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Three Emmy winning “Family Ties” S5 proves ‘Alex is king”
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The Keatons of 'Ties'
Perhaps the most striking element of the 30-episode fifth season of the 1980s sitcom Family Ties,” which is being released on DVD on Tuesday is that it might be one of the few family sitcoms that improved as the child actors aged. Fans will recall that this show is about two liberal “children of the sixties” raising children of their own in the more conservative Reagan era of the 1980s.
The second thing that I noticed was that the heartfelt moments that sitcoms generally handle very badly are so well-written and acted on “Ties” that many of them seemed like scenes from plays that were being performed on a live stage.
This element was a large part of an exceptional two-part episode in which the normally stable character Alex P. Keaton, played perfectly by Michael J. Fox, had a great deal of trouble dealing with the sudden death of a college classmate that Alex felt that he might have been able to avoid if he had not acted selfishly regarding the classmate’s request for help.
Much of this episode consisted on monologues by Fox on a stage that was mostly dark in the style of the Thornton Wilder play “Our Town.” This successful experiment that was unique for a sitcom is an example of how the show won an Emmy for outstanding writing in a comedy series and Fox won one for Outstanding Leading Actor in a Comedy Series for this season.
On a less dramatic note, the show also wisely avoided having too much of an 80s style. The Keaton house was decorated in a classic slightly Victorian style and most of the characters wore traditional clothes that are appropriate for most eras; additionally, topical references were relatively rare.
This season is notable as well for successfully integrating a new young child into a show with older children. Five year-old Brian Bonsall became a great part of the show when made his first appearance as little brother Andrew in the season premiere that revolved around the conservative Alex opposing Andrew’s attendance of a pre-school that promoted sharing and support for minor accomplishments, such as waving goodbye.
Bonsall had a surprising number of lines in this episode, and several others, and did a far better job than many adult stars of other hit shows. I also fondly remember the line “Alex is king” that he delivered enthusiastically that some news stories about the show quoted.
Watching the DVD set was nice as well because I have not thought about the show much in the last several years and really enjoyed rediscovering it. Seeing Fox in his prime and remembering that he remained loyal to the show after starring in the classic comedy film “Back to the Future” and other hits is one reason that I wrote in a recent review of the first season of Fox’s other sitcom “Spin City” that I would love to join him for a pancake breakfast. On a side note, the second season of “Spin City is being released on DVD on April 28.
I would love to hear memories that other folks have about “Ties”; please add them as additions to this entry or as e-mail to tvdvdguy@gmail.com. Sha la la la.
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