This show first aired a little over a week before I was born so I have only seen it on some random SyFy marathons and the DVD's (I Own S1 and S3). Something that bugs me is that in Season 1 Ralph is trying to get custody of his son Kevin, then Kevin is just gone never to be mentioned again. What happened to him?
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Kevin is hanging out with Chuck Cunningham from Happy Days.
shareI'd just go with "Ralph lost custody off screen or gave it up because he was constantly going off with Bill and realized his mother would be better for Kevin than his negligent father.". It'll help you rationalize this better than wondering when this kid, Chuck Cunningham, Mike Douglas (My 3 Sons, not the talk show host....although I never saw the two of them together. Hmmm.....) and Laurie Foreman were getting their own show.....
shareStory wise he just apparently lost full custody of the son. Kevin is only mentioned once more in "Plague."
That said, having kids on set can pose a problem - they're only limited to I think 4 hours a day and must go to school or have a tutor. The costs there factor in a lot too.
Will say however Kevin was far better than Sarah - the kid in "The Greatest American Heroine" who based on the script would've ended up being Holly's Teammate and Bill would've still probably been either written out or had to agree to move to Louisiana (!) (the script is far different than the dreck we got).
Set tutors are usually paid no more than school teachers. The job is difficult because you are also required to be the child's legal advocate in terms of their treatment on set, hours worked, breaks, nutrition, etc. Far from a burden to the film/TV producer, the teacher/tutor/advocate is a great asset, keeping the producer out of trouble, if they do their job right, by coordinating set time with the child actor in ways that do not conflict with the law. There is little merit to the notion that having child actors in the cast is enough of a logistical hassle that children are under-represented. Other factors are involved that create that representational deficit.
Love is like breathing. You have to take some in and let it out to live.
The son is mentioned once in a while. His disappearance is easily explained by budget considerations.
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