Growing Pains

Growing Pains

TV-G198530m6.5/10
Comedy

Ratings

🎬TMDb
6.5/10(163)

Fatherhood has taken on a whole new meaning for Jason Seaver, who has assumed the chores of cooking, cleaning and minding the kids so that his wife, Maggie, can pursue a career in journalism after spending 15 years as a housewife.

Production

Guntzelman-Sullivan-Marshall Productions, Warner Bros. Television

Language

EN

Status

Ended

First Aired

September 24, 1985

Last Aired

April 25, 1992

Networks

ABC

Created By

Neal Marlens

Seasons & Episodes
Select a season to view episodes. Reddit links may contain spoilers.
Season
Pilot
E1
Pilot
Air date: 1985-09-24
Maggie goes back to work as a journalist, prompting psychologist Jason to move his office into their home so he can keep his eye on the kids. Things don't get off to a great start: the first night he gets a call from the police that Mike has been picked up for illegally driving a car.
Springsteen
E2
Springsteen
Air date: 1985-10-01
Jason embarrasses Mike at a Bruce Springsteen concert when they are interviewed together.
Jealousy
E3
Jealousy
Air date: 1985-10-08
Jason fumes when Maggie spends long hours on a toxic waste story with handsome co-worker Fred.
Carol's Article
E4
Carol's Article
Air date: 1985-10-15
Maggie gives an honest assessment of Carol's writing of an article for her school magazine; Mike and Ben discover track betting.
Superdad!
E5
Superdad!
Air date: 1985-10-29
Maggie accuses Jason of monopolizing the children.
Mike's Madonna Story
E6
Mike's Madonna Story
Air date: 1985-11-05
Mike's infatuation with a Madonna look-alike worries Maggie.
Weekend Fantasy
E7
Weekend Fantasy
Air date: 1985-11-12
Jason and Maggie want to go to a mountain lodge for a weekend, but are reluctant to leave the kids alone.
Slice of Life
E8
Slice of Life
Air date: 1985-11-19
Coming across a compatibility test in Jason's office, Maggie decides she and Jason should fill it out, but her answers don't tab with his. Meanwhile, Mike feigns interest in karate when his real goal is a girl attending the course.
Carol's Crush
E9
Carol's Crush
Air date: 1985-11-26
Carol develops a crush on a family friend, who thinks of her as his little sister.
Dirt Bike
E10
Dirt Bike
Air date: 1985-12-03
Mike hurts more than his pride when he takes a nasty fall off a dirt bike that he promised his parents he wouldn't go near.
Standardized Test
E11
Standardized Test
Air date: 1985-12-10
Mike doodles on his aptitude test and winds up with an IQ score of 27.
A Christmas Story
E12
A Christmas Story
Air date: 1985-12-17
A depressed department store Santa consulting Jason decides to commit suicide by leaping down the Seavers' chimney.
The Love Song of M. Aaron Seaver
E13
The Love Song of M. Aaron Seaver
Air date: 1986-01-07
Mike backs out of the family-bowling match so he can date a snobbish girlfriend.
First Blood
E14
First Blood
Air date: 1986-01-14
Jason faces off against Ben's hockey coach, who's teaching the boys to play dirty; Mike learns ballroom dancing.
Slice of Life II
E15
Slice of Life II
Air date: 1986-01-21
Maggie casually mentions to Jason that she might be pregnant; Mike acts as a weekend servant to Ben; and Carol wants to divorce her class-project husband.
The Seavers vs. the Cleavers
E16
The Seavers vs. the Cleavers
Air date: 1986-01-28
The PTA head rejects the Seavers as dance chaperones.
Charity Begins at Home
E17
Charity Begins at Home
Air date: 1986-02-18
Ben gives Jason a very expensive birthday present, causing speculation on how he can possibly afford it.
Reputation
E18
Reputation
Air date: 1986-02-25
Mike writes test answers on his shoe soles.
The Anniversary That Never Was
E19
The Anniversary That Never Was
Air date: 1986-03-04
Maggie's assignment interferes with anniversary plans.
Be a Man
E20
Be a Man
Air date: 1986-03-11
Custodian Mike watches a wild party explode in his home.
Career Decision
E21
Career Decision
Air date: 1986-05-06
Reporter Maggie and psychiatrist Jason both face important career decisions.
Extra Lap
E22
Extra Lap
Air date: 1986-05-13
Mike's practical-joker uncle Bob visits from the hereafter.

Cast

Alan Thicke

Alan Thicke

Jason Seaver

Joanna Kerns

Joanna Kerns

Maggie Seaver

Kirk Cameron

Kirk Cameron

Mike Seaver

Tracey Gold

Tracey Gold

Carol Seaver

Jeremy Miller

Jeremy Miller

Ben Seaver

Ashley Johnson

Ashley Johnson

Chrissy Seaver

Leonardo DiCaprio

Leonardo DiCaprio

Luke Brower

Recommended

The Andy Griffith Show

The Andy Griffith Show

7.6
1960
TV Show

The Andy Griffith Show is an American sitcom first televised on CBS between October 3, 1960 and April 1, 1968. Andy Griffith portrays the widowed sheriff of the fictional small community of Mayberry, North Carolina. His life is complicated by an inept, but well-meaning deputy, Barney Fife, a spinster aunt and housekeeper, Aunt Bee, and a precocious young son, Opie. Local ne'er-do-wells, bumbling pals, and temperamental girlfriends further complicate his life. Andy Griffith stated in a Today Show interview, with respect to the time period of the show: "Well, though we never said it, and though it was shot in the '60s, it had a feeling of the '30s. It was when we were doing it, of a time gone by." The series never placed lower than seventh in the Nielsen ratings and ended its final season at number one. It has been ranked by TV Guide as the 9th-best show in American television history. Though neither Griffith nor the show won awards during its eight-season run, series co-stars Knotts and Bavier accumulated a combined total of six Emmy Awards. The show, a semi-spin-off from an episode of The Danny Thomas Show titled "Danny Meets Andy Griffith", spawned its own spin-off series, Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C., a sequel series, Mayberry R.F.D., and a reunion telemovie, Return to Mayberry. The show's enduring popularity has generated a good deal of show-related merchandise. Reruns currently air on TV Land, and the complete series is available on DVD. All eight seasons are also now available by streaming video services such as Netflix.

The Andy Griffith Show

1960
7.6

Similar TV Shows