Step by Step (TV series)

Last updated

Step by Step
Step by Step (Miller-Boyett sitcom) logo.svg
Genre Family sitcom
Created by
  • William Bickley
  • Michael Warren
Developed by
Starring
Theme music composer Jesse Frederick & Bennett Salvay
Opening theme"Second Time Around",
performed by Jesse Frederick and Teresa James
Ending theme"Second Time Around" (instrumental)
(season 1, used sporadically afterwards)
Composers
  • Jesse Frederick &
    Bennett Salvay (both; seasons 1–2)
  • Gary Boren (seasons 3–5)
  • Steven Chesne (seasons 3–7)
Country of originUnited States
Original languageEnglish
No. of seasons7
No. of episodes160 (list of episodes)
Production
Executive producers
Production locations
Camera setup Film; Multi-camera
Running timeapprox. 23 minutes (per episode)
Production companies
Original release
Network ABC
ReleaseSeptember 20, 1991 (1991-09-20) –
August 15, 1997 (1997-08-15)
Network CBS
ReleaseSeptember 19, 1997 (1997-09-19) –
June 26, 1998 (1998-06-26)

Step by Step is an American television sitcom created by William Bickley and Michael Warren for ABC's TGIF Friday night lineup. Set in Port Washington, Wisconsin, it follows single parents Frank Lambert and Carol Foster (Patrick Duffy and Suzanne Somers), each with three children, who wed and form a blended family in spite of their children's mutual resentment. The series also stars Staci Keanan, Brandon Call, Christine Lakin, and Sasha Mitchell. It aired on ABC from September 20, 1991 to August 15, 1997, and then on CBS from September 19, 1997 to June 26, 1998, with a total of 160 half-hour episodes spanning seven seasons.

Contents

The series was often described as a copy of The Brady Bunch and was otherwise ignored by critics after the premiere episode, which was largely panned. Cancelled in May 1997 due to declining ratings, CBS acquired the series and Family Matters for their own Friday night comedy lineup, but only lasted for another season before it was officially cancelled in June 1998.

Premise

Frank Lambert, a divorced contractor whose wife left him, [1] has three children: John Thomas (J.T.), Alicia (Al), and Brendan. Carol Foster, a widowed salon owner, also has three children: Dana, Karen, and Mark. Both families live in Port Washington, Wisconsin.

Frank and Carol marry while vacationing in Jamaica after a whirlwind courtship. They planned to keep their marriage a secret, but Frank accidentally reveals to J.T. that they are married during a barbecue he and Carol hold to introduce all the children, leaving them surprised and angry at first.

Each episode depicts typical situations for a new blended family. Family members' differences cause arguments and resentments, but over time they grow to tolerate and become loyal to one another.

Cast and characters

Cast of Step by Step (seasons 2-5) Step by step tv show cast.jpg
Cast of Step by Step (seasons 2–5)

Main Cast

Recurring

Episodes

SeasonEpisodesOriginally released
First releasedLast releasedNetwork
1 22September 20, 1991 (1991-09-20)April 24, 1992 (1992-04-24) ABC
2 24September 18, 1992 (1992-09-18)May 21, 1993 (1993-05-21)
3 23September 24, 1993 (1993-09-24)May 20, 1994 (1994-05-20)
4 24September 23, 1994 (1994-09-23)May 19, 1995 (1995-05-19)
5 24September 22, 1995 (1995-09-22)May 17, 1996 (1996-05-17)
6 24March 7, 1997 (1997-03-07)August 15, 1997 (1997-08-15)
7 19September 19, 1997 (1997-09-19)June 26, 1998 (1998-06-26) CBS

Production

The series was created and executive produced by William Bickley and Michael Warren, [3] and developed and executive produced by Thomas L. Miller and Robert L. Boyett. [4] It was produced by Bickley-Warren Productions, Miller-Boyett Productions and Lorimar Television. [3]

The opening sequence depicts the Foster-Lambert family at a lakeside amusement park in Port Washington. It was filmed at the inland Six Flags Magic Mountain in Valencia, California, with a coastline digitally superimposed onto its parking lot in aerial shots. [5] Prominently depicted in the sequence is Magic Mountain's since-defunct Colossus wooden roller coaster. [5]

