User reviews

This show was never meant to be a hit but it was with a stellar cast including a young Rick Shroeder as the spoiled but likable rich kid. Who could forget the train in the house? His grandfather was played by legendary actor, John Houseman, and his father was well-played by Joel Grey. His stepmother and father's secretary was played by Erin Gray better known for her female role in the short-lived series, Buck Rogers. Everybody knew that they would get together. Anyway the Strattons live in Long Island, we also got to see Jason Bateman before he became famous. I liked Christina Belford who played the mother and former wife, Mrs. Stratton. She left an unforgettable impression on me that I always remembered her name. Well, the series had a nice five year run during the sitcom explosion of the 1980s.

Before Michael Jackson created his own fantasy childhood for someone who never quite grew up we had an 80s series with a child living a fantasy life. This would be Rick Schroder in Silver Spoons. Schroder played Richard Stratton III whose dad was raising him.

There house was like a Michael Jackson creation. Every kind of toy imaginable was there that his dad Joel Higgins provided. But Higgins also wanted him to grow up as normal as possible under the circumstances, so Schroder was always having his friends over and they did the usual kid things. He also went to public school like the rest of his peers.

John Houseman was Richard Stratton I and he raised Higgins quite severely. It was John Houseman so you would expect nothing less. But Higgins was determined on his own course of child rearing.

Others in the cast were Erin Gray as girl Friday, Franklin Searles as the butler, and Alfonso Ribeiro and Jason Bateman as friends who went on to star in TV series themselves.

Silver Spoons was good family entertainment.

Yes, if the poor kid was not by his dying father after a heavyweight fight he was having to deal with the loss of both parents in a mobile home accident then having the guy teaching him how to survive die. Yes, poor little Ricky had it rather rough, but then he got a gig on this show as a rich kid who finally gets to meet his father and live a life he has always dreamed of. Not sure what happened to the mother, but given little Ricky's past of tragedy she most likely succumbed to some long and painful disease as he sat by her bedside. Well I am not sure that happened all I know is that the first episode had him meeting his dad for the first time and finding that his dad was rich and was a kid at heart himself so he had lots of neat toys and video games in the house, so as a kid I thought that was cool. The early episodes were the best, but none of the show was what you would call spectacular. A lot of awkward episodes in the mix as well as some rather annoying ones. Also, a rather strange episode where Ricky and a bunch of his friends watch a porno as one of the kids hijacked the keys to the cable box from the father. What were they thinking? I watch an adult movie myself from time to time and think people are a bit overly critical of it at times, but showing an episode like that on a primarily family show was just insane. Also, that episode when they had Menudo guest star was just awful. Seriously, one of the first boy bands and still one of the worst with none of them doing much of anything after that band folded. Still, it had some laughs, aside from the strange episodes and the overly sentimental ones.

It's not very often that you come across a TV show, let alone a situation comedy, in which the father is portrayed as more childish than his son. Nevertheless, such a program came into fruition in the form of Silver Spoons, when it debuted on NBC in September 1982. Joel Higgins was perfect as Edward Stratton III, a wealthy man who discovers that he is the father of a 12-year-old boy named Ricky Stratton, played by Ricky Schroder. But who could have guessed that someone like Ricky Schroder, known for dramatic movies such as The Champ and The Earthling, would star in a sitcom? Regardless, Schroder was great as Ricky Stratton.

Silver Spoons is an enjoyable sitcom. The series ran for five years, on NBC from 1982 to 1986 and in first-run syndication from 1986 to 1987. It produced a total of 116 episodes. That was a good run. It has been over thirty years since the series ended its run, but I still have fond memories of it.

Toy-obsessed man-child millionaire Edward Stratton III (Joel Higgins) was born rich. He runs his own toy company. Kate Summers (Erin Gray) is his personal secretary. Out of the blue, his ex-wife is getting remarried and he's told about his unknown son Ricky (Ricky Schroder) who shall now start living with him. Dexter Stuffins (Franklyn Seales) is his financial manager and Alfonso Spears (Alfonso Ribeiro) is Dexter's nephew. Derek Taylor (Jason Bateman) is Ricky's troublesome best friend in the first two seasons.

