the start of the fifth season. Though the show's producers have claimed that her character was never intended to be permanent—citing the idea of Mike being in a committed relationship went against his characterization as an “immature imp […] ill-equipped to deal with a grownup world on all levels”—and Cameron stated in his 2008 memoir ''Still Growing'' that he did not call for her firing, it is alleged McCullough's termination from the show was a result of Cameron's objections to her having posed nude in ''[[Playboy]]'', prompting Cameron to claim to the producers (and, allegedly, in a phone call with then-ABC Entertainment President [[Bob Iger]]) they were promoting pornography by hiring McCullough.<ref name=":1" /> Cameron reportedly did not reconcile with McCullough, who claims that Cameron refused to speak to her during a later encounter.{{Citation needed|date=May 2022}} She remains critical of him, stating that the public criticism she endured during the controversy damaged her career.{{NoteTag|McCullough would reprise her role in Season 5's "Mike, Kate and Julie" to provide closure for Mike and Julie, whose relationship ended earlier that season via a [[Dear John letter]] written by the latter in "Mike and Julie's Wedding".}}

Cameron's conversion (specifically his subsequent behavior after becoming a Protestant) is said to have alienated him from his fellow cast members, as he did not invite any of them to his 1991 wedding to [[Chelsea Noble]] (who recurred as Mike's on-off love interest-turned-girlfriend, Kate McDonnell, during the show's last three seasons). The creative clashes between Cameron and executive producers Marshall, Guntzelman and Sullivan also are said to have prompted the three showrunners (along with co-executive producer/writer [[David Kendall (director)|David Kendall]] and director [[John Tracy (director)|John Tracy]]) to quit the series following the sixth season. ([[Dan Wilcox]] replaced Marshall, Sullivan and Guntzelman for what would be the show’s final season.)<ref name="LATimes">{{cite news |last=Keck |first=William |date=November 3, 2000 |title=TV Family's Cast Gets Over Its Own 'Growing Pains' |url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2000-nov-03-ca-46147-story.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140222100558/https://articles.latimes.com/2000/nov/03/entertainment/ca-46147 |archive-date=2014-02-22 |access-date=December 8, 2008 |work=[[Los Angeles Times]]}}</ref> Cameron did not maintain contact with his former co-stars and did not speak to Gold for eight years after the series ended.<ref name="LATimes" /> Cameron has stated that this was not due to any animosity on his part toward any of his former cast members, but an outgrowth of his desire to start a new life away from the entertainment industry.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2020-12-25 |title='Growing Pains' stars call out Kirk Cameron for maskless caroling |url=https://www.today.com/popculture/growing-pains-stars-tracey-gold-jeremy-miller-call-out-kirk-t204678 |access-date=2022-05-06 |website=[[TODAY.com]] |language=en}}</ref> In 2000, Cameron revealed he apologized to his television family for some of his prior behavior, saying, "If I could go back, I think I could make decisions that were less inadvertently hurtful to the cast--like talking and explaining to them why I just wanted to have my family at my wedding."<ref name="LATimes" />

=== Gold's health issues ===
In 1988 at age 19, Gold gained some weight over the production hiatus between the show's third and fourth seasons. For Season 4, scripts called for Carol to be the brunt of fat jokes from her brothers, Mike and Ben, for many episodes in a row. By October of that year, Gold lost a total of 23&nbsp;lbs. (dropping from a weight of 133&nbsp;lbs to about 110&nbsp;lbs) after going on a medically supervised {{convert|500|Cal|kJ|adj=mid|-a-day}} diet, though scripts continued to include occasionally fat jokes made at Carol's expense. In her 2003 memoir ''Room to Grow: an Appetite for Life'', Gold revealed that she became increasingly obsessed with food and her physical appearance between 1989 and 1991, and continued to slowly and steadily lose weight.<ref name=":2">{{Cite book |last1=Gold |first1=Tracey |title=Room to Grow: an Appetite for Life |last2=McCarron |first2=Julie |publisher=New Millennium Press |year=2003 |author-link=Tracey Gold}}</ref>

