List of Growing Pains episodes
The ABC sitcom series Growing Pains aired from September 24, 1985 to April 25, 1992, with 166 episodes produced spanning 7 seasons.
Series overview
| Season | Episodes | Originally aired | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| First aired | Last aired | |||
| 1 | 22 | September 24, 1985 | May 13, 1986 | |
| 2 | 22 | September 30, 1986 | May 19, 1987 | |
| 3 | 26 | September 18, 1987 | May 4, 1988 | |
| 4 | 22 | October 19, 1988 | May 3, 1989 | |
| 5 | 26 | September 20, 1989 | May 2, 1990 | |
| 6 | 24 | September 19, 1990 | April 24, 1991 | |
| 7 | 24 | September 18, 1991 | April 25, 1992 | |
| TV films | 2 films | |||
Episodes
Season 1 (1985–86)
| No. in series |
No. in season |
Title | Directed by | Written by | Original air date | Production code |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | "Pilot" | John Pasquin | Neal Marlens | September 24, 1985 | 206740 |
| Maggie goes back to work as journalist, leaving Jason to take care of the kids. Underage Mike gets arrested for driving a car. | ||||||
| 2 | 2 | "Springsteen" | John Pasquin | David Kendall | October 1, 1985 | 185803 |
| Mike tries desperately to get tickets to a Bruce Springsteen concert and is ecstatic when Jason gets them. | ||||||
| 3 | 3 | "Jealousy" | John Pasquin | Carol Black & Neal Marlens | October 8, 1985 | 185801 |
| Jason becomes suspicious that Maggie is doing more with a co-worker than working on a story. | ||||||
| 4 | 4 | "Carol's Article" | John Pasquin | Sybil Adelman & Martin Sage | October 15, 1985 | 185804 |
| Carol auditions for her school paper, but is angered when her mother doesn't give her a good review. Meanwhile, Mike and Ben get on a winning streak betting on horses. | ||||||
| 5 | 5 | "Superdad!" | Nick Havinga | Tom Walla & Dave Wollert | October 29, 1985 | 185805 |
| With Maggie's increased workload, Jason takes on more responsibilities at home and gives Carol boy-trouble advice. Maggie is uptight with Jason for being more involved with the kids...after she urged Jason to do just that. | ||||||
| 6 | 6 | "Mike's Madonna Story" | John Pasquin | Carol Black & Neal Marlens | November 5, 1985 | 185802 |
| Mike becomes romantically attracted to a "Madonna look-alike" (Dana Plato), which worries Maggie; Ben accidentally ruins Carol's plant project. | ||||||
| 7 | 7 | "Weekend Fantasy" | John Tracy | Arnold Margolin | November 12, 1985 | 185808 |
| Jason and Maggie leave Mike in charge while they go on a getaway weekend. But when nobody answers when they call home, they imagine all sorts of dreadful possibilities. | ||||||
| 8 | 8 | "Slice of Life" | John Tracy | Rich Reinhart | November 19, 1985 | 185809 |
| After Jason reviews a marriage-compatibility test for his work, he and Maggie take it. They're in for some unpleasant surprises. | ||||||
| 9 | 9 | "Carol's Crush" | John Tracy | Stephen J. Curwick | November 26, 1985 | 185810 |
| Carol has blooming romantic feelings for an older family friend, including jealousy when he's romantically attracted to someone else. | ||||||
| 10 | 10 | "Dirt Bike" | John Tracy | Kerry Ehrin & Ali Marie Matheson | December 3, 1985 | 185811 |
| Mike rides a dirt bike against his parents' wishes while camping with Boner. | ||||||
| 11 | 11 | "Standardized Test" | Nick Havinga | Carol Black & Neal Marlens | December 10, 1985 | 185806 |
| Mike completely disregards an IQ test and gets a score that worries his parents. | ||||||
| 12 | 12 | "A Christmas Story" | John Tracy | Story by: Carol Black & Neal Marlens Teleplay by: Tom Walla & Dave Wollert | December 17, 1985 | 185812 |
| On Christmas Eve, Ben is having second thoughts about Santa Claus; a patient of Jason's threatens to commit suicide by head-firsting down their chimney. | ||||||
| 13 | 13 | "The Love Song of M. Aaron Seaver" | John Tracy | Arnold Margolin | January 7, 1986 | 185814 |
| Mike falls for a cultural student whom he impresses with a poem written by Carol. Their next date is on an annual family bowling night. | ||||||
| 14 | 14 | "First Blood" | John Tracy | Mark Fink | January 14, 1986 | 185813 |
| Ben's hockey team unfortunately features father-son bullies, the father being the team's coach; things only get worse when Ben's father gets involved. At home, Maggie teaches Mike how to ballroom-dance so he can escort his girlfriend to a family wedding. | ||||||
| 15 | 15 | "Slice of Life II" | John Tracy | Tom Walla & David Kendall | January 21, 1986 | 185815 |
| When Maggie tells Jason she might be pregnant, Jason realizes he might not be emotionally ready. | ||||||
| 16 | 16 | "The Seavers vs. the Cleavers" | John Tracy | Susan Beavers | January 28, 1986 | 185817 |
| Mike and Carol don't want their parents chaperoning a dance, so they're glad when they are actually told not to – until Carol finds out the PTA's objection to them. | ||||||
| 17 | 17 | "Charity Begins at Home" | John Tracy | Dan Guntzelman & Steve Marshall | February 18, 1986 | 185816 |
