List of Growing Pains episodes

The following is an episode list of the ABC sitcom Growing Pains. The series aired from September 24, 1985 to April 25, 1992 with 166 episodes produced spanning 7 seasons.

Series overview

Seasons		Episodes	Season premiere	Season finale
	1	22	September 24, 1985	May 13, 1986
	2	22	September 30, 1986	May 19, 1987
	3	25	September 18, 1987	May 4, 1988
	4	22	October 19, 1988	May 3, 1989
	5	22	September 20, 1989	May 2, 1990
	6	24	September 19, 1990	April 24, 1991
	7	24	September 18, 1991	April 25, 1992
	TV films	2 films

Season 1: 1985-1986

Series #	Season #	Title	Directed by	Written by	Original air date	Production code
1	1	"Pilot"	John Pasquin	Neal Marlens	September 24, 1985	206740
Maggie goes back to work as journalist, leaving Jason to take care of the kids. Mike then gets arrested for illegally driving a car.
2	2	"Springsteen"	John Pasquin	David Kendall	October 1, 1985	185803
Mike tries desperately to get tickets to a Bruce Springsteen concert. He is ecstatic when Jason gets them for him, until he embarasses Mike there.
3	3	"Jealousy"	John Pasquin	Carol Black & Neal Marlens	October 8, 1985	185801
Jason becomes suspicious that Maggie is seeing another man whom she is co-working with on a story.
4	4	"Carol's Article"	John Pasquin	Sybil Adelman & Martin Sage	October 15, 1985	185804
Carol auditions for her school paper, but is angered when her mother doesn't give her a good review. Meanwhile, Mike & Ben begin betting on horses and get on a winning streak.
5	5	"Superdad!"	Nick Havinga	Tom Walla & Dave Wollert	October 29, 1985	185805
After Carol has boy troubles, Jason gives her advice since Maggie's not around.
6	6	"Mike's Madonna Story"	John Pasquin	Carol Black & Neal Marlens	November 5, 1985	185802
Mike becomes attracted to a "Madonna look-alike" (Dana Plato), which worries Maggie. Meanwhile, Ben accidentally ruins Carol's plant project.
7	7	"Weekend Fantasy"	John Tracy	Arnold Margolin	November 12, 1985	185808
Jason & Maggie go on a weekend vacation to get away from their responsibilities, and leave Mike in charge. But they become concerned when they call to check up on their children, and no one answers; they imagine all sorts of dreadful possibilities.
8	8	"Slice of Life"	John Tracy	Rich Reinhart	November 19, 1985	185809
After reviewing a marriage compatibility test for his work, Jason and Maggie take it and Maggie becomes angered at some of the answers Jason gave.
9	9	"Carol's Crush"	John Tracy	Stephen J. Curwick	November 26, 1985	185810
Carol begins having feelings for a relative who is a few years older than her and becomes jealous when he is attracted to another woman.
10	10	"Dirt Bike"	John Tracy	Kerry Ehrin & Ali Marie Matheson	December 3, 1985	185811
Mike rides a dirt bike against his parents wishes while camping with Boner.
