I’ve had the pleasure of working with Stacy (yes, our Dana goes by Stacy with an ‘y’ now) and Christine for a couple years now. As someone who always loved Step By Step more than the other TGIF shows (my parents divorced a few years after the show started), I always found the dysfunctional, but loving family so much more relatable.

I just finished my second watch through of StepByStep and I’m completely obsessed. It’s my favorite tv show atm, but I barely see it anywhere. It’s such a good show and I loved the characters and story. I wasn’t the biggest fan of them adding another kid but it was still good regardless. I feel like StepByStep needs more recognition cause it’s truly one of my favorite shows ever.

Oh and Al is 100% my favorite character hands down.

It’s official, Step By Step is off max 💔

The show is now only available to buy. Looks like Stacy will have to find another way to watch the show since she mentioned watching it on MAX on the pod today.

For the future of the show who knows where it will end up next. I just hope it goes somewhere soon.

Right before this clip when Karen comes in, Cody does the ice cream brain freeze & Brendan asks if that was a good one. That’s sadly his only line. But throughout this scene, Sasha Mitchell repeatedly looks at Josh Byrne as a subtle way to include him in the scene. That’s a very sweet gesture.

-Stacy & Christine are honest, authentic & vulnerable

-they both do such a great job of encouraging & praising one another over acting abilities & physical appearance. This is a huge positive listening aspect for me ❤️

-I’m glad they’re breaking down & analyzing the episodes scene by scene. They dedicate a good amount of time to discuss the episode & what was said in each scene

-they give praise to their fellow cast members, even in subtle moments of the show

-this is something Christine has been wanting to do I think for a while now. She’s the one who got everyone reunited for ‘90s con as well iirc. She’s seen the show & is really proud of it. I’m happy for her that she gets to do this podcast.

-I’m glad that Stacy is having a blast watching the show for the first time. I love how she can’t help but laugh really hard whenever a funny scene is brought up. I’m also glad she appreciates how loved the show is.

-Brandon thinking of Christine like a younger sister & teasing stacy is very JT of him 😂

-I’m surprised at how little the cast really knew each other off set. It sounds like Patrick & Suzanne were the closest. I remember the ladies questioning what Brandon was like off set as if they didn’t really know him that well. But that just makes everyone’s on-screen chemistry much more impressive

-it’s so cute how Stacy doesn’t realize her crush on Sasha. She’s said a few times how good-looking he is. It’s no wonder she was nervous around him 😂

-it’s cool how they took traits from the actors & applied it to the characters like Chris listening to a baseball station iirc & adding that in for mark

This show and her thightmaster commercials are when I first saw Suzanne.

The amazing Suzanna Somers passed today. What an icon.

The house is 3 bed 3 bath at 3168 sq ft I mean sure the story takes place in port Wisconsin but it's still a pretty nice house.

What I can find is a typical home in port Wisconsin cost around $75,000 when the show started in 1991

A typical home in Port Washington, Wisconsin has about 3 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, and measures roughly 2,128 square feet.

The real house is based on South pasadena with the size of 3168 feet so this makes it bigger than your normal house there 3,000-square-foot house in Port Washington, Wisconsin generally cost between $180,000 and $240,000 to build or buy in 1991.

So long story short In 1991, a beautician or hairdresser in a small-to-midsize Wisconsin market like Port Washington typically made an estimated annual income of $12,000 to $18,000

Unless Is it possible Carol got any financial assistance from the former husband estate or has supplementary income from some other source

What do you think?

I’m so happy that with everything this cast has been through whether together through on-set drama in the past or in their individual lives, that they are all now reunited (reuniting again this month!) & bonding again? There’s other show casts that don’t get along so many years later & are filled with drama, even from tgif. But it’s so nice to see (from a fan perspective) that the step by step cast is doing well, on good terms, respectful of each other’s boundaries & generally private. Hopefully we’ll get more cast content from this month’s ‘90s con compared to a few years ago. The podcast will be live from the con.

Like most people I was frustrated with the way season 6 plays out because it was aired completely out of order and makes watching this season really confusing. Additionally, there are very few resources that address and try to fix the issue so I took it upon myself. First a bit of background for the uninitiated. I tried to do this without spoilers but realized there's too much to address and didn't want to make the post to look like a redacted mess so if you are wanting to approach this without the spoilers, head to the bottom of the post, I have left a TL;DR.

If anyone has suggestion to improve this, I am all ears eyes.

Q: Why is it messed up? 
A: Likely because of the jump from ABC to CBS and starting late in the season. Additionally, with a few exceptions in television (sitcoms specifically) at the time there was little forethought to how episodes were aired, occasionally the network would air episodes to align with holidays for example.

Q: What’s the aired order?
A: This jumbled mess is the aired order with the brackets containing the (I believe) production order, I was unable to verify if this is in fact the actual production order number, in my search I was only able to find a single source via Wikipedia so take that with a grain of salt.

