Editing Family Ties

{{Short description|American television sitcom (1982–1989)}}
{{Other uses}}
{{distinguish|Family Matters|Family Guy}}
{{Use American English|date=April 2023}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=April 2023}}
{{Infobox television
| image                = Family Ties title.svg
| caption              =
| genre                = [[Sitcom]]
| creator              = [[Gary David Goldberg]]
| starring             = {{Plainlist|
*[[Meredith Baxter]]
*[[Michael Gross (actor)|Michael Gross]]
*[[Michael J. Fox]]
*[[Justine Bateman]]
*[[Tina Yothers]]
*[[Brian Bonsall]]
}}
| showrunner           = Gary David Goldberg
| theme_music_composer = {{Plainlist|
* [[Jeff Barry]]
* [[Tom Scott (saxophonist)|Tom Scott]]
}}
| opentheme            = "Without Us" performed by [[Dennis Tufano]] and Mindy Sterling (season 1, episodes 1–10); [[Johnny Mathis]] and [[Deniece Williams]] (remainder of series run)
| endtheme             = "Without Us" (instrumental)
| composer             = [[Tom Scott (saxophonist)|Tom Scott]]
| country              = United States
| language             = English
| num_seasons          = 7
| num_episodes         = 176 + one film
| list_episodes        = List of Family Ties episodes
| executive_producer   = {{Plainlist|
* Gary David Goldberg
* Lloyd Garver
}}
| producer             = {{Plainlist|
* [[Susan Borowitz]]
* Ruth Bennett
* [[Michael J. Weithorn]]
* Lloyd Garver
* [[Alan Uger]]
* [[Marc Lawrence (filmmaker)|Marc Lawrence]]
}}
| editor               = {{ubl|Gary Anderson|Ed Brennan|John Carroll}}
| cinematography       = {{plainlist |
* Mikel Neiers
* Christopher Lynch
* Dominic Palmieri
* Robert F. Liu
}}
| camera               = [[Multiple-camera setup|Multi-camera]], [[Videotape]]
| runtime              = 24 minutes
| company              = {{Plainlist|
*[[Ubu Productions]]
*[[Paramount Television]]
}}
| channel              = [[NBC]]<ref>{{cite news | first=Erin | last=Clements | title=''Family Ties'' cast reflects on show 3 decades later: 'We all loved each other' | date=October 7, 2015 | work=USA Today | url=http://www.today.com/popculture/family-ties-cast-reflects-show-3-decades-later-we-all-t48481 | access-date=June 20, 2017 | archive-date=June 2, 2017 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170602113028/http://www.today.com/popculture/family-ties-cast-reflects-show-3-decades-later-we-all-t48481 | url-status=live }}</ref>
| first_aired          = {{Start date|1982|9|22}}
| last_aired           = {{End date|1989|5|14}}
| related              = ''[[The Art of Being Nick]]'' (TV pilot)<br/>''[[Day by Day (American TV series)|Day by Day]]'' 
}}

'''''Family Ties''''' is an American television [[sitcom]] that aired on [[NBC]] for seven seasons, premiering on September 22, 1982, and concluding on May 14, 1989. The series, created by [[Gary David Goldberg]], reflected the social shift in the United States from the [[cultural liberalism]] of the 1960s and 1970s to the [[Conservatism in the United States|conservatism]] of the 1980s.<ref name=museum>{{cite web | url=http://www.museum.tv/eotv/familyties.htm | title=Encyclopedia of Television: ''Family Ties'' | first=Michael | last=Saenz | publisher=Museum of Broadcast Communications | access-date=January 9, 2018 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160606111816/http://www.museum.tv/eotv/familyties.htm | archive-date=June 6, 2016 | url-status=dead }}</ref> Because of this, Young Republican [[Alex P. Keaton]] (portrayed by [[Michael J. Fox]]) develops generational strife with his ex-[[hippie]] parents, Steven and Elyse Keaton (portrayed by [[Michael Gross (actor)|Michael Gross]] and [[Meredith Baxter]]).

The show premiered on September 22, 1982, and for the first two seasons, aired on Wednesday nights. In the show's third season, it started airing on Thursday nights. In 1987, for its sixth season, it was moved to Sunday nights where it stayed until the series' seventh and final season on May 14, 1989. 

The show won multiple awards, including three consecutive [[Emmy Awards]] for Michael J. Fox as [[Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series|Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series]].

