It might not make too many lists of the best ’90s TV shows, but *Step by Step*, like the rest of its TGIF brethren, wasn’t trying to push new boundaries in small-screen comedy. It was a light, fun, wholesome show for families to watch together on Friday nights over pizza while discussing which Blockbuster rental to watch afterward.

Another entry in the blended family sitcom formula made famous by *The Brady Bunch*, *Step by Step* followed a divorced dad named Frank Lambert (Patrick Duffy) and a widowed mom named Carol Foster (Suzanne Somers) who get married and bring their three existing children each into their newly combined family of eight.

*Step by Step* ran for seven seasons on ABC. The core ensemble lost Carol’s sister and mother after Season 1 but eventually added various cousins, friends, and, of course, a seventh child into the fold as the show went on.

Duffy and Somers were already established television veterans at the time, with Frank and Carol’s children played by a mix of unknown child actors and a few who already had shows and movies under their belts. Similarly, the main and recurring cast members of *Step by Step* are made up of actors who stayed busy in the industry, those who only did a few more projects before stepping away, and some who were all but done acting after the show ended.

With that in mind, seeing what they look like these days and checking into what they’ve been up to since *Step by Step* ended provides quite the mixed bag of results.

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### Staci Keanan as Dana Foster

Having first gained sitcom fame on *My Two Dads*—an ’80s show with a dark side that was perhaps a bit much for a lighthearted family sitcom—Staci Keanan added another hit series to her repertoire when she was cast as Dana Foster on *Step by Step.* Dana was not only Carol’s oldest but the Foster/Lambert clan’s eldest child overall.

She is a bit narcissistic and initially has a lot of trouble bonding with the Lamberts, especially stepbrother J. T. and stepfather Frank. While she softens as the show progresses, especially in accepting her new stepfamily, Dana never really stops being the stereotypical stuck-up teenage girl that ’90s sitcoms were so fond of portraying.

During her time on *Step by Step*, Keanan also appeared in episodes of *Boy Meets World* (as Dana Foster), *Cybil*, *Diagnosis: Murder*, and *Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman*. She also did a few small indie movies throughout the ’90s and 2000s, with her only major studio film being a cameo in the 2010 comedy *You Again*.

After leaving acting in 2010, Keanan attended law school and is now a district attorney and law professor under her birth name, Anastasia Sagorsky. In 2024, she started a *Step by Step* rewatch podcast called *Keanan and Lakin Give You Déjà Vu* with co-star Christine Lakin.

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### Christopher Castile as Mark Foster

Every family sitcom, especially during that era, had to have the cliché nerd character who is socially awkward, obsessed with science and computers, wears oversized glasses, and dresses a little too formally for his age. On *Step by Step,* that role was fulfilled by Mark Foster (Christopher Castile), who hit every stereotype on that checklist—and then some.

To hammer home Mark being of that archetype, he even teamed up with Steve Urkel (Jaleel White) of *Family Matters* on a science project during one of the many TGIF crossover episodes that the programming block was so fond of doing.

*Step by Step* was Christopher Castile’s biggest acting gig during his fairly short career. Beyond a few single-episode appearances on other shows, Castile also voiced Eugene Horowitz on *Hey Arnold!* and played Ted Newton in the first two *Beethoven* films.

Other than a recurring role on the Christian radio drama *Adventures in Odyssey* between 1995 and 2002, Castile mostly retired from acting after *Step by Step* ended. He is now a high school teacher who lives a private life, though he did do an episode of Staci Keanan and Christine Lakin’s podcast and has been part of a couple of *Step by Step* cast reunion events.

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### Jason Marsden as Rich Halke

1990s kids crossed paths with Jason Marsden throughout their childhood—from voicing Binx the cat in *Hocus Pocus* to playing Max in *A Goofy Movie* and its sequel. And that’s just his memorable voice roles, which don’t even include the various shows from that era in which he appeared on screen.

In addition to stints as Jason on *Boy Meets World* and Nelson Burkland on *Full House*, Marsden spent three seasons as a main cast member of *Step by Step* as J. T.’s best friend and later, Dana’s boyfriend Rich Halke.

