Company (NBC), debuting on September 22, 1982,
and ending on May 14, 1989. Its initial ratings were
disappointing, but the show’s popularity skyrock-
eted by its second season, when it was strategically
placed between the number-one-ratedThe Cosby Show
and another popular sitcom,Cheers, on NBC’s domi-
nant Thursday-night lineup. At the height of its pop-
ularity, from 1985 through 1987,Family Tieswas
number two in the Nielsen ratings, receiving a 33
percent share of the U.S. viewing audience.
Set in Columbus, Ohio, the show was based on a
unique spin on traditional family sitcoms: hip, lib-
eral parents rebelling against their conservative,
consumerist children. Flower children of the 1960’s
Elyse (Meredith Baxter-Birney) and Steven Keaton
(Michael Gross) were the parents of Alex P. (Mi-
chael J. Fox), Mallory (Justine Bateman), Jennifer
(Tina Yothers), and a mid-series new addition, baby
Andrew (Brian Bonsall). Steven ran public televi-
sion station WKS, and Elyse was an architect. The
couple tried to instill their liberal, democratic views
along with their sense of civic duty and humanitari-
anism in their children. These views existed in hu-
morous tension with Alex’s conservatism, love of
Ronald Regan, and idolization of Richard M. Nixon
and with Mallory’s obsession with shopping and
superficial appearances. Young Jennifer and Andy
were caught in the middle of the two factions and of-
ten provided a voice of reason. The ideological bat-
tle provided a comedic break when the show tackled
difficult and emotional issues, such as running away
from home, addiction, suicide, teen pregnancy, and
mental illness. In addition to launching Michael J.
Fox’s career,Family Tiesfeatured an impressive cast
of secondary characters and cameo appearances, in-
cluding Tom Hanks, Geena Davis, and Courtney
Cox, who all appeared on the show prior to becom-
ing superstars.
Impact Family Tiesexperienced incredible popu-
larity because the show’s premise was well-suited to
audiences of the 1980’s. The show depicted a con-
flict in the values of successive generations that was
very much in the mind of many Americans. By juxta-
posing Steven and Elyse’s commitment to their
1960’s community-oriented principles against the
self-centered allegiance to Reaganomics held by Alex
and Mallory’s commitment to spending money,
Family Tiesoffered a humorous but recognizable ac-
count of the radically diverse—and at times diamet
rically opposed—political, social, and economic views
held by Americans during the 1980’s.
Further Reading
Dalton, Mary M., and Laura L. Linder.The Sitcom
Reader: America Viewed and Skewed. Albany: State
University of New York Press, 2005.
Marc, David. Comic Visions: Television Comedy and
American Culture. Malden, Mass.: Blackwell, 1998.
Mills, Brett.Television Sitcom. London: British Film
Institute, 2005.
Sara VidarSee also Back to the Future;Cheers;Cosby Show, The;
Designing Women;Facts of Life, The; Fox, Michael J.;
Golden Girls, The;Married... with Children;M*A*S*H
series finale; Reaganomics; Sitcoms; Television;Wall
Street;Wonder Years, The.354 Family Ties The Eighties in America
The cast ofFamily Tiesaround 1982. Clockwise from bottom left:
Justine Bateman, Meredith Baxter-Birney, Michael Gross, Tina
Yothers, and Michael J. Fox.(Hulton Archive/Getty Images)