MovieChat Forums > Growing Pains (1985) Discussion > Why Does This Not do Well in Syndication...

Why Does This Not do Well in Syndication?


I'm 29 and for me the longest run in syndication i can remember is when the disney channel aired it. i miss this show and wondered why the nick at nite thing didn't work and why it hasn't really come back. I kind of wish the hub would pick it up since they got step by step and blossom.

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http://www.sitcomsonline.com/boards/showthread.php?p=4988595#post49885 95

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another good sitcom banished to late night hours, that's a shame. I don't think that many people stay up that late to watch tv at night, and not too many would record it so it's not that much use there, and it's only on at a reasonable time (6:30 pm) once a week

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I agree it seems like this show along with who's the boss charle's in charge perfect strangers silver spoons welcome back kotter and a few more don't stay around that long or as others say they don't do well in syndication they get buried either early morning or very late at night. I don't know why i only remember growing pains being on channel 11(WPIX) and disney channel wear they wear on for a while if i remember right i could be wrong. I know it didn't last long on ion its too bad metv doesn't air it.

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Why Does This Not do Well in Syndication?


That would require it to have a fanbase of an audience who likes to watch this Growing Pains show. But Growing Pains alienates all possible elements of a fanbase.

Let's break down how this show alienates all potential viewers (except for the few diehard fans):

A> It stars a Bible-believing Christian, which is a kind of person that all liberals universally hate. Thus, no liberals are going to watch this show.

B> It purports to be a family show, yet despite that, it is dirty and it promotes immorality. Therefore, no wholesome & respectable family (or individual members of that family) is going to watch it.

So, to summarize: Growing Pains alienates all immoral people from liking it due to starring a righteous person (Kirk Cameron), and conversely, Growing Pains also alienates all moral people from liking due to its filthy, evil content.

Thus in the end, no one is left to watch it.

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As if the liberal community is the family show viewing audience- too funny!

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Well obviously there's some demand for it - Amazon hasn't added it to 'Prime' status yet, so I actually had to buy season 2. Ugh.

But that is true - I remember watching this show when it was in syndication on the Disney Channel back in the late '90s. I miss it!

There is more in you of good than you know, child of the kindly west

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I prefer The Hogan Famiky/Valarie to this show,though both show's are better than Full House!

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I saw some episodes of the third season last year, mainly because there was a two-parter that had a girl that took my breath away and I just wanted to see if the feeling from back when it came out. I also saw that Olivia d'Abo was in one episode. But, watching a couple of episodes, it's pretty clear it wasn't very good.

It was decent but even when it was in reruns it didn't last long. It was just a product of its time and didn't have anything to keep it going. It was basically a show that was good for teens and pre-teens and they grew up and that was it.

It has nothing to do with Cameron's religion or anything.

It's not as good as Family Ties was, but even that didn't last long in syndication. It just didn't have that ineffable quality to keep it going for a long time.

It was a big hit during its run, but that's about it.

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But, watching a couple of episodes, it's pretty clear it wasn't very good.

It was decent but even when it was in reruns it didn't last long. It was just a product of its time and didn't have anything to keep it going. It was basically a show that was good for teens and pre-teens and they grew up and that was it.



It's not as good as Family Ties was



All of this is subjective.

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Ugh. Whenever anyone wants to shut down a thought they resort to the "subjective" argument to make the case that there is no real way to compare something.

And in any case, the argument about teens liking the show when it aired and moving on isn't really subjective. It's just true. By the time it came to syndication, the teens were already adults, three years in they were 21 or so, listening to Nirvana, while real teens and pre-teens were watching Saved By The Bell after school.

There was simply no market for it.

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Yeah the show is gone from UP now even. They tried for a while, but they showed the later seasons too much and banished it to early mornings, both of which lowered ratings. Too few people actually keep watching most shows years after they end I guess. As for me, I enjoy watching any sitcom/drama I grew up watching. But not enough others are like that. At least this is on dvd through manufacture on demand for seasons after 2, I'll have to get those sometime. Maybe when my generation gets older, these '80s and '90s shows will come back to tv more, maybe we don't appreciate them enough now. However too few of them actually are even tried in reruns currently

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Why Does This Not do Well in Syndication?


Easy, people like Family Ties better. Growing Pains was just a rip-off of that show.

When there's no more room in Hollywood, remakes shall walk the Earth.

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what main cast actor from Growing Pains had a successful film career? Michael J Fox easily is a legend.

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Leonardo DiCaprio obviously, but he didn't play a member of the Seaver family, so I don't know if he counts in that regard.

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I specified main cast.

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Because it really wasn't that great to begin with. I used to watch it but back then we didn't have the internet or downloads, or even a VCR at the time (although they did exist). There weren't many choices. Now there is, a lot of the shows from the past few decades haven't aged well.

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There is so many great shows of the 80s that didn't do well in syndication...the ones that still get played today are the few that just survived the changing times.. probably because their parents passed the shows on to their kids and so on. Off the top of my head saved by the Bell and full house being the biggest. Oh and golden girls. Those 3 shows get air time at all hours of the day and night it seems. On multiple channels. Blame those 3 shows for limited air time for GP and other 80s and early 90s shows.

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I hated it when it was originally airing and couldn't stand Mullet head Cameron even before I learned that he was a Fundamentalist nutjob.

I use to watch it with my then girlfriend who crushed on Kirk, but the final straw was when they wrote in his future wife's character played by Chelsea Noble who was dating his best friend. I think it was into her second episode when Kirk stole Chelsea from his best friend and they made the best friend be okay with it and let it go. WTF? A good TV sitcom would have created a love triangle story-line but it was assuredly Kirk manipulating the producers to make it look like a moral choice on Chelsea's part and in line with "God's vision".

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