Line #123 Series/StepByStep


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5	[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/stepbystep.jpg]]
6
7	-> "''Step by step, day by day!\
8	A fresh start-over, a different hand to play!\
9	The deeper we fall, the stronger we stay\
10	And we'll be better... the second time around!''"
11	--> '''Second Time Around", sung by Jesse Frederick
12
13	''Step by Step'' is one of the many Franchise/{{TGIF}} comedies on [[Creator/AmericanBroadcastingCompany ABC]] that aired from 1991 to 1998. Although at least partially designed as a vehicle for young actress Creator/StaciKeanan (and carrying along with her even younger costar Christopher Castile from their previous series ''Going Places''), star billing for the show went to Creator/PatrickDuffy and Creator/SuzanneSomers as the parents Frank Lambert and Carol Foster. These two played a couple who, ''[[Series/TheBradyBunch Brady Bunch]]''-style, marry and merge their two households. In an intentional subversion of ''The Brady Bunch'', however, their respective children know and dislike each other already, and [[BlendedFamilyDrama forging a single happy family unit out of the conflicts]] so engendered drove many of the show's earlier plots. Even so, like its spiritual predecessor this DomCom employed just about every trope in the book.
14
15	The Foster side included the smart/sarcastic girl Dana, the flighty girl Karen and the nerdy kid Mark, with the Lambert side including the hip BookDumb J.T., the tomboy Al(icia) and hyperactive Brendan. Frank's goofy adult nephew Cody lived in his van in their driveway, and would otherwise [[DropInCharacter pop in regularly]]. A few years into the show Frank and Carol had their own child, Lilly ([[SoapOperaRapidAgingSyndrome rapidly aged]] in her second season, of course).
16
17	The show lasted seven years and was popular enough during the time, but hasn't had any lasting influence due to limited post-series UsefulNotes/{{Syndication}}.
18
19	----
20	!!This show provides examples of:
21	* AccidentalBid: The episode "What's Wrong with this Picture?" climaxes with a nude portrait of Dana at a charity auction and Carol desperately bidding on it while Frank desperately tries to stop her. First she raises her own bid, then he accidentally raises it again while attempting to protest.
22	* ActorAllusion:
23	** Both Patrick Duffy and Suzanne Somers have had lines relating to their former TV series (''Series/{{Dallas}}'' and ''Series/ThreesCompany'', respectively) in various episodes.
24	** When Don Knotts [[IWantYouToMeetAnOldFriendOfMine guest stars]] in a ChristmasEpisode, he plays a [[Series/TheAndyGriffithShow deputy sheriff]].
25	** Likewise, in the season 2 episode, "The Boss", in which Dana gets a job as an assistant manager at a diner while Karen and J.T. also get jobs there as waitstaff and Cody gets a job there as a disc jockey, the diner owner and manager, Joe Passarelli, is played by Al Molinaro, a.k.a., Al Delvecchio on ''Series/HappyDays''.
26	** In one episode, Cody walks into a bar fight and proceeds to annihilate all comers, a reference to Sasha Mitchell's role in the Kickboxer sequels as well as the actor's martial arts abilities.
27	** This isn't the only time that Patrick Duffy (Frank) and Sasha Mitchell (Cody) portrayed uncle and nephew; the first time was on ''Dallas''.
28	* AmateurFilmMakingPlot: One episode has Cody decide to make a film, enlisting the kids as the stars. Given that he tried to start filming before he'd written the script, the result is unsurprisingly bad, though [[TakeOurWordForIt not actually shown to the audience]].
29	* AmazinglyEmbarrassingParents:
30	** Carol, especially in Al's eyes early in the series. At one point in one of the first episodes, Al tearfully announces she's running away because she can't cope with her mother's overbearing behavior. This is quickly subverted, however, as she sees that Carol will fill a much-needed mother role – one left behind when Al's biological mother ran off, never to be seen again – quite well
31	** Later on in the series after Mark becomes a teenager, he begins to see Carol as embarrassing, going far enough to ask Frank to ban her from his basketball games. This of course leads into Carol disguising herself so she can go anyway, and getting caught of course, leading to a heart-to-heart between mother and son.
32	** Frank, especially in Dana's eyes. Frank bumbles his way to playing PapaWolf or otherwise being a father, and it causes no end of grief or embarrassment for Dana. However, she eventually realizes that Frank is a good man with a good heart, is an excellent provider and is willing to stand up for and stand by her.
33	* AndTheAdventureContinues: At the end of "[=YoYo=]'s Wedding".
34	-->'''Dana:''' And so the nightmare continues.
35	* AndStarring: A variation. Creator/SuzanneSomers gets her own separate "Starring" billing right after Creator/PatrickDuffy.
36	* ArmorPiercingQuestion: How Frank gets his brother, Richard, in "Great Expectations" to actually listen to what Cody wants instead of telling him what he wants.
37	-->'''Richard:''' Look, Frank, I know you're just tryin' to help, but I think I know more about my son than you do.\
38	'''Frank:''' Then tell me: why would he rather live in my driveway than your house?
39	* AttemptedRape: At least five episodes, where each of the teen-aged girls in the series are targeted (Dana, Karen and Al):
40	** In 1993, Dana was once a near-victim of date rape when her boyfriend came over (unannounced) to talk to her and hopefully make out. Earlier in the show, her stepfather Frank had made a buffoonish attempt to check up on them when they drove up to Make-Out Point (after Cody warns that the boy is trouble), and gotten Dana very angry. The boy shows up unannounced one day, hoping to get Dana into her room so they could have sex, then tries to advance on her when she says no; Frank shows up just in time to kick the boy out ... and Dana breaks down in tears in Frank's arms.