ABC chose to delay the series' sixth season to the 1996–97 mid-season (premiering in March 1997), in order to make room on that season's fall schedule for freshman sitcoms Sabrina the Teenage Witch and Clueless , which joined established series Family Matters and Boy Meets World on the TGIF lineup; the network canceled it after six seasons in May 1997, due to declining ratings. CBS concurrently reached a deal with Miller-Boyett Productions to acquire the rights to it and Family Matters from ABC, as that network attempted to build its own Friday night lineup of family-friendly situation comedies for the fall of 1997, called the "CBS Block Party". [6]

Ratings continued to decline despite the network change, and the show ended its run in June 1998 without an official series finale. According to Staci Keanan and Christine Lakin, the series was supposed to end with Dana and Rich's wedding at the house, and elaborate preparations were underway for it prior to the series' abrupt end. [7]

Syndication

In September 1995, Warner Bros. Domestic Television Distribution began distributing the series for broadcast in off-network syndication.

ABC Family was the first to acquire cable television rights to the series, and it became one of the cable channel's longest-running off-network syndicated programs in its history. Reruns began airing on there in 2001 (on what was then known as Fox Family), airing in various timeslots during its run ranging from late afternoon to the morning hours. On March 26, 2010, ABC Family's contract expired after less than nine years. [8]

The series returned to U.S. syndication on October 7, 2013, when the Hub Network began airing reruns; [9] the network dropped it on October 13, 2014, when the network became Discovery Family.

In Australia, Step by Step aired on the Seven Network from 1991 to 1995 and on the Nine Network from 1996 to 2000. In 2011, Step by Step was acquired by 7TWO. In 2015, 111 Greats started airing the whole series.[ citation needed ]

In the U.K., Seasons 1 and 2 of Step by Step aired sporadically on ITV weekday mornings at 10 throughout parts of the spring and summer in 1994 and 1995. [10] Episodes were also shown to a lesser extent during 1996 and 1997.

On September 29, 2017, Hulu acquired the streaming rights to Step by Step along with fellow Warner Bros. TV properties Family Matters , Full House , Hangin' with Mr. Cooper and Perfect Strangers , [11] in addition to fellow ABC programs Boy Meets World , Dinosaurs and Home Improvement . [12]

On October 1, 2021, Step by Step began streaming on Max after its streaming rights expired from Hulu. [13]

TruTV aired reruns from December 30, 2022 to 2023 as part of their "Comfort Food" block. [14]

Home media

Warner Home Video originally released a six-episode Television Favorites collection on DVD on June 27, 2006 until September 26, 2023 when the complete series set was finally released for the first time. [15] Warner Archive Collection has released individual seasons on DVD in Region 1. [16] [17] [18] [19] [20] [21] These are Manufacture-on-Demand (MOD) releases, available from Warner's online store and Amazon.com.

DVD NameEp #Release dates
Region 1
The Complete First Season22June 12, 2018
The Complete Second Season24September 18, 2018
The Complete Third Season23November 20, 2018
The Complete Fourth Season24February 12, 2019
The Complete Fifth Season24November 5, 2019
The Complete Sixth Season24February 11, 2020
The Complete Seventh and Final Season19April 21, 2020 [22]
The Complete Series160September 26, 2023

Critical reception

According to Entertainment Weekly writer Ken Tucker, Step by Step was generally regarded as a copy of The Brady Bunch and otherwise ignored by critics. [23] Early reviews were generally negative, with the Los Angeles Times' Howard Rosenberg calling it "plain awful" [24] and USA Today 's Matt Roush describing it as "demonically slick junk food"; [25] some newspapers deemed it the "worst" new show of the season. [26] [27] Some critics cited the series, compared to Brooklyn Bridge, a critically acclaimed CBS series which premiered the same day, as representing the "worst" and "best" of television, respectively. [24] [27] [28] However, in the estimation of Variety's Jean Rosenbluth, Step by Step was a "modestly amusing, occasionally heartwarming show", and argued that while it wasn't comparable to Shakespeare, "neither was The Brady Bunch". [3]

Of the acting performances, Somers was singled out for praise by Rosenbluth [3] and Roush, [25] while Rosenbluth described the children as a "well-cast lot". [3] Keanan was also praised by Ray Richmond of Knight-Ridder News Service, [29] who forwarded the actress as the "best thing" [29] about the series, and Ron Weiskind of Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, [30] who felt she was an exception to the cast's perceived "nonexistent" [30] acting abilities. [30]