| Ben does not have enough money to buy Jason the really good present he thinks he deserves, but Mike's advice causes him to accidentally commit a crime. | ||||||
| 18 | 18 | "Reputation" | John Tracy | David Kendall | February 25, 1986 | 185819 |
| Mike gets the best grade in the class on his American history final, stunning the class, his family, and Mike himself. When Mike wonders how he pulled off such a great grade...his teacher accused him of cheating. | ||||||
| 19 | 19 | "The Anniversary That Never Was" | John Tracy | Timothy James | March 4, 1986 | 185818 |
| Mike, Carol, and Ben want to give their parents a relaxing anniversary, but Maggie gets called to Washington for business, distressing Jason. | ||||||
| 20 | 20 | "Be a Man" | John Tracy | Rich Reinhart | March 11, 1986 | 185820 |
| Home alone while the rest of the family goes to visit Maggie's parents, Mike throws an unsupervised party. The Malones are having financial trouble and will not accept money from anyone, including their son-in-law. | ||||||
| 21 | 21 | "Career Decision" | John Tracy | Story by: Bob Brush Teleplay by: Bob Brush & Tom Walla | May 6, 1986 | 185821 |
| When Maggie brings Carol to work, Carol has to witness Maggie's humiliation over a mistake she made in an article. Meanwhile, Mike realizes that the world does not revolve around him. | ||||||
| 22 | 22 | "Extra Lap" | John Tracy | Stephen J. Curwick | May 13, 1986 | 185807 |
| Jokester Uncle Bob dies in his sleep during a visit; after the funeral, Mike believes that he is seeing his ghost. | ||||||
Season 2 (1986–87)
| No. in series |
No. in season |
Title | Directed by | Written by | Original air date | Production code |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 23 | 1 | "Jason and the Cruisers" | John Tracy | Tom Walla | September 30, 1986 | 185962 |
| Maggie reunites Jason with his former band when he starts to feel old. | ||||||
| 24 | 2 | "Fast Times at Dewey High" | Dan Guntzelman | David Kendall | October 21, 1986 | 185963 |
| Mike finds himself with two dates for the school dance. | ||||||
| 25 | 3 | "Long Day's Journey Into Night" | John Tracy | David Kendall | October 28, 1986 | 185961 |
| Carol is overjoyed when a popular girl at school starts hanging out with her – until she finds out she is only interested in Mike. | ||||||
| 26 | 4 | "Call Me" | John Tracy | Tim O'Donnell | November 11, 1986 | 185965 |
| Maggie and Jason recall how Ben got into trouble by calling a pornographic hotline, then blaming a neighbor kid for giving out the number. | ||||||
| 27 | 5 | "Employee of the Month" | John Tracy | Tom Walla | November 18, 1986 | 185967 |
|
Mike tries to help a co-worker (Olivia d'Abo) by taking responsibility for her frequent mistakes; after he is fired, he acts like he is still going to work. Danny Nucci guest stars as Mike's boss. | ||||||
| 28 | 6 | "Dream Lover" | John Tracy | Tim O'Donnell | November 25, 1986 | 185970 |
| Carol tutors the captain of the football team. | ||||||
| 29 | 7 | "Do You Believe in Magic?" | John Tracy | Melody Rowland | December 2, 1986 | 185969 |
| After being conned out of $10 by Mike, Carol and Ben (with their parents' help) hatch an elaborate scheme to get it back. | ||||||
| 30 | 8 | "Jason's Rib" | John Tracy | Tom Walla | December 9, 1986 | 185971 |
| Maggie feels belittled by Jason when they disagree about a school dress code during a parents' meeting. | ||||||
| 31 | 9 | "The Kid" | John Tracy | Tim O'Donnell | December 16, 1986 | 185972 |
| Overwhelmed by the holiday spirit, Ben brings home a homeless teen (Hallie Todd). The teen, who snidely identifies herself as "Nancy Reagan", cops an attitude with the Seavers and sees a chance to rob their house. Has Ben made a mistake in being considerate, or will the Seavers' hospitality set the teen runaway straight? | ||||||
| 32 | 10 | "The Breakfast Club" | John Tracy | David Tyron King | January 6, 1987 | 185966 |
| After Maggie insists that Mike be grounded for lying, she is caught in a lie herself and Jason suggests that she should ground herself to teach Mike a lesson. But this is one of those times when a punishment hurts the parent more than the child – Maggie will be missing a concert in Atlantic City by one of her favorites! While Maggie stays with Mike, Carol goes to Atlantic City with Jason so that the tickets will not go to waste. | ||||||
| 33 | 11 | "Choices" | John Tracy | Susan Beavers | January 13, 1987 | 185964 |
| Maggie and Carol are thrilled when Carol gets a chance to skip a grade. Then Maggie wonders if her life choices might have given her daughter the wrong idea. | ||||||
| 34 | 12 | "Higher Education" | John Tracy | Susan Beavers | January 20, 1987 | 185973 |
| Mike is blackmailed by a girl who helped change his grade on an English test so he would be allowed to go on a ski trip. When Jason and Maggie have colds, Carol runs the house a bit too well for Jason's liking. | ||||||