==Plot==
Set in [[Columbus, Ohio]], during the [[Presidency of Ronald Reagan|Reagan administration]], the show depicts Steven and Elyse Keaton ([[Michael Gross (actor)|Michael Gross]] and [[Meredith Baxter]]) as [[baby boomers]],<ref>{{cite web|last=Patterson|first=Thom|title=What would Alex P. Keaton do?|url=https://www.cnn.com/2006/POLITICS/11/01/alexpkeaton/|work=[[CNN]]|date=November 1, 2006|access-date=September 26, 2021}}</ref> liberals and former [[hippie]]s,<ref name="museum"/> raising their four children: ambitious, aspiring millionaire entrepreneur Alex ([[Michael J. Fox]]); fashion-conscious, gossipy Mallory ([[Justine Bateman]]); tomboy Jennifer ([[Tina Yothers]]); and Andy ([[Brian Bonsall]]) who is born mid-way through the series. 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 broadcasting|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.<ref>{{cite news | url=http://www.baltimoresun.com/bal-to.culture07jun07-story.html | title=What he left behind: From Tom Clancy to Alex P. Keaton, Ronald Reagan's legacy extends beyond the political and into the cultural | first=Stephen | last=Kiehl | date=June 7, 2004 | work=The Baltimore Sun | access-date=January 9, 2018 | archive-date=June 14, 2018 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180614003421/http://www.baltimoresun.com/bal-to.culture07jun07-story.html | url-status=live }}</ref> Alex, the eldest, is a [[Young Republicans|Young Republican]] who embraces [[Reaganomics]] and exhibits conservative attitudes. In contrast to her [[second-wave feminism|feminist]] mother, Mallory is an apolitical and materialistic young woman<ref name=museum/> presented as a vacuous airhead, fodder for jokes and teasing from her brother. Jennifer, an athletic tomboy and the second-youngest child, shares more of the values of her parents and just wants to be a normal kid. Steven and Elyse have a fourth child, Andrew, who is born in early 1985. Alex dotes on his young brother and molds Andy in his conservative image.

Regarding the concept, show creator Goldberg observed, "It really was just an observation of what was going on in my own life with my own friends. We were these old kind of radical people and all of a sudden you're in the mainstream ... but now you've got these kids and you've empowered them, and they're super intelligent, and they're definitely to the right of where you are. They don't understand what's wrong with having money and moving forward."<ref name="Primetime Propaganda 2001, p. 125">''Primetime Propaganda: The True Hollywood Story of How The Left Took Over Your TV''" by Ben Shapiro, Broadside Books, 2001, p. 125</ref> A recurring theme involved Alex hatching a scheme involving some amount of greedy money-making, which led to a humorous misadventure and ended with Alex being forced to apologize for his choices. According to Goldberg, "We actually had this structure that we'd inherited from [[James L. Brooks|Jim Brooks]] and [[Allan Burns|Allan [Burns]]], which was six scenes and a tag ... And then the last scene became Alex apologizes, in every show, we just left it up. Alex apologizes. Some version of it."<ref>''Primetime Propaganda: The True Hollywood Story of How The Left Took Over Your TV''" by Ben Shapiro, Broadside Books, 2001, p. 127</ref> Nevertheless, Fox's portrayal of a likable Alex proved to be an important part of the show's success. Goldberg again stated, "With Alex, I did not think I was creating a sympathetic character. Those were not traits that I aspired to and didn't want my kids to aspire to, actually ... But at the end of ''Family Ties'', when we went off the air, then ''The New York Times'' had done a piece and they said, 'Greed with the face of an angel.' And I think that's true ... [Michael J. Fox] would make things work, and the audience would simply not access the darker side of what he's actually saying."<ref name="Primetime Propaganda 2001, p. 125"/>

==Cast==
[[File:Family Ties cast.jpg|thumb|Cast of ''Family Ties'' ''(from left)'': [[Tina Yothers]], [[Brian Bonsall]] (added in season five), [[Michael Gross (actor)|Michael Gross]], [[Meredith Baxter]], [[Michael J. Fox]], and [[Justine Bateman]]]]