41	** A 1994 episode saw Dana once again get backed into a corner, this time a well-dressed man at a Chicago bus station. Earlier in the episode, Cody had annoyed Dana with a dream he had about her being attacked by a man in the suit, then got her angry at him after he intruded on her college interview (Cody tried to beat the college dean up, thinking he was the assailant). However, Cody is unable to shake his seemingly silly vibes and shows up at the bus station in time to run off Dana's would-be attacker.
42	** In 1994, Cody takes Karen to a college frat party, where Karen strikes up a quick friendship with a cute guy. When the two are alone, he tries to advance on her, and she has to rely on Cody and the other brothers to run the would-be rapist off.
43	** A year later, Dana and Karen take Al to another college party, where the 15-year-old Lambert girl meets a cute guy that takes her back to his room to talk ... and kiss. When things go too far, Al objects and the boy presses on, it looks like she's about to be raped, until Dana and Karen show up. The boy runs off after being told Al's real age (she had earlier said she was 18). The sisters get their revenge by throwing his furniture out the window, and loudly revealing that the boy likes underage girls.
44	** In 1997, Al is nearly raped again when her date unexpectedly reclines the seat of his car (a customized seat) and suddenly lays on top of her; she fights him off easily, but the real challenge is living down a new, unwanted reputation after the boy claims that the two went "all the way." Karen at first refuses to defend Al (Karen also had her eye on the boy, and is jealous of what she thinks is Al's newfound popularity), but later decides she has an obligation to get to the truth when a humiliated Al tearfully threatens to run home from school and never come out of her room ... while conscious.
45	* AwLookTheyReallyDoLoveEachOther: The Lamberts and Fosters are at each others throats for most of the series, but they do start recognizing each other as family. J.T. even admits that his rivalry with Dana was something of a VitriolicBestBuds nature, and they would look out for each other.
46	* BashBrothers: Dana tried meeting an editor for a job at a bar, and Cody follows knowing the bar is in a bad neighborhood. When she gets harassed a BarBrawl ensues, and Cody handles himself well until they all try rushing him. That's when Frank comes to the rescue, and together they clear out the bar.
47	* BestedAtBowling: Carol and Jean-Luc beat an overly macho Frank and his pal, Moose. Complete with Frank and his construction associate forced to dance in Fairy costumes as per the terms of the wager. Had he won, Carol and Jean-Luc would have had to serve as their wait staff on Poker Night.
48	* BeautyBrainsAndBrawn : Beautiful Karen, Brainy Dana, and Brawny Al.
49	* BewareTheSillyOnes: Cody is such a friendly, goofy guy, but he also knows kickboxing... very well.
50	* BigBrotherMentor: Cody is this to J.T., and sometimes Mark.
51	* BlendedFamilyDrama: The premise -- parents Frank and Carol marry...but their respective children know and dislike each other right off the bat. The show is about them learning to get along.
52	* BlindDate: In one episode, Al goes on a date with a pizza guy named Drew because she likes the sound of his voice, only to find he's very overweight, and very bitter, which results in the two of them arguing before the date is even over and storming off. He later comes back to her place and apologizes, admitting that Al was much nicer than he gave her credit for, but had been burned by so many people, he couldn't get over that. They agree to give it a second try and head out to the movies.
53	* BookDumb: J.T. and his friend Rich are not very good at academics.
54	* BrattyTeenageDaughter: Karen tends to obsess about boys and clothes and be self-centered. Former tomboy Al in later seasons often acts like Karen in a ThoseTwoGirls duo.
55	* TheBrideWithAPast
56	* BrokenAesop: In the episodes [[https://www.hulu.com/watch/278f91fa-9c9d-4f5e-9784-75de9c71f8fe Pulling Together]] [[https://www.hulu.com/watch/8f15d7fd-7518-4aec-8758-e9562b0bde17 and The Un-natural]] Cody's status as TheAce is highlighted at the expense of completely derailing the respective episode's morals. Specifically, the former episode has him single-handedly win the "Family Games" at the expense of an intended lesson about family bonding.[[note]]For extra points, Cody wasn't even registered for the event due to out-of-town business and yet the family's "win" was counted despite obvious cheating.[[/note]] The latter example is even worse, as it results in Cody inadvertently winning a "Battle of the Sexes" bet for J.T. despite [[KarmaHoudini the younger cousin's blatant sexism at the start of the episode]]. (And by inadvertently, we mean '''he completely forgot that he even entered the bet''' and wrongfully declared a draw when everyone else fell asleep.)
57	* BullyHunter: In an instance that shows the kids actually starting to bond as a family, Al stands up for Mark when he's being picked on by a bully named Max. [[SamusIsAGirl (Turns out that's short for "Maxine"!)]]
58	** Unfortunately, [[https://www.hulu.com/watch/d9ad3437-5200-435e-b9f3-82d154ec18b5 several]] [[https://www.hulu.com/watch/cf4167d1-a95b-4baf-93bf-75677088f829 later episodes]] [[https://www.hulu.com/watch/af864849-bb1d-4305-af2b-6e7e8deb885b make clear]] [[https://www.hulu.com/watch/f0e45d58-7a39-48e6-8951-cdc3911aea57 this was]] [[https://www.hulu.com/watch/3ab973b6-1f7e-4dc9-942b-9a9e1e37bfbf nothing more than]] TheOnlyOneAllowedToDefeatYou; Al was in fact an immeasurably worse bully to Mark than Max could have even dreamt of being.
