Re: Family Ties, one of the best shows ever?
 

One of the best sitcoms in my opinion. It had a good cast and the writing wasn't fantastic but it wasn't really that bad either. It did become very Michael J. Fox centered, but the guy is so likable that I guess I never really cared. I think this show holds up a lot more than other 80s-90s family centered sitcoms (The Cosby Show, Full House, Family Matters, Step By Step, Growing Pains, etc.).

Re: Family Ties, one of the best shows ever?
 

Show still holds up fairly well, and the Alex-Ellen meeting was one of my favorite TV storylines. Maybe I'll rewatching it for the TV challenge.

Re: Family Ties, one of the best shows ever?
 

For it's time and genre, definitely one of the best

Michael J Fox's Alex P Keaton is one of the best characters ever on the small screen

Re: Family Ties, one of the best shows ever?
 

Yeah Im actually surprised how well the comedy held up... Sure its dated, but I still find my self laughing at many of the jokes.

Re: Family Ties, one of the best shows ever?
 

Nah, too many clip shows.

Re: Family Ties
 

Totally agree with this statement!

As far as recent comparisons to the talent Gross brought to his role, the guy who plays the dad, Phil, on Modern Family really describes the above to me as well.

Re: Family Ties, one of the best shows ever?
 

Opened my season 4 set to watch the Alex-Ellen arc and couldn't resist spinning the European vacation movie for the TV checklist. For purposes of this thread, I am not evaluating the quality of this series as a whole based on this movie. :D

Re: Family Ties, one of the best shows ever?
 

I loved me some Family Ties back in the day.

Re: Family Ties, one of the best shows ever?
 

:drool:

Re: Family Ties, one of the best shows ever?
 

An all-time great. :up: Never revolutionary, but consistently damn good.

Re: Family Ties, one of the best shows ever?
 

That was a terrific episode and Fox and that show deservedly won Emmys. The worst was that three-parter where Steven had a heart attack. Good lord did they drag that shit out.

Re: Family Ties, one of the best shows ever?
 

I haven't seen that one yet! Grrrrr! :mad:

Re: Family Ties, one of the best shows ever?
 

While I think CHEERS is the best sitcom of the 80s, I think you can make a case for FAMILY TIES being the second best. I liked it more than THE COSBY SHOW.

Re: Family Ties, one of the best shows ever?
 

I remember liking it, but it's been too long since I've seen any episodes to say if it is one of the best or not

Re: Family Ties
 

He did have a terrific delivery. One line that still has me laughing all these years later is from the episode where the kids turn the house into a B&B when the parents are gone and someone steals a rival school's mascot.

"There was....a kangaroo....."

Re: Family Ties
 

He was classic in that whole episode. The preamble to the "kangaroo" line was:
Alex: I can explain everything!
Steven: Oh can you? Can you explain the valet parking in the drive way?... The flashing vacancy sign... in front of the house? The billboard on Route 41?

Then, whenever the kids thought they had gotten his trust back, he would do a double-take, think back on the bed & breakfast scheme, and run his hand over his face in fury.

Re: Family Ties, one of the best shows ever?
 

I used to love everything about Cheers. Every now and then I'll catch an episode now and it's a chore to sit through...even the episodes I remember being some of my favorites. It's not that it hasn't aged well. I mean it doesn't seem dated or anything but the love just isn't there. On the flip side, many Seinfeld episodes seem extremely dated but I don't think I'll ever stop loving that show.

By the way, speaking of Seinfeld being dated, today I caught the episode where they were all trying to watch a movie together but kept getting split up and getting the times and locations wrong. I know the same could be said for any older show but I just find it interesting that there's simply no way that episode could possibly happen today due to the fact that everybody has a cell phone. I mean could you imagine actually not being able to coordinate a time and location to see a movie with your friends today? It just wouldn't happen. If one theater was sold out and you had to go to a different one you just text your buddy and boom problem solved.

Re: Family Ties, one of the best shows ever?
 

Never seen it

Re: Family Ties, one of the best shows ever?
 

Even to this day Tom Hanks role as Uncle Ned is the best thing he has ever done in his career.

Re: Family Ties, one of the best shows ever?
 

"...in my living room..." :lol: :up:


Michael Gross *almost* broke character between those two lines. You could see it. But he held it together. Awesome scene.

Re: Family Ties, one of the best shows ever?
 

kids: "what, are you gonna hate us forever?"

Steven: "That is my plan."

that was the greatest.

Re: Family Ties, one of the best shows ever?
 

I just watched the episode where Andy is friends with a deaf kid....And the two little shits that make fun of the deaf kid don't get in trouble all episode! I thought that was pretty bad there were no consequences for the little a-holes.

Re: Family Ties, one of the best shows ever?
 

Seinfeld is dated in some ways yes but I agree the show still is very good and easy to watch. It has that quality about it where I feel it's aged very well and can jump in and watch an episode anytime and it still feels pretty fresh and makes me laugh.

Still like Cheers as well. I didn't grow up with it but I watched it a lot in reruns when Nick at Nite was airing it and grew attached to it. I feel like it got better as it went along though personally. Except for the fact I didn't care for Rebecca much.

The show that I can't stand that seems so universally loved is The Cosby Show. I like Bill Cosby but for some reason I just never liked that show. Like I mentioned earlier I think a lot of the family orientated sitcoms from back in the day really don't hold up as well as Family Ties does. Full House, Growing Pains, Step By Step, Family Matters, The Fresh Prince of Bel Aire, etc I just have difficulty watching. Family Ties I think is still really good because the cast is just really good and play off each other well.

Re: Family Ties, one of the best shows ever?
 

I haven't seen Family Ties since it originally aired and that is the one scene that has stayed in my mind all these years! I think we have a consensus on the best episode.

Re: Family Ties, one of the best shows ever?
 

Pretty sure I've mentioned this on this forum before but I never saw that episode because I was out of the country at the time, and now I don't have Netflix streaming. I'll have to catch up with it somehow someday.

:lol: I remembered the B&B plot when it was first mentioned, but those lines really bring it back.

And I did rewatch it this week and loved it as much as always. Great dry humor by Fox, and the chemistry between him and Pollan was terrific (they're still married, I believe). Then in the very next episode, they introduced Nick ("Aayyy"). What a run.