Beyond the ’90s, Marsden’s on-screen appearances slowed down, but his voice work picked up significantly. He has over 100 voice credits across film, television, and video games, including iconic characters such as Bruce Wayne, Clark Kent, Nermal, Tak, and Peter Pan.

Marsden was also part of the English dub voice cast for *Spirited Away*, considered one of the greatest animated films of all time.

In addition to his acting career, Marsden is a wellness-based business entrepreneur, having opened both a yoga studio and a wellness retreat center in California.

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### Angela Watson as Karen Foster

The middle Foster child and the second of Carol’s biological daughters, Karen was the token airhead character on *Step by Step*: frequently confused but often perfectly blissful in her ignorance. She was also the fashionista and shopaholic of the family, with aspirations to be a model.

Casting Angela Watson to play Karen took this into account. Before becoming an actress, Watson was a highly successful child beauty queen, winning literally hundreds of awards in just a few years. After earning a model of the year award in 1987, Watson decided to give acting a shot.

Aside from *Step by Step*, Watson did a few small roles but largely left the industry by the mid-2000s. She returned to acting in 2020, performing in live theater for the first time.

Due to her own difficult experiences—her parents spending millions of the money she earned acting and enduring multiple court battles—Watson now runs an organization called Child Actors Supporting Themselves (CAST). CAST provides accountants, legal aid, and other support for child actors.

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### Patrika Darbo as Penny Baker

As mentioned earlier, Season 1 of *Step by Step* included two extended family members who were written out by Season 2. One was Penny Baker (Patrika Darbo), Carol’s sister and the kids’ aunt. Penny worked at Carol’s in-home beauty salon and was depicted as quite fond of men.

It’s not entirely known why Aunt Penny was written out after the first season, but it’s likely the show needed to focus more on the immediate Foster/Lambert family without adding multiple extended relatives week after week.

Darbo, however, was far from hurting for work. The prolific character actor had appeared in numerous films, including *Troop Beverly Hills*, *The ‘Burbs*, *Gremlins 2: The New Batch*, and *Dutch*.

By the end of the decade, she began her long stint as Nancy Wesley on the soap opera *Days of Our Lives*, a role she played for over 450 episodes between 1998 and 2022. She also played Shirley Spectra on both *The Bold and the Beautiful* and *The Young and the Restless* between 2019 and 2021.

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### Christine Lakin as Alicia “Al” Lambert

As Frank’s only daughter, and having grown up around boys before Frank married Carol, Alicia Lambert (Christine Lakin) was kind of a tomboy. She preferred to go by “Al” and was almost never called Alicia.

She was also the Lambert child who struggled the most with accepting her stepfamily, much like Dana was from the Foster side.

Unlike co-star Staci Keanan, Lakin remained a steady working actor after *Step by Step*. She had frequent film roles into the new millennium, including *Who’s Your Daddy?*, *The Game Plan*, *The Hottie and the Nottie*, *Race to Witch Mountain*, and *Valentine’s Day*. She also appeared alongside Keanan in *You Again*.

On television, aside from numerous guest appearances, Lakin held main or recurring roles on *Family Guy*, *Hollywood Darlings*, and *Melissa & Joey*. When not acting, she is a prolific television director and audiobook narrator.

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### Sasha Mitchell as Cody Lambert

While *Step by Step* lost a grandma and an aunt early on, it didn’t eliminate all extended relatives. Cody Lambert (Sasha Mitchell), Frank’s nephew, remained a main cast member until Season 5.

Cody was one of the show’s breakout characters, known for his goofball surfer dude vibe and physical comedy.

However, Mitchell was fired due to legal issues related to domestic violence allegations. Cody was absent for the last two seasons but made a guest appearance in Season 7.

