Remembering Family Ties

Season 5 of the NBC sitcom "Family Ties" was released on DVD this week, and it's a good opportunity to remember this charming series.

"Family Ties" was one of the catalysts for NBC's comeback during the 1980s, making its debut in 1982. The best known cast member at the beginning was television veteran Meredith Baxter-Birney, who had previously starred on "Bridget Loves Bernie" and "Family." She played matriarch Elyse Keaton, while Michael Gross played her husband, Steven. They were former flower children.

Michael J. Fox, a young actor from Canada, rocketed to stardom playing their oldest child, Alex, the conservative Reagan Republican to their still-liberal leanings. Justine Bateman, older sister of Jason, played shopaholic daughter Mallory. Tina Yothers played Jennifer. A fourth child, Andrew, was born in 1985.

Guest stars on the show included future Oscar winners Geena Davis (as an inept housekeeper) and Tom Hanks (as Elyse's alcoholic brother), as well as future "Friend" Courtney Cox (as Alex's second long-term girlfriend). Fox met his real-life wife, Tracy Pollan, when Pollan played Alex's girlfriend on the show. The show dealt with controversial issues, including drinking, Alzheimer's Disease, drug use, death and more.

CBS.com has much of the first four seasons at its site (The show was produced by Paramount, which is now part of CBS/Viacom.). The Season 5 DVD features "A My Name Is Alex," one of the most talked-about episodes, in which Alex evaluates his life after a friend's death.

The one goof during the run of the series was probably taking young Andrew Keaton and aging him from a baby to a preschooler in one season, one of the most annoying television habits. The show retired gracefully in 1989, with Alex graduating from college and getting a $75,000 job. Those were the days.....

See you next week. Until then, Happy Viewing!