===Main cast===
* [[Meredith Baxter]] as Elyse Donnelly Keaton: Steven's wife and the mother of Alex, Mallory, Jennifer, and Andy. She is a successful architect and an ex-hippie liberal who lived in California in the 1960s. She is a patient, caring, and loving wife and mother. She met Steven in college where they later married. 
* [[Michael Gross (actor)|Michael Gross]] as Steven Keaton: Elyse's husband and father to Alex, Mallory, Jennifer, and Andy. He is a branch manager of the local [[PBS]] station (the fictional WKS) and an ex-hippie liberal who lived in California in the 1960s. He can be argumentative at times, but in the end is a diligent and supportive father who cares about his family deeply. He met and married Elyse in college in Berkeley. 
* [[Michael J. Fox]] as [[Alex P. Keaton]]: the oldest child of Steven and Elyse. He is an intelligent and ambitious [[Young Republicans|Young Republican]] with two goals in life: to be successful and make money. He goes on to attend Leland University, and has long-term relationships with  Ellen Reed and later, Lauren Miller. He often clashes with his parents about their liberal politics, which conflict with his own [[Neoconservatism|conservative]] views.  
* [[Justine Bateman]] as Mallory Keaton: the second child and first daughter of Steven and Elyse. She is an unscholarly [[Materialism|material girl]], but kind-hearted and inoffensive, whose main interests are shopping and boys. She has a longtime relationship with Nick Moore. In the episode "Designated Hitter," it is revealed that Mallory has a higher I.Q. than scholastic overachiever Alex. 
* [[Tina Yothers]] as Jennifer Keaton: third child and second daughter of Elyse and Steven. She cares mostly about athletics. She skews more closely to her parents' liberal views, in contrast to her siblings' more conservative views. She is shown to be aggressive but sweet. She is shown to be jealous at first of Andy, but later cares for him. 
* [[Brian Bonsall]] as Andrew "Andy" Keaton (seasons 5–7)
**Garrett and Tyler Merriman as Baby Andrew "Andy" Keaton (season 4): the youngest child of Elyse and Steven. He is born during season 3, coinciding with Meredith Baxter's real life pregnancy. After he is born, the whole family quickly shows affection and a loving attitude towards him, especially Alex, who attempts to imbue him with conservative values. He [[Soap opera rapid aging syndrome|quickly ages]] by about four years between seasons 4 and 5.

===Recurring cast===
* [[Marc Price]] as Irwin "Skippy" Handelman
* [[Scott Valentine (actor)|Scott Valentine]] as Nick Moore (seasons 4–7)
* [[Tracy Pollan]] as Ellen Reed (season 4)
* [[Courteney Cox]] as Lauren Miller (seasons 6 & 7)

===Notable guest stars===
* [[River Phoenix]] as Eugene Forbes in the episode "My Tutor"
* [[Jeff Cohen (actor)|Jeff Cohen]] as Marv Jr./Dougie Barker in 2 episodes
* [[Corey Feldman]] as Student Walter in the episode "The Disciple"
* [[Tom Hanks]] as Ned Donnelly, Elyse's younger brother and Alex's role model, in 3 episodes
* [[Martha Plimpton]] as Jessie Black in the episode "You've Got a Friend"
* [[Wil Wheaton]] as Timothy Higgins in the episode "'D' Is for Date" 
* [[David Faustino]] as Keith Baily in the episode "To Snatch a Keith"
* [[Geena Davis]] as Karen Nicholson in 2 episodes
* [[Maura Tierney]] as Darlene in the episode "My Best Friend's Girl"
* [[Crispin Glover]] as Doug in the episode "The Birthday Boy"
* [[Christina Applegate]] as Kitten in the episode "Band on the Run"
* [[Julia Louis-Dreyfus]] as Susan in the episode "Read It and Weep: Part 2"
* [[Brownie McGhee]] as Eddie Dupree in the episode "The Blues Brother"
* [[Brian McNamara]] as Greg McCormick in the episode "A, My Name is Alex"

The show had been sold to the network using the pitch "hip parents, square kids."<ref name=slate>{{cite journal | url=http://www.slate.com/id/2160944/pagenum/all/#page_start | title=Reagan's Favorite Sitcom: How Family Ties spawned a conservative hero | first=David | last=Haglund | date=March 2, 2007 | journal=Slate | access-date=August 3, 2008 | archive-date=May 16, 2010 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100516142348/http://www.slate.com/id/2160944/pagenum/all#page_start | url-status=live }}</ref> Originally, Elyse and Steven were intended to be the main characters. However, the audience reacted so positively to Alex during the taping of the fourth episode that he became the focus on the show.<ref name=museum/><ref name=slate/> Fox had received the role after [[Matthew Broderick]] turned it down.<ref>[http://www.thebiographychannel.co.uk/biographies/matthew-broderick.html The Biography Channel - Matthew Broderick Biography] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100220213137/http://www.thebiographychannel.co.uk/biographies/matthew-broderick.html |date=February 20, 2010 }}</ref> [[Laura Dern]] was considered for the role of Mallory Keaton.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.chicagotribune.com/news/ct-xpm-2004-08-01-0408010367-story,amp.html|title = Almost a KeatonWhat if actress LAURA DERN| website=[[Chicago Tribune]] | date=August 2004 }}</ref> [[Ed O'Neill]] auditioned for Steven Keaton,<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.vulture.com/2012/03/the-lost-roles-of-cheers.html | title=The Lost Roles of Cheers | date=March 2012 }}</ref> but he later turned it down as he felt he was not right for the part.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://interviews.televisionacademy.com/interviews/ed-oneill|title=Ed O'Neill|date=October 22, 2017|website=Television Academy Interviews}}</ref>

Supporting cast and characters include neighbor Irwin "Skippy" Handelman ([[Marc Price]]), who has an eternal crush on Mallory; Nick Moore ([[Scott Valentine (actor)|Scott Valentine]]), Mallory's [[Sylvester Stallone]]-esque artist boyfriend; Lauren Miller ([[Courteney Cox]]); and Alex's feminist, artist girlfriend Ellen Reed ([[Tracy Pollan]], whom Michael J. Fox later married, in 1988).

