Continuity mistake: The layout of Frank and Carol's house is inconsistent with the exterior shots. The driveway as seen from their backyard is more shallow and narrow than what is shown in the exterior shots, and the stairway to the left of their front door has a window halfway up, but the exterior shot shows a low section of roof that would completely obscure any window.
Factual error: When they do the opening credits with all the characters, it shows them at an amusement park. It is Six Flags Magic Mountain. At the very end of the opening, they show Six Flags Magic Mountain as if it were next to a beach. You can tell the water was computerized since Six Flags is no where near the ocean.
Continuity mistake: In season 1 Dana turns 16, then in season 3 she is 18, yet they are only celebrating their one year anniversary.
Answer: I could be mistaken, but when the series debuted, its premise was something along the lines of "A divorced contractor and a widowed beautician impulsively marry." If that is true, then the Foster children's father is dead. As for Frank, it could be that his wife was an unfit mother and is therefore not in her children's lives. Perhaps the writers felt addressing these issues would lead to more questions, or at the least require characters to bring up the unseen parents more in conversation, so perhaps they felt it was just better to never talk about them at all and let any discussions about them remain off-screen.
Phaneron ★