What in the hell?

I know its kind of silly to judge a 1989-1993 show by todays standards, but I saw it on Hulu and my wife and I have been watching it for the nostalgia for a few episodes and its really kind of creepy.

-In the pilot episode, one of his co-workers and friends takes him into an empty operating room and tells him that she notices that he looks at her a lot and that she likes him too. She tries to kiss him and pulls down his pants. Just then, the lights turn on and the curtain comes back from the observer platform where the rest of his co-workers are standing with a banner that says "Happy Birthday' and yell "surprise!" In the next scene, an upset Doogie is told "it was only a joke!"

-In the second episode, the new Head of Radiology, an attractive woman in her 40s, asks Doogie to dinner and says "it's a date". Then, she casually explains that she is running out of time to have children, but asks 16-year-old Doogie if she wants to be the father of her child. Confused, he seeks out answers on what he should do. Then, he finds out that the lady only wanted his seed, not to bang him. He is super sad and his sign off is that love is confusing. In this episode, he goes to a dance with a girl and strangely kisses her on the ear....like the inner ear flap thing. She doesnt react at all to this and she starts kissing him back.

-In the 3rd episode, the same girl, Wanda, that he strangely kissed at the dance has a pain in her stomach that he determines is appendicitis and performs surgery to save her. Their relationship is a little awkward because he performs a pelvic exam on her.

-Episode 5, Vinnie steals Doogie's lab coat while he is resting in an empty hospital room and pastes his picture on Doogie's badge. He uses his disguise to examine "Charmagne" -- a young starlet, by "checking her heart" by putting a stethoscope on and around her boobs.

I was 6 or 7 by the time I started watching it. I get it wasn't marketed a children's show , (but was it for teens? Vinnie and Doogie's constant horniness seems to target that demo) and was meant for adults mostly, but what the hell?

It was 3rd of 4 family comedies in a wed prime time block with Wonder Years and Growing Pains as lead ins.

expresswrittenconsent said:

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It was 3rd of 4 family comedies in a wed prime time block with Wonder Years and Growing Pains as lead ins.

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Thanks for the context. I do remember watching Wonder Years, but I didnt watch Growing Pains. For me I can see that they were trying to capture the teen demographic and the especially the "wouldn't it be weird to have TEEN PROBLEMS but also be a somewhat FUNCTIONAL ADULT with responsibilities and drama!" crossover. Makes sense. They just went a little too far beyond their skis by saying he was some sort of wunderkind doctor.

I was a kid but loved growing pains. Joanna Kerns was an OG hot mom.
I had to wiki the 1990 tv lineup to remember which shows it aired with. Funny to see season 2 of Seinfeld listed also in Wed nights that yr also.

BadMoonRisin said:

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What in the hell?

I know its kind of silly to judge a 1989-1993 show by todays standards, but I saw it on Hulu and my wife and I have been watching it for the nostalgia for a few episodes and its really kind of creepy.

-In the pilot episode, one of his co-workers and friends takes him into an empty operating room and tells him that she notices that he looks at her a lot and that she likes him too. She tries to kiss him and pulls down his pants. Just then, the lights turn on and the curtain comes back from the observer platform where the rest of his co-workers are standing with a banner that says "Happy Birthday' and yell "surprise!" In the next scene, an upset Doogie is told "it was only a joke!"

-In the second episode, the new Head of Radiology, an attractive woman in her 40s, asks Doogie to dinner and says "it's a date". Then, she casually explains that she is running out of time to have children, but asks 16-year-old Doogie if she wants to be the father of her child. Confused, he seeks out answers on what he should do. Then, he finds out that the lady only wanted his seed, not to bang him. He is super sad and his sign off is that love is confusing. In this episode, he goes to a dance with a girl and strangely kisses her on the ear....like the inner ear flap thing. She doesnt react at all to this and she starts kissing him back.

-In the 3rd episode, the same girl, Wanda, that he strangely kissed at the dance has a pain in her stomach that he determines is appendicitis and performs surgery to save her. Their relationship is a little awkward because he performs a pelvic exam on her.

-Episode 5, Vinnie steals Doogie's lab coat while he is resting in an empty hospital room and pastes his picture on Doogie's badge. He uses his disguise to examine "Charmagne" -- a young starlet, by "checking her heart" by putting a stethoscope on and around her boobs.

I was 6 or 7 by the time I started watching it. I get it wasn't marketed a children's show , (but was it for teens? Vinnie and Doogie's constant horniness seems to target that demo) and was meant for adults mostly, but what the hell?

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Watched as a teen/college kid based on timeline and remember liking it. Don't think I was turned into a monster by the things you described using the current day standards you are using. Even at that impressionable age, I was able to know it was fiction.

Im not suggesting it affected people either way, I guess I assumed that all sitcoms as "wholesome" during that time period. I was part of the Full House/Family Matters/Step By Step cohort which really hammered home morals at the end of their stories. This was just a departure from that. And also the type of puritanical "tolerance" model we have today, is kind of interesting.

Either way, its kind of weird that they wrote a pilot of a woman pulling down a 16 year olds pants and his co-workers "surprising him" and that wasnt some sort of weird alarm-bell. They green-lit the series.

I think even the most skeptical might admit that in 1989, having a 40 year old attempt to spermjack a 16 year old fictional doctor was weird. But I guess it is what it is.

Btron said:

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Wasn't the best friend in Growing Pains actual name Boner? Like Boner Boner? That should tell you everything you need to know about late 80's early 90's teen sitcoms.

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Short for Richard Stabone. Get your mind out of the gutter!

agdoc2001 said:

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Btron said:

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Wasn't the best friend in Growing Pains actual name Boner? Like Boner Boner? That should tell you everything you need to know about late 80's early 90's teen sitcoms.

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Short for Richard Stabone. Get your mind out of the gutter!

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Your dad's name is Sylvester Stabone? (Incredulous look)

Btron said:

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Wasn't the best friend in Growing Pains actual name Boner? Like Boner Boner? That should tell you everything you need to know about late 80's early 90's teen sitcoms.

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RIP Boner