59	* BumblingDad: Frank, although he did display competence on occasion. This was a major reason why Dana had a great dislike for her step-family, especially in the early years.
60	* TheBusCameBack: Sasha Mitchell had some legal troubles relating to supposed spouse abuse. Once it was cleared up (apparently he was protecting his children ''from'' his wife), he returned for one episode in the last season - "We're in the Money." Interestingly, his absence wasn't almost ignored until his return and they explained he went traveling the world looking for the best hamburger ever.
61	* ButtMonkey:
62	** J.T. tends to be mocked and humiliated more than everyone else.
63	** Mark is pushed around a lot by his stepsiblings in early years.
64	** Dana and Karen have a few moments of humiliations, sometimes involving {{Slapstick}}.
65	** Frank sometimes is the butt of the jokes as a BumblingDad.
66	* CaffeineFailure: The children of the two rival houses have a bet to see who can stay up for the longest period of time. At one point, Karen is about to crack, and Dana pushes her to keep going and drink more and more coffee ('Coffee is our friend!'), even as its effectiveness is diminishing.
67	* TheCastShowOff: Cody was a skilled martial artist because Sasha Mitchell was (who starred in a few ''Film/{{Kickboxer}}'' sequels) and got to demonstrate it in several episodes:
68	** Teaching Mark in a way to stand up to the class star (a la ''{{Film/The Karate Kid\|1984}}''). While Mark (who loses) gains his classmate's respect, Mark's teacher continues to shoot off his mouth, belittle Mark and even physically shove Cody. Cody suggests an exhibition match where he proceeds to knock the guy all around the mat.
69	** Another time, beating up an entire bar while protecting Dana.
70	** In the episode where he had the wild dream, running off a would-be rapist trying to corner Dana at a bus station. Although Cody misses completely and puts his foot through a vending machine, it is enough to scare the creep off.
71	* CatchPhrase: "Dude!"
72	* ChuckCunninghamSyndrome - An amazing ''four'' instances, which is rare even for silly TV shows:
73	** Ivy and Penny Baker, Carol's mother (Peggy Rea) and sister (Patrika Darbo) who were also her work partners vanished without a trace after the first season (also killing midway through a StalkerWithACrush plot, as Carol's sister was obviously jealous of her pretty sister and wanted Frank for herself thus she always creeped him out by constant flirts, which Carol either ignored or never noticed). One explanation for why the characters were dropped was that the two characters failed to catch on with viewers.
74	** Brendan Lambert, Frank's youngest son played by Josh Byrne, departed after the sixth season. Early in the series, he was presented as a carefree but chubby boy and did get a few storylines (one involving Minnesota Twins great Harmon Killebrew), but eventually, he was relegated to a glorified extra and -- after baby sister Lily was age-advanced to speaking age -- was eventually dropped altogether. (Although his absence is never explained, Frank and Carol acknowledge they still have seven children.)
75	** At the end of the fifth season, Jake "Flash" Gordon (Jeff Juday), a goofy employee of Frank's, came to live with the family. The character was intended to be a [[SuspiciouslySimilarSubstitute replacement for Cody]]. Season six rolled along, but there was never any mention of Flash.
76	* ControlFreak: Carol and Dana.
77	* {{Costumer}}
78	* CousinOliver: Lilly, the new child added in later seasons. Also, Cody might have been intended as a subversion of this trope, in the sense of "What if Oliver had been on the show from the beginning?" In any case, it worked.
79	* CreativeClosingCredits: Opening credits rather than closing, but the opening for the last season makes it seem like the entire cast took turns in a photo booth.
80	* {{Crossover}}: With fellow ABC program ''Series/FamilyMatters'', with Steve Urkel (in his jetpack) crashing into their backyard table[[note]]which happens after ''Family Matters'' episode "Brain Over Brawn"[[/note]]. Not surprising, of course, since both programs were packaged by Miller-Boyett Productions, and ran in back-to-back timeslots.
81	* CuteBruiser: Al was very strong as a little girl.
82	* CrouchingMoronHiddenBadass: Cody, thanks to his kickboxing skills.
83	* CryingWolf: In the first episode, Al says she doesn't want to go to school because her stomach hurts, but Frank is skeptical on account of multiple past claims that never panned out. Carol does believe Al and gets her to a doctor, learning her appendix is about to burst. Frank is horrified that he didn't listen.
84	* DeadpanSnarker: Dana is the queen of this trope, with Al as a close second.
85	* DemotedToExtra: Brendan before [[ChuckCunninghamSyndrome totally disappearing]] in season 7. Mark too, to a lesser extent.
86	* TheDitz: Karen is very ditzy in a ValleyGirl way. There is also Cody who is prone to ComicallyMissingThePoint.
87	* DrivenToSuicide: In "The Ice Cream Man Cometh," Cody's best friend George is in mourning over his recently deceased wife, goes skydiving and intends not to pull the parachute cord. Cody manages to talk him down. An earlier episode has Frank and Carol end up as suicide hostages after their pilot learns his wife intends to leave him for his boss. Frank manages to change his mind by relating that his own wife left him on even ''worse'' terms.
88	* DropInCharacter: Cody. Technically, he lives at the same address, but he lives in his van.