| 35 | 13 | "Some Enchanted Evening" | John Tracy | Susan Beavers | January 27, 1987 | 185976 |
| Carol is eager for Bobby to invite her to the Dewey High winter formal, but he does not seem so eager. Meanwhile, Mike has three girls courting him to be their date. | ||||||
| 36 | 14 | "Thank You, Willie Nelson" | John Tracy | David Kendall | February 3, 1987 | 185974 |
| Maggie's father sells his house without his wife's approval, causing a controversy between them. Mike and Ben attempt to find ways to mess with Carol's pajama party. | ||||||
| 37 | 15 | "Thank God It's Friday" | John Tracy | Dan Guntzelman & Steve Marshall | February 10, 1987 | 185975 |
| Mike and his friends are pressured to take drugs at a college party. | ||||||
| 38 | 16 | "My Brother, Myself" | John Tracy | Susan Beavers | February 24, 1987 | 185981 |
| Ben hits puberty and – with advice from Mike – tries to hit on his babysitter. | ||||||
| 39 | 17 | "Jimmy Durante Died for Your Sins" | John Tracy | Christopher Ames & Carolyn Shelby | March 3, 1987 | 185979 |
| After Carol's parents tell her she can only get a nose job if she gets the money for it herself, she wins it in a radio contest. | ||||||
| 40 | 18 | "Carnival" | John Tracy | Sybil Adelman & Martin Sage | March 10, 1987 | 185968 |
| Maggie volunteers to help out at Ben's school carnival but starts to ignore Ben and do it only for herself. | ||||||
| 41 | 19 | "The Awful Truth" | John Tracy | Kate Boutilier | March 17, 1987 | 185980 |
| The kids believe that Jason was married before and Mike was the product of that marriage. | ||||||
| 42 | 20 | "Born Free" | John Tracy | Tim O'Donnell | March 31, 1987 | 185978 |
| Jason and Mike go on a guys' trip to Boston so Jason can show Mike around his old college and convince him to go to college. But before they even get there, Mike gets some serious life experience during the flight. | ||||||
| 43 | 21 | "The Long Goodbye" | John Tracy | David Kendall & Tim O'Donnell | May 5, 1987 | 185982 |
| Maggie believes that the Seavers' handyman is getting too old (he's messing up more than he's fixing) and tries to convince Jason to let him go. Then they find out that somebody else was behind the mistakes. | ||||||
| 44 | 22 | "Confidentially Yours" | John Tracy | Tom Walla | May 19, 1987 | 185977 |
| Maggie gets a job offer – from a womanizer who only wants to sleep with her. | ||||||
Season 3 (1987–88)
| No. in series |
No. in season |
Title | Directed by | Written by | Original air date | Production code |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 45 | 1 | "Aloha (Part 1)" | John Tracy | Story by: Tom Walla Teleplay by: Dan Guntzelman & Steve Marshall | September 18, 1987 | 186103 |
| The Seavers journey to Hawaii but the holiday does not go as Jason planned. Maggie has work problems, Mike and Carol find romance, and Ben finds a new interest. | ||||||
| 46 | 2 | "Aloha (Part 2)" | John Tracy | Story by: Tom Walla Teleplay by: Dan Guntzelman & Steve Marshall | September 18, 1987 | 186104 |
| Maggie solves her problem; initially shocked that his Hawaiian girlfriend has a daughter, Mike enjoys babysitting her; Bobby arrives. | ||||||
| 47 | 3 | "Taking Care of Business" | John Tracy | Tim O'Donnell | September 22, 1987 | 186102 |
| The family is supportive of the positive effects of Mike's job. Then Jason discovers his employers use bait-and-switch tactics. | ||||||
| 48 | 4 | "Not Necessarily the News" | John Tracy | Tim O'Donnell | September 29, 1987 | 186109 |
| Maggie's family becomes anxious to find her a new job. | ||||||
| 49 | 5 | "Michaelgate" | John Tracy | Dan Guntzelman & Steve Marshall | October 6, 1987 | 186108 |
| Mike is nominated for student-body president. | ||||||
| 50 | 6 | "Big Brother is Not Watching" | John Tracy | David Tyron King | October 13, 1987 | 186101 |
| Ben is told that if he wants a new bike he has to put up half the cost, so he turns to Carol for ideas on how to make a fast buck. Carol organizes a raffle of Ben's old bike, but the plan is derailed when some bullies threaten anyone from buying tickets to assure themselves of the prize, and Ben and Carol get chastized by their parents, who must decide how to proceed. | ||||||
| 51 | 7 | "A Star is Born" | John Tracy | David Kendall | October 27, 1987 | 186107 |
|
Mike joins the school play out of interest in the girl playing the female lead. Note: This is Evan Arnold's final appearance in the series. as he left the series to star in the Growing Pains Spin-off: Just the Ten of Us (1988–90). | ||||||
| 52 | 8 | "Gone But Not Forgotten" | John Tracy | Christopher Ames & Carolyn Shelby | November 3, 1987 | 186105 |
| When the Seaver house is burglarized, the family fears the perpetrators' return. | ||||||
| 53 | 9 | "Who's Zoomin' Who?" | John Tracy | Tom Walla | November 10, 1987 | 186113 |
| Carol's friends convince her to dump Bobby for the handsome new transfer student (Brad Pitt). | ||||||