I think I saw a few episodes back in the day and then quit. This show is very 80's. It's a bit kiddie when Ricky's a kid. It has the standard serious network TV issue-of-the-week episodes. One Christmas episode has a family living in a cave. Jason Bateman is a real jerk. Alfonso Ribeiro is doing a different dance and he's adding some color, you know. None of his friends are any good. I don't know if I like Ricky, but I definitely don't like his group. That's the main issue for me. I can see him as kiddie hunk for the girls. By the fifth and last season, I'm tired of the standard episode where he does something wrong, learns a lesson, and fixes his mistake. I binge the show today and it's nostalgic fun to see some familiar guest star faces that I haven't seen in awhile.

Season 1 is enjoyable enough. Season 2 less so. Season 3 is absolutely dreadful. Seasons 4 and 5 are the best of the series and the finale is perfect.

Yeah, I loved this show, and it's concept. It was a winning formula. Ricky Schroder, who in my opinion was just a natural actor, and Joel Higgins, who I wish to hell, did more stuff, played so well off each other, as re united mature son versus childish, spoilt, millionaire, father who lives in a two story castle of lavish riches, it's facade, looks like another of his expensive toys. Erin Gray lean't such great and sexy support as the Higgin's personal assistant, who eventually, became Charle's Stratton's second wife. This show's also good if you want to see a really young Jason Bateman, starting out, a seasoned performer with really good acting chops. The episode where a schoolboy crush on Gray's was cute and funny. And check out Higgins's really big train set ride. His character, was one I really liked more than most comedies at that time, and this shows, one of the reasons, I'm really gonna remember 1983. Great show with bolstered performances, that never slacked, this is one 80's show you definitely must see, via Youtube.

I used to love this show but Ricky Schroeder turned into a bigoted POS. I give it 5 stars because of Jason Bateman's excellent acting, as well as the rest of the cast. I will never watch any show with Ricky Schroeder again. I won't watch any Mel Gibson, Will Smith, Kirstie Allen, Tom Cruose, James Wood, or Randy Quaid movies again. I refuse to put money into their pockets. Silver Spoons was a good show for the time. It is just too bad that the supposed star of the show (he wasn't, Jason Bateman stole the show) turned into such a sorry excuse of a human being. I am glad Jason Bateman was the one who did so well in his career.

What I remember most about "Silver Spoons" and why I watched it as much as I did was Ricky's toys. The boy had a toy train that he could ride on!! Talk about living the life. I wanted Ricky's life so bad. The show never had to be funny to me nor have any message, I just needed to see toys.

I know millennials rave about how awesome the 80s was (not sure why, because if you're a millennial, you were just being born in the 80s, so it's not like you would remember much about it), but it doesn't seem like it was a special decade. If you ask me, it marks the point when television started declining. The only 80s sitcom I enjoy is Facts of Life. It portrayed friendship between girls realistically, as well as the friendships and human connections of people in general. I can't name any others that I like. For the most part, they're very stupid and unrealistic. Silver Spoons is not an exception. A man named Edward Stratton III (Joel Higgins) is living as a carefree bachelor, until a little boy shows up at his mansion, Ricky Stratton (Ricky Schroder), proclaiming to be his son. Edward is confused, because he was only married to his ex-wife for a week. But how dumb of him to think that, you know? Like they didn't have sex within that window of time. Ricky was attending a military boarding school, but Edward disguises himself as a swamp monster and gets Ricky out of the school, taking him back to live with him. There is no way he has the mental capacity to raise a child. His mansion is full of arcade games and toys. He's the owner of a toy business, but there's no justifiable reason for a grown adult man to be so silly. I know it's all pretend, but it's extremely ridiculous. If you're a parent, trying to be your child's friend isn't going to result in a positive relationship. Unstable people only flourish in a make believe world. I watch fiction to be entertained, but I don't wanna turn off my brain completely. Very idiotic show that I recommend skipping.

This show remains one of my favorite TV series, partly because I'm Ricky Schroder's age (and my high school class celebrated its 30 year reunion back in 2018). Watching the show takes me back to those formative years, and even now I really like how Ricky Schroder portrayed Ricky Stratton. Not only was he cute, especially during the first two seasons, but if you didn't know he was rich, you couldn't tell just by looking -- a far cry from those who feel "entitled" today. Granted, in later seasons, Ricky tried -- and frequently failed -- to be a ladies' man, but he always seemed likable and, more importantly, relatable. Though my memory of later seasons is hazy (mostly because only the first season is readily available), I'm pretty sure there were times I'd watch an episode and want to high-five Ricky, give him a hug, or strangle him. But at the end of the day, he was always someone you'd want as a friend.