89	* DumbassHasAPoint: Cody sometimes ''did'' have good advice, to a point where that in itself became a RunningGag and at one point {{Lampshaded}} by J.T.
90	* DumbassTeenageSon: J.T. is a teenager slacker who is very BookDumb.
91	* ExpositoryThemeTune: While the lyrics of the song are non-specific enough to double as a ThematicThemeTune, they ask if a second marriage can go better than the first, and if a blended family can survive. It's even called "The Second Time Around." The theme song also works in a meta sense, as if to declare that the show is challenging itself to improve upon the perceived flaws of ''The Brady Bunch''.
92	* FanDisillusionment: The perception was that youngest boy Brendan was a glorified extra, but he did get a few storylines of his own. One of the best was "Where Have You Gone, Joe [=DiMaggio=]," where Cody and Brendan go to a baseball game to see Brendan's favorite player, Kenny Barton. When Brendan tries to get an autograph from Barton after the game, the egotistical player is rude and tells him to go away (if he can't pay the $50 autograph fee). Brendan is crushed, but Harmon Killebrew (the ex-Minnesota Twins great) overhears the whole thing and is outraged at Barton's behavior; after setting Barton straight, Killebrew comforts Brendan and gives him everything he asks for at no charge.
93	* FirstNameBasis: All of the Lambert/Foster children exclusively refer to their respective step-parent by their first name, as in "Mom and Frank" or "Dad and Carol" rather than "Mom and Dad". This lasts across all seven seasons of the show, and not once does either parent ever attempt to correct this habit.
94	* FollowInMyFootsteps: In "Great Expectations," Cody's dad insists he come work for him in real estate. Cody would rather keep working for Frank's construction company, but he needs help turning his dad down.
95	* FoolishSiblingResponsibleSibling:
96	** This dynamic could be seen with both Karen and Dana and JT and Dana.
97	** To a degree, the Lamberts can be considered the foolish siblings to the Fosters' responsible.
98	* FourGirlEnsemble: Out of the four daughters, we have the naive one (Lilly, TheBabyOfTheBunch), the tomboy (Al), the pretty one (Karen), and the smart, mature oldest sister (Dana).
99	* GameOfNerds: A season 1 episode has Mark unexpectedly prove himself as much an expert on baseball as anything else. , and the following season he joins Al's baseball team ''just before the championship game'' and scores a home run. Subverted in later seasons, where Mark takes interest first in martial arts and then basketball.
100	* GeekyTurnOn:
101	** A SlapSlapKiss trivia challenge between the geeky kid and his girl friend turned into a makeout session.
102	** J.T. falling for WrenchWench Sam.
103	* TheGenericGuy: Brendan, the youngest of Frank's kids. Aside from being chubby, he was a non-entity and didn't have anything interesting about him. He got a pretty bad case of a certain [[ChuckCunninghamSyndrome TV illness]] and vanished.
104	* GeniusDitz: Cody. He scored higher on an IQ test than the highly intelligent Dana, which caused her no small amount of distress.
105	* TheGloriousWarOfSisterlyRivalry:
106	** Averted with Dana and Karen as they usually get along but played straight in the episode "Sister Act".
107	** Karen and Al also have moments of this.
108	** One could see Carol and her [[ChuckCunninghamSyndrome sister]] as this in regards to popularity and Frank, only for Carol to possess the looks and the brains.
109	* HandsGoDown: The kids in "[=YoYo=]'s Wedding".
110	-->'''Reverend:''' If anyone objects to this union, speak now or forever hold their peace.\
111	''(The kids raise their hands up)''\
112	'''Frank:''' ''(not even looking)'' Put them down.\
113	''(The kids put them down)''
114	* HiddenDepths: Cody's biker friend, Slasher, looks the type, but he's also HappilyMarried, a graduate of Harvard Law, has an interest in interior design, and has enough pull at the local bank to get Cody a sizable loan.
115	* HighSchoolRejects
116	* HiredForTheirLooks: J.T. hires a beautiful model as a housekeeper despite the fact that she's terrible at it. She eventually quits when she realizes this fact. In another episode, Frank does the same with a gorgeous female construction worker--who's actually excellent at her job. It's still clear that this trope applies and that her competency is just a lucky bonus.
117	* HollywoodGenetics: Karen is brunette while all the other Fosters are blond. Al is blonde while all the other Lamberts are brunets. It probably has something to do with their unseen DisappearedDad and MissingMom.
118	* HollywoodLaw: J.T. and Cody are tricked into signing away the rights to their show. They are replaced by two similar guys and get absolutely nothing from it. This would not hold up in court; any contract requires ''consideration'', meaning that both parties have to get something out of the deal, or a judge calls bullshit.
119	* HypocriticalHumor: In "One Truck, al Dente", unable to take the pain in her mouth from having her wisdom teeth pulled out, Dana took the pain medication, which she's sensitive to. As a result, she becomes so mellowed like Cody, and acting like him. Even Cody is annoyed by her as she won't stop bugging him.
120	-->'''Cody:''' Ever since she started taking that pain medication, she's been like space cadet city! I mean how many times can a person say "dude" in one sentence? ''(sees what JT and Al did to Frank's car)'' Dude!
121	* IJustWantToHaveFriends: The main driver of the third season episode "Bad Girls," where a desperate-for-friends Al falls into a bad group of girls. She eventually learns that true friendships require time to develop.
122	* IWasQuiteAFashionVictim: Carol went to high school in TheSixties, and in one episode she and an old friend plan to look through their yearbook and laugh at their "Age of Aquarius" fashion sense.