11	11	"Standardized Test"	Nick Havinga	Carol Black & Neal Marlens	December 10, 1985	185806
Mike completely disregards an IQ test and gets a 27, which concerns his parents.
12	12	"A Christmas Story"	John Tracy	Story by: Carol Black & Neal Marlens Teleplay by: Tom Walla & Dave Wollert	December 17, 1985	185812
On Christmas Eve, Ben is having second thoughts about Santa Claus. But bigger problems come when a patient of Jason's threatens to commit suicide by falling down their chimney...head first.
13	13	"The Love Song of M. Aaron Seaver"	John Tracy	Arnold Margolin	January 7, 1986	185814
Mike falls for a cultural student whom he impresses with a poem written by Carol. However, his next date with her is on an annual family bowling night.
14	14	"First Blood"	John Tracy	Mark Fink	January 14, 1986	185813
Ben is having bully trouble on his hockey team, with both a player and the player's father, who is the coach of the team. When Jason tries to step in, things get worse.
15	15	"Slice of Life II"	John Tracy	Tom Walla & David Kendall	January 21, 1986	185815
Although Jason is not emotionally ready for it, Maggie believes that she is going to be having another baby.
16	16	"The Seavers vs. the Cleavers"	John Tracy	Susan Beavers	January 28, 1986	185817
Mike & Carol do not want their parents chaperoning a dance. They are glad when Jason and Maggie are told not to, until Carol finds out that the PTA considers them unfit parents.
17	17	"Charity Begins at Home"	John Tracy	Dan Guntzelman & Steve Marshall	February 18, 1986	185816
Ben wants to get a good birthday present for Jason, but doesn't have enough money. He gets some advice from Mike which causes him to accidentally commit a crime.
18	18	"Reputation"	John Tracy	David Kendall	February 25, 1986	185819
Mike, his whole class and family, are all stunned when Mike gets the best grade in the class on his American History final. Everything is good, until the teacher accuses him of cheating.
19	19	"The Anniversary That Never Was"	John Tracy	Timothy James	March 4, 1986	185818
Mike, Carol, and Ben want to give their parents a relaxing anniversary, despite being busy. When Maggie gets called to Washington for business, Jason is distressed.
20	20	"Be a Man"	John Tracy	Rich Reinhart	March 11, 1986	185820
Mike stays home alone and has an unsupervised party while the rest of the family goes to visit Maggie's parents, who are having financial trouble, and won't accept money from anyone, not even Jason.
21	21	"Career Decision"	John Tracy	Story by: Bob Brush Teleplay by: Bob Brush & Tom Walla	May 6, 1986	185821
Carol goes to see what Maggie does at work, only to find her mom humiliated from a mistake she made in an article.
22	22	"Extra Lap"	John Tracy	Stephen J. Curwick	May 13, 1986	185807
Youthful Uncle Bob comes for visit, but dies in his sleep. Things get more complicated when Mike believes he is seeing his ghost.