In 1990, Gold began group therapy in an eating disorder program but only learned more ways to lose weight. Gold's body image issues were touched upon slightly in the Season 6 episode "Carol's Carnival", which features a scene in which Carol looks at herself in a carnival mirror and describes to another character the distorted image in her head. By 1991, her disorder had devolved into [[bulimia nervosa]], having lost a massive amount of weight through both self-starvation and vomiting, causing her to be admitted to a hospital for treatment in early 1992.<ref name=":2" /> Gold—who was estimated to have been near 80&nbsp;lbs. at her lowest weight—was suspended from the show following production of the Season 7 episode "Menage a Luke", due to her skeletal appearance that was fairly obvious in some scenes.{{NoteTag|"Honest Abe" and "Vicious Cycle"—which preceded "Menage a Luke" in broadcast order—were both taped after Gold went into treatment.}} Gold's absence is addressed several episodes later in "Don't Go Changin{{'"}}, which features a subplot in which Ben films a video letter for Carol, who in-canon is studying abroad in London.{{NoteTag|The "We miss you" message to Carol seen during Ben's finished video at the end of the episode later swaps the character’s name with Gold's.}} Photos of Gold's emaciated body were plastered all over tabloid magazines, and she was one of the first celebrities ever to be formally outed for anorexia. She returned for the show's final episodes ("The Wrath of Con-Ed", and the two-part finale "The Last Picture Show") in the late spring of 1992. Gold eventually recovered from her years-long struggle and starred in the 1994 made-for-TV movie ''[[For the Love of Nancy]]'', drawing on her own experiences with [[anorexia nervosa]] to portray the title character.<ref name=":2" />

=== Stalking ===
At about age 14, starting during the show's sixth season, [[Jeremy Miller]] received numerous letters from an older male stalker, who was later arrested and convicted on stalking charges.<ref name="autogenerated1">{{cite web|url=http://www.tmz.com/2009/02/20/show-me-that-smile-again/ |title=Show Me That Smile Again |publisher=TMZ.com |date=2009-02-20 |access-date=2015-11-22}}</ref> 

=== Finale ===
ABC had moved ''Growing Pains'' from its longtime Wednesday slot to Saturday nights at the start of the 1991–92 season (joined by fellow ABC comedy veterans ''[[Who's the Boss?]]'' and, by midseason, ''[[Perfect Strangers (TV series)|Perfect Strangers]]'', all of which became the centerpieces of the short-lived ''[[TGIF (TV programming block)|TGIF]]'' spinoff block ''I Love Saturday Night''), which saw the show—which had seen a steady erosion in viewers over the past few seasons, while still remaining in the [[Nielsen ratings|Nielsen]] Top 30 through Season 6—experience a dramatic decline in viewership from #27 to #75, resulting in ABC and the show’s producers agreeing to end the series at the conclusion of its seventh season.{{sfn|Wight|2012|pp=331, 275}} The hour-long series finale ("The Last Picture Show", which incorporated [[clip show|clips]] from the show's seven-year run) aired on April 25, 1992, a night that also saw fellow veteran ABC series ''Who's the Boss?'' (also as a special one-hour episode) and ''[[MacGyver (1985 TV series)|MacGyver]]'' end their runs. 

==Spin-off and connections==

=== ''Just the Ten of Us'' ===
''Growing Pains'' spawned the spin-off series, ''[[Just the Ten of Us]]'', which featured Coach Graham Lubbock, Mike and Carol's gym teacher, moving to California with his large family to teach at an all-boys Catholic school after he was fired from Thomas Dewey High School.

