Family Ties was a huge hit for NBC during the 1980s, and the cast reunited today for an appearance on The Today Show. The popular family comedy ended after seven seasons on NBC in 1989.
The series helped launch the career of Michael J. Fox, but it also starred Michael Gross, Meredith Baxter, Justin Bateman, and Tina Yothers.
Fox, Gross, and Baxter have continued to work in Hollywood after the end of Family Ties, but Yothers and Bateman have left the limelight of the acting business behind. Bateman is a senior in college, and Yothers is raising a family.
The cast made it clear that the family act on television was not just an act. They formed a close bond behind the scenes as well.
Members of the Family Ties cast has reunited in the past, but this time Michael J. Fox’s wife joined the rest of the cast. Tracy Pollan met Fox during her one season spent on the series, and they have been married 27 years.
The #FamilyTies cast reunites and looks back on their proudest moments: http://t.co/1KmsErZMLt #EWReunions pic.twitter.com/sCGFgWOpVR
— Entertainment Weekly (@EW) October 7, 2015
The series premiered thirty-three years ago, and it was a hit show that tackled the ups and downs of life for the people of that generation. Baxter could not believe it had been twenty-six years since it ended.
Fox talked about the importance of the show and the differences between the way the series handled politics then and the way the world handles it today during The Today Show appearance.
“You have a kind of an understanding, in a way, that we’re struggling for now. You can’t joke about the schism between the left and the right. It’s so, so angry and it’s so charged. And we dealt with it like it was just a generational thing and … love could conquer it. There was an understanding that could be reached.”
Did you watch Family Ties? Did you enjoy seeing the cast reunite on Today? Tell us what you think.
I love Family Ties. I know now I’m getting old, and it still feels like yesterday.
I remember watching “Family Ties” and am enjoying listening to it in my office on antenna TV but wow! The season premiered thirty-three years ago?!??! WOW! That says a lot about how time flies! It is also a reminder that I am getting old! Yikes! (LOL)
I wish I had recorded the Today Show, as I would have loved seeing them all together again. I guess I will have to see if there is a clip online.
The video is posted in the article.