MovieChat Forums > Growing Pains (1985) Discussion > Could "Growing Pains' have realistically...

Could "Growing Pains' have realistically run a few more seasons?

posted 4 years ago by TMC-4 (20181)
5 replies | jump to latest

I've heard the suggestion that Kirk Cameron was more or less, the primary reason why Growing Pains ended after seven seasons in 1992. I think that everybody by now knows, that after he became a Born-Again Christian, he became incredibly difficult and uncompressing/uncooperative on set.

He got his on-screen girlfriend Julie McCollough fired because she was featured in Playboy, despite not even appearing topless at all. He also got Matthew Perry fired for being an "Agent of Satan".

He apparently even tried to pull the same stunt with the show's executive producers because he didn't agree to what he considered a vulgar joke. Since the executives refused to change the joke, Kirk tried to go over their heads and directly contacted then-CEO of ABC Bob Iger in order to force their hand, even calling the executive producers "Pornographers".

Ultimately, having to deal with his unreasonable demands and his forcing out other actors for not going his way, the executive producers decided that enough was enough. If you notice, in the last season, Dan Wilcox is listed as the executive producer instead of Mike Sullivan, Steve Marshall, and Dan Guntzelman.

[–] Mulletor (533) 4 years ago

They should have just killed off Kirk Cameron's character in a manner that he would have deemed offensive and have that as a reoccurring joke in the series.

"Remember what he was trying to do to himself when we found his body?"

Episode after that:
"I can't believe where he was when they found him. He wouldn't have been caught dead in that place.....oh wait!" *all laugh*

[–] pioneergrrrl (2411) 3 years ago

Considering how boring this show was might have improved it.

[–] Mustang (5447) 2 years ago

Probably not. The show was already suffering from "Add a baby syndrome" and shows like Married with Children were already on which were presenting the opposite approach to family life as well as The Simpsons and Roseanne.

I don't think shows should go on for too long anyway. All the shows I mentioned above suffered from being on too long.

[–] Guitar King (4911) 2 years ago

"He got his on-screen girlfriend Julie McCollough fired because she was featured in Playboy, despite not even appearing topless at all."

^Julie went topless and bottomless in Playboy. Why you lyin,' bruh?

[–] Mustang (5447) a year ago

Firing Julie was deserving of the show ending in my opinion. Pure 80's cheesecake. mmmmm cheesecake...