The show ran the gambit of tackling different topics that '80s teenagers would have faced. in the early seasons they ranged from stuff like computer hacking (a la WarGames) to watching X-rated movies to dealing with the possibility of losing a parent while still a teenager. In later seasons the topics became more mature, like when a divorced father kidnaps his daughter from her mother or when one of Rick's friends has a drinking problem that ends up getting Rick injured.

Unfortunately I never had a VCR to record the show until after it ended, so right now I can only relive the first season in its entirety. What I would have liked to have seen, though, was perhaps some kind of special giving us a glimpse of what the characters would have been some ten years or show after the show ended. Would Ricky be as successful as his dad? Would he be married and have kids? What kind of father would he be (and what kind of grandparents would Edward and Kate be)?

This was another show I watched back in the eighties. If you'd like to see some of the pop culture items from that decade, check out this program. Topsider boat shoes, Michael Jackson dance moves, Members Only Jackets--they're all in Silver Spoons in various places. One episode I remember vividly has Shroeder's character hacking into a military computer by mistake and downloading plans for a top-secret fighter jet--I'm serious! Let's see....oh, yes, there was the episode where he and John Houseman drive the family Mercedes through a wall into Higgin's character's office. Egad! I gotta stop. I'm having flashbacks :-).

This is another sitcom I've watched when I was a kid. It's a nice, heartfelt show about Ricky Stratton and his millionaire father, Edward. While Ricky is pampered with lots of materials possessions, Edward still takes raising Ricky seriously and tries to avoid spoiling him too much while still letting him have a great childhood.

It's a charming show full of life lessons, comedy and heartfelt moments and a little bit of drama as well. There's good acting for the most part.

I don't remember most of the show, but I did enjoy it as a little kid for the most part. And, it's full of innocence and family-oriented fare.

Grade B+

Another one of my favorite shows during the '80s. Who couldn't help but love Rick Schroder as a kid? He moves in with his wealthy father and learns that dad has never really grown up himself. The show concentrated on the "little lessons" that each member of the show tried to provide each other with.

He was the BEST character and one of the best actors on these kind of shows. He appeared on season 1 and season 2. Overall the show is nice, sweet, sometimes overdramatic. I highly recommand watching the first 2 seasons. Jason Bateman STOLE THE SPOTLIGHT and he was the best part of the show. Also, his character was mischevious but so much deeper than characters on today's television. That's hard to describe. Just watch it.

note: This review is based on the first season as it's the only season currently on DVD.

Prior to this show, Ricky Schroder was known for dramatic roles-like the champ, the earthling and the last flight of Noah's ark. Yet it was this show that made him a household name.

Ricky Stratton(Schroder)is a Rich kid who decides after being in military school-to move in with rather goofy father-Edward Stratton the third(Joel Higgins)who owns a toy factory. His "Living room" is equipped with toys, Video arcade games, a computerized chess set-and a mini-freight train! You could call it "The home version of Coney Island" Even the front door is operated by remote control! Ricky has the face of an angel-but don't let that fool ya-he is a regular kid who gets into situations any kid gets into. He can be obnoxious, devious and even sometimes rude-but Ricky is a real charmer! And has the most infectious smile to ever grace the small screen. It's really hard not to like this kid.

The supporting cast includes Jason Bateman-who plays Ricky's arrogant pal Derek and my favorite John Houseman-who plays Edward Stratton the second the cynical father of Edward the third. Also Erin Gray plays Edward's loyal secretary-who he eventually marries.

Ricky Shrorder is the star of this show! He never gets annoying at all. Though I like him in the films I listed earlier-He really shines here.

The show is set in Long Island-and though they live in a mansion, we only see three or 4 rooms.

This show is really funny-with a few dramatic moments here and there. Some of it maybe cheesy-but that is the real charm of this show-it was made before the more gritty "Reality" sitcoms that came in the 90's.