==Production==
Main stars Meredith Baxter and Michael Gross are exactly the same age, sharing the same birthday on June 21, 1947. In the series, their characters were intended to be approximately five or six years older, given that their on-screen son, played by Michael J. Fox, was, in fact, only fourteen years younger than Baxter and Gross in real life.<ref>{{cite book | first=Meredith | last=Baxter | title=Untied: A Memoir of Family, Fame, and Floundering | publisher=Random House LLC | year=2011}}</ref>

The show had several similarities or parallels to Baxter's prior series, ''[[Family (1976 TV series)|Family]]''. In addition to similar names for both series, the shows both initially featured three children, the youngest a tomboy, and later added another child to the cast. Baxter played the eldest child on the earlier show, and assumed the role of mother in ''Family Ties''.

===Theme song===
The theme song "Without Us" (credited in season one as "Us") was composed by [[Jeff Barry]] and [[Tom Scott (saxophonist)|Tom Scott]] in 1982. During the first ten episodes of the first season it was performed by [[Dennis Tufano]] and [[Mindy Sterling]].<ref>[https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00AMTZHLG Amazon Video: Family Ties] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201008160553/https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00AMTZHLG |date=October 8, 2020 }} Retrieved February 18, 2013</ref><ref>[http://movies.netflix.com/WiMovie/Family_Ties/70142375 Netflix: Family Ties] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130205115301/http://movies.netflix.com/WiMovie/Family_Ties/70142375 |date=February 5, 2013 }} Retrieved February 18, 2013</ref> From episode 11 onward the song was performed by original recording artists [[Johnny Mathis]] and [[Deniece Williams]], as producers were displeased with Tufano's and Sterling's version. A full-length version of "Without Us" is featured on the 2003 CD release of Mathis and Williams' duet album ''[[That's What Friends Are For (Johnny Mathis and Deniece Williams album)|That's What Friends Are For]]'', released by [[Columbia Records]].

==="At This Moment"===
{{Unreferenced section|date=July 2020}}
"[[At This Moment]]" was a 1981 single written by songwriter and recording artist [[Billy Vera]] and recorded live by Vera and his band, Billy Vera & The Beaters. Five years after its original release, a studio recording of "At This Moment" was featured at the beginning of several episodes of the fourth and early fifth seasons as the love song associated with Alex P. Keaton (Michael J. Fox) and his girlfriend Ellen Reed (Tracy Pollan).<ref>{{Cite web |last=Beviglia |first=Jim |date=8 December 2023 |title=The Meaning Behind Alex P. Keaton's Favorite Slow-Dance Song for the Ages: "At This Moment" by Billy Vera & the Beaters |url=https://americansongwriter.com/the-meaning-behind-alex-p-keatons-favorite-slow-dance-song-for-the-ages-at-this-moment-by-billy-vera-the-beaters/ |website=American Songwriter}}</ref> Its exposure on ''Family Ties'' renewed a huge interest in the song. People called and wrote [[NBC]] asking for the name of the song and its singer. The tune then began a revived chart run, eventually hitting #1 on both the [[Billboard Hot 100]] and [[Adult Contemporary (chart)|Adult Contemporary]] charts in January 1987. It also hit the [[Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs|Billboard R&B Chart]] and the [[Hot Country Songs|Billboard Hot Country Chart]]. "At This Moment" quickly sold over a million copies in the United States, becoming one of the last Gold-[[Music recording certification|certified]] singles in the [[Single (music)|45 RPM format]]. The song crossed over to the R&B and Country formats, reaching #42 Country; as country was moving away from pop influence at the time, "At This Moment" would be the last song to appear on the country charts and reach number one on the pop charts for 13 years.

The first Billy Vera & The Beaters album was recorded live, so when "At This Moment" was used in ''Family Ties'', only the live version existed. Vera later explained: "We re-recorded pieces of the song. In other words, they'd need 12 seconds here, or 20 seconds there in the show. So we went in and recorded just those pieces in the studio without the audience, because the audience would have been annoying, to the TV viewer. The thing that made it work better the second time was that the story of the song, boy-loses-girl, was the story of the episode "Boy Loses Girl." The first time they used the song, it was when he met the girl."