| 54 | 10 | "This is Your Life" | John Tracy | David Kendall | November 17, 1987 | 186110 |
| Ben is fearful of undergoing a tonsillectomy, so he escape the surgery then realizes he has been punished for his cowardice by being disinherited and replaced by a new, perfect-in-every-way Ben. | ||||||
| 55 | 11 | "Broadway Bound" | John Tracy | Tim O'Donnell & Tom Walla | November 24, 1987 | 186115 |
| Mike skips the local school play audition to audition for a Broadway play. | ||||||
| 56 | 12 | "The Scarlet Letter" | John Tracy | Kate Boutilier | December 1, 1987 | 186106 |
| Carol doubts the purpose of education when she gets an A+ on an exam paper she bluffed her way through. | ||||||
| 57 | 13 | "A Reason to Live" | John Tracy | David Tyron King | December 8, 1987 | 186112 |
| A troubled girl uses a school assignment with Mike and Boner to seek help from Jason. | ||||||
| 58 | 14 | "Nasty Habits" | John Tracy | Christopher Ames & Carolyn Shelby | December 15, 1987 | 186119 |
| Mike's bad habits catch up with him and put him in danger of not graduating: he can't seem to start his English paper and even plans to go out the night before it's due. | ||||||
| 59 | 15 | "The Marrying Kind" | John Tracy | David Kendall | January 5, 1988 | 186114 |
| Jason and Maggie are shocked when Carol announces her engagement to Bobby. | ||||||
| 60 | 16 | "State of the Union" | John Tracy | Kate Boutilier | January 12, 1988 | 186120 |
| Jason and Maggie spend more and more time apart as Maggie's new job demands more and more of her time. | ||||||
| 61 | 17 | "The Mom Who Knew Too Much" | John Tracy | Kate Boutilier | January 26, 1988 | 186111 |
| Carol is furious with Maggie for telling Jason one of her most intimate secrets. | ||||||
| 62 | 18 | "Great Expectations" | John Tracy | David Kendall | February 9, 1988 | 186122 |
| A letter from the girl he met in Hawaii has Mike scheming to go to Los Angeles without Jason and Maggie's knowledge. | ||||||
| 63 | 19 | "Dance Fever (Part 1)" | John Tracy | Tim O'Donnell | March 1, 1988 | 186117 |
| While Maggie and Jason chaperone Mike and Carol's high-school dance, Ben goes in search of his manhood. | ||||||
| 64 | 20 | "Dance Fever (Part 2)" | John Tracy | Tim O'Donnell | March 2, 1988 | 186118 |
| As Ben continues his quest for manhood, the high-school dance continues: Jason and Maggie compete to see which one is the better D.J.; Mike discovers he has values; and Carol learns to think for herself instead of going along with the crowd. | ||||||
| 65 | 21 | "Bringing Up Baby" | John Tracy | Tom Walla | March 9, 1988 | 186121 |
| While the Seavers make room for baby #4, Maggie grasps for a way to tell her boss she's pregnant. | ||||||
| 66 | 22 | "The Obscure Objects of Our Desire (Part 1)" | John Tracy | David Kendall | March 30, 1988 | 186365A |
| Spring cleaning breathes new life into the family's household objects, and each has a story to tell. | ||||||
| 67 | 23 | "The Obscure Objects of Our Desire (Part 2)" | John Tracy | David Kendall | March 30, 1988 | 186365B |
| Housecleaning turns up things from the family's past and sparks memories. | ||||||
| 68 | 24 | "How the West Was Won (Part 1)" | John Tracy | Dan Guntzelman & Steve Marshall | April 20, 1988 | 186291 |
| Mike and Boner learn that Coach Lubbock has been fired, prompting them to organize a protest. | ||||||
| 69 | 25 | "How the West Was Won (Part 2)" | John Tracy | Dan Guntzelman & Steve Marshall | April 26, 1988 | 186292 |
| Jason, Carol, Mike, and Boner are arrested over the demonstration of Coach Lubbock's firing. | ||||||
| 70 | 26 | "Graduation Day" | John Tracy | Dan Guntzelman & Steve Marshall | May 3, 1988 | 186116 |
| Mike's graduation stirs memories from his proud parents, who recall his birth and first day of school. | ||||||
Season 4 (1988–89)
| No. in series |
No. in season |
Title | Directed by | Written by | Original air date | Production code |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 71 | 1 | "Fool for Love" | John Tracy | Kate Boutilier | October 19, 1988 | 186433 |
| Ben works up the courage to ask a girl to a Halloween party. | ||||||
| 72 | 2 | "Birth of a Seaver" | John Tracy | David Kendall | October 26, 1988 | 186434 |
| Maggie goes into labor on Ben's 12th birthday. | ||||||
| 73 | 3 | "Family Ties (Part 1)" | John Tracy | Tim O'Donnell | November 2, 1988 | 186431 |
| Mike has a showdown with Jason over his rights as an 18-year-old college student and declares his freedom from parental rule. | ||||||
| 74 | 4 | "Family Ties (Part 2)" | John Tracy | Tom Walla | November 9, 1988 | 186432 |
| Mike converts the storage space above the garage into an apartment and must choose whether he wants to be tenant or family member. | ||||||
| 75 | 5 | "Guess Who's Coming to Dinner?" | John Tracy | Becky Ayers & Joanna Kerns | November 16, 1988 | 186435 |
| Jason learns his widowed mother has a new beau. | ||||||