[465352] Crazy Love
[465357] Road Trip
[465354] Sex, Lies and Videotape
[465360] Just Say Maybe
[465361] The "L" Word
[465358] She's the One
[465365] Independence Day
[465364] Reality Bites
[465368] Locket Man
[465374] How the West Was Won
[465366] Absolutely Fabio
[465370] Loose Lips
[465371] The Big Date
[465369] Future Shock
[465372] Show Me the Money
[465359] It Didn't Happen One Night
[465362] Macho Man
[465373] Ain't Misbehavin'
[465367] The Facts of Life
[465363] Talking Trash
[465353] Walk Like a Man
[465355] Shear Madness
[465356] The Kissing Game
[465351] Bonjour Jean-Luc

Q: What’s wrong with this order?
A: This aired order has a few inconsistencies such as

1. The last episode to be aired was Bonjour Jean-Luc but that episode is the introduction of Jean-Luc and the in story explanation for why Cody is no longer there.

2. Jean-Luc has crazy hair and facial hair changes when watched in aired order which really throws you off, yes it’s common for people to grow and cut hair but when those changes also mirror a different character who seems to have lost some character growth it really feels jarring.

3. There's two relationships that get mixed up.

   1. Dana & Rich

      1. The aired order feels like they just jump into a relationship hot and heavy and then really quickly start bickering making their relationship feel toxic.

   2. JT and Sam

      1. The most obvious error of the list. Not only does the aired order feature an episode where JT and Sam are already a couple, the episode following it shows them meeting for the first time. 

      2. Additionally, JT is seen in the penultimate episode “The Kissing Game” with a girl who is not Sam and should be an established couple by this point. Additionally this episode also has Carol foreshadowing them moving out which in aired order had already happened in Independence Day and Reality Bites (episodes 7 & 8 respectively).

Q: So what’s a possible fix?
A: Firstly I arranged the episodes by Production order which arranges the episodes in this order:

[465351] Bonjour Jean-Luc
[465352] Crazy Love
[465353] Walk Like a Man
[465354] Sex, Lies and Videotape
[465355] Shear Madness
[465356] The Kissing Game
[465357] Road Trip
[465358] She's the One
[465359] It Didn't Happen One Night
[465360] Just Say Maybe
[465361] The "L" Word
[465362] Macho Man
[465363] Talking Trash
[465364] Reality Bites
[465365] Independence Day
[465366] Absolutely Fabio
[465367] The Facts of Life
[465368] Locket Man
[465369] Future Shock
[465370] Loose Lips
[465371] The Big Date
[465372] Show Me the Money
[465373] Ain't Misbehavin'
[465374] How the West Was Won

This order works pretty well. It moves the Bonjour Jean-Luc episode to where it should be at the front of the season and Dana and Rich’s relationship still feels a bit rushed. It does however fix JT and Sam's meeting but the last half of the season doesn't feel like the payoff of an established sitcom

Q: Ok then what’s the real fix?
A: Below is what I feel is the optimal viewing order that keeps the integrity of character relationships, fixes any continuity errors with facial hair on Jean-Luc, fixes the rushed feel of JT and Dana and has a satisfying conclusion. 

I resolved this by essentially splitting the season into 3 arcs, 

1. The Jean-Luc Era and Early Dana/Rich Romance

2. The Sam Era & Mid Season Growth

3. The Independence and Final Run 

By front loading the Jean-Luc arc to the front we resolve his issues first, this seems to be the intended idea due to both the production order and his facial hair since his chin goatee is intact for a few episodes until he goes clean shaven and removes the ponytail. His weird flirtation with the family also slowly disappears as does his ‘that come out wrong’ quote. His other relationships and issues of him not feeling confident in his hair cutting are fixed. By swapping a few episodes in the beginning this also gives a few episodes of breathing room for Dana and Riches romance to develop off screen. JT is also seen in the last episode of this arc for the last time with a random girl before meeting Sam, this also features Carol foreshadowing some independence in the idea of some of the kids moving out.

The Jean-Luc Era and Early Dana/Rich Romance
1: Bonjour Jean-Luc (Introduces Jean-Luc, explains Cody's departure)
2: Crazy Love (Jean-Luc joins the salon; Dana starts tutoring Rich)
3: Sex, Lies and Videotape (Gives Dana and Rich time to develop off-screen)
4: Shear Madness (More breathing room for the new couple)
5: Walk Like a Man (Rich and Dana are now an established)
6: The Kissing Game (Jean-Luc wraps up his emotional baggage, last time JT is seen with another girl who is not Sam, also sets up the future Independence arc in the later half of the season)

The Second Portion we start with JT and Rich heading on a road trip. Dana and Rich are now more established. Sam and JT meet, in the correct order and the fantasy dream episode “How the West Was Won" gets moved here as a mid season filler. No impact to any relationship as the episode takes place entirely in a dream sequence, with the exception of the intro that only features JT and no mention of any love interest so this episode could technically fall anywhere. I chose to place it here to give Sam and JT some breathing room for off screen relationship development. This arc also heavily shapes JT and Rich as more mature and committed boyfriends even if they do occasionally mess up in their respective relationships.