''Family Ties'' writer [[Michael J. Weithorn|Michael Weithorn]] would later recall: "In 1985, I had written an episode of ''Family Ties'' to start the fourth season, and we needed a sort of a sad romantic song. I just happened to go into a bar in Los Angeles and saw Billy and the Beaters. That was the perfect song, and the rest was history." In an interview, Vera talked about his meeting with Weithorn: "One afternoon I got a phone call, and this guy said, 'Hey I produce a show called ''Family Ties'', and some of us were at your show the other night, and we heard you do this song that we thought would be perfect for an episode that we have coming up.' I got my publisher to make a deal for that with them and America responded like crazy." "NBC called us up, they said, 'My God, we've never had any response like this in the history of the network for a song. The switchboards are lighting up, we're getting letters, telegrams, where can we find this song?' People started calling radio stations, which never happens. I mean, it was a total organic hit."<ref>{{Cite web |last=Snowden |first=Don |date=1986-12-07 |title=BILLY VERA SEIZES THE 'MOMENT' |url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1986-12-07-ca-1023-story.html |access-date=2025-03-10 |website=Los Angeles Times |language=en-US}}</ref>

On the DVD releases of both ''Family Ties''' fourth and fifth seasons, "At This Moment" is still included and heard in those episodes.

In an interview with [[Rachael Ray]] in 2007, Michael J. Fox good-naturedly said, "Tracy and I couldn't get on the dance floor anywhere in the world for like ten years without them playing 'What did you think..."

At the [[TV Land Award|2011 TV Land Awards]] held in New York City, Billy Vera performed "At This Moment" with the main ''Family Ties'' cast in attendance that also included Michael J. Fox and Tracy Pollan, as the show had been nominated for and won Outstanding Fan Favorite.

===Connection to ''Day by Day''===
During its final two seasons, ''Family Ties'' was scheduled on Sunday nights, often followed by ''[[Day by Day (American TV series)|Day by Day]]'', another series from Ubu Productions. [[Michael Gross (actor)|Michael Gross]] and [[Brian Bonsall]] brought their respective roles of Steven and Andy Keaton to the ''Day by Day'' episode "Trading Places," which reveals that Steven went to college with Brian Harper ([[Doug Sheehan]]). This episode is included on a bonus special-features disc in the ''Family Ties: The Complete Series Deluxe Family Album Collection Edition Box Set'' DVD.

===Other appearances===
Some characters were featured on ''[[Mickey's 60th Birthday]]'', broadcast on November 13, 1988, on NBC, and featured Justine Bateman, Tina Yothers, and Brian Bonsall as their ''Family Ties'' characters, trying to help [[Mickey Mouse]] when everybody fails to recognize him due to a spell. Michael J. Fox additionally had a cameo in a flashback using archive footage.

==Episodes==
{{Main|List of Family Ties episodes}}
{{:List of Family Ties episodes}}

==Awards==

===Emmy Awards===
* 1986: Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series (Michael J. Fox)
* 1987: Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series (Michael J. Fox)
* 1987: Outstanding Writing in a Comedy Series
* 1987: Outstanding Technical Direction
* 1988: Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series (Michael J. Fox)

===Golden Globes===
* 1989: Best Performance by an Actor in a TV Series (Michael J. Fox)

===TV Land Awards===
* 2008: Character You'd Pay to Do Your Homework for You (Michael J. Fox)
* 2011: Fan Favorite, Presented by [[Ben Stiller]] to the Family Ties cast

===Young Artist Awards===
*1985: Best Young Actress in a Television Comedy Series (Justine Bateman)
*1985: Best Young Supporting Actress in a Television Comedy Series (Tina Yothers)
*1986: Best Young Actor Starring in a Television Series (Marc Price)
*1988: Best Young Actor Under Nine Years of Age (Brian Bonsall)
*1989: Best Young Actor Under Ten Years of Age in Television or Motion Pictures (Brian Bonsall)

==Syndication and international broadcast==
NBC aired reruns of ''Family Ties'' weekday mornings from December 1985 until January 1987 before it was replaced by the [[Bill Rafferty]] version of ''[[Blockbusters (American game show)|Blockbusters]]''. In the fall of 1987, the series went into [[Broadcast syndication|syndication]] in the United States. Currently, reruns air on [[Antenna TV]] weeknights at 5:00 & 5:30 p.m. EST and Sundays from 9:00-11:00 p.m. EST,<ref>https://antennatv.tv/title-item/family-ties/</ref> [[Rewind TV]] weekdays at 12:00 & 12:30 p.m. EST and Saturdays from 1:00-3:00 a.m. EST,<ref>https://rewindtv.com/title-item/family-ties/</ref> and currently steams on-demand and have a channel of its own on [[Pluto TV]].<ref>https://pluto.tv/us/live-tv/5f77939a630f530007dde654</ref><ref>https://pluto.tv/us/on-demand/series/5fac237a9d991c001a9d52d6</ref> Reruns previously aired on [[The Cowboy Channel|FamilyNet]], [[TBS (American TV channel)|TBS]], [[Nick at Nite]], [[TV Land]], [[Hallmark Channel]], [[Discovery Family|The Hub]] and [[Pop (American TV channel)|Pop]].