=== ''Hanging with Mr. Cooper'' ===
Alan Thicke later made a cameo appearance as himself in the pilot episode of fellow ABC sitcom ''[[Hangin' with Mr. Cooper]]'' in September 1992. The pre-credits teaser scene in which Thicke appeared alongside series star [[Mark Curry (actor)|Mark Curry]] humorously referenced the pilot episode being filmed on the same set that had previously been used as the Seavers' home on ''Growing Pains''.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2017-10-13 |title=Revisit Alan Thicke's hilariously meta guest appearance in 'Hangin' With Mr. Cooper' |url=https://www.metv.com/stories/revisit-alan-thickes-hilariously-meta-guest-appearance-in-hangin-with-mr-cooper |access-date=2022-05-06 |website=Me-TV Network |language=en}}</ref>

==Reunion movies==
In 2000, the cast reunited for ''[[The Growing Pains Movie]]'', followed by ''[[Growing Pains: Return of the Seavers]]'' in 2004. Before the premiere of ''The Growing Pains Movie'', Kirk Cameron described his regrets over how his relationship with his cast mates changed after his religious conversion during the production of the series, admitting, "I definitely kind of made an about-face, going toward another aspect of my life," and "I shifted my focus from 100% on the show, to 100% on [my new life], and left 0% on the show—and even the friendships that were a part of that show."<ref name="LATimes" />

==Awards and nominations==
{| class="wikitable sortable"
! Year
! Association
! Category
! Nominee/episode 
! Result
|-
|1985 || rowspan=3| [[Young Artist Award]] || [[7th Youth in Film Awards#Best Young Actress Starring in a New Television Series|Best Young Actor Starring in a New Television Series]] || Kirk Cameron|| {{won}}
|-
|1985 || [[7th Youth in Film Awards#Best Young Actress Starring in a New Television Series|Best Young Actress Starring in a New Television Series]] || Tracey Gold || {{nom}}
|-
|1985 || [[7th Youth in Film Awards#Best Young Performer in a New Television Series|Best Young Supporting Actor in a New Television Series]] || Jeremy Miller|| {{won}}
|-
|1986 || rowspan=2| [[Primetime Emmy Awards]] || [[Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Original Music and Lyrics#1980s|Outstanding Achievement in Music and Lyrics]] || "As Long As We Got Each Other" || {{nom}}
|-
|1986 || Outstanding Lighting Direction (Electronic) for a Series || George Spiro Dibie (director of photography) / "My Brother, Myself"{{citation needed|date=January 2016}} || rowspan=2 {{won}}
|-
|1986 || rowspan=3| Young Artist Awards || [[8th Youth in Film Awards#Exceptional Performance by a Young Actor Starring in a Television Comedy or Drama Series|Exceptional Performance by a Young Actor Starring in a Television Comedy or Drama Series]] || Kirk Cameron
|-
|1986 || [[8th Youth in Film Awards#Exceptional Performance by a Young Actor In a Long-Running Series: Comedy or Drama|Exceptional Performance by a Young Actor in a Long-Running Series Comedy or Drama]] || Jeremy Miller||rowspan=2  {{nom}}
|-
|1986 || [[8th Youth in Film Awards#Exceptional Performance by a Young Actress Guest Starring in a Television Series: Comedy or Drama|Exceptional Performance by a Young Actress, Guest Starring in a Television, Comedy or Drama Series]] || [[April Lerman]] 
|-
|1987 || rowspan=4| Young Artist Awards || [[9th Youth in Film Awards#Best Young Superstar in Television|Best Young Superstar in Television]] || Kirk Cameron || rowspan=2 {{won}}
