I imagine I'd find it rather simple and uninteresting today, but I have fond memories and I had a big crush on Kristy Mcnichol, who was maybe only a year older than I was. Now I look at her and I see a kid, but at the time, I saw someone, slightly older than me, slightly more together and someone I could relate to.One time at summer camp, I was an aide, and most of the people around were counselors, they were 18 or 19, I was 16 and they were talking about women who they thought were hot and I mentioned my crush on Kristy and I never heard the end of it. They said "she's a kid". But . . . did they not realize, so was I. That's life and growing up I suppose. I remember one or two plots with this one, how people would have different opinions but the father would always work things out in the end. It was kind of like a slightly more mature and better written Brady bunch. Not quite at the level of James at 16, but somewhere between the two.I don't know if I'd recommend anyone watch this show now unless they want to experience a time capsule, but I remember it fondly. I used to look forward to catching it Sunday nights I think it was, might have been Fridays.

I was quite the precocious child at 7. Instead of coming home and watching cartoons, I preferred serialized dramas. This show was my favorite at the time. Even at that young age I knew what I was watching was good. Flash forward 30 years. I have now watched the episodes on DVD and this show truly is/was leaps and bounds ahead of anything in its day. The writing and direction was just phenomenal, credible, and so well executed. The acting is spot on, with nary a clichéd moment. It is great to watch these episodes again and see how a family drama should be produced. One can see why Sada Thompson Gary Frank and Kristy McNichol won Emmys for their work. James Broderick definitely should have been awarded one.

I sure can't understand why they ever hired Elaine Heilveil to play Nancy. I thought she was really boring. She was a terrible actress and not attractive to look at that is for sure. The show became a hit once they fired Elaine, which was an excellent choice they made. I really liked Meredith, she was not only beautiful to look at, but she added spark to the roll of playing Nancy. Obviously Meredith has had an excellent career, where I really never saw Elaine in anything else for which I'm grateful. I really do believe if they had kept Heilveil, the show would have never become the hit it became. I don't recall seeing a show like this where they fired an actress as I heard they did Heilveil, the producers obviously saw what I saw, it's too bad they didn't see this before hiring her in the first place though.

This show was great. I started watching it on the Nostalgia Network but now that network is nostalgia itself. The Pasadena setting was perfect for this family. In LA but off in a more quiet, normal and realistic location. Everything about this show is 70's and that adds to its coolness. Bellbottoms everywhere and the people in them with such problems!!!!!