Growing Pains

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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.

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Creators and Cast

Creators

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Episodes

Specials

3 episodes

S0 E1 · Unaired Pilot Scenes

Scenes from the Growing Pains original unaired pilot, which featured Elizabeth Ward as Carol Seaver, prior to the role being recast and given to Tracey Gold.

S0 E2 · Gag Reel

No summary.

S0 E3 · Seaver Family Reunion: S'mores and More

Created just for the Season One DVD, "Seaver Family Reunion: S'mores and More" brings together the first-season main cast with writer/producer Tim O'Donnell for a half-hour backyard campfire chat about the show, while they toast marshmallows and make s'mores. Presented in letterboxed widescreen, it's one of the better informal retrospectives done for TV DVDs, thanks to the unique concept. It is, though, entirely positive, with some prime apple polishing, and no mention at all of what Cameron did behind the scenes.

Season 1

22 episodes

S1 E1 · Pilot

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.

S1 E2 · Springsteen

Jason embarrasses Mike at a Bruce Springsteen concert when they are interviewed together.

S1 E3 · Jealousy

Jason fumes when Maggie spends long hours on a toxic waste story with handsome co-worker Fred.

S1 E4 · Carol's Article

Maggie gives an honest assessment of Carol's writing of an article for her school magazine; Mike and Ben discover track betting.

S1 E5 · Superdad!

Maggie accuses Jason of monopolizing the children.

S1 E6 · Mike's Madonna Story

Mike's infatuation with a Madonna look-alike worries Maggie.

S1 E7 · Weekend Fantasy

Jason and Maggie want to go to a mountain lodge for a weekend, but are reluctant to leave the kids alone.

S1 E8 · Slice of Life

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.

S1 E9 · Carol's Crush

Carol develops a crush on a family friend, who thinks of her as his little sister.

S1 E10 · Dirt Bike

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.

S1 E11 · Standardized Test

Mike doodles on his aptitude test and winds up with an IQ score of 27.

S1 E12 · A Christmas Story

A depressed department store Santa consulting Jason decides to commit suicide by leaping down the Seavers' chimney.

S1 E13 · The Love Song of M. Aaron Seaver

Mike backs out of the family-bowling match so he can date a snobbish girlfriend.

S1 E14 · First Blood

Jason faces off against Ben's hockey coach, who's teaching the boys to play dirty; Mike learns ballroom dancing.

S1 E15 · Slice of Life II

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.

S1 E16 · The Seavers vs. the Cleavers

The PTA head rejects the Seavers as dance chaperones.

S1 E17 · Charity Begins at Home

Ben gives Jason a very expensive birthday present, causing speculation on how he can possibly afford it.

S1 E18 · Reputation

Mike writes test answers on his shoe soles.

S1 E19 · The Anniversary That Never Was

Maggie's assignment interferes with anniversary plans.

S1 E20 · Be a Man

Custodian Mike watches a wild party explode in his home.

S1 E21 · Career Decision

Reporter Maggie and psychiatrist Jason both face important career decisions.

S1 E22 · Extra Lap

Mike's practical-joker uncle Bob visits from the hereafter.

Season 2

22 episodes

S2 E1 · Jason and the Cruisers

Maggie plans a surprise reunion for Jason's college rock band.

S2 E2 · Fast Times at Dewey High

A new school year brings boredom, bullies, and romantic mix-ups.

S2 E3 · Long Day's Journey Into Night

A cheerleader befriends Carol solely to meet Mike.

S2 E4 · Call Me

Ben has been calling an X-rated phone service.

S2 E5 · Employee of the Month

Fired Mike hides the truth from his parents.

S2 E6 · Dream Lover

Carol spreads rumors about herself and a "hunk".

S2 E7 · Do You Believe in Magic?

A con man sells Mike a "magic" rock.

S2 E8 · Jason's Rib

A proposed school dress code puts Maggie and Jason at odds.

S2 E9 · The Kid

Ben invites a street girl home for the holidays.

S2 E10 · The Breakfast Club

Grounded liar Mike hears Maggie fibbing to her boss.

S2 E11 · Choices

Carol has the chance to skip a high-school grade.

S2 E12 · Higher Education

A girl raises a grade for Mike, then demands payment.

S2 E13 · Some Enchanted Evening

The winter formal causes opposite problems for Carol and Mike.

