Which do you like better?
I think I like Growing Pains a little bit more better. Family Ties came out the year I was born and in the 80s I remember the theme song a little bit but now that is on HUB channel I can re watch the show and explore what I missed. Family ties is a good show I like Michael J. Fox.
Family Ties
Growing Pains is HORRIBLE and Kirk Cameron is certified lunatic dumb enough to believe in the Rapture and other bible mythology!
Jesus NEVER existed! He is Judeo Christian MYTH!
I may not agree with Kirk Cameron, but to say he is a certified lunatic and that he is dumb, simply because he has different beliefs than you, speaks volumes about yourself. It is ok to have different beliefs. Are you so vanilla that you want everyone to think exactly as you do?
I think Family Ties stands the test of time, and Growing Pains hasn't quite. Then again, I haven't seen Growing Pains in YEARS. Having a friend named "Boner" is very dated! I wish Family Ties wasn't moved to Sat nights, which caused this show to decline in ratings. Adding a baby to the show didn't help, but they added Andrew in to tie in with Meredith getting pregnant in reality.
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The snowflake makes it cold, cold, cold. Set temperature makes it hold, hold hold.
Neither show has stood the test of time but Growing Pains sucked back then while FT was great! Kirk Cameron should be locked in a mental hospital!
Jesus NEVER existed! He is Judeo Christian MYTH!
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The other day when I created this post I only saw about 1 episode of the show. The more I watch the re-runs of the show I like the show and have to give it to Family Ties. Both shows do seem kind of bland but now Family Ties take the cake.
shareFamily Ties. Growing Pains had its moments but Family Ties was more clever and had more heart. There were so many memorable moments like Alex's friend dying, the last episode, Alex and Ellen, etc. Both shows seem dated but FT had more depth, at least in my opinion.
shareOverall, I probably like Growing Pains better just due to the sillier, lighthearted nature of the show, but also I find it immensely re-watchable. I don't know, Growing Pains is just a more comfortable show to me. It's one of those silly, fun "Friday" night shows that I can just have fun with then forget about the next day. I know it wasn't on Friday nights, but that's the feel of it for me. And I know it may be an unpopular opinion due to Kirk Cameron's personal beliefs, but I really liked Mike Seaver as the anti-APK character on the show. Cameron played the rebellious, carefree teen to perfection IMHO.
That said, I think Family Ties had the better actors, but I find there to be an uneasy mix of comedy and drama at times, and also the late seasons are pretty unfunny to me. Michael J. Fox was brilliant, so he kind of stole the show, making it hard to get into the other characters at times. Although the show had it's moments of comedic genius, it just wasn't consistent enough and really became something different in it's later seasons.
I enjoy both but have to give it to family ties. I like it better and think it is the better show.
shareThey were both good shows, just different types of comedy. With Family Ties, you really had to follow the storyline and listen for the jokes. Growing Pains was more broad comedy and you could be doing something else while watching it.
Kirk Cameron is free to express his personal beliefs if he wishes. America gives you freedom of religion NOT freedom FROM religion.
I'm sorry, did someone here arrest Kirk for his beliefs or deny him government rights? I don't know how else the "freedom of religion" clause would come in to play.
The first Amendment gives him the right to his beliefs, and *us* the right to free speech, which we are using to criticize his beliefs*. If you somehow think there is a right to hold beliefs and be immune from ridicule for them, you are seriously mistaken.
(*Of couse, the fact that we are expressing our opinions *here* is due to IMDB's decision to allow it, since it is a privately owned forum, without which we would need to find an alternative place to express those views. But we (Americans) hold that intrinsic right on general.)
*in general
shareI liked that both and I think Family Ties was a little more consistent but I preferred the early seasons of Growing Pains over the early seasons of Family Ties.
shareMeh. "Growing Pains" was like "Family Ties" light.
shareThere was no comparison then, and there's no comparison now. Family Ties all the way. I recently picked up the entire series of Family Ties, and I'm enjoying it just as much now as I did then. I found Growing Pains to be totally unwatchable. The humour was bland, and I can't even remember the plots of any of the episodes I did watch. With FT, I'm finding myself remembering every episode I come across.
Also with GP, I couldn't stand Alan Thicke* or Kirk Cameron.
*Going right back to when he had his daytime talk show here in Canada.
"Hogs have futures, I don't."
Dr. Johnny Fever
Family ties..in the beginning...focused a lot on the parents, and their contrasting views with their generation x kids. The humor was more adult orientated and appealed to baby boomers, who were in their 30s and 40s at the time. Over time, the focus started shifting to Alex, when Michael J Fox rose in popularity.
Growing Pains..a much more lightweight sitcom, which ALWAYS appealed to teenage girls because of Kirk Cameron.