|-
|1987 || [[9th Youth in Film Awards#Best Young Performer in a Television Comedy Series|Exceptional Performance by a Young Actor in a Television Comedy Series]] || Jeremy Miller
|-
|1987 || [[9th Youth in Film Awards#Best Young Actress Guest-Starring in a Television Comedy Series|Best Young Actress Guest Starring in a Television Comedy Series]] || [[Candace Cameron]] / "The Long Goodbye"|| {{nom}}
|-
|1987 || [[9th Youth in Film Awards#Best Family Television Entertainment|Best Family Comedy Series]] || ''Growing Pains'' || {{won}}
|-
|1988 || Primetime Emmy Awards || Outstanding Achievement in Music and Lyrics || Song: "Swept Away" / episode: "Aloha" || rowspan=12 {{nom}}
|-
|1988 || rowspan=2| [[Kids' Choice Awards]] || [[1988 Kids' Choice Awards#Favorite TV Actor|Favorite TV Actor]] || Kirk Cameron 
|-
|1988 || [[1988 Kids' Choice Awards#Favorite TV Show|Favorite TV Show]] || ''Growing Pains'' 
|-
|1988 || rowspan=3| [[Golden Globe Awards]] || [[45th Golden Globe Awards#Best Actor - Musical or Comedy Series|Best Performance by an Actor in a TV-Series – Comedy/Musical]] || Alan Thicke
|-
|1988 || [[45th Golden Globe Awards#Best Supporting Actor - Series.2C Miniseries or TV Film|Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role in a Series, Miniseries or Motion Picture Made for TV]] || Kirk Cameron 
|-
|1989 || [[46th Golden Globe Awards#Best Supporting Actor - Series.2C Miniseries or TV Film|Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role in a Series, Miniseries or Motion Picture Made for TV]] || Kirk Cameron
|-
|1989 || rowspan=3| Kids' Choice Awards || [[1989 Kids' Choice Awards#Favorite TV Show|Favorite TV Show]] || ''Growing Pains''
|-
|1989 || [[1989 Kids' Choice Awards#Favorite TV Actor|Favorite TV Actor]] || Kirk Cameron
|-
|1989 || [[1989 Kids' Choice Awards#Favorite TV Actress|Favorite TV Actress]] || Tracey Gold
|-
|1989 || rowspan=3| Young Artist Awards || [[10th Youth in Film Awards#Best Family Television Entertainment|Best Family Television Series]] || ''Growing Pains''
|-
|1990 || [[11th Youth in Film Awards#Best Young Performer in a Television Series|Best Young Actor Starring in a Television Series]] || Jeremy Miller
|-
|1990 || [[11th Youth in Film Awards#Best Young Actor Starring in a Television Series|Best Young Actor Guest Starring in a Television Series]] || Kenny Morrison
|-
|1990 || Kids' Choice Awards || [[1990 Kids' Choice Awards#Favorite TV Actor|Favorite TV Actor]] || Kirk Cameron ||rowspan=2  {{won}}
|-
|1991 || Primetime Emmy Awards || Outstanding Lighting Direction (Electronic) for a Comedy Series || George Spiro Dibie / "Happy Halloween" 
|-
|1991 || rowspan=4| Young Artist Awards || [[12th Youth in Film Awards#Best Young Performer Under Nine Years of Age|Exceptional Performance by a Young Actress Under Nine]] || Ashley Johnson||rowspan=4  {{nom}}
|-
|1992 || [[13th Youth in Film Awards#Best Young Actor Co-Starring in a Television Series|Best Young Actor Co-starring in a Television Series]] || Leonardo DiCaprio
|-
|1992 || [[13th Youth in Film Awards#Best Young Performer Under 10 Years of Age|Exceptional Performance by a Young Actress Under Ten]] || Ashley Johnson 
|-
|1993 || [[14th Youth in Film Awards#Outstanding Actress Under 10 in a Television Series|Outstanding Actress Under Ten in a Television Series]] || Ashley Johnson
|}