S2 E14 · Thank You, Willie Nelson

Maggie's quarreling parents come to visit the Seavers.

S2 E15 · Thank God It's Friday

Mike and his friends go to a college party and have to decide whether to use drugs or not.

S2 E16 · My Brother, Myself

Mike plays Cupid for smitten Ben and his baby sitter.

S2 E17 · Jimmy Durante Died for Your Sins

Carol wants to use radio-contest winnings on a nose job.

S2 E18 · Carnival

Maggie's busy schedule leaves Ben feeling neglected.

S2 E19 · The Awful Truth

A genealogy assignment unearths a dark family secret.

S2 E20 · Born Free

Airlines passengers Jason and Mike must deliver a baby.

S2 E21 · The Long Goodbye

Maggie wants Jason to fire the elderly handyman he hired to fix the furnace, but he refuses because the man is a friend.

S2 E22 · Confidentially Yours

Jason knows the editor offering Maggie a dream job is a notorious womanizer.

Season 3

26 episodes

S3 E1 · Aloha (1)

The family is stranded in Maui.

S3 E2 · Aloha (2)

Ben videotapes Mike and Carol's Hawaiian romances.

S3 E3 · Taking Care of Business

Mike uses double talk to sell stereos.

S3 E4 · Not Necessarily the News

The family scrambles to help find an out-of-work Maggie a job after she turns into Super Mom, preparing oversize meals and assigning new chores.

S3 E5 · Michaelgate

Mike is unaware that he's been nominated for student-body president because he's "a sure loser."

S3 E6 · Big Brother is Not Watching

Ben asks Carol's advice on getting a new bike from their parents.

S3 E7 · A Star is Born

A star is born when Mike lands a leading role in the school play opposite the lovely Monica.

S3 E8 · Gone But Not Forgotten

Burglars hit the Seaver home.

S3 E9 · Who's Zoomin' Who?

Bobby's annoying habits make Carol look elsewhere for the man of her dreams -- just in time for her to notice a new student.

S3 E10 · This is Your Life

During a tonsillectomy, Ben has an out-of-body experience, dreaming that he escapes with a friendly cabbie, only to find a new Ben has replaced him at home.

S3 E11 · Broadway Bound

After their success in the school play, Mike and Monica set their sights on a Broadway audition for ""Our Town.""

S3 E12 · The Scarlet Letter

An unearned "A" makes Carol doubt her academic record.

S3 E13 · A Reason to Live

A troubled student named Jill (Kellie Overbey) volunteers to work on a school project with Mike (Kirk Cameron) and Boner (Josh Andrew Koenig). This, however, is a subterfuge: Jill has been contemplating suicide due to some very serious problems at home, and she hopes to get some free counseling from Mike's psychiatrist dad Jason (Alan Thicke). But as it turns out, Jason is presently weighed down with a few self-pity issues of his own.

S3 E14 · Nasty Habits

Maggie and Jason try to keep Mike in his room to complete an English paper, but Mike's mind is of course elsewhere.

S3 E15 · The Marrying Kind

Reason flies out the window when Bobby and his parents arrive at the Seavers' for dinner and a special announcement -- that Bobby and Carol are engaged.

S3 E16 · State of the Union

Maggie fumes over the many irritants that seem to be driving her and Jason apart -- until unexpected news sheds light on the situation.

S3 E17 · The Mom Who Knew Too Much

Maggie and Carol share confidences at the beauty salon, but later Carol learns to her chagrin that a secret isn't safe with Maggie.

S3 E18 · Great Expectations

A letter from the girl he met in Hawaii has Mike scheming to fly to Los Angeles to see her without his parents' knowing.

S3 E19 · Dance Fever (1)

At the school dance, Mike gets a girl and Carol gets raked over the coals. Meanwhile, Ben's adventure goes awry.

S3 E20 · Dance Fever (2)

Great expectations turn sour at the Dewey High dance after Mike hears Lydia's voice; and Ben and Stinky find themselves in a seedy diner eyeing a pinball machine that pays real money.

S3 E21 · Bringing Up Baby

The Seavers begin to make room for baby, relegating Ben to the guest quarters and making the others lament the changes bound to come. Meanwhile, Maggie grasps for a way to tell her boss she is pregnant.