In Canada, reruns of ''Family Ties'' began airing on [[Yes TV|CTS]], a Christian-based network, on September 6, 2010. On May 15, 2011, [[Netflix]] began to stream seasons 1–7 on its "watch instantly" streaming service.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.netflix.com/Movie/Family-Ties/70142375?strkid=1723996761_0_0&lnkctr=srchrd-sr&strackid=3d1f50bed6c9923a_0_srl&trkid=222336|title=Netflix: ''Family Ties'' (1982–1988) Seasons 1–7|website=[[Netflix]] }}</ref>

In Australia, ''Family Ties'' originally screened on the [[Seven Network]] from 1983 onwards. It became a perennial favorite repeated many times before being bought by the [[Nine Network]] which screened it up until 2008.{{citation needed|date=February 2021}} It later screened on pay TV network [[TV1 (Australian TV channel)|TV1]] before airing on [[10 Peach Comedy|10 Peach]] (then known as Eleven) in the afternoons and late night until June 2013. As of June 2020, two episodes are shown on Saturday afternoons between 1 and 2 p.m.

In Germany, ''Family Ties'' was first aired on [[ZDF]] in 1984 under the title "''[[:de:Familienbande (Fernsehserie)|Hilfe, wir werden erwachsen!]]''" ("''Help, we grow up!''"), later on [[RTL (German TV channel)|RTL]] (1989) as "''Familienbande''" (translation of the original title) and on [[ProSieben]] as "''Jede Menge Familie''" ("''Whole lot of family''").

Austria aired the show on [[ORF (broadcaster)|ORF]] as "''Jede Menge Familie''" similar to ProSieben.

In the UK, ''Family Ties'' aired on [[Channel 4]] from July 1985.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.bbc.co.uk/comedy/guide/articles/f/familyties_1299001111.shtml|title=BBC - Comedy Guide - Family Ties|date=December 26, 2004|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20041226235304/http://www.bbc.co.uk/comedy/guide/articles/f/familyties_1299001111.shtml |archive-date=December 26, 2004 }}</ref>

In Indonesia, ''Family Ties'' aired on [[RCTI]] and [[SCTV (TV network)|SCTV]] between 1990 and 1993.

In Italy, the show aired on Italia 1 under the name of ''[[:it:Casa Keaton|Casa Keaton]]'' (''Keaton House'') from 1986 until 1992.

In the Philippines, the show aired on [[GMA Network]] from 1983 to 1991 and was simulcast on [[Radio Philippines Network|RPN]] (now RPTV), [[Intercontinental Broadcasting Corporation|IBC]] from 1984 to 1989, [[People's Television Network|PTV]] from 1986 to 1988 and [[ABS-CBN]] (now Kapamilya Channel) from 1987 to 1991. It moved to [[TV5 (Philippine TV network)|ABC]] (now TV5) was dubbed in Filipino from 1998 to 2000.{{Citation needed|date=September 2021}}

The show screened in New Zealand on [[TVNZ]] in the 1980s and early '90s, but has never been repeated.

==Home media==

===DVD===
[[CBS Home Entertainment|CBS DVD]] (distributed by [[Paramount Home Entertainment|Paramount]]) has released all seven seasons of ''Family Ties'' on DVD in Region 1, {{as of|2013|August|13|lc=y|df=US}}. The second through fifth season releases contain special features, gag reels and episodic promos. The second season contains interviews with Michael Gross and Michael J. Fox along with other cast members. The fourth season contains the made-for-TV movie, ''Family Ties Vacation''. Paramount has also released the first three seasons on DVD in Region 4.

On November 5, 2013, [[CBS Home Entertainment]] released ''Family Ties - The Complete Series'' on DVD in Region 1.

On November 11, 2014, CBS Home Entertainment re-released a repackaged version of the complete series set, at a lower price, but did not include the bonus disc that was part of the original complete series set.<ref name="re-release">{{cite web | url=http://www.tvshowsondvd.com/news/Family-Ties-The-Complete-Series/20204 | title=''Family Ties'' - 'The Complete Series' Gets Re-Released in a New 'Unlimited' Box | first=David | last=Lambert | date=August 22, 2014 | work=TVShowsOnDVD.com | access-date=August 24, 2014 | url-status=dead | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140826120035/http://www.tvshowsondvd.com/news/Family-Ties-The-Complete-Series/20204 | archive-date=August 26, 2014 }}</ref>

In Australia (Region 4), after the first three seasons were released, no further release came to light. In 2016, Via Vision Entertainment obtained the rights to the series and re-released the first three seasons along with season four on July 6, 2016. The remaining seasons were released each month after including a 'Complete Series' box set.

