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Nick at Nite Launches Hit Family Comedy Growing Pains Beginning Sunday, January 21

NEW YORK, Jan. 8 /PRNewswire/ -- Nick at Nite will add the popular family comedy Growing Pains to its sitcom line-up beginning Sunday, January 21 at 9:00 PM (ET/PT), it was announced today by Tom Ascheim, Executive Vice President, General Manager, Nickelodeon Television. The series, which ran for seven seasons, was an immediate hit with viewers and launched the careers of teen heartthrobs Kirk Cameron and Leonardo DiCaprio. The 30-minute series kicks off with an all-night, nine-episode marathon on Sunday from 9:00 p.m. to 1:30 a.m. which will repeat from 1:30 until 6:00 a.m. Beginning Monday, January 22, the network will air an hour of Growing Pains with two back-to- back episodes every Monday through Thursday from 9:00 - 10:00 p.m. Growing Pains will also air Friday and Saturday at 10:30 p.m. and Sundays at 9:30 p.m. (*All times (ET/PT).

(Photo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20070108/NYM280 )

"Kids grew up watching Growing Pains in primetime and now, we are really excited for them to start enjoying it again with their own kids on Nick At Nite," said Ascheim. "The classic family comedy features a talented and witty cast and is a favorite that everyone can watch together."

Growing Pains aired from 1985 to 1992 on ABC and revolves around The Seaver family in Long Island, NY. Jason (Alan Thicke) is a psychiatrist married to Maggie (Joanna Kerns), a former newspaper reporter, and the two head up a family of three kids. Mike (Kirk Cameron) is a bit of a slacker and is constantly up to shenanigans; Carol (Tracey Gold) is the brainy middle child and Ben (Jeremy Miller) is the youngest Seaver who idolizes his older brother, Mike. Maggie's desire to go back to work prompts Jason to move his practice back home, allowing him to watch the kids. Most of the stories revolve around standard family issues such as bad grades, dating and missed curfews, though over time the series did address serious topics like drunk driving, teen suicide and peer pressure. In 1988, Maggie gave birth to a daughter, Chrissy (Ashley Johnson), and the family also took in a homeless teenager -- Luke (a young Leonardo DiCaprio). As the series progressed, Mike found himself taking on more responsibility as a teacher and eventually fell in love, Carol began her studies at Columbia University and Ben began to turn into another version of Mike. Much of the series' success can be attributed to Kirk Cameron's status as a teen heartthrob, gracing the covers of various magazines in the late 1980s.

Nick At Nite is Nickelodeon's night-time programming block that features timeless hit comedies including the Emmy Award-winning series The Cosby Show, the popular family comedy Full House, the Fresh Prince Of Bel Air and Roseanne, one of the most talk-about and celebrated sitcoms in television history. Nickelodeon, in its 27th year, is the number-one entertainment brand for kids. It has built a diverse, global business by putting kids first in everything it does. The company includes television programming and production in the United States and around the world, plus consumer products, online, recreation, books, magazines and feature films. Nickelodeon's U.S. television network is seen in almost 92 million households and has been the number-one- rated basic cable network for almost 12 consecutive years. Nickelodeon and all related titles, characters and logos are trademarks of Viacom Inc. (NYSE:VIA)(NYSE: VIA.B).

Photo: NewsCom: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20070108/NYM280
AP Archive: http://photoarchive.ap.org/
AP PhotoExpress Network: PRN23
PRN Photo Desk, photodesk@prnewswire.com
Source: Nick at Nite

CONTACT: Jodi Davi, +1-212-846-5981, Jodi.davis@nick.com, or Jennifer
Zaldivar, +1-212-846-8964, Jennifer.zaldivar@tvland.com, both for Nick at
Nite

Web site: http://www.nick.com/

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