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"Step By Step" was, in a sense, "The Brady Bunch" meets the 1990s. Like "The Brady Bunch," two single-parent families, each with three children, are married into one, and the step-siblings learn to get along and love one another.
That's where the main similairies end in this 1990s series, which starred Patrick Duffy and Suzanne Sommers as the parents in this, a cornerstone of ABC's "TGIF" lineup for six seasons.
The backstory: Set in Port Washington, Wis., Frank Lambert, a divorced contractor with three children impulsively marries beautician Carol Foster, a widowed mother of three, while both are vacationing - purportedly separately - in Jamacia. When the children realize that Frank and Carol are married, their children are angered.
No wonder, since their children mix like oil and water: Frank's children are John Thomas (aka J.T.), the ultimate underachiever; tomboyish and tough-talking Alicia (who preferred to be called "Al"); and youngest son Brendan, who went along with his biological siblings. Carol's children are Dana, the perfectionist; Karen, a vain, self-centered budding model; and
Mark, the brain. The children always seemed to clash, especially early on; although Mark and Brendan tended to get along, J.T. and Dana had particular hostility for one another. Frank was always sloppy and disorganized, while Carol was the opposite, and both had bouts with obsession, which tended to complicate matters. Rounding out the cast in the early episodes were Carol's mother, Ivy Baker (Peggy Rea) and her sister, Penny (Patrika Darbo).
A few episodes into the series, Sasha Mitchell (Duffy's co-star from the latter days of "Dallas") joined the cast as Frank's eccentric nephew, Cody. J.T. idolized Cody, a demolition expert and black belt who was very intelligent, although this was virtually always hidden by his odd behavior; Dana liked Cody even less than J.T.
Like "The Brady Bunch," early seasons revolved around the two once-separate families learning to become one, although this was not always easy given the different personalities of the formerly separate families. However, even early on, there is a sense of gruding respect for one another, although the occassional wisecracks still take place.
Later in the series, several changes took place. Al (Christine Lakin) entered puberty and became very pretty, and later aspired to become an actress. More important were two developments: The 1995 birth of Frank and Carol's first child together, Lily Foster Lambert; she was age-advanced in 1996 to 4 years old and played by child actress Emily Mae Young. Dana got her first serious boyfriend, and it was an unlikely choice: Rich, the best friend of J.T. (J.T. himself had a girlfriend for a time, a mechanic named Sam). And, Cody left the nest, after Mitchell was forced out in 1996 after accusations of domestic abuse became public; he was acquitted, but the damage was done. Mitchell's character was replaced by Jean-Luc (Bronson Pinchot), a male beautician who becomes Carol's business partner.
The other big change came in 1997, when "Step by Step" - along with "Family Matters" - switched networks, moving from ABC to CBS. CBS was attempting to build its own Friday night family friendly lineup of situation comedies, and they called it the "Block Party." The promotion did not help the declining ratings of "Step by Step," and the series ended first-run production in 1998.
That's where the main similairies end in this 1990s series, which starred Patrick Duffy and Suzanne Sommers as the parents in this, a cornerstone of ABC's "TGIF" lineup for six seasons.
The backstory: Set in Port Washington, Wis., Frank Lambert, a divorced contractor with three children impulsively marries beautician Carol Foster, a widowed mother of three, while both are vacationing - purportedly separately - in Jamacia. When the children realize that Frank and Carol are married, their children are angered.
No wonder, since their children mix like oil and water: Frank's children are John Thomas (aka J.T.), the ultimate underachiever; tomboyish and tough-talking Alicia (who preferred to be called "Al"); and youngest son Brendan, who went along with his biological siblings. Carol's children are Dana, the perfectionist; Karen, a vain, self-centered budding model; and
Mark, the brain. The children always seemed to clash, especially early on; although Mark and Brendan tended to get along, J.T. and Dana had particular hostility for one another. Frank was always sloppy and disorganized, while Carol was the opposite, and both had bouts with obsession, which tended to complicate matters. Rounding out the cast in the early episodes were Carol's mother, Ivy Baker (Peggy Rea) and her sister, Penny (Patrika Darbo).
A few episodes into the series, Sasha Mitchell (Duffy's co-star from the latter days of "Dallas") joined the cast as Frank's eccentric nephew, Cody. J.T. idolized Cody, a demolition expert and black belt who was very intelligent, although this was virtually always hidden by his odd behavior; Dana liked Cody even less than J.T.
Like "The Brady Bunch," early seasons revolved around the two once-separate families learning to become one, although this was not always easy given the different personalities of the formerly separate families. However, even early on, there is a sense of gruding respect for one another, although the occassional wisecracks still take place.
Later in the series, several changes took place. Al (Christine Lakin) entered puberty and became very pretty, and later aspired to become an actress. More important were two developments: The 1995 birth of Frank and Carol's first child together, Lily Foster Lambert; she was age-advanced in 1996 to 4 years old and played by child actress Emily Mae Young. Dana got her first serious boyfriend, and it was an unlikely choice: Rich, the best friend of J.T. (J.T. himself had a girlfriend for a time, a mechanic named Sam). And, Cody left the nest, after Mitchell was forced out in 1996 after accusations of domestic abuse became public; he was acquitted, but the damage was done. Mitchell's character was replaced by Jean-Luc (Bronson Pinchot), a male beautician who becomes Carol's business partner.
The other big change came in 1997, when "Step by Step" - along with "Family Matters" - switched networks, moving from ABC to CBS. CBS was attempting to build its own Friday night family friendly lineup of situation comedies, and they called it the "Block Party." The promotion did not help the declining ratings of "Step by Step," and the series ended first-run production in 1998.
