Family Ties is a television sitcom that aired on NBC for seven seasons, from 1982 to 1989. The sitcom reflected the move in the United States from the cultural liberalism of the 1960s and 1970s to the conservatism of the 1980s.^[1] This was particularly expressed through the relationship between Young Republican Alex P. Keaton (Michael J. Fox) and his hippie parents, Elyse and Steven Keaton (Meredith Baxter-Birney and Michael Gross).

President Ronald Reagan once stated that it was his favorite television show.^[1]

Overview

Cast of Family Ties from a later season. (From left to right) Justine Bateman, Michael J. Fox , Meredith Baxter, Michael Gross, Brian Bonsall, and Tina Yothers

The humor of the series focused on the cultural divide in the 1980s, when the "the Alex P. Keaton generation was rejecting the counterculture of the 1960s and embracing the wealth and power that came to define the '80s."^[3] While the youngest, Jennifer (an athletic tomboy) shares the values of her parents, Alex embraces Reaganomics and consequent conservative values. He is a Young Republican who worships President Ronald Reagan and is a fierce supporter of Richard Nixon and William F. Buckley Jr.; Mallory is a more traditional young woman, in contrast to her feminist mother.^[1]

In the Museum of Broadcast Communications entry for Family Ties, Michael Saenz argues that,

few shows better demonstrate the resonance between collectively-held fictional imagination and what cultural critic Raymond Williams called "the structure of feeling" of a historical moment than Family Ties. Airing on NBC from 1982 to 1989, this highly successful domestic comedy explored one of the intriguing cultural inversions characterizing the Reagan era: a conservative younger generation aspiring to wealth, business success, and traditional values, serves as inheritor to the politically liberal, presumably activist, culturally experimental generation of adults who had experienced the 1960s. The result was a decade, paradoxical by America's usual post-World War II standards, in which youthful ambition and social renovation became equated with pronounced political conservatism. "When else could a boy with a briefcase become a national hero?" queried Family Ties creator, Gary David Goldberg, during the show's final year.^[1]

The show ended in 1989 after Alex graduates from nearby Leland College, leaves home for the first time, and moves to a career on Wall Street. Over a decade later, when Michael J. Fox left his next series Spin City, his final episodes made numerous allusions to Family Ties. Michael Gross (Alex's father Steven) is a therapist for Michael Patrick Flaherty (Michael J. Fox)^[4] and there is a reference to an off-screen character named "Mallory".^[5] After Flaherty becomes an environmental lobbyist in Washington D.C., he meets a "conservative congressman named Alex P. Keaton."^[6]

In a March 3, 2008 article for The New York Times, Gary David Goldberg (the creator of Family Ties) speculated that in the year 2008 Alex P. Keaton would be an independent rather than a Republican, and would vote for Barack Obama.^[7]

Cast and characters

Michael J. Fox with Tracy Pollan at the 40th Emmy Awards in August 1988 shortly after they were married

At the time, the show's producers felt Fox was simply too short for the gig. To make the point, NBC Entertainment Chief Brandon Tartikoff asked the show's creator Gary David Goldberg if he could imagine Fox's face on a lunchbox. Some years later, after Back to the Future, Fox's face did find its way to lunchboxes--and he was sure to send one to Tartikoff, with a note attached that reportedly read: "Dear Brandon, this is for you to put your crow on. Lots of Love, Michael J. Fox." Rumor has it Tartikoff kept the lunchbox in his office for the rest of his NBC career.^[9]

Supporting cast and characters included neighbor Erwin "Skippy" Handelman (Marc Price), Mallory's boyfriend artist Nick Moore (Scott Valentine), Alex's feminist artist girlfriend Ellen Reed (Tracy Pollan who later became Michael J. Fox's real-life wife). Fourth child Andrew (Brian Bonsall) was eventually added to the cast.

Several Hollywood stars appeared on the show before they were famous; Tom Hanks appeared during the first and second seasons as Elyse's younger brother Ned,^[8] Geena Davis portrayed an inept housekeeper, Courteney Cox was Alex's girlfriend Lauren at the end of the series, and Julia Louis-Dreyfus portrayed a lawyer on the two-part episode "Read It and Weep".

Release

Ratings

• 1984?1985: #5^[10]
• 1985?1986: #2^[11]
• 1986?1987: #2^[12]
• 1987?1988: #17^[13]

Selected awards

Emmy Awards

• 1988: Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series (Michael J. Fox)
• 1987:Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series (Michael J. Fox);Outstanding Writing in a Comedy Series; Outstanding Technical Direction
• 1986: Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series (Michael J. Fox)

Golden Globes

• 1989:Best Performance by an Actor in a TV-Series (Michael J. Fox)

Reunion

In 1989, Michael Gross appeared on The Pat Sajak Show as a guest to discuss the ending of Family Ties. According to The New York Times:

Mr. Sajak asked Michael Gross of Family Ties what was going to happen to the Keatons in this, their last scheduled season. Mr. Gross: "I hope they die in a plane crash." He later explained that he would not like to see them being brought back for phony reunions.^[14]

While there has not been a "reunion show", the cast did come together for the first time in 18 years on February 7, 2008 for an interview on the Today show.^[15]

DVD releases

CBS DVD has released the first four seasons of Family Ties on DVD in Region 1.

Notes

References

• Goldberg, Gary David. "Comedy Stop: What Would Alex Keaton Do?." New York Times, March 3, 2008.
• Haglund, David. "Reagan's Favorite Sitcom: How Family Ties spawned a conservative hero." Slate. March 2, 2007.
• Hurst, Alex. "Remembering an icon from the 'Me-Decade'." The Daily Pennsylvanian, April 24, 2001.
• Patterson, Thomas. "What would Alex P. Keaton do?." CNN, November 1, 2006.
• Saenz, Michael. "Family Ties." - Museum of Broadcast Communications
• Stewart, Susan. "The Parents Ate Sprouts; the Kid Stole the Show. New York Times, February 25, 2007.

External links

cy:Family Ties da:Blomsterbørns børn de:Familienbande fr:Sacrée Famille it:Casa Keaton he:???? ????? nl:Family Ties ja:???????? no:Fem i familien pt:Family Ties sh:Family Ties fi:Perhe on paras sv:Fem i familjen

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