Season 2: 1986-1987

Series #	Season #	Title	Directed by	Written by	Original air date	Production code
23	1	"Jason and the Cruisers"	John Tracy	Tom Walla	September 30, 1986	185962
Maggie reunites Jason with his former band when he starts to feel old.
24	2	"Fast Times at Dewey High"	Dan Guntzelman	David Kendall	October 21, 1986	185963
Mike finds himself with two dates for the school dance.
25	3	"Long Day's Journey Into Night"	John Tracy	David Kendall	October 28, 1986	185961
Carol is overjoyed when a popular girl at school starts hanging out with her but finds out that she is only friends with her to get Mike.
26	4	"Call Me"	John Tracy	Tim O'Donnell	November 11, 1986	185965
Maggie and Jason recall how Ben got himself into hot water by calling a pornographic hotline and then lying by putting the blame on a neighborhood kid for giving out the number.
27	5	"Employee of the Month"	John Tracy	Tom Walla	November 18, 1986	185967
Mike tries to help a co-worker (Olivia d'Abo) by taking responsibility for her frequent mistakes. He is then fired but tells his parents he's still going to work. Danny Nucci guest stars as Mike's boss.
28	6	"Dream Lover"	John Tracy	Tim O'Donnell	November 25, 1986	185970
Carol tutors the captain of the football team.
29	7	"Do You Believe in Magic?"	John Tracy	Melody Rowland	December 2, 1986	185969
After being conned out of $10 by Mike, Carol and Ben, along with the help of Jason and Maggie, hatch an elaborate scheme to recoup their money.
30	8	"Jason's Rib"	John Tracy	Tom Walla	December 9, 1986	185971
Maggie feels belittled by Jason when they disagree about a school dress code during a parents meeting.
31	9	"The Kid"	John Tracy	Tim O'Donnell	December 16, 1986	185972
Ben becomes overwhelmed with the holiday spirit and invites a homeless teen (Hallie Todd) to stay with the Seavers.
32	10	"The Breakfast Club"	John Tracy	David Tyron King	January 6, 1987	185966
Maggie insists that Mike be grounded for lying and then is caught in a lie of her own. Jason suggests that in order to teach Mike a lesson Maggie should ground herself, and she agrees. Meanwhile, Carol accompanies Jason to Atlantic City so concert tickets from Maggie's parents don't go to waste.
33	11	"Choices"	John Tracy	Susan Beavers	January 13, 1987	185964
Maggie is thrilled when Carol is offered a chance to skip a grade in school, but then discovers that she may have sent her daughter the wrong message about her own life choices.
34	12	"Higher Education"	John Tracy	Susan Beavers	January 20, 1987	185973
Mike is blackmailed by a girl who helped change his grade on an English test so he'd be allowed to go on a ski trip; Jason and Maggie have colds, and Carol runs the house a little too well for Jason's liking.
35	13	"Some Enchanted Evening"	John Tracy	Susan Beavers	January 27, 1987	185976
Carol is eager for Bobby to invite her to the Dewey High winter formal, but he doesn't seem interested. Meanwhile, Mike has three girls courting him to be their date for the dance.
36	14	"Thank You, Willie Nelson"	John Tracy	David Kendall	February 3, 1987	185974
Maggie's father sells his house without his wife's approval, causing a controversy between them. Mike and Ben attempt to find ways to mess with Carol's pajama party.
37	15	"Thank God It's Friday"	John Tracy	Dan Guntzelman & Steve Marshall	February 10, 1987	185975
Mike and his friends go to a college party and are pressured to take drugs.
38	16	"My Brother, Myself"	John Tracy	Susan Beavers	February 24, 1987	185981
When Ben hits puberty he gets advice from Mike and tries to hit on his babysitter; Maggie and Jason go on a date.
39	17	"Jimmy Durante Died for Your Sins"	John Tracy	Christopher Ames & Carolyn Shelby	March 3, 1987	185979
Jason and Maggie tell Carol that she can only get a nose job if she gets the money for it herself. Surprisingly enough, she gets the money by winning a radio contest.
40	18	"Carnival"	John Tracy	Sybil Adelman & Martin Sage	March 10, 1987	185968
Maggie volunteers to help out at Ben's school carnival but starts to ignore Ben and do it only for herself.
41	19	"The Awful Truth"	John Tracy	Kate Boutilier	March 17, 1987	185980
The kids believe that Maggie and Jason were once married to other people and divorced.
42	20	"Born Free"	John Tracy	Tim O'Donnell	March 31, 1987	185978
Jason and Mike go on a guys' trip to Boston so that Jason can show Mike around his old college and convince him to go to college. But while on the plane, a woman goes into labor and Mike has to help her.
43	21	"The Long Goodbye"	John Tracy	David Kendall & Tim O'Donnell	May 5, 1987	185982
Maggie believes that the Seavers' handyman, Jimmy, is too old to fix things for them and tries to convince Jason to fire him after he messes some things up. But the family later learns that it was not Jimmy who made the mistakes.
44	22	"Confidentially Yours"	John Tracy	Tom Walla	May 19, 1987	185977
Maggie gets a job offer but learns that her boss only wants her because he wants to sleep with her.