Brady Bunch creator Sherwood Schwartz later said that at one point he considered filing a lawsuit over Step by Step, claiming that they "stole my show" [31] and likening its advertising as a "Brady Bunch for the 1990s" [31] to "intrusion or certainly riding on coattails." [31]

Related Research Articles

<i>The Brady Bunch</i> American sitcom (1969–1974)

The Brady Bunch is an American sitcom created by Sherwood Schwartz that aired from September 26, 1969, to March 8, 1974, on ABC. The series revolves around a large blended family of six children, with three boys and three girls. After its cancellation in 1974, the series debuted in syndication in September 1975. Though it was never a ratings hit or a critical success during its original run, the program has since become a popular syndicated staple, especially among children and teenage viewers.

<i>Full House</i> American television sitcom (1987–1995)

Full House is an American television sitcom created by Jeff Franklin for ABC. The show is about widowed father Danny Tanner who enlists his brother-in-law Jesse Katsopolis and childhood best friend Joey Gladstone to help raise his three daughters, eldest Donna Jo Margaret, middle child Stephanie and youngest Michelle in his San Francisco home. It originally aired from September 22, 1987, to May 23, 1995, with a total of eight seasons consisting of 192 episodes.

<i>Family Matters</i> American television sitcom (1989–1998)

Family Matters is an American television sitcom that originally aired on ABC for eight seasons from September 22, 1989, to May 9, 1997, then moved to CBS for its ninth and final season from September 19, 1997, to July 17, 1998. A spin-off of Perfect Strangers, the series was created by William Bickley and Michael Warren, and revolves around the Winslow family, an African-American middle class family living in Chicago, Illinois. Midway through the first season, the show introduced the Winslows' nerdy neighbor Steve Urkel, who was originally scripted to appear as a one-time character. However, he quickly became the show's breakout character, joining the main cast.

<i>Hangin with Mr. Cooper</i> American television sitcom (1992–1997)

Hangin' with Mr. Cooper is an American television sitcom that originally aired on ABC from September 22, 1992, to August 30, 1997, starring Mark Curry and Holly Robinson. The show took place in Curry's hometown of Oakland, California. The series chronicles Mark Cooper (Curry), an NBA player-turned-substitute teacher/gym coach, and his roommate Vanessa (Robinson).

The "Friday night death slot" or "Friday evening death slot" is a perceived graveyard slot in American television. It implies that a television program in the United States scheduled on Friday evenings is likely to be canceled.

Anastasia Love Sagorsky, best known by her stage name Staci Keanan, is an American lawyer, law professor and former actress. She is best known for her television roles as Nicole Bradford on the NBC sitcom My Two Dads (1987–1990) and Dana Foster on the ABC/CBS sitcom Step by Step (1991–1998).

<i>TGIF</i> (TV programming block) American television programming block

TGIF was an American prime time television programming block that has aired on ABC at various points since the late 1980s. The name comes from the initials of the popular phrase "Thank God It's Friday"; however, the stars of the lineup touted the initialism as meaning "Thank Goodness It's Funny." In its various incarnations, the block mainly featured situation comedies aimed at a family audience, and served as a lead-in to the long-running newsmagazine 20/20.

<i>Perfect Strangers</i> (TV series) American television sitcom (1986–1993)

Perfect Strangers is an American sitcom that ran for eight seasons, from March 25, 1986, to August 6, 1993, on the ABC television network. Created by Dale McRaven, the series chronicles the rocky coexistence of midwestern American Larry Appleton and his distant cousin from eastern Mediterranean Europe, Balki Bartokomous.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Christine Lakin</span> American actress (born 1979)

Christine Lakin is an American actress and director. She is best known for her role as Alicia "Al" Lambert on the 1990s ABC/CBS sitcom Step by Step. She also played Joan of Arc on Showtime's Reefer Madness, was the sidekick on Craig Kilborn's 2010 Fox talk show The Kilborn File, and provides the voice of Joyce Kinney in Family Guy.

