Step by Step
Construction worker Frank Lambert is 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 know and not like one another, must learn to live together and love one another. It's not easy, but they are trying to do this step by step.
- 1991-1998
- 7 seasons
- ABC
- Comedy, Drama
- TV-G
Construction worker Frank Lambert is 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 know and not like one another, must learn to live together and love one another. It's not easy, but they are trying to do this step by step.
Season 7 Episode Guide
19 Episodes 1997 - 1998
Episode 1
Making the Grade
Fri, Sep 19, 1997 30 mins
Rich is shattered when Dana dumps him as useless slugger for not even minding his poor grades, but ends up studying and beating her. J.T. enjoys a raincoat with deep enough pockets to steal lots of food from the parental fridge, but is caught and squeezed. Carol misses mothering and perverts Frank's advice to pursue an interest by enrolling in college, for exactly Karen's curriculum, and lacks any sensitivity to filial embarrassment.
Episode 2
A Star Is Born
Fri, Sep 26, 1997 30 mins
Hollywood director Max Thomas holds a local extras casting for a scene to be shot in Port Washington. The Lambert girls audition for a small waitress part. naively overconfident Karen's diva performance is dismissed as asthmatic. Dana's feminist attitude prevents even getting to read the lines. Al's natural air however lands her the menial part, and after a good performance opposite star Jeremy Beck she's even invited to stand in for an unavailable pro cast actress. The parental pride is greatly challenged when Al announces she wants to drop out of school and aim for Hollywood full-time.
Episode 3
Your Cheatin' Heart
Fri, Oct 3, 1997 30 mins
Since Rich grudgingly accepted to go to a wedding with Dana, he behaves even stranger. Karen swears that proves, according to fashion magazine, he's cheating. With Al, she spies on him and sees him enter foxy but older Tatiana's home. They get Dana, who storms in without checking why Rich is there. Frank and Carol haven't had sex for too long, but when the children finally stop getting in the way, a flu bug kills their mood.
Episode 4
Take This Job and Shove It
Fri, Oct 10, 1997 30 mins
J.T. can't believe he gets no sibling sympathy at all after losing his umpteenth job. On the contrary, he's scolded more idiotic then ever for compromising his relationship with Sam, for whom the garage is her career. Realizing he owed the job to hr and actually resigned on his own, J.T. decides to save their friendship.
Episode 5
Poetic Justice
Fri, Oct 17, 1997 30 mins
Mark's new girlfriend, punk tomcat Amanda Dank, constantly leads him astray in a big way. Frank tries to make him see sense while controlling outraged Carol, but shameless kiss-manipulation leads to the knave's arrest for illegally driving his truck. Handsome teaching assistant Jace Thompson constantly grades Karen's immature rhymes A, so Dana, whose pretentious, dreary hate verse gets bad grades, wants to trick him. Her chance arrives when Karen is blackmailed to date him or join the D-rated, but taping evidence isn't as easy as it sounds.
Episode 6
Can't Buy Me Love
Fri, Oct 24, 1997 30 mins
Karen is trying to get into the Delta Theta Zeta sorority and is going to their pledge dinner. Dana is also invited but is very reluctant to go. However, they have an ulterior motive for inviting Dana. Frank's business is very slow when they hear that an old friend of Carol's is about to start building a big hotel. They invite him to dinner where they try to get him to hire Frank. They succeed but there turns out to be a cost.
Episode 7
Dream Lover
Fri, Oct 31, 1997 30 mins
It's Halloween and the kids are all ready for a party. When the venue suddenly become unavailable, they decide to move the party to an old house that Frank is about to demolish. JT and Sam are having relationship troubles which become exposed during the party. JT gets some advice from a mysterious girl. Meanwhile, Lilly is having her first Halloween party in the Lambert house. It turns out that she is scared of monsters.