About the first season DVDS: There are no special features at all-and they crammed it all on 3 discs-unless you have a surround system, it can be hard to hear-because of compression. However, at least they didn't put them on duel sided discs which are worse. There are 22 episodes including the pilot. Not the best in Quality sound or picture wise-but I've seen worse. I do have this to Say to Sony-Bring on the rest of the seasons! This set was released in 2007 and so far the first season's been released. If Sony doesn't want to release them Fine, License another company like Shout factory, MPI or Mill creek to release them.

This was one of those shows from the golden decade of the 1980's and this show was produced by the same individuals who brought us the shows of our day:"Different Strokes",and the others? The short-lived sitcom "Hello,Larry","The Facts Of Life","Who's The Boss?",and so much more. "Silver Spoons" really brought audiences into the spotlight the young and talented Ricky Schroder and with the presence of his abilities and his other talents took this show to the top of the Nielsens for three out of its five seasons that it ran on NBC-TV from 1982 to 1987. This was indeed a huge favorite with the teenage set during the decade that brought out a lot and so much,much more. Ricky Schroder stars as super rich-kid millionaire Ricky Stratton-the kid who has it all,the toys,the girls,and everything else under the guidance and supervision of his father,Edward Stratton III,a single father who is coming from a painful divorce to raise his son alone played by Broadway sensation Joel Higgins and his biological mother,also facing a divorce as well who is in custody of the child,played by Christine Belford. Edward's assistant is

Dexter Stuffins(Franklyn Seales)who watches over the youngster in times of trouble,where Ricky usually gets into sometimes,along with the kooky and sometimes stuffy grandfather Edward Stratton II(played by the great John Houseman)along with Edward Stratton III's hot new girlfriend whom he would later married on in the series,Kate Summers(played by the gorgeous hottie Erin Gray).

This show had it all and about that house this kid had! He had an arcade style game room in the family den,a build-in train set that went throughout the house along with other accessories that he had-any kids dream house,a house full of toys and presents and just about everything else! But still he had the same problems other kids his age growing up since some of the times he could be totally obnoxious,and there were times when the father and the son learn a lot from each other since most of the episodes really concentrated on the "little lessons" here that each member provided and from there you can tell this was a family-oriented show with a little something extra insight in some of the episodes produced. And those friends Ricky had? One of them was his best-buddy J.T.(played by Bobby Fite),Freddy(played by Corky Pigeon), and the unpredictable Derek,who was in my opinion the Eddie Haskell of the show who was always trying to get Ricky is some hair-brained scheme and ends up being one of his closest friends,and that was played by Jason Bateman.

The best part about this show was during the series' third season,another character was introduced and the debut of Alfonso Ribeiro as Ricky's pal and close buddy,Alfonso Spears. Anyways,the show had some of the pop culture items from that era,and its a crying shame that the series "Silver Spoons" isn't shown in certain markets and I wanna know what is the holdup? Come on? Nick-At-Nite,TV Land,ABC Family Channel or Spike TV,get with it! Bring back this show! Getting back to the era of the show,the culture items from that decade were on this program: Topsider boat shoes,Michael Jackson dance moves,The RUN-DMC Collection,Break dancing,Shell-toed Adidas shoes,The Michael Jackson collection-everything from the items that were included--the glove,the hat,the shoes,the jacket from the video "Beat It",everything from Madonna too,and those Members Only Jackets were included in some of the episodes. I remember during "Silver Spoons"that they showed the now classic "Pepsi" commercial with Alfonso Ribeiro dancing with the "King Of Pop"-Michael Jackson. This was in the 1980's!

Finally season 2 is available free on here and Amazon. Hopefully season 3+ will be put up sometime. Hurry up and watch it before it vanishes.

I've been watching episodes on Tubi and forgot how funny this is.

It would have been awesome if they kept Jason on the show. Sad to think they felt he was "overshadowing" Rick.

Also would have been awesome if they had John Houseman on more. Love the way he delivered lines. I feel they could have developed the relationships between Edward and Rick with him, more.

"Driver Ed" is the best episode! I still laugh and can't breathe watching it. It makes me wonder if he wasn't well during the show since he died the year after the show ended.

Still drives me crazy to not know where the track went after it came into the living room and why it disappeared in some episodes.