Season 3: 1987-1988

Series #	Season #	Title	Directed by	Written by	Original air date	Production code
45	1	"Aloha (Part 1)"	John Tracy	Story by: Tom Walla Teleplay by: Dan Guntzelman & Steve Marshall	September 18, 1987	186103
The Seaver family journey to Hawaii for a holiday but it doesn't go as planned for Jason. Maggie has problems with work, Mike and Carol find romance and Ben finds a new interest.
46	2	"Aloha (Part 2)"	John Tracy	Story by: Tom Walla Teleplay by: Dan Guntzelman & Steve Marshall	September 18, 1987	186104
Maggie finds a solution to her problem, Mike is initially shocked to find out that his Hawaiian girlfriend has a young daughter (but then enjoys babysitting her) and Bobby arrives.
47	3	"Taking Care of Business"	John Tracy	Tim O'Donnell	September 22, 1987	186102
The family is supportive of the positive effect Mike's new job has had, until Jason discovers his employers use bait-and-switch tactics.
48	4	"Not Necessarily the News"	John Tracy	Tim O'Donnell	September 29, 1987	186109
The Seaver family becomes anxious to find Maggie a new job.
49	5	"Michaelgate"	John Tracy	Dan Guntzelman & Steve Marshall	October 6, 1987	186108
Mike is nominated for student body President.
50	6	"Big Brother is Not Watching"	John Tracy	David Tyron King	October 13, 1987	186101
Ben turns to Mike and Carol to help him get a new bike.
51	7	"A Star is Born"	John Tracy	David Kendall	October 27, 1987	186107
Mike joins the school play but is more interested in a girl than in the play.
52	8	"Gone But Not Forgotten"	John Tracy	Christopher Ames & Carolyn Shelby	November 3, 1987	186105
The Seaver house is burglarized, with the family thinking the perpetrators may return.
53	9	"Who's Zoomin' Who?"	John Tracy	Tom Walla	November 10, 1987	186113
Carol's friends convince her to dump Bobby for the handsome new transfer student (Brad Pitt).
54	10	"This is Your Life"	John Tracy	David Kendall	November 17, 1987	186110
Under anaesthesia for a tonsillectomy, Ben deludes he's sneaked home to find he's been replaced by a new Ben.
55	11	"Broadway Bound"	John Tracy	Tim O'Donnell & Tom Walla	November 24, 1987	186115
Mike skips the local school play audition to audition for a Broadway play.
56	12	"The Scarlet Letter"	John Tracy	Kate Boutilier	December 1, 1987	186106
Carol doubts the purpose of an education when she turns in an exam paper that she bluffed her way through and gets an A+.
57	13	"A Reason to Live"	John Tracy	David Tyron King	December 8, 1987	186112
A troubled girl uses a school assignment with Mike and Boner to seek help from Jason.
58	14	"Nasty Habits"	John Tracy	Christopher Ames & Carolyn Shelby	December 15, 1987	186119
Mike's bad habits catch up with him when he is in danger of not graduating and can't seem to start his English report when Maggie and Jason find out about his intentions to go out the night before his English report is due.
59	15	"The Marrying Kind"	John Tracy	David Kendall	January 5, 1988	186114
Jason and Maggie are shocked when Carol announces her engagement to Bobby.
60	16	"State of the Union"	John Tracy	Kate Boutilier	January 12, 1988	186120
Jason and Maggie spend more and more time apart when Maggie's new job demands more and more of her time.
61	17	"The Mom Who Knew Too Much"	John Tracy	Kate Boutilier	January 26, 1988	186111
Carol is furious with Maggie after Maggie tells Jason one of Carol's most intimate secrets.
62	18	"Great Expectations"	John Tracy	David Kendall	February 9, 1988	186122
A letter from the girl he met in Hawaii has Mike scheming to go to Los Angeles without Jason and Maggie's knowledge.
63	19	"Dance Fever (Part 1)"	John Tracy	Neal Marlens & Tim O'Donnell	March 1, 1988	186117
Maggie and Jason chaperone a high school dance attended by Carol and Mike. Meanwhile, Ben goes in search of his manhood.
64	20	"Dance Fever (Part 2)"	John Tracy	Neal Marlens & Tim O'Donnell	March 2, 1988	186118
Jason and Maggie compete to see which one is the better D.J., Ben continues his quest for manhood, Mike discovers he has values, and Carol learns to think for herself instead of going along with the crowd.
65	21	"Bringing Up Baby"	John Tracy	Tom Walla	March 9, 1988	186121
Maggie grasps for a way to tell her boss she is pregnant while the Seavers make room for the baby.
66	22	"The Obscure Objects of Our Desire (Part 1)"	John Tracy	David Kendall & Neal Marlens	March 30, 1988	186365A
Spring cleaning breathes new life into the family's household objects, and each has a story to tell.
67	23	"The Obscure Objects of Our Desire (Part 2)"	John Tracy	David Kendall	March 30, 1988	186365B
Housecleaning turns up things from the family's past and sparks memories.
68	24	"How the West Was Won (Part 1)"	John Tracy	Dan Guntzelman & Steve Marshall	April 20, 1988	186291
Mike and Boner learn that Coach Lubbock has been fired, prompting them to organize a protest.
69	25	"How the West Was Won (Part 2)"	John Tracy	Dan Guntzelman & Steve Marshall	April 26, 1988	186292
Jason, Carol, Mike, and Boner are arrested over the demonstration of Coach Lubbock's firing.
70	26	"Graduation Day"	John Tracy	Dan Guntzelman & Steve Marshall	May 4, 1988	186116
Mike's graduation stirs memories from his proud parents, who recall his birth and first day of school.