S3 E22 · The Obscure Objects of Our Desire (1)

Spring-cleaning breathes new life into the family's household objects, and each has a story to tell (via flashbacks from past episodes).

S3 E23 · The Obscure Objects of Our Desire (2)

Household objects continue to recall occasions in the Seaver home.

S3 E24 · How the West Was Won (1)

Mike and Boner learn that Coach Lubbock has been fired, prompting them to organize a protest.

S3 E25 · How the West Was Won (2)

Jason, Carol, Mike and Boner are arrested in the demonstration over the dismissal of Coach Lubbock.

S3 E26 · Graduation Day

At Mike's high-school graduation, family members recall moments when it seemed like his graduation would never take place.

Season 4

22 episodes

S4 E1 · Fool for Love

Ben gets spooked at the prospect of asking a girl to a Halloween party; Jason becomes a disruptive force at Lamaze class.

S4 E2 · Birth of a Seaver

Maggie goes into labor on Ben's 12th birthday and Ben confesses to a patient at the hospital that he's already feeling crowded.

S4 E3 · Family Ties (1)

Mike has a showdown with Jason over his rights as an 18-year-old college student, and declares his freedom from parental rule.

S4 E4 · Family Ties (2)

Landlord-tenant problems abound when Mike (Kirk Cameron) moves into the storage area over the family garage

S4 E5 · Guess Who's Coming to Dinner?

Jason sends his mother on a cruise to get her mind off her dead husband, but when she returns with a fiancé in tow, Jason finds it hard to accept the man who will "replace" his father.

S4 E6 · Homecoming Queen

Carol is chosen for homecoming court.

S4 E7 · Nude Photos

Mike's photography course includes nude studies.

S4 E8 · Ben's First Kiss

Ben throws a party to get to know a girl.

S4 E9 · The Nanny

The Seavers hire a nanny for Chrissy.

S4 E10 · Mandingo

A travel snafu strands Julie with Mike.

S4 E11 · In Carol We Trust

Carol sneaks out of the house for a date.

S4 E12 · Mom of the Year

Maggie prepares her "Working Mother of the Year" acceptance speech.

S4 E13 · Semper Fidelis

Boner flunks out of college and joins the Marines.

S4 E14 · Feet of Clay

Maggie arranges for Ben to meet his favorite rock musician.

S4 E15 · Anniversary from Hell

Guests bicker at the Seavers' 20th-anniversary party.

S4 E16 · Fortunate Son

When Mike takes a job at a convenience store, his mother is worried about him working the dangerous night shift; but Mike is more concerned about the favoritism his racist boss shows him as one of the few white employees.

S4 E17 · Double Standard

Jason punishes Carol and Ben unequally for the same offense when they are both caught after sneaking out for dates without permission.

S4 E18 · The Recruiter

Carol doesn't want to attend her parents' alma mater.

S4 E19 · Show Ninety -- Who Knew?

Jason intervenes when Mike gets bad grades in psychology.

S4 E20 · Second Chance

Carol's boyfriend is injured drinking and driving.

S4 E21 · The Looooove Boat (1)

Jason's mother plans to wed aboard a cruise ship.

S4 E22 · The Looooove Boat (2)

Jason tries to mend his mother's broken wedding plans.

Season 5

26 episodes

S5 E1 · Anger With Love

Maggie opposes Mike and Julie's wedding plans.

S5 E2 · Mike and Julie's Wedding

Julie and Mike suffer prenuptial jitters.

S5 E3 · Carol Meets the Real World

Jason tells Carol to get a job.

S5 E4 · Fish Bait

His drama teacher and classmates intimidate Mike.

S5 E5 · Teach Me

Carol brings a bogus boyfriend to a family party.

S5 E6 · Carol's Papers

An angry Jason confronts Ben and Mike, who gives 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.

S5 E7 · Coughing Boy

Mike is over the moon when he attends an open casting session and wins a part on a TV cop show -- and crushed when his single line is cut in the editing.

S5 E8 · The New Deal (1)

Jason gets a promising job offer.

S5 E9 · The New Deal (2)

Jason can't tell Maggie about the job offer.

S5 E10 · Paper Route

Ben assumes Mike's paper route for half the money.

S5 E11 · Five Grand

Their grandparents give Mike, Carol and Ben $5,000 each.

S5 E12 · Carol's Promotion

Promoted at work, Carol decides against college.