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! rowspan="2" |DVD name !! rowspan="2" |{{Abbr|No.|Number}} of<br/>episodes !! colspan="2" |Release dates
|-
! Region 1 !! Region 4
|-
| The Complete First Season
| style="text-align:center;" |22
| February 20, 2007
| April 9, 2008,
July 6, 2016 (re-release)<ref>{{Cite web|title=Family Ties - Season 1|url=https://www.sanity.com.au/products/2313180/Family-Ties---Season-1|access-date=December 6, 2020|website=Sanity|language=en}}</ref>
|-
| The Second Season
| style="text-align:center;" |22
| October 9, 2007
| September 4, 2008,
July 6, 2016 (re-release)<ref>{{Cite web|title=Family Ties - Season 2|url=https://www.sanity.com.au/products/2313181/Family-Ties---Season-2|access-date=December 6, 2020|website=Sanity|language=en}}</ref>
|-
| The Third Season
| style="text-align:center;" |24
| February 12, 2008
| April 2, 2009,
July 6, 2016 (re-release)<ref>{{Cite web|title=Family Ties - Season 3|url=https://www.sanity.com.au/products/2313182/Family-Ties---Season-3|access-date=December 6, 2020|website=Sanity|language=en}}</ref>
|-
| The Fourth Season
| style="text-align:center;" |24
| August 5, 2008
|July 6, 2016<ref>{{Cite web|title=Family Ties - Season 4|url=https://www.sanity.com.au/products/2313183/Family-Ties---Season-4|access-date=December 6, 2020|website=Sanity|language=en}}</ref>
|-
| The Fifth Season
| style="text-align:center;" |30
| March 10, 2009
|August 3, 2016<ref>{{Cite web|title=Family Ties - Season 5|url=https://www.sanity.com.au/products/2313897/Family-Ties---Season-5|access-date=December 6, 2020|website=Sanity|language=en}}</ref>
|-
| The Sixth Season
| style="text-align:center;" |28
| April 9, 2013
|September 7, 2016<ref>{{Cite web|title=Family Ties - Season 6|url=https://www.sanity.com.au/products/2315506/Family-Ties---Season-6|access-date=December 6, 2020|website=Sanity|language=en}}</ref>
|-
| The Seventh Season
| style="text-align:center;" |26
| August 13, 2013
|October 5, 2016<ref>{{Cite web|title=Family Ties - Season 7|url=https://www.sanity.com.au/products/2318466/Family-Ties---Season-7|access-date=December 6, 2020|website=Sanity|language=en}}</ref>
|-
| The Complete Series
| style="text-align:center;" |176
| November 5, 2013/November 11, 2014
| November 2, 2016<ref>{{Cite web|title=Family Ties - Season 1-7 {{!}} Collection|url=https://www.sanity.com.au/products/2319287/Family-Ties---Season-1-7--Collection|access-date=December 6, 2020|website=Sanity|language=en}}</ref>
|-
|}

===Digital format===
In addition to DVD, the TV series is available through a variety of services such as [[Amazon Prime Video|Prime Video]] and [[Fandango at Home|Vudu]] in the digital format.

==References in other media==
===''Spin City''===
Over a decade after the end of ''Family Ties'', Michael J. Fox's final episodes on ''[[Spin City]]'' featured numerous allusions to the show. In these episodes, Michael Gross played a therapist for Fox's character [[Spin City|Michael Patrick Flaherty]]<ref>{{cite news | url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2000-mar-20-ca-10674-story.html | title=Putting His Own Spin on 'City's' season finale | first=Amy | last=Wallace | date=March 20, 2000 | work=Los Angeles Times | access-date=August 5, 2008 | archive-date=July 15, 2012 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120715035731/http://articles.latimes.com/2000/mar/20/entertainment/ca-10674 | url-status=live }}</ref> and the episode contained a reference to an off-screen character named "Mallory".<ref>Shales, Tom (May 24, 2000). "Michael J. Fox, Playing 'Spin City' to a Fare-Thee-Well." ''[[The Washington Post]]''. p. C1.</ref> In the episode, after Flaherty becomes an environmental lobbyist in Washington, D.C., he meets a "conservative junior senator named Alex P. Keaton."<ref>[http://www.michaeljfoxdatabase.com/Career_TV/series_SC_eg_04.html Michael J. Fox Database] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20041119192821/http://www.michaeljfoxdatabase.com/Career_TV/series_SC_eg_04.html |date=November 19, 2004 }}</ref> Meredith Baxter also portrayed Mike Flaherty's mother, Macy Flaherty, in the two-part episode "Family Affair".