==Home media==
[[Warner Bros. Home Entertainment|Warner Home Video]] released the first two seasons on DVD in Region 1.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2015-12-21 |title=Growing Pains - Leonardo DiCaprio Joins the Cast for the Final, '7th Season' |url=http://tvshowsondvd.com/news/Growing-Pains-Season-7/21842 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151222170638/http://tvshowsondvd.com/news/Growing-Pains-Season-7/21842 |archive-date=2015-12-22 |website=TVShowsOnDVD.com}}</ref> Seasons 3-7 were released via the [[Warner Archive Collection]] as manufactured-on-demand titles, available exclusively through Warner's online store and Amazon.com.

On February 28, 2023, Warner Bros. released ''Growing Pains: The Complete Series'' on DVD in Region 1.<ref>[https://www.amazon.com/Growing-Pains-Complete-DVD/dp/B0BRL5Z29X Growing Pains: The Complete Series]</ref>

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! rowspan="2"|DVD name
! rowspan="2"|Ep #
! colspan="3"|Release dates
|-
! Region 1
! Region 4
|-
| Season 1
| style="text-align:center;"|22
| February 7, 2006
| June 5, 2007
|-
| Season 2
| style="text-align:center;"|22
| April 26, 2011
| rowspan="6"| N/A
|-
| Season 3
| style="text-align:center;"|26
| May 21, 2013
|-
| Season 4
| style="text-align:center;"|22
| April 14, 2015
|-
| Season 5
| style="text-align:center;"|26
| July 14, 2015
|-
| Season 6
| style="text-align:center;"|24
| October 20, 2015
|-
| Season 7
| style="text-align:center;"|24
| January 26, 2016
|-
| Complete Series
| style="text-align:center;"|166
| February 28, 2023
|}

==Syndication==

===United States===
ABC aired reruns of the show on its [[ABC Daytime|daytime]] schedule from July 1988 to August 1989. The show originally aired at 11:00 AM (ET) until January 1989, when ''[[Ryan's Hope]]'' was canceled and ''[[Home (1988 TV series)|Home]]'' was expanded to an hour from 11:00 AM–noon. The reruns moved to noon.

In the fall of 1989, the show was sold to local syndication, which continued until 1997. The show also aired on [[TBS (TV network)|TBS]] for several years premiering in October 1993 at 6:35 PM. The show continued to air on TBS until September 1996.

Reruns aired on the [[Disney Channel]] from September 1997 to September 2001. The cable rights for the show moved to sister network [[Freeform (TV channel)|ABC Family]], where it ran from 2001 to 2004. It has also aired on [[ION Television]] during the fall of 2006 into the spring of 2007.

[[Nick at Nite]] began airing ''Growing Pains'' on February 12, 2007, launching with a marathon from 9:00 PM–1:00 AM. It was pulled from the line-up shortly after, and reruns later moved to sister network [[Noggin (brand)|Noggin]] (as part of its teen block, [[The N]]). [[TeenNick]] re-aired the series on Monday, September 13, 2010, in a 5:00 AM hour block, and aired its final showings on December 27, 2010.

''Growing Pains'' aired on [[Up TV]] from January 2015 to July 2017. [[Antenna TV]] began airing the series in December 2017 until it was moved to sister station [[Rewind TV]] when it launched on September 1, 2021.<ref>https://rewindtv.com/title-item/growing-pains/</ref>

It was also available on [[The Roku Channel]] from November 2019 to 2021.

===Asia===
;Mainland China
* The show was dubbed by [[Shanghai Television]] in the late 1980s ''Chéngzhǎng de Fánnǎo'' (成长的烦恼; literally "Growing vexation")
;Taiwan
* The show was dubbed by [[Chinese Television System]] in the 1980s–1990s ''Huānlè Jiātíng'' (歡樂家庭; Happy Family)
;Japan
* ''Growing Pains'' was dubbed in Japanese, and broadcast by the [[NHK]] of Japan in the title of "''Yukai na Shiba Ke'' (愉快なシーバー家)" (Happy Seaver family) from 1997 to 2000
;Indonesia
* ''Growing Pains'' was broadcast by [[RCTI]] from September 1989 to August 1991 and re-run by [[SCTV (Indonesia)|SCTV]] from 1991 to around 1994.
; Philippines
* ''Growing Pains'' was aired by [[People's Television Network|PTV-4]] with Simulcast on [[GMA Network|GMA-7]] in 1986–1991; it moved to [[TV5 (Philippine TV network)|ABC-5]] in 1993–2000 with English Dubbed in 1993–1994 & Tagalized in 1994–2000

===Europe===
;France
The show aired with the title ''[[:fr:Quoi de neuf docteur ? (série télévisée)|Quoi de neuf docteur?]]'' (What's New Doctor?) on [[Antenne 2]] from 1987 then as part of a block called ''[[:fr:Giga (émission de télévision)|Giga]]'' from February 19, 1990, on the same network.