123	* JerkJock:
124	** J.T., to a degree. His favorite target of abuse is his stepsister Dana, whom he considers [[HollywoodHomely ugly]]. He does get a PetTheDog moment when he comforts Dana after a boy she liked ditches her.
125	** Completely averted with Cody, who's even more jockish than J.T., but is very easygoing and friendly.
126	* JerkWithAHeartOfGold:
127	** J.T., as detailed above.
128	** Al. She's hot-tempered, rude, and rebellious - but she does have a moral center. Although she continues to be self-assured in later episodes, the negative aspects were toned down somewhat in later seasons.
129	** Dana. She can be extremely rude, especially to Cody and J.T., but in the end she cares about her family. She was even instrumental in getting J.T. back together with Sam. She was also the one who figured out that J.T. was dyslexic and brought it to their parents' attention so he could be diagnosed and get help.
130	* JustOneMoreLevel: In one episode, Mark becomes addicted to video games. It's so bad that he has to attend group therapy sessions.
131	* KarmaHoudini: JT and Cody were once tricked into signing over the right to their TV show to a network. But as they had legally signed a contract, there was nothing they could do about it. And to make the whole thing even worse, they were even unable to get any money from the deal!
132	* KidsRock: The theme song.
133	* KissingCousins: Well, ''stepcousins'', but Cody still has a huge crush on Dana, much to her chagrin.
134	* TheLoad: J.T. often played this role, since he was very book-dumb, as well as having little common sense or people skills. However, he did not endanger his family as much as Karen did when he did stupid things- hence he is only the Load and not the Millstone.
135	* LittleMissBadass: Al, especially in the earlier seasons.
136	* LittleMissSnarker: Al in early seasons was a young girl and very snarky.
137	* LivesInAVan: Cody lives in a van in the family's driveway.
138	* LongRunners: In reruns on Creator/ABCFamily (from 2001-2010), becoming one of that cable channel's longest-running rerun packages in its history. The show -- which flopped in terrestrial syndication -- ran sometimes as many as four episodes a day (in two separate one-hour blocks) during its height, and also had multiple weekend airings and "pinch hitter" status (to fill programming gaps, mostly when a movie ran short). The run finally began winding down in the fall of 2009, and the show's contract with ABC Family finally ended in March 2010.
139	* LovableAlphaBitch: Karen. Extremely popular, vain, shallow, ditzy and only interested in fashion and boys but ultimately very likeable and very sweet.
140	* TheMeaningOfLife: Subverted. J.T, Dana, Karen, and Cody try to see who can go without sleep the longest. Somehow, Cody becomes smarter as a result and has several epiphanies. At the end of the episode, J.T, Dana, and Karen all finally pass out and Cody suddenly realizes the meaning of life. He's about to state it when [[TheUnreveal he passes out too.]]
141	* MissingMom / DisappearedDad: The explanation for why Frank and Carol were previously single. Frank Lambert's wife had recently left him and her children (J.T., Al and Brendan), disappearing and having no apparent contact with any of them. Carol Foster's first husband had died about two years earlier, leaving behind the couple's three children (Dana, Karen and Mark).
142	* TheMillstone: Karen seems to fill this role often.
143	** In one episode of the first season in which the family had gone camping, Karen says she had found a rock that would make a perfect "pedicure stand". Too bad that rock had been holding the truck they had all ridden to the campsite in place- and it ended up falling into the water.
144	** In another episode when the family gets an answering machine, Karen only listens to the first message of two (that was for her) before leaving immediately. The second message is for Frank- telling him to not come to a site, that it would be demolished instead. Frank could have gotten injured- or worse- had he not gotten out of time. If the message had been relayed, this would not have happened.
145	* MyBelovedSmother: Carol starts to become a mild version of this trope to Mark when he starts getting older, which annoys and embarrasses him as he wants to be more independent. It does come in handy on occasion, like when he couldn't say no to his friends even though he wanted to and she came to his rescue by refusing to let him.
146	* MyGirlIsNotASlut: Sibling version. In Season 6's "It Didn't Happen One Night," Karen never used the s-word, but in getting the truth about Al's date with a cute guy named Kyle into the open, she made it clear that Al was neither "easy" nor sleeping around with all the guys. Had Karen refused … it would likely have been [[PapaWolf Frank]] who would have enforced the original "My Girl Is Not A Slut" wording of the trope … if he would have found out in time to save Al.
147	* NiceMeanAndInbetween:
148	** Out of the Fosters, the inoffensive, nerdy Mark is nice, the sarcastic Dana is mean, and the vain, ditzy Karen is in-between.
149	** Out of the girls, Karen is nice (despite being a ValleyGirl stereotype, she's the least bitchy of the three), Dana is mean (always snippy, sarcastic, and arrogant), and Al is in-between, at least after she softens up (in early seasons she's not nicer than Dana).
150	* NoirEpisode: "The Case of the Missing Diary" is framed as Cody working on a creative writing assignment. He casts himself as Detective Sam Spud looking for the eponymous diary belonging to singer [[StageName Kitty Meow]] (Karen). Among the possible culprits are a mob boss (Frank), a sultry singer (Carol), Kitty's bandmates (Dana and Al), and a club's GiftedlyBad stand-up comic (J.T.).
151	* NotAllowedToGrowUp: Karen, who was in high school for six of the show's seven seasons. She mentions being a senior in season four, two years later she's still there. The season seven premiere finally shows her going to college.
