Joey Lawrence

At one point during the second season of Blossom, Joey came out for his introductory bow, and someone from the audience threw a pair of panties at his feet. When Joey asked what it was, his TV dad Ted Wass explained how it was a sign that the show was going to run for a long time, due largely to the fact that viewers loved Joey's character so much.

Joey almost didn't get his role as handsome teenager Joey Russo on the 1990's television series Blossom. The producers originally thought that because he had already gained fame as a child star on Gimme a Break, he was essentially a "has-been" as an actor, so the audience wouldn't like him in the role. Fortunately, series creator Don Reo felt that this was a silly notion, and Joey was cast anyway. Blossom expanded Joey's career even further and established him as a teen heartthrob.

Blossom was originally scripted to be titled Joey, and it was supposed to center around Joey Lawrence's character, like a sitcom version of Catcher in the Rye. The network liked the idea, but they ultimately decided that it was better to place the daughter in the primary role, and Joey became a supporting character.