Episode 8
Girls Just Wanna Have Fun
Fri, Nov 7, 1997 30 mins
An old best friend Rich's, who happens to be a girl, returns to Port Washington. Dana becomes concerned and a little jealous when Rich seems to have a lot more fun with her. She turns to JT for help to make her more fun. Frank's cousin is passing through town and calls in. Frank does not like him because of his past misdemeanours but he charms the others.
Episode 9
Goodbye, Mr. Chip
Fri, Dec 5, 1997 30 mins
Carol advises Karen's boyfriend Chip to get a backbone, but he goes too far when he breaks up with Karen.
Episode 10
Too Many Santas
Fri, Dec 19, 1997 30 mins
When Lilly recognises JT as Santa in the mall she becomes disillusioned and decides she no longer believes in Santa. Frank and Carol decide to convince her that she is wrong. At the same time, JT tries to make up with Sam.
Episode 11
Phoney Business
Fri, Jan 9, 1998 30 mins
JT decides to become a talent agent and Al is his first client. Her first job is in an advertisement selling suntan lotion or so she thinks. She then finds out too late that it is actually a sleazy 1800 number for beach blanket bingo with a beach bunny. It is up to Frank to fix the situation. Carol and Dana have just finished a seminar on healthy living and they decide that the family will start eating healthy foods. Unfortunately, the food is unpalatable and the family rebel.
Episode 12
Goin' to the Chapel
Fri, Jan 16, 1998 30 mins
JT takes up aerobics to impress the instructor but it turns out much more difficult than he thought it would be. When Carol is upset at finding Dana and Rich together in his place, Dana angrily decides that she and Rich will elope.
Episode 13
Feet of Clay
Fri, Jan 23, 1998 30 mins
Dana is looking for something that she and Rich can do together. They decide to do pottery at the local community college. However, Dana has trouble coping with the fact that Rich is much better at pottery than her. Frank and Carol are spicing up their sex life with some role-playing games, which leads to some misunderstandings by the JT and Karen.
Episode 14
Pain in the Class
Fri, Jan 30, 1998 30 mins
Frank doesn't want to go his school's 25th reunion because one guy continually outdid him. JT and Rich want to watch a bikini contest on TV with a group of friends but this starts to go wrong when JT also has to mind Lilly.
Episode 15
The Half Monty
Fri, Feb 27, 1998 30 mins
J.T. and Rich have promised Sam and Dana a weekend away on a ski trip. Unfortunately, they have no money, so they decide to enter a male-stripper contest for the $1000 first prize. Meanwhile, Carol and Frank's reverend sees them as role models for other couples and wants them to share their secrets about makes a happy marriage with young engaged couples. He asks Carol, but Frank wants to watch a basketball game that's on at the same time.
Episode 16
And Justice for Some
Fri, Jun 5, 1998 30 mins
Frank has a spare ticket to the Bucks vs Bulls basketball game and takes JT. After they swap seats, JT wins a pickup truck for being in the lucky seat. Frank thinks that he should have the prize but JT refuses to give it to him. Carol tries to come up with the solution. Dana is running a seminar for women about how they can protect themselves from men. When Karen and Al see the very handsome officer speaking at the talk, they start to fight over him.
Episode 17
The Understudy
Fri, Jun 12, 1998 30 mins
Al is cast as an understudy in an upcoming community theater production, but - believing she deserved a larger role - refuses to learn her lines. This makes for huge problems when the star falls ill, and Al takes the stage grossly under-prepared.
Episode 18
We're in the Money
Fri, Jun 19, 1998 30 mins
Just as Karen is musing that nothing ever happens, Cody returns from his overseas trip after two years, bringing with him gifts for the family. For Frank and Carol he has a check for $30K, which starts a disagreement on how to spend it.
Episode 19
Movin' on Up
Fri, Jun 26, 1998 30 mins
Frank's good work results in him being offered an expensive house at cost. Everybody is happy about the move except Lilly, who reacts by getting into trouble up at school. When Frank and Carol see how the new owners are going to change their old house, they change their mind and do their best to stop them from buying the house.