Around the same time as launching his TV career, Mitchell starred as David Sloane in the *Kickboxer* series of martial arts films. He has continued to act sporadically with appearances on *ER*, *JAG*, and *NYPD Blue*, as well as the movie *Dickie Roberts: Former Child Star.*

Since the mid-2010s, Mitchell has mostly stepped away from the entertainment industry for a more private life. In September 2025, *The Sun* published the first public photos of Mitchell in seven years, showing him leaving what was described as a “normal job.”

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### Samantha Milano as Alexandra Adi

The latest addition to the *Step by Step* cast in terms of recurring members was Samantha Milano, who played Alexandra Adi during Seasons 6 and 7 as J. T.’s girlfriend.

It seems likely she was added to give J. T.’s character a fresh spin as he had become somewhat aloof.

Alexandra Adi was never a household name; *Step by Step* was her most high-profile role. She had minor roles in two episodes of *CSI: Miami* and voiced a character in *Roughnecks: The Starship Trooper Chronicles*. Her film credits include small parts in *American Pie* and *Jawbreaker*.

2012 marked her most recent screen credit and last major public appearances, with little known about her activities since then.

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### Brandon Call as John Thomas “J. T.” Lambert

J. T., the oldest Lambert son and the second-oldest child overall in the blended family, was always a bit aloof and usually scheming to make money or gain popularity—schemes that almost always backfired.

Starting in Season 6, his relationship with Samantha became central to his character.

Before *Step by Step*, Call was part of two previous shows: the 1987 fantasy sitcom *The Charmings* and Season 1 of *Baywatch*, where he played Hobie Buchannon before being replaced by Jeremy Jackson.

After *Step by Step*, Call left acting and public life. Christine Lakin later suggested that a traumatic road rage shooting Call experienced in 1996 influenced his decision to step away from the spotlight.

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### Bronson Pinchot as Jean-Luc Rieupeyroux

When you think of Bronson Pinchot and TV shows, *Perfect Strangers* comes to mind. He played Balki Bartokomous for eight seasons and became a TGIF programming block staple with roles in *Perfect Strangers*, the TV adaptation of *Clueless*, and a recurring stint on *Step by Step*.

On *Step by Step*, he played Jean-Luc Rieupeyroux, Carol’s beauty salon partner, during Season 6.

Pinchot is also known for his scene-stealing role as Serge in *Beverly Hills Cop*, which he reprised in *Beverly Hills Cop III* and *Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F*.

Most recently, Pinchot was a main cast member of the 2025 Netflix mystery comedy series *The Resident*. He is also a multi-award-winning audiobook narrator and has performed voice work for numerous animated films and television shows.

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### Patrick Duffy as Frank Lambert

Frank Lambert, played by Patrick Duffy, was the typical family sitcom dad of the era—with denim shirts, jokes about hating ballet nights, and wrapping up episodes with wise, paternal monologues.

Before *Step by Step*, Duffy was famous for playing Bobby Ewing on the prime-time soap opera *Dallas*. His character’s death and season-long absence, explained as just a dream, remains one of television’s most infamous storylines.

Duffy later joined *The Bold and the Beautiful* and reprised Bobby Ewing on the 2012 revival of *Dallas*. In 2025, he appeared in the neo-noir film *Hollywood Grit*.

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### Suzanne Somers as Carol Foster

Perhaps the most unrealistic aspect of *Step by Step* was how chill Carol Foster (Suzanne Somers) remained amid managing six children with main character energy, a husband who was often a big kid himself, and later a new baby added to the family.

While Patrick Duffy was equally famous, Somers was perhaps better known to the *Step by Step* audience. She played Chrissy Snow for the first five seasons of *Three’s Company*, becoming one of television’s biggest stars at the time.

Later, she became the queen of infomercials as the spokesperson for the wildly popular ThighMaster exercise device.

Tragically, Suzanne Somers passed away in 2023 at age 76 from complications related to breast cancer.

When most of the main cast reunited in 2024 for a ’90s nostalgia convention, Somers’s absence was deeply felt. “Her heart was so big, and we really miss her,” many recalled.

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*Step by Step* remains a cherished hallmark of ’90s family sitcoms—nostalgic, wholesome, and full of memorable characters who continue to resonate with fans decades later.
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