152	** Karen's three years spent as a high school senior ended up bringing down her younger siblings as well; by season 7 [[https://www.hulu.com/watch/0591328c-9661-43ee-9855-04d3387ff5d8 Al is on her second year as a senior]] when she should be entering college and Mark (the show's resident child genius, mind you) is similarly [[https://www.hulu.com/watch/24743a55-b1c4-4258-903a-125cab1fd926 repeating his junior year and is still without a driver's license]].
153	* NotSoDifferentRemark: After Mark gets busted for a ToiletPaperPrank because he was tempted by a bad girl, he'd much rather talk to Frank about all this than Carol. Frank admits he can relate to this situation, having experience with how hormones can make a teenage boy do very stupid things.
154	* OhCrap:
155	** When Mark and a couple of his friends (one of whom is the fat kid from ''Film/KindergartenCop'', which co-starred Sarah Rose Karr, who would later play Christopher Castile's on-screen younger sister in ''Film/{{Beethoven}}'') settle down in the garage to watch a pornographic video called ''The Naughty Nurses'' - and Frank and Carol return home from a car trip early.
156	** In the pilot, Frank accidentally blurted out that he and Carol were already married.'
157	* OppositesAttract: Dana started dating J.T.'s friend Rich (played by Creator/JasonMarsden), who was not all that different from J.T. himself. They even mention the trope name when they discuss why they got together.
158	** Frank and Carol. Frank is a laid-back, sports loving man while Carol is a high-strung, more cultured woman.
159	* PapaWolf:
160	** On one episode Dana goes to one of the toughest bars in town against her stepfather's orders and gets in trouble. Whereupon Frank and Cody, come to rescue her [[BackToBackBadasses jointly]] beat up [[BashBrothers every ruffian]] there in a BarBrawl and take her home.
161	** Cody again in the episode where he and J.T. take Karen to a party at their frat house. Although Cody had earlier scoffed at Dana's suspicion that the frat brothers would try to take advantage of Karen, he is ''not'' pleased when Karen declines an offer of sex and is immediately taunted by all the boys for being a "virgin." The physically larger Cody confronts Karen's tormentor and indignantly demands: "What's wrong with being a virgin? ''I'm'' a virgin!"
162	** Frank plays this several times with both stepdaughter Dana and biological daughter Al; he rarely does this with Karen, as Cody usually has aided her when boys would try to take advantage of her. With Dana, usually Frank's efforts to make sure Dana isn't being mistreated end in comical failure (usually due to his bumbling or taking Cody up on some stupid idea); however, by the episode's end, Frank plays things straight, and it always comes as the boy reveals his true colors. In Al's case, a sneaky advertiser had videotaped her in a beach scene, telling her and the girls that they were taping a suntan lotion commercial but instead it is for a 1-900 sex hotline; Frank is outraged and, during his visit with the producer, hangs him from a tall-story window and threatens to drop him unless he confesses and pulls the commercial off the air.
163	** Even Carol has her MamaBear moment (and [[LampshadeHanging lampshaded]] the trope in the bargain).
164	* ParentalHypocrisy: Twice over in "Aloha, Part 2" for Carol when Dana gets a marriage proposal. Carol forbids it because she's just 17, but Dana says that's how old she was the first time she got married. Changing subjects, Carol balks at [[ObliviousToTheirOwnDescription marrying some random guy during a weeklong tropical vacation and expecting such a relationship to work]].
165	-->'''Carol:''' What kind of marriage would that be?!\
166	'''Dana:''' Yours and Frank's!
167	* ParentalSubstitute: George the ice cream man and his wife were this for Cody, who says his own parents were never around much during his childhood.
168	* PickUpBabesWithBabes: J.T. is excited when he finds out that his baby sister Lily is a chick magnet. He lies that he's widowed and pretends to be smoking a pipe. One of the girls he picks up gets invited to the Lamberts' place. The girl sees Dana's photo and assumes it's a picture of his deceased wife, when in reality Dana is his very much alive step-sister with whom he doesn't get along. Hilarity ensues.
169	* PromotionToOpeningTitles: Rich in season 6.
170	* PutOnABus: Cody disappeared late into Season 5, initially without explanation. (As stated above, actor Sasha Mitchell was accused of domestic abuse - though this turned out to be unfounded. As Creator/{{Disney}} had purchased ABC around the same time, it was felt that it would create bad publicity for their family friendly image if Mitchell remained on the show.) Season 6's "Bonjour Jean-Luc" would later explain that he had gotten a job in Russia. (Of course, while the first episode of the season to be produced, it was the ''last'' one to be aired - thus prompting some confusion.)
171	* RaisedByDudes: Alicia aka Al. On the other hand, Mark is Raised By Gals.
172	* RecliningVenus: In "What's Wrong with this Picture?", Dana volunteers to pose for a painting by Jayne [=McNeil=], a famous feminist abstract artist who's even more arrogant than she is. Jayne then asks her to pose nude, and Dana agrees, thinking that since it's an abstract painting she won't be recognizable. Upon arriving with her entire family to the charity auction where the painting will be auctioned off, Jayne informs her that she's decided to switch from her usual abstract style to photorealism. When the painting is unveiled it clearly depicts Dana reclining on a sofa fully nude, [[SceneryCensor partially obscured]] by Frank's head, the auctioneer, and then the podium.
173	* RejectionAffection: Dana is the continuous subject of the unwanted attentions of her stepfather's nephew Cody.
174	* RiskyBusinessDance: Done by Mark when the family leaves him alone for a few hours.
