Family Ties debuts on DVD in a 4-disc set including all 22
heartwarming and hilarous first season episodes. The
award-winning; popular show features a couple who were ardntly
left wing political activists in the sixites as they face the
problems of raising a family with children who have strongly
conservative views. Season One gusts appearances include Tom
Hanks and Dick Sargent.
.com
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Though it emerged during the Reagan era, Family Ties remains as
relevant as ever. Most children find their parents a little
embarrassing, but what sets this sitcom apart is that former
hippies Steven (Michael Gross) and Elyse (Meredith Baxter-Birney)
Keaton have three children, Alex (three-time Emmy winner Michael
J. Fox), Mallory (Justine Bateman), and Jennifer (Tina Yothers),
yet they haven't lost their youthful idealism. The ambitious Alex
and materialistic Mallory, however, don't share it. Poster
children for the go-go 1980s, they'd rather rake in the cash than
change the world. As Alex quips in the pilot, "The '60s are over,
Dad." If the writing were more cynical, it's unlikely the ABC
show would've become a seven-season hit. It works because the
Keatons obviously love each other--foibles and all.
In their first year, the family faces a variety of challenges.
Steven finds out his father has a fatal illness ("I Never Killed
for My Father"), 15-year-old Mallory deals with unwelcome male
attention ("Give Your Uncle a Kiss"), and 17-year-old Alex learns
a lesson about responsibility when he loses nine-year-old
Jennifer while babysitting ("The Fifth Wheel"). Guest stars
include Bewitched's Dick Sargent as Elyse's father, Charlie ("No
Nukes Is Good Nukes"), and a lanky Tom Hanks as her brother, Ned
(two-part episode "The Fugitive"). Though Fox (Back to the
Future, Spin City) was the breakout star of Family Ties, he was
part of a strong ensemble. Some storylines are also surprisingly
hard-hitting, particularly the script dealing with sexual
harassment. On the downside, there are no extras and, like many
Paramount boxed sets, most of the original music has been changed
or eliminated. The theme song "Without Us," for instance, is sung
by session players on several episodes rather than by Johnny
Mathis and Deniece Williams. --Kathleen C. Fennessy
Beyond Family Ties
More DVDs with Michael J. Fox (
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More 80s TV Series (
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More TV Series on DVD for the First Time (
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)
Stills from Family Ties: Season 1 (click for larger image)
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