The Hogan Family - The Hogan Family

The Hogan Family

At the end of the third season, as Harper's lawsuit hearings continued, the network dropped Valerie's name from the title completely. This was partially to avoid further legal actions involved in continuing to use the original star's name, and also to move on from the public attention being drawn to her dismissal. In June 1988, during summer reruns of the third season, the show was retitled The Hogan Family.

In the fall of 1988, David went off to Northwestern University, and his escapades with Rich and Burt became a major focus (Hodges and Witting now appeared in the opening credits). At one point during freshman year, David began to feel the strain of Mike's household curfew rules, which he felt should not have applied to him any longer since he was in college, and with the family's blessing, moved into Rich and Burt's tiny apartment near campus. The three had a hard time co-existing, so before long David voluntarily moved back home. Willie and Mark entered high school that year, where they encountered a more fueled sibling rivalry due to their different identities. Sandy's ex-husband Richard made a few guest appearances, as played by Steve Vinovich. Mike's former Air Force Colonel and flight trainer, Skip Franklin (Gerald Gordon) was another guest star continuing his repeat appearances in this stage of the series, having originated the role on the third episode of Valerie in 1986.

During Duncan's tenure with the show, no mention was ever made to that of Mike and Sandy's other sister, Caroline, who was played in the Valerie pilot by Francine Tacker. In her only guest appearance, Caroline was portrayed as being glamorous and just as successful as her airline pilot brother, although it was not explained as to what she did, or if she had a family of her own.

As season five opened, the Hogans and Pooles, along with Burt and Rich, took an excursion to Paris—as the network's Facts of Life had done in 1982 with The Facts of Life Goes To Paris. There, David met and fell in love with a woman who, unbeknownst to him, was a princess. When the two are seen around the city, government agents believe that the princess has been kidnapped, and target David, causing him and everyone else to be on the lam from them. While the rest of the family returned to Oak Park, Rich stayed abroad to explore more of Europe, and was no longer with the cast. Later that season, in early 1990, Mark began dating a girl named Cara (Josie Bissett), while Willie began to date Brenda (Angela Lee). That March, after a showdown with Principal Edwards (guest star Jon Cypher), which led to a nasty mailed resignation letter she started to regret, Sandy found herself promoted to Vice Principal.