Silver Spoons, may not have been a worldwide cultural phenomenon, like Cheers, which started just a few days after this, but is well and fondly remembered by people somewhere in their 30's to maybe those somewhere in their 50's. I'm only 25, but wise and kind of an old soul. The series was referred to as "treacly sweet" or something along those lines, Rick Schroder was a lovable boy, starting as Ricky Stratton, the 12-year old who was mature and wise beyond years. Dad was a kid at heart; VERY much a kid. That is to say he played with electric trains and played in the fashion of a child. Nonetheless, I think he was still a good father and the nicest TV dad I remember. Jason Bateman was in the first two seasons, of course, as Ricky's trouble-making, smart aleck friend. It's a wonder that was Jason Bateman, seeing him today in the ultra-contemporary 21st century programs, like Arrested Development, which i did not like, and his feature films in recent years. Though, maybe not hilarious and sometimes serious with pro social messages and "special episodes" e.g. Ricky babysits a little girl who was neglected by adopted parents,and characters with disabilities maybe the theme in at least an episode, and teen pregnancy (no it wasn't Rick's fault) it made me laugh more than most other shows, strangely. I bought the first season in a vintage style lunch box at Best Buy about 2 and a half year ago, and it took me almost 3 months to finish. Sexism and cliché'd gender stereotyping comments also seems kept to a minimum. I didn't like Jason Bateman so much in the show. By season 2 or Season 3, Alfonso Ribeiro became the new friend. A waiter at Olive Garden from the generation said he was the show's star. Next to Ricky Schroder at least. I carry the lunch box around with me, as I got tired of the little backpack. Joel Higgins, was no prolific actor on the silver screen and I can only think of maybe TV movies he was in, but he went on to record some music. He seemed rather quiet in Hollywood, something underrated, in my opinion. Erin Gray was also lovely as the assistant who was like a surrogate mother to Rick and later his father marries her. Ricky was clean cut like the Brady kids, a style and time in television I miss.

I watched this show as a kid.I really liked it for the first few seasons,when Derek,J.T. and Freddy were on it.It was much funnier when Ricky was younger and his dad had that train running through the living room.I think the funniest episode was when Ricky owed Derek for saving his life and couldn't find him a date for their party.So Derek makes Ricky dress up as a girl to be his date!It was really funny and Ricky really looked like a girl. Later on as Rick got older and they changed some of the characters on the show it really went down hill.

I remember that show when I used to watch that show when I was like a month old or 2 months old but I was born in the year 1982 of March that time to I was 5 years old in '87. I remember that scene Rick S. as Ricky Stratton had the remote control door to open when Alfonso R. as Alfonso came to Ricky's house. I remember these epoisdes for 5 years when I was a little kid. I still remember the signal light on the wall where Ricky was around the house near it from the living room to the door. It is the best show of the 1980's! I still remember that show well for 22 years that I used to watch the show everyday. I remember the opening credits well. I really liked that show.

Unashamedly 80s, Silver Spoons was pretty decent TV show and I really can't imagine my childhood without this series. The strange thing is that I don't even remember much from this program (I just know that I liked it), as I don't think I've watched it since the 80s, so I'm doing my best from memory. The main character was sort of a take off on the character of "Richie Rich", 12 year old Ricky Stratton was a boy who had an obnoxiously wealthy father who was pretty immature himself. His father had a mansion that was decked out with toys, games and a giant train set. There were some memorable characters (Alfonso, Derek, J.T., the prissy Dexter) and episodes on this show. I do remember this series being sort of like a cartoon, where the kids had unrealistic adventures in the span of 30 minutes. The series could range from pretty cool to cringe worthy. There was a hilarious episode where Ricky hired Mr. T to be his bodyguard. There was also an episode where Menundo guest starred,...man I feel pretty damn old for knowing who Menundo are. I remember the networks gave up on Silver Spoons after a while, it then went into cheapo syndication where it dragged on for a couple more years. They were likely on target getting rid of Silver Spoons after only a few years, because I believe the series overstayed it's welcome. It ran from 1982-'87, when it probably should have went off the air in 1985. When the kids got older it became pretty dumb watching them repeating the same old antics and trying to be so cool with their Duran Duran style and riding that train when they were 17. If it ever comes out on DVD I'll look it up for nostalgia's sake. I don't know why I did this commentary, and I think I'll check out now.