Stvdel2
Would this show have lasted a season without teeny bopper heart throb, midget Michael J Fox? NBC had the pits of situation comedies for years. Yeah, Cheers was OK, and liberals loved The Cosby Show for obvious reasons. This lemon, The Facts of Life, Silver Spoons, Punky Brewster, and the worst of the worst, Diff'rent Strokes. They brought a new meaning to the word suck. Watch this once, and I dare you not to get annoyed with Alex the P within 5 minutes.
John Wayne Landry
To all of you who had nothing nice to say about Family Ties,I get that this show wasn't obviously for everybody and it even had its moments of annoyance if you enjoyed it,but I'll gladly take this even over most sitcoms that aired in the same era,let alone those of today.I actually was one of the yew young boys who crushed on Tina Yothers(Jennifer Keaton),which is no knock whatsoever on Justine Bateman(Mallory Keaton)because she was a hot number then and even still is.Most of the political jargon that came out of Steven,Elyse,and Alex's mouths mostly went over my head then,but it was still entertaining how it was all delivered.I didn't watch as much of the final 2 seasons and that was mainly because it was switched to Sunday nights,it became apparent to me in the few episodes I did watch that the show had finally ran its course.At least it went out strong,unlike many of its counterparts.
Thorsten-Krings
Re-watching it on DVD I was amazed that Family Ties really stood the test of time. What makes it stand out is the constant high quality of the writing. On the one hand Family Ties always tackles serious issues on a personal level (death, trust, love, sexual harassment) but also on a social/ political level. I find it absolutely amazing that the writers always manage to avoid the trap of becoming sentimental or moralizing but always keep a healthy distance. Politically Family Ties is the great liberal voice of 80s television and from that point of view plays in a different league from its arch rival at the time, The Cosby show. What I also find amazing is that they manage to pack a satisfying story in the fairly short format of less then 30 minutes. The cast of course is perfect. Michael Gross stands out for me because he has the best one-liners in the show and his delivery as naive Steve Keaton is incredibly funny. Michael Fox is Michael Fox (as always) but Meredith Baxter is a great and underrated comedienne (and actually hellishly attractive...). Pity Tina Yothers stopped acting as it is amazing what a quantity and quality of dialogue she delivered at a very young age (though the jury is still out on her real age). And let's not forget Justine Bateman as airhead Mallory but who can act a fine line between comedy and drama (see Give uncle Arthur a kiss.)
Kristie
I'm so thrilled that FAMILY TIES is finally out on DVD. To me, this was the best sitcom of the 80's. Even today, its themes are still relevant. I always thought it was great that the kids were allowed their own ideas, the parents weren't divorced, and that they were an imperfect family just doing their best. Unlike the Cosby Show, which was all about the dad, Family Ties let each character deal with their own issues in a very real way. I just watched the episode where a family friend makes a pass at Mallory, and that is something that some young people have to deal with. It dealt with racism, alcoholism, rape, politics, and a host of other things that kids are exposed to. It's still funny and is a great show that kids and parents can watch together and not be embarrassed.