===''Reunions''===
The main cast of ''Family Ties'' -- Fox, Gross, Baxter, Bateman, and Yothers, sometimes with a few other recurring cast members --  has reunited publicly on three occasions (along with series creator/producer Gary David Goldberg on two occasions). They first reunited on February 7, 2008 (without supporting players [[Tracy Pollan]], [[Scott Valentine (actor)|Scott Valentine]], [[Marc Price]], [[Brian Bonsall]] and [[Courteney Cox]]) for an interview on ''[[Today (American TV program)|The Today Show]]'' to help promote Goldberg's memoir ''Sit, Ubu, Sit''.<ref name="today show">{{cite web|url=http://tvseriesfinale.com/articles/family-ties-reunited-after-almost-20-years|archive-url=https://archive.today/20070811085702/http://tvseriesfinale.com/articles/family-ties-reunited-after-almost-20-years|url-status=dead|archive-date=August 11, 2007|title=Family Ties: Reunited After Almost 20 Years!|work=TVSeriesFinale.com|access-date=February 7, 2008}}</ref> The cast reunited again (with Pollan and Price, but still without Valentine, Bonsall and Cox) for a second time for the 2011 ''[[TV Land Award|TV Land Awards]]'' in March of that year, which included Pollan alongside her husband Fox. That awards show would be the final appearance of Goldberg with the entire group.{{citation needed|date=June 2020}} In October 2015, the main cast reunited for a third time with a second appearance (which included Pollan alongside Fox, but minus Price, Valentine, Bonsall and Cox) on ''The Today Show'', and the first cast reunion since the 2013 death of Goldberg from cancer.{{citation needed|date=June 2020}}

===''WandaVision''===
The 2021 [[Marvel Cinematic Universe]] series for the [[Disney+]] [[Streaming media|video streaming service]], references the series in the fifth episode, "[[On a Very Special Episode...]]," such as a stylized [[title sequence]] partially parodying the ''Family Ties'' opening that depicted the family first as a penciled sketch before finishing as a painted portrait, along with an upbeat theme song praising the family's love and closeness. In the episode, [[Wanda Maximoff (Marvel Cinematic Universe)|Wanda Maximoff]] and [[Vision (Marvel Cinematic Universe)|Vision]] are attempting to navigate raising their new children [[Characters of the Marvel Cinematic Universe: M–Z|Tommy]] and [[Characters of the Marvel Cinematic Universe: M–Z|Billy]], both of whom are developing [[superhero]] abilities of their own.

==Notes==
{{Reflist|30em}}

==References==
* {{Cite book | title = Lucky Man: A Memoir | first = Michael J. | last = Fox | publisher = Hyperion | location = New York | year = 2002 | isbn = 978-0-7868-6764-6 | url-access = registration | url = https://archive.org/details/luckymanmemoir00foxm }}
* [[Gary David Goldberg|Goldberg, Gary David]]. "[http://campaignstops.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/03/03/what-would-alex-keaton-do/ Comedy Stop: What Would Alex Keaton Do?]." ''[[The New York Times]],'' March 3, 2008.
* Haglund, David. "[http://www.slate.com/id/2160944/pagenum/all/#page_start Reagan's Favorite Sitcom: How Family Ties spawned a conservative hero]." ''[[Slate (magazine)|Slate]].'' March 2, 2007.
* Hurst, Alex. "[https://web.archive.org/web/20081205053223/http://media.www.dailypennsylvanian.com/media/storage/paper882/news/2001/04/24/Opinion/Remembering.An.Icon.From.The.quotmeDecadequot-2144093.shtml Remembering an icon from the 'Me-Decade']." ''The Daily Pennsylvanian,'' April 24, 2001.
*Patterson, Thomas. "[http://edition.cnn.com/2006/POLITICS/11/01/alexpkeaton/ What would Alex P. Keaton do?]." [[CNN]], November 1, 2006.
* Saenz, Michael. "[https://web.archive.org/web/20160606111816/http://www.museum.tv/eotv/familyties.htm Family Ties]". - [[Museum of Broadcast Communications]]
* Stewart, Susan. "[https://www.nytimes.com/2007/02/25/arts/television/25stew.html The Parents Ate Sprouts; the Kid Stole the Show]." ''[[The New York Times]]'', February 25, 2007.

==External links==
* {{IMDb title|0083413|Family Ties}}

{{Johnny Mathis}}
{{Deniece Williams}}
{{Family Ties}}

[[Category:1980s American multi-camera sitcoms]]
[[Category:1982 American television series debuts]]
[[Category:1989 American television series endings]]
[[Category:American English-language television shows]]
[[Category:Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Award–winning television series]]
[[Category:Primetime Emmy Award–winning television series]]
[[Category:American television series about families]]
[[Category:Television series by CBS Studios]]
[[Category:Television shows set in Columbus, Ohio]]
[[Category:Television series by Ubu Productions]]
[[Category:Television series created by Gary David Goldberg]]
[[Category:NBC sitcoms]]