The message here is that members of a close family unit can have differences of opinion and still care deeply for one another. This message is timeless, and not just limited to the '80s.

An O.K. show. Actually a pretty good show for the era. Michael J. Fox was the key to the shows' success. Probably ran a year or two past it's prime.

Michael J. Fox became my favorite actor once this show aired. I even named my pet cat Alex P. Keaton

Kristy Rocks!

WOW ~ lots of bad reviews!  I really liked this show ~ esp. the Alex Keaton role!

I liked it when I was a kid, but I've seen some reruns lately, and man are the parents cheesy.

A horrible show- hated it then and if anything I hate it more now. Baxter Birney now gets her mail at the Lifetime Channel. Michael Gross sucked and really got on my nerves.  The theme song was aggravating and stupid and , speaking of Gross, Tina Yothers is so gross that she  made me swear a solemn oath to avoid blonde white chicks for eternity...umm I'm joking ... but,go ahead, click the unhelpful -who really cares?

For what it was (namely a clean, family oriented show), "Family Ties" was a relatively strong television series. As many of the prior comments have noted, the show was made by Michael J. Fox (Alex) and to a lesser degree Michael Gross (Steven), and this show is what broke Fox as a star. Fox's character was so well developed, he became the primary focus of the storylines, and this change certainly extended the life of the series. As for the rest of the primary cast, Meredith Baxter (Elyse) seemed a bit too meek to be an aging hippie and Tina Yothers (Jennifer) couldn't act. Justine Bateman (Mallory) was passable, but she was high on the cute scale. Besides Fox, the greatest asset of the show was its effective premise (i.e. 60's era parents, Reagan era children) and how well it captured Big 80's suburbia; however, the biggest problem with the show from my perspective was how it incorporated so many tired tricks to extend the show's run (e.g. add a kid, a very special "Family Ties"). Nevertheless, I'm going with four stars based on the early in middle episodes.

Eh. It's okay.

Good show with a great cast. What a concept to have such a conservative son of two completely left wing democrats! Pretty funny to watch.

I enjoyed this show with the hippie parents, young republican son twist. IMO, Michael J Fox was better here than in most of his films.

I like Michael J. Fox as an actor, hes done alot of good work, but this wasn't one of them. This show was as boring as it can get.

I loved this show as a kid. MJ Fox was great on it.

It was a great show at the time. I was glad to see Michael J Fox move on to movies as he is star quality and imagine "Back to the Future" without him.

This show sucked!

Junk, with some of the most irritating characters ever to grace television.

Great family show!!! As a bonus, Meridith Baxter-Birney provided some nice eye candy.

I love the theme song and the show.

fantastic show w/great family values.....the show really got good when mr.keaton grew a beard.

For all the acknowledgment The Cosby Show, The Simpsons and Roseanne get for portraying the typical realistic family, no show came closer to that distinction than Family Ties. One of the last of the true FAMILY shows.

This is one of my top 10 favorite tv shows of all time. I really enjoy Michael J. Fox charecter ALEX P. KEATON. His charecter is my all-time favorite tv charecter. Michael J. Fox is my all-time favorite actor. He is the man! Way to go MJF!

Someone said it. Michael J. Fox was comic genius. ... As for the preachy rap, Family Ties dealt with it's time and I think they tried to be fair. There is an 80's-ness to this show which makes it at once inaccesible around the edge and even sweeter in the middle. ... The actors were really great in this one. Outside of Alex, I think the funniest character was Nick, and the best was Steven. ... One of the best.

I liked the show only because of Michael J. Fox, but other than that, I must agree that the show leaves a wierd feeling with you after you leave it. It is almost like a brainwashing epitome for the Reaganites...ewwww. There were so many times I left the show feeling bad, I just can't give it more than 3 stars. And there is no question that Michael J Fox is the reason why it lasted so long.

I used to like this show when I was a kid, but even then there were many scenes that turned my stomach. There is just something about the overall flavor of this show that doesn't sit well with me at all now. I tried to watch it on Nick but I just couldn't... the comedy comes too slow and the "serious family issues" they attempt don't sit right with me; everything seems a little "off" in a way I can't explain. As a side note, Michael J. Fox carried this show and was consistently impressive here, even considering that much of the materal he had to work with was weak.

Had a crush on Alex. And for whatever reason, I loved their kitchen...

Family Ties was a greas show! Mallory was my favorite character. I also really liked Skippy. I liked how the family got along. They cared about each other. I hated Nick. Skippy should have been with Mallory instead!

Doesn't all families have a little of these people in them? I know mine certainly does and because of that I really enjoyed watching this sometimes crazy show. However, my enjoyment seemed to lessen as the show aged which is why I'm only giving it a three star.

i've seen one episode of it before and it was pretty funny

I LIVE FOR NICK AT NITE so I can watch shows like this one. Why can't they make TV shows like this one anymore? Michael J Fox/Alex P Keaton was too hot!

Vastly overrated.

Family Ties is still funny; it is truly timeless. My favorite episode is when the Keatons were helping Jennifer practice driving in their kitchen; that was so funny. Although it's hilarious, I'm only giving Family Ties four stars because it tries to force its idea of morality onto its viewers. Except for that, it's as close to perfect as a television show can be.

One of my all time favorites!

to preachy

This show is awesome. It's so hilarious!

Without Michael J. Fox, this show would not have made it.

only thing i didnt like is the republican crap

I loved Family Ties, loved Michael J fox, and they always had entertaining story lines.

EWWWWW !

It was amazing how the writers made the parents so stupid by the end of this series.

Family Ties was pretty funny. Alex is my favorite. I prefer ensemble sitcoms to family-oriented ones, but Family Ties is still watchable for me.

Reganism v liberalism, 1980s capitalists v 1960s revolutionaries, old male establishment v women's liberation! This show defined the 1980s! Michael J. Fox boardered on comic genius. And I will always remember the episode where Greg dies. The 30 minute psychiatrist scene will go down in history, totally deserved the emmy.

still strong, after all these years

Oh...My...God. Did you rate this show high, did you really LIKE it? I mean, sure, we watched it back then, at least a few times. But can we really admit we LIKED it? It was sappy, it was sweet, it was too careful and cautious, it was pure 80's fluff. Thank God "Married with Children" came along to save the 80's. Whew!

as a child i completely idolized alex! Mr. Fox u r amazing thank you for so many good memories from ur career!

Liberal propaganda and social brainwashing!!!

Family Ties was pretty funny. Phoebe from the show Friends reminds me of Malarie from Family Ties a little. The situations in the show were pretty good also. Sorry to say, though. It did not stand a chance against The Cosby Show. It did come in second place in the t.v. ratings with The Cosby Show coming in first. It could not beat the best sitcom ever (The Cosby Show), but it did beat all the others.

I liked this show...especially Michael Fox as Alex Keaton...the Mallory and Nick pairing was funny. However, you know when babies and young kids are brought in during the shows later years (ala Oliver from the Brady Bunch) its days are numbered. Could have done fine without the little brother that was added later in the shows run.

A great classic sitcom that just recently joined Nick at Nite's 80s-themed lineup (Family Ties, Cosby Show, Cheers, Three's Company and coming soon, Charles in Charge) this one is great. Rated TV-G, it has a cast of comic greats, lots of slapstick and crackling dialogue mixed with the occasional good message. Highly recommended this one is! :)

Its a good show. I love the premise of the 60s liberals whose kids grow up to basically be republicans in the 1980s. Michael J. Fox as Alex P. Keaton absolutely made the show, though.

this show rocks!!!!! michael j fox does a great job as alex keaton. the plots are funny and i can somewhat relate to the characters.