S5 E13 · Ben and Mike's Excellent Adventure

Mike takes Ben girl chasing.

S5 E14 · The Triangle

Mike falls for his leading lady.

S5 E15 · The Return of the Triangle

David turns to Mike for help with Kate.

S5 E16 · The Home Show

The Seavers' reception to raise money for a free mental-health clinic spells disaster when they forget the date of the party and must scramble at the last minute for a caterer.

S5 E17 · Jason vs. Maggie

Ben asks permission to get his ear pierced, which leads to a serious argument between his parents.

S5 E18 · Mike, Kate and Julie

While on a Valentine's Day dinner date with Kate, Mike runs into Julie at the restaurant.

S5 E19 · Mike, the Teacher

Mike goes to work as a substitute teacher.

S5 E20 · Carol in Jail

Carol lands in jail after a minor traffic violation.

S5 E21 · Future Shock (a.k.a. Maggie's Dream)

Chrissy becomes a teenager in Maggie's dream, which is influenced by her fear of being an older parent in a sea of youngsters taking their kids to preschool.

S5 E22 · Cheating (a.k.a. Ben Cheat's)

Ben weighs the pros and cons of cheating after he learns the tricks of the test-passing trade from sly schoolmate Vito.

S5 E23 · Mike the Director

In a moment of introspection as he prepares to graduate, Mike wrestles with self-doubt about his ability as a director.

S5 E24 · Weekend at Mike's

With Jason's wallet missing, the Seavers must rely on others to provide them with room and board while their house is being fumigated.

S5 E25 · Ben's Movie

Ben casts a girl he likes as the lead in his home movie.

S5 E26 · Where There's a Will

Jason and Mike head off together to inspect the mountain cabin Jason has inherited from his Uncle George.

Season 6

24 episodes

S6 E1 · Mike's Choice

When Mike lands a role in an off-Broadway play, he leaves college to pursue acting full-time in New York City.

S6 E2 · Midnight Cowboy

Mike is broke and homeless in New York City.

S6 E3 · Roommates

Mike becomes roommates with sister Carol, now a Columbia University student.

S6 E4 · Daddy Mike

Mike and his friend Eddie schemingly join "Parents Without Mates" to meet women.

S6 E5 · Ben's Sure Thing

At the school's Parents Night, the Seavers learn Ben's been telling his friends that the girl he's dating is promiscuous.

S6 E6 · Jason Flirts, Maggie Hurts

A flirty Jason gets jealous when Maggie turns the tables.

S6 E7 · Happy Halloween (1)

The Seavers spend a rainy Halloween night telling ghost stories.

S6 E8 · Happy Halloween (2)

The Seavers spend a rainy Halloween night telling ghost stories.

S6 E9 · Let's Go Europe (1)

Jason buys an anniversary trip to Paris from travel agent Mike, who himself wins a European tour that falls apart; Maggie, in Paris, is struck with appendicitis.

S6 E10 · Let's Go Europe (2)

Maggie is hospitalized in Paris, while Mike finds himself stuck on the road with an angry customer.

S6 E11 · Let's Go Europe (3)

Mike and Amy continue to bicker their way toward Paris.

S6 E12 · Divorce Story

Jason, happy to see his mother's second marriage crumbling, doesn't want to provide her with professional help.

S6 E13 · The World According to Chrissy

Chrissy starts spending much time with her imaginary friend, a six-foot-tall mouse named Ike.

S6 E14 · How Could I Leave Her Behind?

Mike's friend Eddie shows up for a double date with Mike's ex-girlfriend.

S6 E15 · Like Father, Like Son

An an intrafamily communications seminar, Mike and Jason discover just how alike they are.

S6 E16 · Ben's Rap Group

Jason becomes Ben's business partner in the management of a rap group, but uses the money he's invested to control Ben.

S6 E17 · Eddie, We Hardly Knew Ye

Maggie's dad drops in for an unexpected visit, with news of his imminent death.

S6 E18 · Maggie Seaver's: The Meaning of Life

Jason takes Maggie on a tropical getaway to lift her spirits after her father's death, trusting Chrissy to Mike and Carol.

S6 E19 · All the World is a Stage

Mike competes with a well-established actor for a role in a soap opera, learning how tenuous an acting career can be.

