Family Ties premiered on NBC 44 years ago today, and the bond between its creator and its biggest star lasted long after the Keatons signed off.
The sitcom ran for seven seasons, from Sept. 22, 1982, to May 14, 1989, and made Michael J. Fox a star as the young Republican Alex P. Keaton. Fox won three straight Emmys for the role, starting in 1986. Guest stars included a young Tom Hanks and Deborah Foreman, weeks before Valley Girl made her famous.
A Second Show Together
In a 2001 Television Academy interview, Fox said he was diagnosed with Parkinson’s while making the 1991 film Doc Hollywood. He had no idea how long he could keep working, he said, so “every decision I made after that was skewed.”
Years later, Family Ties creator Gary David Goldberg called him out of the blue about doing another show, which became ABC’s Spin City in 1996. Fox described their bond as both paternal and fraternal.
What Goldberg Saw on Set
Goldberg, who died in 2013 at 68, told the Television Academy in 2007 that the Spin City staff knew early on that Fox had an unnamed health problem. Goldberg did not hear the word Parkinson’s until Fox called him in, shortly before Fox went public in 1998. He said the team was devastated, but Fox was not.
“There was not nor is there now an ounce of self-pity,” Goldberg said.
As the disease progressed, the show had to wait until Fox was ready and sometimes sent the studio audience home. Goldberg said that maddened Fox, who prided himself on his work ethic. Leaving the show in 2000 was completely Fox’s decision, he said.
Why the Show Kept Going
Goldberg wanted to keep Spin City going, but only if Fox was on board. He loved the idea, since it meant nobody would lose their job. Fox had already pushed to add Heather Locklear to the cast, a move Goldberg called a stroke of genius. Charlie Sheen took over as the lead, and Goldberg said the replacement had to be the opposite of Fox, not a lighter version of him.
Fox launched his foundation for Parkinson’s research in 2000, the same year he left. On Sept. 14, Fox, 65, got a standing ovation as he accepted the Bob Hope Humanitarian Award at the Emmys.
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