| 76 | 6 | "Homecoming Queen" | John Tracy | Kate Boutilier | November 23, 1988 | 186436 |
| Carol is chosen for homecoming court. | ||||||
| 77 | 7 | "Nude Photos" | John Tracy | David Kendall | November 30, 1988 | 186437 |
| Mike's photography course includes nude studies. While his friends see it as a chance to get their thrills, Mike actually gets a nagging feeling he should be a professional student. | ||||||
| 78 | 8 | "Ben's First Kiss" | John Tracy | Tim O'Donnell | December 7, 1988 | 186439 |
| Ben throws a party to get to know a girl. | ||||||
| 79 | 9 | "The Nanny" | John Tracy | Kevin Abbott | January 4, 1989 | 186438 |
| The Seavers hire a nanny for Chrissy, with interesting results. | ||||||
| 80 | 10 | "Mandingo" | John Tracy | Story by: Dan Guntzelman & Mike Sullivan Teleplay by: David Kendall & Tim O'Donnell | January 11, 1989 | 186442 |
| A travel snafu strands Julie with Mike. | ||||||
| 81 | 11 | "In Carol We Trust" | John Tracy | Tom Walla | January 18, 1989 | 186441 |
| Carol sneaks out of the house for a date. | ||||||
| 82 | 12 | "Mom of the Year" | John Tracy | Becky Ayers | January 25, 1989 | 186443 |
| Maggie is chosen to receive the "Working Mother of the Year" award and prepares a speech. | ||||||
| 83 | 13 | "Semper Fidelis" | John Tracy | David Kendall | February 1, 1989 | 186440 |
| Boner flunks out of college and joins the Marines. | ||||||
| 84 | 14 | "Feet of Clay" | John Tracy | Todd Thicke | February 8, 1989 | 186444 |
|
Maggie arranges for Ben to meet his favorite rock musician, Jonathan Keith (Brad Pitt), whose backstage behavior cures Ben's idolatry of him. Note: This is Brad Pitt's second appearance in the series. He previously guest-starred as Carol's love-interest Jeff in the season-three episode "Who's Zoomin' Who". | ||||||
| 85 | 15 | "Anniversary from Hell" | John Tracy | Tim O'Donnell | February 15, 1989 | 186446 |
| The Seavers achieve their 20th anniversary, but trouble in the form of a pie fight erupts among their celebration's guests. | ||||||
| 86 | 16 | "Fortunate Son" | John Tracy | Tim O'Donnell | February 22, 1989 | 186445 |
| Maggie becomes concerned when Mike takes a job at a convenience store and may have to do dangerous night shifts. | ||||||
| 87 | 17 | "Double Standard" | John Tracy | Todd Thicke | March 1, 1989 | 186447 |
| Jason punishes Carol and Ben unequally for the same offense: sneaking out for dates. | ||||||
| 88 | 18 | "The Recruiter" | John Tracy | Tim O'Donnell | March 15, 1988 | 186449 |
| To avoid going to her parents' college without disappointing them, Carol has Mike hire a homeless man (Carmen Filpi) to pose as Jason. | ||||||
| 89 | 19 | "Show Ninety – Who Knew?" | John Tracy | Kevin Abbott | March 22, 1989 | 186450 |
|
Jason helps Mike with his Psychology class, with unexpected results. Note: Contrary to the episode title, this episode was the 89th episode to air. | ||||||
| 90 | 20 | "Second Chance" | John Tracy | Story: by Dan Guntzelman & Steve Marshall Teleplay by: David Kendall | April 12, 1989 | 186448 |
|
Carol's boyfriend Sandy (Matthew Perry) drives drunk and gets into an accident. Note: This episode ended with a message that told viewers the average numbers of deaths in drunk-driving accidents. When Sandy was killed the number was raised. | ||||||
| 91 | 21 | "The Looooove Boat (Part 1)" | John Tracy | David Kendall | April 26, 1989 | 186451 |
| Jason's mother wants to get married on a cruise ship. | ||||||
| 92 | 22 | "The Looooove Boat (Part 2)" | John Tracy | David Kendall | May 3, 1989 | 186452 |
| Jason tries to calm his mother when her wedding plans fail. | ||||||
Season 5 (1989–90)
| No. in series |
No. in season |
Title | Directed by | Written by | Original air date | Production code |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 93 | 1 | "Anger With Love" | John Tracy | David Kendall & Tim O'Donnell | September 20, 1989 | 186704 |
| Maggie disapproves of Mike and Julie's wedding plans. | ||||||
| 94 | 2 | "Mike and Julie's Wedding" | John Tracy | David Kendall | September 27, 1989 | 186703 |
| Julie and Mike suffer prenuptial jitters. | ||||||
| 95 | 3 | "Carol Meets the Real World" | John Tracy | David Kendall | October 4, 1989 | 186701 |
| Jason demands that Carol find a job. | ||||||
| 96 | 4 | "Fish Bait" | John Tracy | Rob Bragin | October 11, 1989 | 186702 |
| Mike's drama teacher and classmates start to intimidate him. | ||||||
| 97 | 5 | "Teach Me" | John Tracy | Tim O'Donnell | October 18, 1989 | 186706 |
| Carol brings a fake boyfriend to a family party. | ||||||
| 98 | 6 | "Carol's Papers" | John Tracy | Tim O'Donnell | October 25, 1989 | 186705 |
| Jason confronts Ben and Mike, who give conflicting versions of how Ben came to sell Carol's old term papers to students at Dewey High – and to date a seductive 18-year-old. | ||||||
| 99 | 7 | "Coughing Boy" | John Tracy | Mindy Schneider | November 1, 1989 | 186709 |
| Mike attends an open casting session and wins a part on a TV cop show! | ||||||