S6 E20 · Not With My Carol You Don't

Though Jason had an insensitive Carol pitch in at the clinic, he objects to her dating an ex-con she meets there.

S6 E21 · Meet the Seavers

In an homage to The Twilight Zone, Ben awakens to discover he's Jeremy Miller, an actor on the set of ""Meet the Cleavers"".

S6 E22 · Carol's Carnival

On a blind date shaping up as a disaster, Carol goes to the carnival, and finds unexpected fun and excitement.

S6 E23 · Home Schooling

Maggie teaches Ben at home after he is suspended from school.

S6 E24 · Viva Las Vegas

Mike and Kate accompany the eloping Eddie and a hat-check bimbette to Las Vegas, giving Mike and Carol the wrong idea.

Season 7

24 episodes

S7 E1 · Back to School

Mike teaches at an urban high school.

S7 E2 · Stop, Luke, and Listen

Mike gets involved when he learns his prize pupil Luke is homeless.

S7 E3 · In vino veritas

Mike persuades Jason and Maggie to let Luke stay with them temporarily; then Jason's wine cellar goes missing.

S7 E4 · Paper Tigers

Jason and Maggie compete to write a newspaper column; Ben hates his glasses.

S7 E5 · The Young and the Homeless

Mike gears up for his big day as a TV soap opera star just as Luke gears up to move out of the Seavers'.

S7 E6 · Jason Sings the Blues

Luke is afraid to visit the doctor, so Jason accompanies him -- but it's Jason who turns out to need surgery.

S7 E7 · The Kid's Still Got It

Carol accompanies Maggie to a resort, which turns out to be hosting a singles convention; meanwhile, the all-male weekend planned at home is ruined when Chrissy is set home with head lice.

S7 E8 · There Must Be a Pony

Nouveau riche neighbors move in next door; Ben is forced to look after Luke on his first day of high school; Jason's scheme to let Chrissie stay up late backfires when the neighbors throw a lavish party.

S7 E9 · The Big Fix

Consumer advocate Maggie raps a vacuum cleaner that Ben broke without telling her.

S7 E10 · Home Malone

The ghost of Maggie's father oversees the Seavers' visit to her childhood home.

S7 E11 · Bad Day Cafe

While Jason and Maggie are away, the principal informs Mike that Luke's birth father is back in town -- and wants him back.

S7 E12 · B=MC2

Ben crams for a college entrance exam, but gets no help from Jason.

S7 E13 · It's Not Easy Being Green

Christmas brings anger and angst to the Seavers.

S7 E14 · The Call of the Wild

Penniless Mike schemes to give Kate a skiing trip.

S7 E15 · Honest Abe

Luke's homeless friend steals a Seaver momento.

S7 E16 · Vicious Cycle

Maggie and Jason put Mike on the spot for Luke's curfew problems.

S7 E17 · Ménage à Luke

A love triangle involves Ben, Luke and a classmate.

S7 E18 · The Five Fingers of Ben

Tired of being bullies, Ben takes karate lessons.

S7 E19 · Don't Go Changin'

Mike thinks his friend is a bad influence on Luke.

S7 E20 · The Truck Stops Here

Luke's father George visits the Seavers hoping that Luke has mellowed a little and would like to spend some time with him but Luke doesn't. He was about to leave when he collapses outside the door. He says that can't move, so they take him in. Jason and Ben offer to deliver his load, and they experience all sorts of chaos on the way. Mike thinks that George is faking his injury so that he could stay and Luke would have to talk to him. But the doctor tells Maggie who tells Mike that unless George stops driving trucks, he could become paralyzed. Mike talks to George and tells him to tell Luke but doesn't want Luke to pity him and doesn't anything else to do but be a trucker. Mike suggests that maybe he could open a truck stop. Luke finds George struggling to get up and they finally talk. The next day after Jason and Ben return, George tells them that he is giving up trucking and will open a truck stop and Luke's going with him. Luke says goodbye to the Seavers.

S7 E21 · Maggie's Brilliant Career

Maggie wants to fulfill a dream by climbing a mountain.

S7 E22 · The Wrath of Con Ed

A power failure causes dissensions in the Seaver household.

S7 E23 · The Last Picture Show (1)

Maggie is offered a plum job in Washington, D.C.

S7 E24 · The Last Picture Show (2)

The Seavers move to Washington, D.C., but share a final meal and memories in the empty house.