Season 4: 1988-1989

Series #	Season #	Title	Directed by	Written by	Original air date	Production code
71	1	"Fool for Love"	John Tracy	Kate Boutilier	October 19, 1988	186433
Ben tries to get up the courage to ask a girl to a Halloween Party.
72	2	"Birth of a Seaver"	John Tracy	David Kendall	October 26, 1988	186434
Maggie goes into labor on Ben's 12th birthday.
73	3	"Family Ties (Part 1)"	John Tracy	Tim O'Donnell	November 2, 1988	186431
Mike has a showdown with Jason over his rights as an 18 year old college student and declares his freedom from parental rule.
74	4	"Family Ties (Part 2)"	John Tracy	Tom Walla	November 9, 1988	186432
Mike converts the storage space above the garage into an apartment and must choose whether he wants to be tenant or family member.
75	5	"Guess Who's Coming to Dinner?"	John Tracy	Becky Ayers & Joanna Kerns	November 16, 1988	186435
Jason learns his widowed mother has a new beau.
76	6	"Homecoming Queen"	John Tracy	Kate Boutilier	November 23, 1988	186436
Carol is chosen for homecoming court.
77	7	"Nude Photos"	John Tracy	David Kendall	November 30, 1988	186437
Mike's photography course includes nude studies.
78	8	"Ben's First Kiss"	John Tracy	Tim O'Donnell	December 7, 1988	186439
Ben throws a party to get to know a girl.
79	9	"The Nanny"	John Tracy	Kevin Abbott	January 4, 1989	186438
The Seavers hire a nanny for Chrissy, with interesting results.
80	10	"Mandingo"	John Tracy	Story by: Dan Guntzelman & Mike Sullivan Teleplay by: David Kendall & Tim O'Donnell	January 11, 1989	186442
A travel snafu strands Julie with Mike.
81	11	"In Carol We Trust"	John Tracy	Tom Walla	January 18, 1989	186441
Carol sneaks out of the house to go on a date.
82	12	"Mom of the Year"	John Tracy	Becky Ayers	January 25, 1989	186443
Maggie is chosen to receive the "Working Mother of the Year" award and prepares a speech.
83	13	"Semper Fidelis"	John Tracy	David Kendall	February 1, 1989	186440
Boner flunks out of college and joins the Marines.
84	14	"Feet of Clay"	John Tracy	Todd Thicke	February 8, 1989	186444
Maggie arranges for Ben to meet his favorite rock musician, Jonathan Keith (Brad Pitt), but seeing what he does backstage makes Ben realize his idolatry may have been misplaced. Note: Brad Pitt makes his second appearance in the series, he previously guest starred as Jeff (one of Carol's love interests) in the season 3 episode "Who's Zoomin' Who".
85	15	"Anniversary from Hell"	John Tracy	Tim O'Donnell	February 15, 1989	186446
The Seavers have 20-year anniversary party but the guests start to argue with each other.
86	16	"Fortunate Son"	John Tracy	Tim O'Donnell	February 22, 1989	186445
Maggie becomes concerned when Mike takes a job at a convenience store and may have to do dangerous night shifts.
87	17	"Double Standard"	John Tracy	Todd Thicke	March 1, 1989	186447
Jason punishes Carol and Ben unequally for the same offence when they are caught sneaking out for dates without permission.
88	18	"The Recruiter"	John Tracy	Tim O'Donnell	March 15, 1988	186449
To avoid going to her parents' college without disappointing them, Carol has Mike hire a homeless man (Carmen Filpi) to pose as Jason.
89	19	"Show Ninety – Who Knew?"	John Tracy	Kevin Abbott	March 22, 1989	186450
Jason helps Mike with his Psychology class, but the result isn't what he expected. Note: Contrary to the episode title, this episode was the 89th episode to air.
90	20	"Second Chance"	John Tracy	Story: by Dan Guntzelman & Steve Marshall Teleplay by: David Kendall	April 12, 1989	186448
Carol's boyfriend, Sandy (Matthew Perry), lands in the hospital after he gets into an accident while driving drunk. Note: At the end of this episode there was a message telling the viewers the average numbers of deaths in drunk driving accidents. When Sandy was killed the number was raised.
91	21	"The Looooove Boat (Part 1)"	John Tracy	David Kendall	April 26, 1989	186451
Jason's mother wants to get married on a cruise ship.
92	22	"The Looooove Boat (Part 2)"	John Tracy	David Kendall	May 3, 1989	186452
Jason tries to calm his mother when her wedding plans fail.