| 100 | 8 | "The New Deal (Part 1)" | John Tracy | Shelly Landau | November 8, 1989 | 186707 |
| Jason gets a promising job offer. | ||||||
| 101 | 9 | "The New Deal (Part 2)" | John Tracy | Shelly Landau | November 15, 1989 | 186708 |
| Jason tries to hide his new job offer from Maggie. | ||||||
| 102 | 10 | "Paper Route" | John Tracy | David Kendall | November 22, 1989 | 186710 |
| Ben assumes Mike's paper route for half the money. | ||||||
| 103 | 11 | "Five Grand" | John Tracy | Tim O'Donnell | November 29, 1989 | 186713 |
| Maggie's parents give each of the grandchildren $5,000 as an early inheritance. | ||||||
| 104 | 12 | "Carol's Promotion" | John Tracy | Mindy Schneider | December 6, 1989 | 186711 |
| Carol considers postponing college when she gets a promotion at work. | ||||||
| 105 | 13 | "Ben and Mike's Excellent Adventure" | John Tracy | Rob Bragin | December 13, 1989 | 186712 |
| When taking Ben out to get supplies for a last minute project, it turns into all sorts of nighttime adventures to include a run in with the cops and girl-chasing. | ||||||
| 106 | 14 | "The Triangle" | John Tracy | Shelly Landau | January 3, 1990 | 186714 |
| Mike falls for his leading lady. | ||||||
| 107 | 15 | "The Return of the Triangle" | John Tracy | Shelly Landau | January 10, 1990 | 186715 |
| David turns to Mike for help with Kate. | ||||||
| 108 | 16 | "The Home Show" | John Tracy | David Kendall & Tim O'Donnell | January 17, 1990 | 186716 |
| The Seavers' reception to raise money for a free mental-health clinic is in trouble when, having mixed-up the date, they send the caterer away, then can't get her back or find another on no notice. | ||||||
| 109 | 17 | "Jason vs. Maggie" | John Tracy | Tim O'Donnell | January 24, 1990 | 186717 |
| Jason and Maggie argue over Ben's request to get his ear pierced. | ||||||
| 110 | 18 | "Mike, Kate and Julie" | John Tracy | David Kendall | January 31, 1990 | 186718 |
| Mike unexpectedly sees a familiar face while on a date with Kate. | ||||||
| 111 | 19 | "Mike, the Teacher" | John Tracy | Mindy Schneider | February 7, 1990 | 186719 |
| Mike becomes a substitute teacher. | ||||||
| 112 | 20 | "Carol in Jail" | John Tracy | Mindy Schneider | February 14, 1990 | 186720 |
| Mike's unpaid parking tickets get Carol arrested when she is pulled over driving his car. | ||||||
| 113 | 21 | "Future Shock" | John Tracy | Todd Thicke | February 21, 1990 | 186721 |
| After seeming to be the oldest parent at Chrissy's preschool (as in, the teacher thinks she's Chrissy's grandma), Maggie dreams of Chrissy as a teenager (played by Krystyne Haje). | ||||||
| 114 | 22 | "Ben Cheats" | John Tracy | Tim O'Donnell | March 14, 1990 | 186722 |
| Ben weighs the pros and cons of cheating after sly classmate Vito clues him in about test-passing. | ||||||
| 115 | 23 | "Mike, the Director" | John Tracy | Rob Bragin | March 21, 1990 | 186723 |
| As he prepares to graduate, Mike decides he wants to try his hand at directing. | ||||||
| 116 | 24 | "Weekend at Mike's" | John Tracy | Story by: David Kendall & Tim O'Donnell Teleplay by: Shelly Landau | April 4, 1990 | 186725 |
| The family stays at Mike's apartment while the house is being fumigated. | ||||||
| 117 | 25 | "Ben's Movie" | John Tracy | Shelly Landau | April 25, 1990 | 186695 |
| Ben casts a girl he likes in his home movie. | ||||||
| 118 | 26 | "Where's There's a Will" | John Tracy | David Kendall | May 2, 1990 | 186696 |
| Jason and Mike journey to inspect the mountain cabin Jason has inherited from his Uncle George. | ||||||
Season 6 (1990–91)
| No. in series |
No. in season |
Title | Directed by | Written by | Original air date | Production code |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 119 | 1 | "Mike's Choice (Part 1)" | John Tracy | David Kendall | September 19, 1990 | 187014 |
| Mike decides to quit college to fully focus on acting; Jason and Maggie disapprove. | ||||||
| 120 | 2 | "Midnight Cowboy (Part 2)" | John Tracy | Nick Lerose | September 26, 1990 | 187015 |
| Mike moves into the city; Carol has a hard time with her commute to Columbia University. | ||||||
| 121 | 3 | "Roommates (Part 3)" | John Tracy | Bob Burris & Michael Ware | October 3, 1990 | 187016 |
| Mike and Carol rent an apartment in the city as Jason and Maggie wait patiently for them to return home. The wait may not to be too long as Carol get immersed in the culture of NYC, indirectly getting her and Mike evicted, and Maggie's parents start laying down the law. | ||||||
| 122 | 4 | "Daddy Mike" | John Tracy | Elias Davis & David Pollock | October 10, 1990 | 187013 |
| Mike and Eddie (K. C. Martel) join a single-parents group to meet women. | ||||||
| 123 | 5 | "Ben's Sure Thing" | John Tracy | Shelly Landau | October 17, 1990 | 187012 |
| At Ben's school's Parents' Night, his parents learn what he has been telling his friends about the girl that he has been dating (Andrea Barber) – and the words' effect on his popularity. | ||||||