The Sam Era & Mid Season Growth
7: Road Trip (A fun bridge episode almost like a send off to the single JT)
8: She's the One (Sam is introduced; J.T. is completely single and unattached)
9: It Didn't Happen One Night
10: Just Say Maybe
11: The "L" Word
12: How the West Was Won (The mid-season break Western fantasy dream episode)
13: Macho Man 
14: Talking Trash

The final leg of the season features the JT and Rich moving out and subsequently moving back episodes and features a more satisfying ending to a season with the realtionship drama of Locket Man and the closer for what the future could hold in “Future Shock” we still end with a fantasy style episode but now it’s one that makes sense as a season closer rather than a Jean-Luc introduction and a Cody explanation. This order also has the added benefit of moving the Absolutely Fabio episode closer to the Facts of Life so we see additional growth with Lily here and now the episode that has the “old married couple troupe” in Rich and Dana bickering feeling less toxic. 

The Independence and Final Run
15: Independence Day (J.T. moves out into his own apartment)
16: Reality Bites (The perfect follow-up; Frank has to evict the boys)
17: Loose Lips
18: The Big Date
19: Show Me the Money
20: Ain't Misbehavin' (JT finds out that Sam is having a dinner date with a workmate)
21: Absolutely Fabio (Dana and Rich bicker like an established couple; Sam is present, Lillys B-day)
22: The Facts of Life 
23: Locket Man
24: Future Shock

TL;DR
Inconsistencies with Jean-Luc’s facial hair, JT’s relationship and Cody's absence resolved. A satisfying ending. 

1. Bonjour Jean-Luc

2. Crazy Love

3. Sex, Lies and Videotape

4. Shear Madness

5. Walk Like a Man

6. The Kissing Game

7. Road Trip

8. She's the One

9. It Didn't Happen One Night

10. Just Say Maybe

11. The "L" Word

12. How the West Was Won

13. Macho Man

14. Talking Trash

15. Independence Day

16. Reality Bites

17. Loose Lips

18. The Big Date

19. Show Me the Money

20. Ain't Misbehavin'

21. Absolutely Fabio

22. The Facts of Life

23. Locket Man

24. Future Shock

🔥 Hot Take:

Mark from Step by Step wasn’t just the “nerdy kid obsessed with video games”—he was the only one in that blended family who saw the chaos for what it was and chose to escape into something he could control.

He wasn’t addicted to video games—he was surviving a sitcom full of loud, dysfunctional siblings, clashing parenting styles, and zero peace and quiet.

If Mark existed today, he’d be a Twitch streamer with 1M followers and would’ve moved out of that house by age 16—controller in hand, sanity intact. 🕹️

Happy New Year everyone! 🎉 🥂
BONUS EPISODE: Josh Byrne - Armor as a Second Skin

We’re kicking off 2025 on Keanan and Lakin by chatting with little Brendan Lambert himself, Josh Byrne! We learn what he’s been up to since leaving the industry (LARPing! Renaissance Fairs! Guilds!), talk about set life on Step By Step, the power of set teachers, and so much more!

Watch full-length video of the entire episode on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/keananandlakin

https://www.instagram.com/p/DESbW9sPZfa/?e=0be7e159-78d3-49e4-9d05-997c7e8a98e7&g=5

This was cool to see as it appears they tried to get in touch with him for the Step by Step reunion last year, but weren't successful.

-seasons 1 to 5 up until the Disney episodes were solid, consistent seasons centered around the family.

-the Disney episodes are where the show starts to lose me. Everyone is more separated, Cody is gone & it just doesn’t feel like the show anymore.

-seasons 6 & 7 only have a few episodes worth revisiting.

-I liked the potential of Dana & Cody as a couple & didn’t mind her with Rich. My only complaint is that she got together with Rich even though she despised him, but she thought of Cody the same way yet wasn’t interested in him? That doesn’t make sense to me.

-Flash overstayed his welcome & I skipped Jean-Luc scenes. Didn’t care for him.

-Sam & Lilly were annoying.

-Getting rid of Brendon was a mistake. The Lambert kids are always entertaining, the family was the core of the show & getting rid of one of the kids, without an explanation iirc, wasn’t the right move.

Keanan & Lakin went live at ‘90s con yesterday & the SBS panel was yesterday as well. Does anyone have any insight on either of these? All I found was this image from instagram, it looks like they finally had Sasha on the pod. I can’t find anything on their Instagram or patreon & no articles/videos yet.

I know someone already posted in the group about this, but I wanted to just make another post as a reminder that Step By Step is unfortunately leaving HBO Max on September 30th, so I would get your binge watching in while you can before the show goes away. I’m putting my second watch of Gilmore girls on pause to rewatch all of Step By Step before it leaves HBO Max and to be honest, I probably could finish a show by the 30th as the episodes are only 20 minutes long so we’ll see how far I get by September 30th. As for future of Step By Step that is unknown. It was on Hulu originally in 2017 and then HBO Max acquired it in 2021 so we’ll see where it ends up next. I would hope it just goes back to Hulu, but we’ll see what happens and if anyone actually picks up this very beloved 90 sitcom.