Season 5: 1989-1990

Series #	Season #	Title	Directed by	Written by	Original air date	Production code
93	1	"Anger With Love"	John Tracy	David Kendall & Tim O'Donnell	September 20, 1989	186704
Maggie disapproves of Mike and Julie's wedding plans.
94	2	"Mike and Julie's Wedding"	John Tracy	David Kendall	September 27, 1989	186703
Julie and Mike suffer prenuptial jitters.
95	3	"Carol Meets the Real World"	John Tracy	David Kendall	October 4, 1989	186701
Jason demands that Carol find a job.
96	4	"Fish Bait"	John Tracy	Rob Bragin	October 11, 1989	186702
Mike's drama teacher and classmates start to intimidate him.
97	5	"Teach Me"	John Tracy	Tim O'Donnell	October 18, 1989	186706
Carol brings a fake boyfriend to a family party.
98	6	"Carol's Papers"	John Tracy	Tim O'Donnell	October 25, 1989	186705
Jason confronts Ben and Mike, who give conflicting versions of how Ben came to sell Carol's old term papers to students at Dewey High -- and to date a seductive 18-year-old.
99	7	"Coughing Boy"	John Tracy	Mindy Schneider	November 1, 1989	186709
Mike is over the moon when he attends an open casting session and wins a part on a TV cop show -- and crushed when his single line is cut in the editing.
100	8	"The New Deal (Part 1)"	John Tracy	Shelly Landau	November 8, 1989	186707
Jason gets a promising job offer.
101	9	"The New Deal (Part 2)"	John Tracy	Shelly Landau	November 15, 1989	186708
Jason tries to keep the fact that he got a new job offer away from Maggie.
102	10	"Paper Route"	John Tracy	David Kendall	November 22, 1989	186710
Ben assumes Mike's paper route for half the money.
103	11	"Five Grand"	John Tracy	Tim O'Donnell	November 29, 1989	186713
Maggie's parents give each of the grandchildren $5,000 as an early inheritance.
104	12	"Carol's Promotion"	John Tracy	Mindy Schneider	December 6, 1989	186711
Carol get a promotion at work and considers putting off college.
105	13	"Ben and Mike's Excellent Adventure"	John Tracy	Rob Bragin	December 13, 1989	186712
Mike takes Ben girl chasing.
106	14	"The Triangle"	John Tracy	Shelly Landau	January 3, 1990	186714
Mike falls for his leading lady.
107	15	"The Return of the Triangle"	John Tracy	Shelly Landau	January 10, 1990	186715
David turns to Mike for help with Kate.
108	16	"The Home Show"	John Tracy	David Kendall & Tim O'Donnell	January 17, 1990	186716
The Seavers' reception to raise money for a free mental-health clinic spells disaster when they forget the date of the party and must scramble at the last minute for a caterer.
109	17	"Jason vs. Maggie"	John Tracy	Tim O'Donnell	January 24, 1990	186717
Ben asks permission to get his ear pierced, which leads Jason and Maggie to argue about it.
110	18	"Mike, Kate and Julie"	John Tracy	David Kendall	January 31, 1990	186718
While Mike is on a date with Kate, he meets Julie at the restaurant they are at.
111	19	"Mike, the Teacher"	John Tracy	Mindy Schneider	February 7, 1990	186719
Mike becomes a substitute teacher.
112	20	"Carol in Jail"	John Tracy	Mindy Schneider	February 14, 1990	186720
Mike's unpaid parking tickets gets Carol arrested when she's pulled over driving his car.
113	21	"Future Shock"	John Tracy	Todd Thicke	February 21, 1990	186721
Chrissy becomes a teenager in Maggie's dream, which is influenced by her fear of being an older parent in a sea of youngsters taking their kids to preschool.
114	22	"Ben Cheats"	John Tracy	Tim O'Donnell	March 14, 1990	186722
Ben weighs the pros and cons of cheating after he learns the tricks of the test-passing trade from sly schoolmate Vito.
115	23	"Mike, the Director"	John Tracy	Rob Bragin	March 21, 1990	186723
As he prepares to graduate, Mike decides he wants to try his hand at directing.
116	24	"Weekend at Mike's"	John Tracy	Story by: David Kendall & Tim O'Donnell Teleplay by: Shelly Landau	April 4, 1990	186725
The family stays at Mike's apartment while the house is being fumigated.
117	25	"Ben's Movie"	John Tracy	Shelly Landau	April 25, 1990	186695
Ben casts a girl he likes in a home movie he is making.
118	26	"Where's There's a Will"	John Tracy	David Kendall	May 2, 1990	186696
Jason and Mike head off together to inspect the mountain cabin Jason has inherited from his Uncle George.