| 124 | 6 | "Jason Flirts, Maggie Hurts" | John Tracy | Jack Weinberger & Mike Weinberger | October 24, 1990 | 187011 |
| A flirty Jason gets jealous when Maggie turns the tables. | ||||||
| 125 | 7 | "Happy Halloween (Part 1)" | John Tracy | Jay Abramowitz, Dan Guntzelman & Nick Lerose | October 31, 1990 | 187017 |
|
The Seavers spend a rainy Halloween night telling ghost stories – and thanks to Mike they discover that truth can be much scarier than fiction. Guest starring Jamie Luner – "Cindy Lubbock" of Just the Ten of Us. | ||||||
| 126 | 8 | "Happy Halloween (Part 2)" | John Tracy | Jay Abramowitz, Dan Guntzelman & Nick Lerose | October 31, 1990 | 187018 |
| The Seavers' rainy Halloween night continues. | ||||||
| 127 | 9 | "Let's Go Europe (Part 1)" | John Tracy | David Kendall | November 7, 1990 | 187019 |
| Jason buys an anniversary trip to Paris from travel-agent Mike, who wins a European tour that falls apart. In Paris, Maggie is bitten not by the love bug but by appendicitis. | ||||||
| 128 | 10 | "Let's Go Europe (Part 2)" | John Tracy | Bob Burris & Michael Ware | November 14, 1990 | 187020 |
| While Maggie is hospitalized in Paris, Mike is stuck on the road with an angry customer. | ||||||
| 129 | 11 | "Let's Go Europe (Part 3)" | John Tracy | Story by: Dan Guntzelman & David Kendall Teleplay by: Bob Burris & Michael Ware | November 28, 1990 | 187022 |
| Mike and Amy continue to bicker their way toward Paris. | ||||||
| 130 | 12 | "Divorce Story" | John Tracy | Elias Davis & David Pollock | December 5, 1990 | 187023 |
| Jason, happy to see his mother's second marriage crumbling, doesn't want to offer professional help. | ||||||
| 131 | 13 | "The World According to Chrissy" | John Tracy | Leilani Downer | December 19, 1990 | 187024 |
| Chrissy's imaginary friend is a 6-foot-tall mouse, Ike. | ||||||
| 132 | 14 | "How Could I Leave Her Behind?" | John Tracy | Jack Weinberger & Mike Weinberger | January 2, 1991 | 187021 |
| Mike and Eddie double-date – Eddie's date is Mike's ex-girlfriend. | ||||||
| 133 | 15 | "Like Father, Like Son" | John Tracy | Vince Cheung & Ben Montanio | January 9, 1991 | 187025 |
| In an intrafamily communications seminar, Mike and Jason discover how alike they are. | ||||||
| 134 | 16 | "Ben's Rap Group" | John Tracy | Todd Thicke | January 23, 1991 | 187027 |
| Jason becomes Ben's business partner in rap-group management, but he uses the money he's invested to control Ben. | ||||||
| 135 | 17 | "Eddie, We Hardly Knew Ye" | John Tracy | Rich Reinhart | January 30, 1991 | 187026 |
| Maggie's father Ed dies during a visit to the Seavers. | ||||||
| 136 | 18 | "Maggie Seaver's: The Meaning of Life" | John Tracy | Jay Abramowitz | February 6, 1991 | 187029 |
| Jason takes Maggie on a tropical getaway to lift her spirits after her father's death. | ||||||
| 137 | 19 | "All the World is a Stage" | John Tracy | David Kendall | February 13, 1991 | 187030 |
| Mike competes with a well-established actor for a soap-opera role. | ||||||
| 138 | 20 | "Not With My Carol You Don't" | John Tracy | Leilani Downer | February 20, 1991 | 187028 |
| Jason encourages Carol to volunteer at a clinic, then disapproves of the ex-con she meets there. | ||||||
| 139 | 21 | "Meet the Seavers" | John Tracy | Story by: Dan Guntzelman, David Kendall, Mike Sullivan & Steve Marshall Teleplay by: Bob Burris & Michael Ware | March 6, 1991 | 187032 |
| In a Twilight Zone-esque episode, Ben gets shouted at by his parents and grouses to himself how come his family is not like what he sees on TV. He awakens to discover he's Jeremy Miller, an actor on the set of "Meet the Seavers". | ||||||
| 140 | 22 | "Carol's Carnival" | John Tracy | Rich Reinhart | March 27, 1991 | 187033 |
| Ben forces Carol to go on a date with the brother of his new girlfriend but he ditches her and Carol meets another man at the carnival, their date site. | ||||||
| 141 | 23 | "Home Schooling" | John Tracy | Story by: Dan Guntzelman & Mike Sullivan Teleplay by: Nick Lerose | April 17, 1991 | 187031 |
| Maggie homeschools Ben after he is suspended from school. | ||||||
| 142 | 24 | "Viva Las Vegas" | John Tracy | Shelly Landau | April 24, 1991 | 187034 |
| Mike and Kate accompany the eloping Eddie and a hat-check bimbette to Las Vegas. | ||||||
Season 7 (1991–92)
| No. in series |
No. in season |
Title | Directed by | Written by | Original air date | Production code |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 143 | 1 | "Back to School" | Jack Shea | Bob Burris & Michael Ware | September 18, 1991 | 187201 |
| Mike begins his first day teaching remedial students. | ||||||
| 144 | 2 | "Stop, Luke, and Listen (Part 1)" | Jack Shea | Liz Sage | September 25, 1991 | 187203 |
| Mike learns his best student, Luke Brower (Leonardo DiCaprio), is homeless, and offers to help him. | ||||||
| 145 | 3 | "In vino veritas (Part 2)" | Jack Shea | Rich Reinhart | September 28, 1991 | 187204 |
