Just the Ten of Us


Just the Ten of Us is an American sitcom starring stand-up comedian Bill Kirchenbauer as Coach Graham Lubbock, a teacher and the head of a large [Roman Roman Catholic Church|Catholic Church|Catholic] family with eight children living in Eureka, California. The series is a spin-off of Growing Pains, in which Kirchenbauer portrayed the same character on a recurring basis. As the series progressed, Coach Lubbock's four eldest daughters, the teenagers Marie, Cindy, Wendy, and Connie, became the primary focus of the show.
Just the Ten of Us ran on ABC as a part of ABC's early TGIF programming block, starting with a trial run from April 26 to May 17, 1988. After the first four episodes in an abbreviated first season were broadcast, it was renewed for two more seasons and eventually ended thereafter on May 4, 1990. 47 episodes were produced.

Synopsis

The series focuses on Graham Lubbock, a Catholic gym teacher who used to teach at the high school that Growing Pains characters Mike and Carol Seaver had attended on Long Island, and the father of eight children.
In the pilot episode, Graham's job is in jeopardy due to district budget cutbacks. Mike leads a protest after he learns that Lubbock is trying to support a large family. Despite this, Graham loses his job but soon receives an offer at St. Augustine's Academy, an all-boys private Catholic school in Eureka, California. Graham and his pregnant wife Elizabeth promptly move their family to California.
By special arrangement, the older children — four teenage girls — were allowed to attend St. Augustine's, much to the chagrin of the school's administration. They were:
  • Marie – the oldest, most responsible, and most pious.
  • Cindy – Wendy's older twin sister, and the most ditzy.
  • Wendy – Cindy's younger twin sister, and the most flirtatious.
  • Connie – the Bohemian, and also occasionally agnostic.
The younger children — two girls and two boys — were:
  • 11-year-old Graham, Jr., familiarly known as "J.R."
  • eight-year-old Sherry
  • toddler Harvey
  • infant Melissa – not yet born when the show began.
The first season consisted of four episodes for a trial run in the spring of 1988. ABC was pleased with their success and ordered a second season. In the second season, Cindy and Wendy seemed to switch personalities, with Cindy becoming more ditzy, and Wendy becoming the schemer. Also, the show focused more and more on the four older girls and frequently revolved around the family's efforts to save money, dating, and other typical family sitcom issues. In later episodes, the four teenage girls formed a singing group called "The Lubbock Babes". The girls had many boyfriends and love interests that Graham took great pride in testing—and in most cases, fending off—but the most permanent fixture among them was Marie's goofy boyfriend, Gavin Doosler.
Those on the St. Augustine's staff included Father Robert Hargis, the affable headmaster; Coach Duane Johnson, Graham's earnest young assistant during the first two seasons and pulled some strings with Father Hargis to hire Lubbock; and in the third season, featured teachers Father Budd and elderly, madcap Sister Ethel.

Cast

Response

Ratings

A week after the series debuted on April 8, 1988, the show placed 7th in ratings. The second season garnered a total of 20.1 million viewers.

Syndication

USA Network picked up the entire series in reruns shortly after it was canceled, and aired the show on a daily basis until 1996.

International broadcast

In France, the show aired on Antenne 2 as part of a block called Giga in 1990 for 24 episodes, then on France 2 in 1996 under the name as Un toit pour dix.
In Germany, the show aired on Pro 7 in 1990 under the name as Chaos hoch zehn.
In Italy, the show aired on Canale 5 in 1992 under the name as Diece sono pochi.
In Spain, the show aired on Antena 3 in 1990 under the name as Somos Diez.