Season 6: 1990-1991

Series #	Season #	Title	Directed by	Written by	Original air date	Production code
119	1	"Mike's Choice (Part 1)"	John Tracy	David Kendall	September 19, 1990	187014
Mike decides to quit college to fully focus on acting, a decision that Jason and Maggie disagree with.
120	2	"Midnight Cowboy (Part 2)"	John Tracy	Nick Lerose	September 26, 1990	187015
Mike moves into the city and Carol has a hard time with her commute to Columbia University.
121	3	"Roommates (Part 3)"	John Tracy	Bob Burris & Michael Ware	October 3, 1990	187016
Mike and Carol rent an apartment in the city as Jason and Maggie wait patiently for them to return home.
122	4	"Daddy Mike"	John Tracy	Elias Davis & David Pollock	October 10, 1990	187013
Mike and Eddie (K. C. Martel) join a single-parents group to meet women.
123	5	"Ben's Sure Thing"	John Tracy	Shelly Landau	October 17, 1990	187012
At the school's Parents Night, the Seavers learn Ben's been telling his friends that the girl he's dating is promiscuous.
124	6	"Jason Flirts, Maggie Hurts"	John Tracy	Jack Weinberger & Mike Weinberger	October 24, 1990	187011
A flirty Jason gets jealous when Maggie turns the tables.
125	7	"Happy Halloween (Part 1)"	John Tracy	Jay Abramowitz, Dan Guntzelman & Nick Lerose	October 31, 1990	187017
The Seavers spend a rainy Halloween night telling ghost stories...and, thanks to Mike, discover that truth can be much scarier than fiction. Guest starring Jamie Luner (best known as "Cindy Lubbock", although she portrays quite a different character here).
126	8	"Happy Halloween (Part 2)"	John Tracy	Jay Abramowitz, Dan Guntzelman & Nick Lerose	October 31, 1990	187018
The Seavers spend a rainy Halloween night telling ghost stories...and, thanks to Mike, discover that truth can be much scarier than fiction. Guest starring Jamie Luner (best known as "Cindy Lubbock", although she portrays quite a different character here).
127	9	"Let's Go Europe (Part 1)"	John Tracy	David Kendall	November 7, 1990	187019
Jason buys an anniversary trip to Paris from travel agent Mike, who himself wins a European tour that falls apart; Maggie, in Paris, is struck with appendicitis.
128	10	"Let's Go Europe (Part 2)"	John Tracy	Bob Burris & Michael Ware	November 14, 1990	187020
Maggie is hospitalized in Paris, while Mike finds himself stuck on the road with an angry customer.
129	11	"Let's Go Europe (Part 3)"	John Tracy	Story by: Dan Guntzelman & David Kendall Teleplay by: Bob Burris & Michael Ware	November 28, 1990	187022
Mike and Amy continue to bicker their way toward Paris.
130	12	"Divorce Story"	John Tracy	Elias Davis & David Pollock	December 5, 1990	187023
Jason, happy to see his mother's second marriage crumbling, doesn't want to provide her with professional help.
131	13	"The World According to Chrissy"	John Tracy	Leilani Downer	December 19, 1990	187024
Chrissy starts spending time with her imaginary friend, Ike, a six-foot tall mouse.
132	14	"How Could I Leave Her Behind?"	John Tracy	Jack Weinberger & Mike Weinberger	January 2, 1991	187021
Mike and Eddie double date but when Eddie shows up with Mike's ex-girlfriend, things start to heat up.
133	15	"Like Father, Like Son"	John Tracy	Vince Cheung & Ben Montanio	January 9, 1991	187025
In an intrafamily communications seminar, Mike and Jason discover just how alike they are.
134	16	"Ben's Rap Group"	John Tracy	Todd Thicke	January 23, 1991	187027
Jason becomes Ben's business partner in the management of a rap group, but uses the money he's invested to control Ben.
135	17	"Eddie, We Hardly Knew Ye"	John Tracy	Rich Reinhart	January 30, 1991	187026
Maggie's father Ed dies during his visit with the Seavers.
136	18	"Maggie Seaver's: The Meaning of Life"	John Tracy	Jay Abramowitz	February 6, 1991	187029
Jason takes Maggie on a tropical getaway to lift her spirits after her father's death.
137	19	"All the World is a Stage"	John Tracy	David Kendall	February 13, 1991	187030
Mike competes with a well-established actor for a role in a soap opera, learning how tenuous an acting career can be.
138	20	"Not With My Carol You Don't"	John Tracy	Leilani Downer	February 20, 1991	187028
Jason encourages Carol to volunteer at a clinic, but disapproves of the ex-con she meets there.
139	21	"Meet the Seavers"	John Tracy	Story by: Dan Guntzelman, David Kendall, Mike Sullivan & Steve Marshall Teleplay by: Bob Burris & Michael Ware	March 6, 1991	187032
In this Twilight Zone-esque episode, Ben awakens to discover he's Jeremy Miller, an actor on the set of "Meet the Seavers".
140	22	"Carol's Carnival"	John Tracy	Rich Reinhart	March 27, 1991	187033
Ben forces Carol to go on a date with the brother of his new girlfriend but he ditches her and Carol meets another man at the carnival in which they went for the date.
141	23	"Home Schooling"	John Tracy	Story by: Dan Guntzelman & Mike Sullivan Teleplay by: Nick Lerose	April 17, 1991	187031
Maggie homeschools Ben after he is suspended from school.
142	24	"Viva Las Vegas"	John Tracy	Shelly Landau	April 24, 1991	187034
Mike and Kate accompany the eloping Eddie and a hat-check bimbette to Las Vegas, giving Mike and Carol the wrong idea.

