I grew up in the 60s & 70s when TV became an integral part of our lives. I've had quite a few "favorite" shows over the years and for me EiE is one of them. When the show premiered in 1977 I was a college freshman. I really don't recall if I watched much of season one. At the time, I was a fan of another family-focused show called The Fitzpatrick's, which featured a young Helen Hunt. But I was aware of EiE and when the Fitzpatrick's was canceled I started watching EiE regulary and became a big fan.
I religiously watched seasons two through four, not missing many episodes. I also had something of a rotating crush on the Bradford women, with Joanie (Laurie Walters) being my favorite. Followed by Susan (Susan Richardson), Abby (Betty Buckley) and Mary (Lani O'Grady). Honestly I didn't care much for the Nancy and Elizabeth characters at the time but have come to appreciate them more after watching season five.
So by the time season five came around, I had made some changes in my life where I could not watch EiE anymore (and no, I wasn't in prison!). Recently when I found that EiE was on Tubi, I started going through the episodes again and this past week I finallly finished season five. (It's also on the Roku Channel which seems to have less commercials than Tubi)
From watching season five it seems to me the show ran out of gas. It had a couple of good episodes, such as when Joan's parents disapproved of Abby. The one with Tommy falling in love with the songwriter was good also. Although I like Ralph Macchio and Karate Kid...why? The cast was already unwieldy with not enough story lines to go around, and you add yet another cast member?
Regardless, I have been and am still a fan of EiE. It takes me back to a time in my life when the world was fresh and new and held endless opportunities.
Thanks
