Step by Step

Buzz

Step by Step ranks 1,758 out of the 18,228 shows on TV.com.

The 711 users who count themselves as Step by Step fans have written a total of 38 reviews.

Status

Premiered

Ended

Genre

Theme

Related Shows

• Eight is Enough
• The Brady Bunch
• Major Dad
• Full House

Two appealing stars, winsome kids, and a can't miss time slot in the middle of ABC's hit Friday lineup was more important than plot in the early success of this standard issue family sitcom. Frank (Patrick Duffy of Dallas) is a freewheeling, divorced contractor who impetuously marries widowed beautician... more »

Two appealing stars, winsome kids, and a can't miss time slot in the middle of ABC's hit Friday lineup was more important than plot in the early success of this standard issue family sitcom. Frank (Patrick Duffy of Dallas) is a freewheeling, divorced contractor who impetuously marries widowed beautician Carol (Suzanne Somers of Three's Company) when they meet during separate vacations in Jamaica. They flew home to Port Washington, Wisconsin, where they both lived, told their kids-his three and her three - and all the problems of a merged family began. She is orderly and borderline OCD, he is laid back and almost chaotic. The kids eyed each suspiciously. Hers were teenagers Dana (the oldest), as compulsive as her mom, middle sis Karen, a budding fashion plate and young, nerdy Mark. Frank's were teenager J.T. (short for John Thomas), a cool customer, preteen Al, into sports and animals, and carefree Brendan. Working with Carol in her beauty shop next door were her mother Ivy and sister Penny. Cody was Frank's spaced-out 19-year-old nephew, whose nutty schemes and obsessions kept everyone in an uproar but who was really smarter than he seemed.

Show History: SBS was the latest addition to the already successful Friday night lineup on ABC, dubbed "TGIF." Scheduled right after the hit Friday night mainstay, "Family Matters" @ 8:30, it soon became an equally big hit. By the beginning of the 3rd season the series blossomed into the night's "tent pole" position @ 9:00, a position it would retain for a solid three year run.

"The Brady Bunch for the 90's" as it was hailed by critics upon its debut, was pretty much a straight forward "fun around the house" comedy, that ABC thrived on in the late 80's and early 90's. The series was Developed and Produced by the same team (Michael Warren, William Bickley, Robert L. Boyett, and Thomas L. Miller) responsible for many of ABC's hits (including all of T.G.I.F at one point) in that same era.

In the small town of Port Washington, Wisconsin you have newly married couple Frank Lambert and Carol Foster and their 6 kids. Frank (Patrick Duffy) and Carol (Suzanne Sommers) having met only a week before on vacation and impulsively married, now face the monumental task of blending their very different families into one. All kinds of personalities filled the house. On the Lambert side, there was Cody (Sasha Mitchell), the spaced-out but good hearted and lovable nephew of Frank, Al (Christine Lakin), the tomboy daughter, JT (Brandon Call), the joker and oldest son and Brendan (Josh Byrne), the youngest son. On the Foster side was Mark (Christopher Castile), the genius younger brother of the Fosters, Dana (Staci Keanan), the genius older sister and Karen (Angela Watson), the beautiful, popular and full of herself middle sister.

There were many others, notably Rich (Jason Marsden), Dana's short and well-meaning boyfriend, as well as friend of JT's, and Jean-Luc (Bronson Pinchot, "Meego"), the French hairstylist who worked with Carol.less «

• Agree/Disagree

  Here are the rules: you agree or disagree with a statement and then you make up your own. I'll start it off: Cody should have stayed for the entire series.

  Here are the rules: you agree or disagree with a statement and then you make up your own. I'll start it off: Cody should have stayed for the entire series. less «

  Guero Last online 6 days ago
  10 comments, last one Jun 10, 2009 + Add Comment

• Episode help

  I have been trying everywhere to find the episode, that was in season 7 called "we're in the money" I want to see a video clip of it, I would love it if someone could link me to a video of it. The most important parts I want to see is when Cody returns. Thanks!

  I have been trying everywhere to find the episode, that was in season 7 called "we're in the money" I want to see a video clip of it, I would love it if someone could link me to a video of it. The most important parts I want to see is when Cody returns. Thanks!less «

  MonicaKeller Last online 13 days ago
  3 comments, last one Jun 7, 2009 + Add Comment

• Sasha Mitchell

  Sasha Mitchell who played Cody Lambert was hilarious, After he left and they brought in Jean-Luc, I think the show went down hill.

