# Family Ties (1982)

> Former 1960s flower children Steven and Elyse Keaton clash with their ambitious, conservative son Alex in this 1980s family sitcom.

Canonical page: https://ember.film/tv/466

## Facts

- Seasons: 7
- Episodes: 168
- Episode runtime: 25 min
- Status: Ended
- Genres: comedy, family
- Created by: Gary David Goldberg
- Network: NBC
- Cast: Meredith Baxter, Michael Gross, Michael J. Fox, Justine Bateman, Tina Yothers, Brian Bonsall, Tammy Lauren, Dan Hedaya
- TMDB rating: 7.3/10
- IMDb: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0083413/

## Ember's analysis

- Pacing: brisk
- Intensity: mild
- Complexity: accessible
- Violence: none
- Tone: witty, warm, sincere, breezy

## What critics say

Audiences positively regard the show as a warm, witty family sitcom whose generational clash between idealistic parents and a conservative son drives its humor, though ratings for some later seasons were far weaker.

## Synopsis

Family Ties is a 1980s United States network family sitcom that follows the Keaton household of Columbus, Ohio. Former 1960s flower children Steven and Elyse raise a set of very different children, most notably their buttoned-up, Reagan-admiring eldest son Alex, who idolizes Wall Street and money. His sisters Mallory and Jennifer bring their own romantic and social entanglements, and the youngest son Andy rounds out the family. The engine of the series is the friction at the dinner table, where idealistic parents and a materialistic son argue over politics, careers, and sexual mores. Each episode turns on a concrete household problem such as a bad date, a money scheme, or a school crisis, and the stable ensemble and weekly format stay consistent over its run. Its tone is warm, witty, and sincerely domestic, with earnest sentiment alongside brisk verbal sparring. It captures the era's politics and cultural anxieties from a middle-class family's kitchen, blending generational humor with heartfelt family warmth.

## Shows like Family Ties

- [Married... with Children (1987)](https://ember.film/tv/4027)
- [Silver Spoons (1982)](https://ember.film/tv/1967)
- [Two and a Half Men (2003)](https://ember.film/tv/2556)
- [Who's the Boss? (1984)](https://ember.film/tv/599)
- [Perfect Strangers (1986)](https://ember.film/tv/1684)
- [Growing Pains (1985)](https://ember.film/tv/47)
- [Charles in Charge (1984)](https://ember.film/tv/535)
- [Last Man Standing (2011)](https://ember.film/tv/36111)
- [Step by Step (1991)](https://ember.film/tv/2486)
- [Full House (1987)](https://ember.film/tv/4098)

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