175	* RoaringRampageOfRevenge: Frank, in the Season 7 episode "Phoney Business," after finding out a television commercial producer tricked Al into starring in a phone sex hotline commercial. In addition to threatening to throw him from a high-story window, he rips apart the office looking for the master video of the commercial and threatens to tell his boss unless the commercial is pulled at once; earlier, he threatened to beat Rich to within an inch of his life after finding out he knew what was going on, and also implies to J.T. that he also has harsh punishment coming.
176	* RupturedAppendix: The very first episode has an appendix scare happen with Al. She says her stomach hurts before school but her father Frank, believing she doesn't want to go (in part because [[CryingWolf she's pretended to be sick]] to skip school before), doesn't believe her. Her new stepmother Carol does and takes her to the hospital, where she's discovered to have appendicitis. The scare is the start of bringing the newly blended families together.
177	* ScreamingBirth: Carol turns into a ''maniac'' while she's in labor with Lily, though this is mostly because of her stubborn insistence on natural childbirth and ends when she accepts an epidural.
178	* SheCleansUpNicely: Al, ''big time'', overlapping with GirlinessUpgrade and ShesAllGrownUp.
179	* ShoutOut:
180	** Frank and Carol are almost certainly named after their respective [[Film/YoursMineAndOurs late 1960s]] [[Series/TheBradyBunch counterparts]].
181	** To ''Series/MarriedWithChildren'', of all shows. Frank complains that he feels like Al Bundy when the kids are pestering him for money, echoing the way every ''Married...'' episode began with Al giving money to each of his freeloading family members.
182	** In one episode about a not-so-amusing Christmas party, the audience see [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t3tEwECxDVU two acquaintances of J.T.]]: [[WesternAnimation/BeavisAndButthead a pair of stupid and obnoxious teenagers with very peculiar voices and laughters]].
183	** The season four finale “A Foster/Lambert Production”, where Lily is born, is a nod to Miller/Boyett Productions, the show’s packager.
184	* SlapSlapKiss: Dana and [[spoiler:Rich, much to J.T.'s horror.]]
185	--> '''Dana:''' God, why am I wasting my time on you? You're noting but a drooling, illiterate, imbecile!
186	--> '''Rich:''' Hey, it's better than being a stuck up, man-hitting, know-it-all.
187	--> '''Dana:''' Oh yeah? Here's an idea: why don't you go down to the railroad tracks and hop a train back to munchkin land?
188	--> '''Rich:''' Oh yeah well, I got a better idea: why don't I find a tutor who isn't a member of the Lorena Bobbitt fanclub?
189	--> '''Dana:''' Oh yeah, that's pretty good for someone with the IQ of a potato.
190	--> '''Rich:''' Better than having the sex appeal of a potato.
191	--> '''Dana:''' Ugh, you make me sick!
192	--> '''Rich:''' You make me sicker!
193	--> '''Dana:''' I hate you!
194	--> '''Rich:''' ... are you as hot as I am?
195	--> '''Dana:''' ...hotter! (passionate kiss ensues)
196	* TheSnarkKnight: Dana.
197	* SoapOperaRapidAgingSyndrome: Lily aged from an infant to a walking, talking preschooler in between seasons.
198	* SophisticatedAsHell: When Dana submits her first college paper, her professor, noting her SesquipedalianLoquaciousness, and emphasis of form and style over substance, refers to it as "Supercilious Crap."
199	* StalkerWithACrush: ''The entire series is set up by Frank being this.'' Specifically, after Frank learned (presumably during a appointment at her salon) that Carol would be taking a vacation, he proceeded to [[https://www.hulu.com/watch/7a06ccad-8368-42f3-869c-5d9bccb1bb53 collect all of her trip information from her travel agent, and then purchased both the same flight and hotel, with the explicit intention of courting her.]] Needless to say, whatever Frank did afterward was enough to talk Carol into a shotgun marriage. But it gets worse: when Carol starts second guessing her decision on the grounds that theirs may be only a physical attraction, Frank's response is to '''confess his actions to Carol's face.''' Even more disturbing is that [[StalkingIsLove Carol takes this as a genuinely romantic gesture which removes both her own doubts and Frank's token "guilt".]] Frank then plots to ''fabricate a normal relationship in hopes of hiding the affair from their children, which Carol quickly and happily agrees to!'' The final kicker: Frank then ''outright asks Carol how long people date before they engage/marry,'' confirming a complete lack of understanding regarding how stable/healthy relationships actually work. [[SarcasmMode Yeah, Real nice catch there, Carol.]]
200	* StereotypeFlip: This show flips the stereotypes of the BrainyBrunette and the DumbBlonde. Dana and Mark have light blonde hair and they are the smartest people in the family, Carol is blonde and a capable, competent mother (though a bit flighty and neurotic at times), Al has dark blonde hair and is very quick-witted. All the brunette characters — Karen, JT, Cody, Rich, and even Brendan (as implied once in season 6) — are BookDumb or ditzy and generally not very smart.
201	* StrangeMindsThinkAlike: In a ChristmasEpisode, Frank and Carol realize they missed some items for the kids, so Frank suggests going to a toy store he's been doing some remodeling work for, grabbing the desired items, and leaving money in the register. When Carol points out that's breaking and entering, Frank feels "entering with intent to purchase" is more appropriate. Later, after they've been arrested, Frank makes his one phone call to the house and explains to Cody the entire situation. Cody immediately sums it up as "entering with intent to purchase" (which Frank feels vindicated by, much to Carol's irritation).