Two books were published in [[French language|French]] exclusively about ''Growing Pains'': Cyrille Rollet, Ph.D. (EHESS, Paris),
* ''Physiologie d'un sitcom américain (voyage au cœur de Growing Pains)'', (volume 1) – ''Physiology of an American Sitcom (Journey to the Heart of Growing Pains)''
* ''Circulation culturelle d'un sitcom américain (volume 2) – The Cultural Circulation of an American Sitcom''

;Germany
The show aired with the title ''[[:de:Unser lautes Heim|Unser lautes Heim]]'' (Our noisy home) on [[ProSieben]] from 1993.

;Italy
The show aired in 1987 with the title ''[[:it:Genitori in blue jeans|Genitori in blue jeans]]'' (Parents in blue jeans) where the first two seasons original aired on [[Canale 5]] then it moved to [[Italia 1]] for the later four seasons.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2016-12-14 |title=Genitori in blue jeans, che fine hanno fatto i protagonisti? |url=http://tvzap.kataweb.it/foto/187312/genitori-in-blue-jeans-che-fine-hanno-fatto-i-protagonisti/ |access-date=2022-05-06 |website=Tvzap |language=it-IT}}</ref> This was also the name of an Italian comedy film from the 60s.

;Netherlands
The show aired in 1986 with Dutch broadcast organization AVRO as ''Growing Pains'' in English with [[subtitles]] in [[Dutch language|Dutch]].

;Spain

In Spain the series aired with the title ''[[:es:Growing Pains|Los problemas crecen]]'' (Growing problems) and was dubbed to [[Spanish language|Spanish]]. Originally aired in [[La 1 (Spanish TV channel)]] from the end of the 80s to the beginning of the 90s, and subsequently in [[La 2 (Spanish TV channel)]], [[Antena 3 (Spanish TV channel)]] y [[Factoría de Ficción]]

===Australasia===
;Australia
* Digital free-to-air channel [[7TWO]] began airing reruns of ''Growing Pains'' in October 2010, and reached the final episode in June 2011, replacing it with ''[[Night Court]]''. The [[Nine Network]] first aired the show back in the 1980s and 1990s.

;New Zealand
* The show aired on [[TVNZ]]'s [[TVNZ 2|TV2]] on Saturday afternoons in the late 1980s-early 1990s.

===Turkey===
The show aired at the beginning of the 1990s on Turkey's first private TV channel, [[Star TV (Turkey)|Star TV]].

===Latin America===
The show was previously aired on [[Nickelodeon (Latin America)|Nickelodeon]]'s block, [[Nick at Nite international versions#Latin America|Nick at Nite]] from 2006 to 2009.

== Notes ==
{{reflist|group=note}}

== References ==
{{Reflist}}

=== Bibliography ===
* {{cite book |last=Wight |first=Douglas |date=2012 |title=Leonardo DiCaprio: The Biography |publisher=Blake Publishing |isbn=978-1782197270}}

== External links ==
* {{IMDb title|0088527|Growing Pains}}
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20150429020318/http://www.growingpains.fr/ ''Growing Pains'' French website] {{in lang|fr}}
* [http://uptv.com/shows/growing-pains/ Growing Pains] ({{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180625214634/http://uptv.com/shows/growing-pains/ |date=2018-06-25 }}) at UP TV Network

{{Growing Pains}}

[[Category:Growing Pains| ]]
[[Category:1985 American television series debuts]]
[[Category:1992 American television series endings]]
[[Category:1980s American multi-camera sitcoms]]
[[Category:1990s American multi-camera sitcoms]]
[[Category:American English-language television shows]]
[[Category:Coming-of-age television shows]]
[[Category:Metafictional television series]]
[[Category:Television series by Warner Bros. Television Studios]]
[[Category:Television shows set on Long Island]]
[[Category:Television series about families]]
[[Category:Television series about journalism]]
[[Category:Television shows adapted into films]]
[[Category:Television series created by Neal Marlens]]
[[Category:Television series about siblings]]
[[Category:American Broadcasting Company sitcoms]]