CBS Block Party was a programming block that aired on the CBS television network during the 1997–1998 television season. The block was similar to, and was intended as direct competition to, ABC's TGIF lineup and aired on Friday nights from 8:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m. ET, and included two former stalwarts of the TGIF lineup. Although the block was canceled after one year, the resulting audience fracture caused what turned out to be irreparable harm to the previously dominant TGIF, eventually clearing the way for CBS to dominate the Friday night lineup beginning in the next decade.

<i>Meego</i> (TV series) Television series

Meego is an American science fiction sitcom television series that ran for six episodes from September 19 to October 24, 1997, on the CBS television network as part of its Friday night Block Party program block; after its cancellation, seven additional episodes that were produced but left unaired in the United States were aired in some international markets.

The Bradys is an American comedy-drama television series that aired on CBS from February 9 to March 9, 1990. The series is a sequel and continuation of the original 1969–1974 sitcom The Brady Bunch, focusing on its main characters as adults, and was the second such continuation after the 1981 sitcom The Brady Brides.

Jesse Frederick James Conaway is an American film and television composer and singer. He wrote and performed the themes to TGIF television shows such as Full House, Family Matters, and Step by Step for ABC.

Miller-Boyett Productions is an American television production company that mainly developed television sitcoms from the 1970s through the 1990s. It was responsible for family-oriented hit series such as Happy Days, Laverne & Shirley, Mork & Mindy, The Hogan Family, Bosom Buddies, Full House, Perfect Strangers, Family Matters and Step by Step.

Saturday morning preview specials were aired on television annually to present previews of each network's fall lineup of Saturday-morning cartoon children's programming. Similar to the model for their new prime time counterpart shows, television networks in the United States and Canada would film a preview special for the fall season. These would often air as part of the regular network schedule or be made available to their affiliates for airing at any time, especially to fill timeslots that contained programming canceled months before.

<i>Going Places</i> (American TV series) American sitcom

Going Places is an American television sitcom that aired on ABC from September 21, 1990, to March 8, 1991. The series stars Alan Ruck, Jerry Levine, Heather Locklear, and Hallie Todd as four young Hollywood writers renting a house together. It aired as part of the TGIF block. The series was created and executive produced by Robert Griffard and Howard Adler, and developed and executive produced by Thomas L. Miller and Robert L. Boyett for Miller-Boyett Productions, in association with Lorimar Television.

<i>On Our Own</i> (1994 TV series) American sitcom

On Our Own is an American sitcom that aired on ABC from September 13, 1994, until April 14, 1995. The series stars Ralph Louis Harris and six real life siblings: Jazz, Jocqui, Jake, Jojo, Jurnee, and Jussie Smollett.

<i>The Family Man</i> (American TV series) American comedy television series

The Family Man is an American sitcom that aired on CBS from September 11, 1990, to July 17, 1991. The series, starring Gregory Harrison, was created by William Bickley and Michael Warren, who also served as executive producers with Thomas L. Miller and Robert L. Boyett. Martha Williamson served as supervising producer, with Ross Brown as co-executive producer. In addition to being produced by Lorimar Television and Miller-Boyett Productions, the show was also under the Catalina Television marque.

The 9th Youth in Film Awards ceremony, presented by the Youth in Film Association, honored outstanding youth performers under the age of 21 in the fields of film, television and music for the 1986-1987 season, and took place on December 5, 1987, at the Hollywood Palladium in Hollywood, California.

The 13th Youth in Film Awards ceremony, presented by the Youth in Film Association, honored outstanding youth performers under the age of 21 in the fields of film and television for the 1990–1991 season, and took place on December 1, 1991, at the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences in North Hollywood, California.