202	* StrawFeminist: Dana became one quite a few times. (Several times, she recruited Karen and Al to join with her.) This was basically her schtick. One time she tried to get a full-blown feminist group going, but it was derailed by Cody's hotness. Dana was, however, portrayed more sympathetically than other examples of this type, and even came out on top on some occasions. [[DefrostingIceQueen She does start to mellow out]] when she begins dating J.T.'s friend, Rich.
203	* SurferDude: Cody.
204	* SuspiciouslySimilarSubstitute: After Sasha Mitchell's legal difficulties mentioned above, Cody was dropped from the show late into Season 5. Filling the void in these remaining episodes was the very Cody-like Flash, a hyperactive adult who worked at Frank's construction company. He was dropped in-between seasons. (Presumably, his sole purpose was to take Cody's role in scripts/stories developed before the change.) Season 6 gave us another Cody substitute with Bronson Pinchot as Jean-Luc, Carol's new French WackyGuy business partner. He only lasted the season (though unlike Flash, got a goodbye episode).
205	* TeenGenius: Mark.
206	* TelevisionGeography:
207	** The show is supposed to take place in Port Washington, Wisconsin, north of UsefulNotes/{{Milwaukee}}, but the lack of accents and local flavor (beyond a few mentions of landmarks and a couple of copies of the ''Ozaukee Press'' here and there) suggests otherwise. Although the accents were a whole lot more accurate here than they were in ABC's last pair of sitcoms to take place in Metro Milwaukee, and in real life, the "Wiscaaansin" accent isn't all that pronounced until you go further north in the state. However, they did know that Port Washington High School's mascot is the Pirates and had school letter jackets for the appropriate characters with the true logo.
208	** The opening does, however, hilariously suggest Port Washington has a theme park, complete with roller coaster. The closest coaster that could even be applicable is about two hours away in Gurnee, Illinois (also not on an obvious ocean coastline, mind, and not even close enough to Lake Michigan to count); the park was actually Six Flags Magic Mountain in Valencia, CA (with the parking lot covered up by the CGI ocean).[[note]]It should be noted that Time Warner held half of Six Flags at the time, thus it verges potentially into ProductPlacement; they ended up acquiring the whole company in 1993, then sold it off by 1998, but continue licensing agreements for Warner-owned properties.[[/note]]
209	** Surprisingly averted by the quick glance of the population sign: the numbers are accurate as of the 1990 US Census.
210	* TemporarySubstitute: At the end of the fifth season of ''Series/StepByStep'', the actor who played Cody was unavailable to shoot the two-part Disney World episode--quite a loss, since the episode revolved largely around Cody's effort to go on every ride in the park in record time. Instead, a new character named Flash (apparently Uncle Frank's employee) shows up unannounced and proceeds to do everything Cody was intended to do, making him the effective star of the show for these two episodes. He made one last appearance in the season finale which actually had him moving into the Foster/Lambert household, setting him up as a full-fledged SuspiciouslySimilarSubstitute, before being scrapped in favor of Creator/BronsonPinchot as zany Frenchman Jean-Luc and Creator/JasonMarsden as J.T.'s friend Rich as new regulars. Cody was explained as having boarded a bus for Russia, but he would return for a final season episode.
211	* TestYourStrengthGame: The intro theme is set in an amusement park where the whole new family is enjoying their time together. J.T. tries hand in "test your strength game" and he reaches the top score "WIN".
212	* ThematicThemeTune
213	* ToiletPaperPrank: In a HalloweenEpisode, the nerdy Mark gets caught doing this by a police officer and brought home to his parents to face the music. When he comments he'd rather go to jail, the officer replies that's exactly why they bring the kids home instead.
214	* TomboyishName: Taught AnAesop once with "Sam", the best mechanic in town, and one of the girls (the tomboy) was named "Al" (short for Alicia). Then there was the episode with "Max"....
215	* TotallyRadical: Cody, dude!
216	* TownGirls: Karen is the Femme, Al is the Butch and Dana is Neither.
217	* TrainingMontage: Happens when Cody is trying to train Mark in martial arts. Cody even begins playing [[Film/{{Rocky}} "Gonna Fly Now"]] in an attempt to motivate him. It works.
218	* {{Tsundere}}: Dana (Type A), especially towards [[spoiler:Rich]].
219	* VerySpecialEpisode:
220	** An unusually subtle one happened when J.T. finds out he has dyslexia. It was basically one scene of drama (as he realizes his trouble in reading) and the remainder making some mild GallowsHumor on the subject.
221	---> '''J.T.:''' It's confirmed. I have dyslexia.
222	---> '''Carol:''' Thank God! I knew you couldn't be ''that'' stupid!
223	** There's one in which someone offered weed to Al. She doesn't seem so reluctant about smoking it, [[spoiler: but rejects the joint anyway at the end]].
224	* VitriolicBestBuds: A recurring theme on the show. For starters....
225	** Dana and J.T.
226	** Al and Karen.
227	** In general, the two halves of the family seemed to hate each other at first.
228	* WackyGuy: Cody, then Jean-Luc.
229	* YouHaveGotToBeKiddingMe: Al gets dumped in "The Dance" and is depressed about it, especially when others try and fail to comfort her. When Steve Urkel chimes in, Al says she is sick of getting advice from people who have never been dumped before. Given his own unique history, Steve does a prolonged AsideGlance before asking, "Are you kidding?"

Context Series / StepByStep