The creator of Family Ties, Gary David Goldberg, has died following a long battle with brain cancer. He passed away this morning at his home in Montecito, just two days short of his 69th birthday.
Goldberg began working in television in the early 1970s and in 1976, at the age of 32, became a writer on The Bob Newhart Show. He went on to write for many other legendary shows like Lou Grant, Alice, Phyllis, The Tony Randall Show, and M*A*S*H.
In addition to Family Ties, Goldberg created shows like Brooklyn Bridge and The Bronx Zoo, and co-created Spin City.
Family Ties ended after seven seasons and 176 episodes. The show had lost a lot of steam but 36.3 million viewers tuned in to watch the finale.
He is survived by his wife of 43 years and two grown daughters.
What do you think? What are your favorite Gary David Goldberg shows?
the show didn’t so much lose steam as much as suffer from a time slot change from the comfy post-Cosby time slot that made it a hit in the first place.