Series cast summary: | |||
Patrick Duffy | ... |
Frank Lambert
/ ...
(160 episodes, 1991-1998)
|
|
Suzanne Somers | ... |
Carol Foster Lambert
(160 episodes, 1991-1998)
|
|
Staci Keanan | ... |
Dana Foster
(160 episodes, 1991-1998)
|
|
Brandon Call | ... |
John Thomas 'J.T.' Lambert
/ ...
(160 episodes, 1991-1998)
|
|
Angela Watson | ... |
Karen Foster
(160 episodes, 1991-1998)
|
|
Christine Lakin | ... |
Alicia 'Al' Lambert
(160 episodes, 1991-1998)
|
|
Christopher Castile | ... |
Mark Foster
(160 episodes, 1991-1998)
|
|
Josh Byrne | ... |
Brendan Lambert
(132 episodes, 1991-1997)
|
|
Sasha Mitchell | ... |
Cody Lambert
(114 episodes, 1991-1998)
|
Frank Lambert is a construction worker and a single father of 3 kids: J.T., Alicia "Al", and Brendan. Carol Foster, a beautician, also has 3 children: Dana, Karen, and Mark. After Frank and Carol run into each other on vacation and spontaneously get married, they and their children (who appeared to have known and hated each other) have to learn to live together and love each other. It's not easy, but they are trying to do this step by step. Written by Boris Shafir <shafir@hsi.com>
This is the story of another lovely lady who met a fellow and like in the Brady Bunch the two somehow formed a family. But most assuredly the Fosters starting with their mother Susanne Somers did not change their name. Somers was a woman who ran a family business albeit one that women are employed in, she ran a hair salon in an extension of their house. She and her kids kept their last name of Foster.
That was because unlike in the Brady Bunch where Florence Henderson's kids became so much Brady that the issue of blended families never came up. Not in Step By Step where the Lamberts were as much about the Fosters keeping their separate identity. Patrick Duffy may have loved Susanne Somers, but the kids resented the women invading their man cave.
Duffy brought two boys and a girl to the marriage and Somers had two girls and a boy. They were six different kid types as you could get. The only one who never made an impression was Duffy's youngest Josh Byrne. He had so few lines that he just disappeared in the last season and no one noticed.
The Foster kids were smart girl Stacie Keanan, teen princess Angela Watson, and nerdy kid Christopher Castile. Brandon Call tries hard to be an alpha male to impress dad and Christine Lakin was a tomboy also to impress Duffy. Living in a man cave will do that.
There were some extended Lamberts and Fosters, the most notable was Sasha Mitchell who was a good natured lunkhead with a good heart and Patrick Duffy's nephew. He parked his van in their driveway and lived there. He was key in a lot of episodes.
Step By Step was not The Brady Bunch, these episodes had a lot more bite.