  Sasha Mitchell who played Cody Lambert was hilarious, After he left and they brought in Jean-Luc, I think the show went down hill.less «

  wheelrchair Last online 1 hr, 57 mins ago
  23 comments, last one Mar 6, 2009 + Add Comment

•  

  1 Abysmal

  This show is terrible and unfunny hide « show »

  I have no idea why did I wach that.Its a bad ripoff of Brady Bunch.The writng is bad and acting is even worse.The dad is a wuss,mom is confused and doesnt know how to run the house,and the kids are the worst.They just call eichother kiddy names,and it gets old pretty fast.Everyone is a jerk to everybody and because they wont work together,in every epi they screw everything up.The only good character on the show was Cody.He had some personality and humanity.But he went missing for a while and the series turned to crap again.This show is very annoying and im suprised it lasted that long.No offence to fans,but i just dont like it.

  Do you agree?

    0 1

  Report Abuse

  foamy2345 Added Feb 14, 2009 All my reviews
•  

  9 Superb

  Here's the story...of a man named Lambert... hide « show »

  At first glance, it would be very easy to compare this show to the Brady Bunch. For starters, both shows originally ran on ABC. Both shows were about blended families. Both shows featured a blonde mom named Carol. Mike Brady was an architect, Frank Lambert was a construction worker. Three sons and three daughters between them. Both shows even brought in a cute little kid to spice up their later seasons.
  
  So you switch a few of the kids' genders, and trade out the wisecracking maid for a deceptively wise cousin living in a van in the driveway, and it's essentially the same show, right?
  
  Not exactly.
  
  While the Bradys tended to get along fairly swimmingly (right down to Carol's daughters taking the Brady name), the fact remains that not all blended families function as such. Step By Step illustrated this; yes, the Lambert kids and foster kids would clash. The gender-switching also contributed, because now you had children of mixed parentage being forced to share bedrooms. And since it was 20 years later, Step By Step was definitely able to tackle issues that the Brady Bunch couldn't...hell, the Brady Bunch never actually admitted that Carol was divorced.
  
  When the show originally ran, I was young, so my main interest in the show...was Cody. Later on, watching it in syndication, I came to appreciate the topics of education, religion, fame, etc. that it addressed. Although I'll still admit...the episodes without Cody weren't as good.

  Do you agree?

    1 0

  Report Abuse

  shocker713 Added Jun 3, 2008 All my reviews
•  

  8 Great

  Who doesn't love this show? hide « show »

  Who doesn't enjoy watching Frank, Carol, and the gang of kids for 7 amazing seasons? Every season got funnier and funnier. The writers that were on this show were all amazing. Sibling rivalry, puberty, having boy/girlfriends, marital struggles, etc... there is such a long list of what this show is all about and it is so worth it to watch every season!!!
  
  I think that I am the only one that I know who still watches the re-runs, so I would have to say that this show is underappreciated and should not be forgotten!
  
  If you haven't seen Step by Step, you must!

  Do you agree?

    1 0

  Report Abuse

  poeticmelody Added Apr 20, 2008 All my reviews
•  

  9 Superb

  It is about a guy named Frank and a girl named Carol who gets married. Frank has three kids, J.T, Al and Brendan. Carol has three kids Dana, Karen and Mark. Each set of kids are total opposites then the other set of kids. hide « show »

  It is an pretty cool show. I just think that they have sex on their minds 24/7. Other than that it is a pretty good show. My fave character is either J.t or Dana. J.t and Dana are the only kids that don't learn to get a long. J.t, Al, and Brendan belong to Frank and Dana Karen and Mark belongs to Carol. Cody or other wise known as the Codeman is J.T's Cousin and best friend. Frank and Carol later has a daughter named Lilly. Carol is a beautician while Frank is a contractor. I hope this review has made you want to watch this show.

  Do you agree?

    0 0

  Report Abuse

  kittiesluvme Added Sep 15, 2007 All my reviews
•  

  10 Perfect

  Much better than Full House! hide « show »

  This show is awesome! You got it right this time, Miller-Boyett! Your last show, Full House, was a total floppity-flop. But this show doesn't make such a big deal out of everything like Full House. Like no whiny little girls forcing their daddies to play monkey in the middle with them instead of going to work. I also love it so much that I compare the family in this show to my own family and 3 of my family's friends (I only have 3 siblings) and the family in Drake & Josh and some of their friends. And the baby of the family, Lilly, is so cute! And most importantly, this show is so much funnier than Full House. I wish it were still running, but I was only 5 when it got cancelled. Overall, this is a great show and should be more appreciated than Full House.

  Do you agree?

    1 0

  Report Abuse

  MillionaireMan6 Added Sep 4, 2007 All my reviews