| Mike persuades Jason and Maggie to let Luke stay with them temporarily; just as he moves in, Jason's wine collection disappears. | ||||||
| 146 | 4 | "Paper Tigers" | Jack Shea | Leilani Downer | October 5, 1991 | 187202 |
| Jason and Maggie compete to write a newspaper column; Ben starts to hate his glasses. | ||||||
| 147 | 5 | "The Young and the Homeless" | Jack Shea | Bob Burris & Michael Ware | October 12, 1991 | 187205 |
| Luke runs way from the Seavers' just as Mike is about to film his soap-opera scenes. | ||||||
| 148 | 6 | "Jason Sings the Blues" | Jack Shea | Jerry Colker | October 19, 1991 | 187206 |
| Jason accompanies a leery Luke to the doctor, where he gets nasty news. | ||||||
| 149 | 7 | "The Kid's Still Got It" | Iris Dugow | Jerry Colker | October 26, 1991 | 187207 |
| Carol accompanies Maggie to a resort on an interesting weekend; at home, the all-male weekend is infiltrated by a female: Chrissy, who has been sent home with head lice. | ||||||
| 150 | 8 | "There Must Be a Pony" | Iris Dugow | Liz Sage | November 2, 1991 | 187208 |
| Nouveau-riche neighbors move in next door and their lavish party crashes Jason's "cure" for Chrissy wanting to stay up late because she thinks her bedtime has been keeping her from big fun. Meanwhile, Ben must be Luke's "Big Brother" on his first day of high school, but he soon realizes that Luke will do fine. | ||||||
| 151 | 9 | "The Big Fix" | Iris Dugow | Leilani Downer | November 9, 1991 | 187209 |
| Consumer advocate Maggie raps a vacuum cleaner that Ben secretly broke. | ||||||
| 152 | 10 | "Home Malone" | Burt Brinckerhoff | Rich Reinhart | November 16, 1991 | 187210 |
| The ghost of Maggie's father Ed oversees the Seavers' visit to her childhood home. | ||||||
| 153 | 11 | "Bad Day Cafe" | Renny Temple | Bud Wiser | November 23, 1991 | 187212 |
| Luke's father comes to town wanting him back. | ||||||
| 154 | 12 | "B=MC2" | Gerren Keith | Cathy Jung | November 30, 1991 | 187211 |
| Ben crams for a college entrance exam with no help from Jason. | ||||||
| 155 | 13 | "It's Not Easy Being Green" | Renny Temple | Leilani Downer | December 21, 1991 | 187213 |
| Christmastime brings the Seavers anger and angst. | ||||||
| 156 | 14 | "The Call of the Wild" | Andy Cadiff | Bob Burris & Michael Ware | January 4, 1992 | 187214 |
| Penniless Mike schemes to give Kate a ski-trip. | ||||||
| 157 | 15 | "Honest Abe" | Burt Brinckerhoff | Wendy Braff | January 18, 1992 | 187216 |
| Luke's homeless friend steals a Seaver memento. | ||||||
| 158 | 16 | "Vicious Cycle" | Burt Brinckerhoff | Cathy Jung | February 1, 1992 | 187217 |
| Maggie and Jason hold Mike accountable for Luke's curfew problems. | ||||||
| 159 | 17 | "Menage a Luke" | Gerren Keith | Todd Thicke | February 8, 1992 | 187215 |
| A love triangle involves Ben, Luke, and a classmate. | ||||||
| 160 | 18 | "The Five Fingers of Ben" | Burt Brinckerhoff | Jerry Colker | February 22, 1992 | 187218 |
| Tired of being bullied, Ben takes karate lessons. | ||||||
| 161 | 19 | "Don't Go Changin'" | Don Amendolia | Leilani Downer & Rich Reinhart | February 29, 1992 | 187220 |
| Mike believes his new friend is a bad influence on Luke. | ||||||
| 162 | 20 | "The Truck Stops Here" | Joanna Kerns | Jerry Colker | March 21, 1992 | 187219 |
|
Luke's father returns, wanting him to join him on his trucking journeys. Note: This episode marks Joanna Kerns' directorial debut. (She would go on to direct a number of other notable television series.) | ||||||
| 163 | 21 | "Maggie's Brilliant Career" | Gerren Keith | Kate Boutilier | April 4, 1992 | 187221 |
| Maggie wants to fulfill a dream by climbing a mountain. | ||||||
| 164 | 22 | "The Wrath of Con Ed" | Nancy Heydorn | Liz Sage | April 11, 1992 | 187222 |
| A power failure hampers Jason and Maggie's romantic evening. | ||||||
| 165 | 23 | "The Last Picture Show (Part 1)" | Jonathan Weiss | Bob Burris, Wendy Braff, Jerry Colker, Leilani Downer, Cathy Jung, Rich Reinhart, Liz Sage, Michael Ware & Dan Wilcox | April 25, 1992 | 187223 |
| In Part 1 of the series finale, a senator offers Maggie a job in Washington, D.C.: should she accept? | ||||||
| 166 | 24 | "The Last Picture Show (Part 2)" | Jonathan Weiss | Bob Burris & Michael Ware | April 25, 1992 | 187224 |
| In Part 2 of the series finale, Mike proposes to Kate and the family reminisces about good times in their home. | ||||||
TV films
| Title | Directed by | Written by | Original air date | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Growing Pains Movie | Alan Metter | David Kendall & Mike Sullivan | November 5, 2000 | |
| The Seavers help Maggie in her senate campaign against her former boss. | ||||
| Growing Pains: Return of the Seavers | Joanna Kerns | Christina Lynch & Loren Segan | October 16, 2004 | |
| Jason and Maggie want to sell the house and retire causing a rift with real estate agent Ben, Mike and Carol. | ||||