Family Ties is an American situation comedy. It starred Meredith Baxter-Birney, Michael Gross, Michael J. Fox, Justine Bateman, Tina Yothers, and Brian Bonsall. It aired from September 22, 1982 until May 14, 1989.
Storyline[]
Set in Columbus, Ohio, during the Reagan administration, Steven and Elyse Keaton (Michael Gross and Meredith Baxter-Birney) are baby boomers, liberals and former hippies, raising their three children: ambitious, would-be millionaire entrepreneur Alex (Michael J. Fox); fashion-conscious, gossipy Mallory (Justine Bateman); and tomboy Jennifer (Tina Yothers). Married in 1964, Elyse is an independent architect and Steven, a native of Buffalo, New York, is the station manager of WKS, a local public television station.
Much of the humor of the series focuses on the cultural divide during the 1980s when younger generations rejected the counterculture of the 1960s and embraced the materialism and conservative politics which came to define the 1980s. Both Alex and Mallory embrace Reaganomics and exhibit conservative attitudes: Alex is a Young Republican and Mallory is a more materialistic young woman in contrast to her feminist mother. Mallory was also presented as a vacuous airhead, who was fodder for jokes and teasing from her brother. Jennifer, an athletic tomboy and the youngest child, shares more the values of her parents and just wants to be a normal kid. Steven and Elyse had a fourth child, Andrew, born in 1984, whom Alex doted on and quickly moulded in his conservative image.
Cast[]
Main Cast[]
- Meredith Baxter - Elyse Keaton
- Michael Gross - Steven Keaton
- Michael J. Fox - Alex P. Keaton
- Justine Bateman - Mallory Keaton
- Tina Yothers - Jennifer Keaton
- Brian Bonsall - Andrew Keaton (seasons 5-7)
Recurring Cast[]
- Marc Price - Irwin "Skippy" Handelman
- Scott Valentine - Nick Moore (seasons 4-7)
- Tracy Pollan - Ellen Reed (season 4)
- Courtney Cox - Lauren Miller (seasons 6-7)
Notable guest stars[]
- Judith Light - Stacey Hughes (season 2)
- Tom Hanks - Ned Donnelly (seasons 1-2)
- Geena Davis - Karen Nicholson (season 3)
- River Phoenix - Eugene Forbes (season 4)
- Julia-Louis Dreyfus - Susan "Raindrop" White, Esq. (season 6)
- Crispin Glover - Doug (season 2)
- Wil Wheaton - Timothy Higgins (season 5)
- Corey Feldman - Walter (season 4)
- Jeff Cohen - Marv Jr. (season 5)/Dougie Barker (season 3)
- Christina Applegate - Kitten (season 5)
- Stephen Baldwin - Bobby (season 7)
- Joseph Gordon-Levitt - Dougie (season 6)
Episodes[]
Main article: List of Episodes
Theme song[]
The theme song, "Without Us", was composed by Jeff Barry and Tom Scott in 1982. During the first 10 episodes of Season 1, it was originally performed by Dennis Tufano and Mindy Sterling. For the rest of the show's run, beginning with the Season 1 episode A Christmas Story, the song was performed by Deniece Williams and Johnny Mathis.
The following episodes are featured in the opening credits of the show:
Season Two Credits
- Not an Affair to Remember - (twice) Jennifer getting to food going on the stove, and the stove is boiling over and everyone rushes to remedy the situation; and (twice) Steven in a green coat talking and then hugging Jennifer
- Speed Trap - Alex rolls across his room wearing his OHIO shirt, he and Mallory hug, and Alex in his 17 shirt hugging Elyse and crushing her nose (though it was apparently cut from the episode).
- Batter Up - Jennifer in softball uniform jumping in hugs from the family (apparently edited out of the episode).
- To Snatch a Keith - Steven and Elyse are making up while Steven holds a yellow phone.