References

  1. ↑ "He Wanted Wings". YouTube . June 3, 2018.
  2. ↑ Michael Portantiere (July 23, 2001). "Just Jeff – Theater News – Jul 23, 2001". theatermania.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 Rosenbluth, Jean (1994). Variety TV REV 1991–92 17. Taylor & Francis. September 20, 1991. ISBN   9780824037963.
  4. ↑ "Step by Step Review - TV Reviews and News - EW.com". EW.com. Archived from the original on September 4, 2008.
  5. 1 2 Blake, Lindsey (August 14, 2014). "Scene It Before: Colossus Roller Coaster from "Step by Step"". Los Angeles Magazine.
  6. ↑ Hal Boedeker (July 18, 1997). "He's A Goober But CBS Has A Lot Riding On Urkel TV". Orlando Sentinel . Tribune Publishing . Retrieved April 12, 2017.
  7. ↑ Christine Lakin and Alaa Khaled, "Worst Ever Podcast with Christine and Alaa," Episode 6, Staci Keanan (My Two Dads, Step By Step), Part 1, podcast audio, May 18, 2017, https://audioboom.com/posts/5935340-episode-6-with-staci-keanan-my-two-dads-step-by-step-part-1
  8. ↑ Step by Step Leaving ABC Family After 9 Years; ABC Family March 2010, Sitcoms Online, February 10, 2010.
  9. ↑ "'Step by Step' to Premiere October 7 on the Hub" (Press release). Hub Network. September 6, 2013. Archived from the original on August 22, 2016. Retrieved August 22, 2016– via TV By The Numbers.
  10. ↑ Step By Step on ITV, tvrdb.com, archive TV listings.
  11. ↑ Pedersen, Erik (July 27, 2017). "Hulu Gets SVOD Rights To 'Full House,' 'Family Matters' & Other 'TGIF' Comedies – TCA". Deadline. Retrieved October 3, 2017.
  12. ↑ Hatchett, Keisha (September 29, 2017). "This Is Not a Drill: Boy Meets World Is Now On Hulu". TVGuide.com. Retrieved October 28, 2017.
  13. ↑ ""Dune," "The Many Saints Of Newark," The Third Season Of "Succession," And The Final Season Of "Insecure" Arrive On HBO Max This October". WarnerMedia Pressroom. September 23, 2021. Retrieved September 30, 2021.
  14. ↑ "Step by Step - trutv.com" . Retrieved November 5, 2023.
  15. ↑ "Step by Step (Television Favorites Compilation) (1991)". Amazon. June 27, 2006. Retrieved October 20, 2008.
  16. ↑ "Step by Step: The Complete First Season".
  17. ↑ "Step by Step: The Complete Second Season".
  18. ↑ "Step by Step: The Complete Third Season".
  19. ↑ "Step by Step: The Complete Fourth Season".
  20. ↑ "Step by Step: The Complete Fifth Season".
  21. ↑ "Step by Step: The Complete Sixth Season".
  22. ↑ "Step by Step: The Complete Seventh Season (MOD) – WB Shop". www.wbshop.com. Archived from the original on March 17, 2020.
  23. ↑ Tucker, Ken (2005). Kissing Bill O'Reilly, roasting Miss Piggy: 100 things to love and hate about TV (1s ed.). New York: St. Martin's Press. p. 33. ISBN   978-0-312-33057-6.
  24. 1 2 Rosenberg, Howard (September 20, 1991). "'Bridge' Connects; 'Step by Step' Stumbles". The Los Angeles Times. p. 532. Retrieved January 3, 2025.
  25. 1 2 Roush, Matt (September 20, 1991). "Sitcom's funny and phony family style servings". USA Today. p. 35. Retrieved January 3, 2025.
  26. ↑ Jicha, Tom (September 20, 1991). "Step by Step: The nitwit's Brady Bunch". South Florida Sun Sentinel. p. 50. Retrieved January 3, 2025.
  27. 1 2 Peath, Greg (September 20, 1991). "'Brooklyn Bridge', 'Step by Step' are best, worst of season". The Cincinnati Post. p. 29. Retrieved January 3, 2025.
  28. ↑ Bianco, Robert (September 20, 1991). "Don't miss 'Brooklyn Bridge', but run from 'Step by Step'". The Pittsburgh Press. p. 37. Retrieved January 14, 2025.
  29. 1 2 Richmond, Ray (September 20, 1991). "Brooklyn Bridge far and away best new show of the season". Lancaster New Era. Knight-Ridder. p. 13. Retrieved January 14, 2025.
  30. 1 2 3 Weiskind, Ron (September 20, 1991). "You can go home again". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. p. 49. Retrieved January 14, 2025.
  31. 1 2 3 Owen, Rob (1997). Gen X TV: the Brady Bunch to Melrose Place. The television series (1st ed.). Syracuse, N.Y: Syracuse University Press. p. 23. ISBN   978-0-8156-0443-3.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.