Season 7: 1991-1992

Series #	Season #	Title	Directed by	Written by	Original air date	Production code
143	1	"Back to School"	Jack Shea	Bob Burris & Michael Ware	September 18, 1991	187201
Mike's begins his first day teaching remedial students.
144	2	"Stop, Luke, and Listen (Part 1)"	Jack Shea	Liz Sage	September 25, 1991	187203
Mike offers to help his best student Luke Brower (Leonardo DiCaprio), after he learns he is homeless.
145	3	"In vino veritas (Part 2)"	Jack Shea	Rich Reinhart	September 28, 1991	187204
Mike persuades Jason and Maggie to let Luke stay with them temporarily; just as Jason's collection of wines goes missing.
146	4	"Paper Tigers"	Jack Shea	Leilani Downer	October 5, 1991	187202
Jason and Maggie compete to write a newspaper column and Ben starts to hate his glasses.
147	5	"The Young and the Homeless"	Jack Shea	Bob Burris & Michael Ware	October 12, 1991	187205
Luke runs way from the Seavers, just as Mike is about to film his first scenes for a soap opera.
148	6	"Jason Sings the Blues"	Jack Shea	Jerry Colker	October 19, 1991	187206
Luke is afraid to go to the doctor's office so Jason goes with him but it turns out Jason needs surgery.
149	7	"The Kid's Still Got It"	Iris Dugow	Jerry Colker	October 26, 1991	187207
Carol accompanies Maggie to a resort, which turns out to be hosting a singles convention; meanwhile, the all-male weekend planned at home is ruined when Chrissy is sent home with head lice.
150	8	"There Must Be a Pony"	Iris Dugow	Liz Sage	November 2, 1991	187208
Nouveau riche neighbors move in next door; Ben is forced to look after Luke on his first day of high school; Jason's scheme to let Chrissie stay up late backfires when the neighbors throw a lavish party.
151	9	"The Big Fix"	Iris Dugow	Leilani Downer	November 9, 1991	187209
Consumer advocate Maggie raps a vacuum cleaner that Ben broke without telling her.
152	10	"Home Malone"	Burt Brinckerhoff	Rich Reinhart	November 16, 1991	187210
The ghost of Maggie's father Ed oversees the Seavers' visit to her childhood home.
153	11	"Bad Day Cafe"	Renny Temple	Bud Wiser	November 23, 1991	187212
Luke's father comes to town and wants Luke back.
154	12	"B=MC2"	Gerren Keith	Cathy Jung	November 30, 1991	187211
Ben crams for a college entrance exam, but gets no help from Jason.
155	13	"It's Not Easy Being Green"	Renny Temple	Leilani Downer	December 21, 1991	187213
Christmas brings anger and angst to the Seavers.
156	14	"The Call of the Wild"	Andy Cadiff	Bob Burris & Michael Ware	January 4, 1992	187214
Penniless Mike schemes to give Kate a skiing trip.
157	15	"Honest Abe"	Burt Brinckerhoff	Wendy Braff	January 18, 1992	187216
Luke's homeless friend steals a Seaver memento.
158	16	"Vicious Cycle"	Burt Brinckerhoff	Cathy Jung	February 1, 1992	187217
Maggie and Jason put Mike on the spot for Luke's curfew problems.
159	17	"Menage a Luke"	Gerren Keith	Todd Thicke	February 8, 1992	187215
A love triangle involves Ben, Luke and a classmate.
160	18	"The Five Fingers of Ben"	Burt Brinckerhoff	Jerry Colker	February 22, 1992	187218
When Ben is tired of getting bullied, he takes karate lessons.
161	19	"Don't Go Changin'"	Don Amendolia	Leilani Downer & Rich Reinhart	February 29, 1992	187220
Mike believes his new friend is a bad influence on Luke.
162	20	"The Truck Stops Here"	Joanna Kerns	Jerry Colker	March 21, 1992	187219
Luke's father shows up once again and wants Luke to join him on his trucking journeys. Note: This episode marks Joanna Kerns' directorial debut. She would go on to direct a number of notable television series in the course of her career.
163	21	"Maggie's Brilliant Career"	Gerren Keith	Kate Boutilier	April 4, 1992	187221
Maggie wants to fulfill a dream by climbing a mountain.
164	22	"The Wrath of Con Ed"	Nancy Heydorn	Liz Sage	April 11, 1992	187222
A power failure hampers Jason and Maggie's romantic evening.
165	23	"The Last Picture Show (Part 1)"	Jonathan Weiss	Bob Burris, Wendy Braff, Jerry Colker, Leilani Downer, Cathy Jung, Rich Reinhart, Liz Sage, Michael Ware & Dan Wilcox	April 25, 1992	187223
A senator offers Maggie a job in Washington, D.C., with the family deciding whether they should move.
166	24	"The Last Picture Show (Part 2)"	Jonathan Weiss	Bob Burris & Michael Ware	April 25, 1992	187224
Mike proposes to Kate and the family reminisces about good times in their home.

TV films

Title	Directed by	Written by	Original air date
"The Growing Pains Movie"	Alan Metter	David Kendall & Mike Sullivan	November 5, 2000
The Seavers help Maggie in her senate campaign against her former boss.
"Growing Pains: Return of the Seavers"	Joanna Kerns	Christina Lynch & Loren Segan	October 16, 2004
Jason and Maggie want to sell the house and retire causing a rift with real estate agent Ben, Mike and Carol.

External links

• List of Growing Pains episodes at TV.com