[1] The series follows the misadventures of the Seaver family, including psychiatrist and father Jason, journalist and mother Maggie, and their children Mike, Carol, Ben, and Chrissy.

Soon after the cancelation of The Four Seasons, Joanna Kerns auditioned for a new series in late 1984, called Growing Pains, which was being developed by screenwriter Neal Marlens, alongside executive producer Mike Sullivan.

Kerns and Thicke's chemistry won them both the parts of lead characters Maggie and Jason Seaver, and the two became great friends off the show; both of them had many things in common, including being newly divorced single parents.

Marlens and most of the original writing and producing staff (including wife Carol Black, who had quickly ascended from story editor to co-executive producer during the first half of the season) were let go from the series midway through its first season; replacing Marlens and joining Sullivan as showrunners were Steve Marshall and Dan Guntzelman (who met and formed their writing partnership while working on WKRP in Cincinnati).

[16][18] The opening credits varied from traditional sitcoms by having sight gags involving specifically shot scenes with the cast on locations.

With the introduction of the pregnancy storyline, the first episode of season 4 depicted a pregnant Joanna Kerns with the rest of the cast standing before the house set.

Though the show's producers have claimed that her character was never intended to be permanent—citing the idea of Mike being in a committed relationship went against his characterization as an “immature imp […] ill-equipped to deal with a grownup world on all levels”—and Cameron stated in his 2008 memoir Still Growing that he did not call for her firing, it is alleged McCullough's termination from the show was a result of Cameron's objections to her having posed nude in Playboy, prompting Cameron to claim to the producers (and, allegedly, in a phone call with then-ABC Entertainment President Bob Iger) they were promoting pornography by hiring McCullough.

[note 1] Cameron's conversion (specifically his subsequent behavior after becoming a Protestant) is said to have alienated him from his fellow cast members, as he did not invite any of them to his 1991 wedding to Chelsea Noble (who recurred as Mike's on-off love interest-turned-girlfriend, Kate McDonnell, during the show's last three seasons).

The creative clashes between Cameron and executive producers Marshall, Guntzelman and Sullivan also are said to have prompted the three showrunners (along with co-executive producer/writer David Kendall and director John Tracy) to quit the series following the sixth season.

[25] Cameron has stated that this was not due to any animosity on his part toward any of his former cast members, but an outgrowth of his desire to start a new life away from the entertainment industry.

In her 2003 memoir Room to Grow: an Appetite for Life, Gold revealed that she became increasingly obsessed with food and her physical appearance between 1989 and 1991, and continued to slowly and steadily lose weight.

By 1991, her disorder had devolved into bulimia nervosa, having lost a massive amount of weight through both self-starvation and vomiting, causing her to be admitted to a hospital for treatment in early 1992.

at her lowest weight—was suspended from the show following production of the Season 7 episode "Menage a Luke", due to her skeletal appearance that was fairly obvious in some scenes.

[note 2] Gold's absence is addressed several episodes later in "Don't Go Changin'", which features a subplot in which Ben films a video letter for Carol, who in-canon is studying abroad in London.

Gold eventually recovered from her years-long struggle and starred in the 1994 made-for-TV movie For the Love of Nancy, drawing on her own experiences with anorexia nervosa to portray the title character.

[27] At about age 14, starting during the show's sixth season, Jeremy Miller received numerous letters from an older male stalker, who was later arrested and convicted on stalking charges.

Alan Thicke later made a cameo appearance as himself in the pilot episode of fellow ABC sitcom Hangin' with Mr. Cooper in September 1992.

The pre-credits teaser scene in which Thicke appeared alongside series star Mark Curry humorously referenced the pilot episode being filmed on the same set that had previously been used as the Seavers' home on Growing Pains.

Before the premiere of The Growing Pains Movie, Kirk Cameron described his regrets over how his relationship with his cast mates changed after his religious conversion during the production of the series, admitting, "I definitely kind of made an about-face, going toward another aspect of my life," and "I shifted my focus from 100% on the show, to 100% on [my new life], and left 0% on the show—and even the friendships that were a part of that show.

Two books were published in French exclusively about Growing Pains: Cyrille Rollet, Ph.D. (EHESS, Paris), The show aired with the title Unser lautes Heim (Our noisy home) on ProSieben from 1993.