Behind-The-Scenes Stories From Family Ties That Only True Fans Know About

In the 1980s, the television landscape was littered with family sitcoms. One of the most beloved shows of the time was "Family Ties." The Nielsen ratings powerhouse ran for seven seasons, from 1982 to 1989. Mom and Dad Keaton were hippie flower Baby Boomers living in an era obsessed with material wealth. Perhaps no character on TV embodied the Reagan Era-mindset like the couple's eldest child, Alex P. Keaton, played by Michael J. Fox. The show successfully rift off of their ideological generation gap.

In 1986, then-President Ronald Reagan, Alex P. Keaton's hero, said in a ceremony honoring high school students who earned a presidential scholar, "I draw even greater encouragement from the signs that the wider culture is once again beginning to respect, even to celebrate family life. It is no accident that 'Family Ties' is my favorite TV show" (via UPI).

Today, the family sitcom is incredibly dated. Nevertheless, "Family Ties" remains a beloved television show — even if that adoration is at least partly fueled by Generation X nostalgia. This behind-the-scenes look at "Family Ties" tells the story of what really went on when cameras stopped rolling. What famous '80s actor nearly landed the role of Alex P. Keaton? Why did the show wrap after seven seasons?

"Family Ties" first aired in 1982. The show featured the Keaton family from Ohio, led by former Peace Corps activists Steven and Elyse Keaton. The couple was spawned from 1960s hippie culture but were trying to make adjustments in the "greed is good" era. The couple's oldest son, Alex P. Keaton, played by Michael J. Fox, was a Republican with a framed picture of Ricard Nixon on his bedside and a love of Ronald Reagan. The couple also had three other children, Mallory, Jennifer, and Andy. 

Creators initially aimed to focus their storylines on Steven and Elyse, played by Michael Gross and Meredith Baxter. The original promotion tagline was "Hip parents, square kids." But then America quickly fell in love with Alex's staunch Conservative ideology and quick wit. After just a few shows,  Alex became the standout fan favorite, and the writers made him the center of the sitcom. 

Gross and Baxter did not seem to mind, especially since the show became such a massive success. The actors also became close off screen. "Our friendship was a profoundly deep and meaningful relationship to me when we worked together on 'Family Ties,'" Baxter said in an interview with Call Me Adam. "He was my best friend during that time." In 2018, the pair reunited to costar in the play "A.R. Gurney's Love Letters." Their lifelong friendship was seen by all when "Family" Ties star Michael Gross shared a sweet tribute to TV wife & birthday twin Meredith Baxter.

One of the great joys of the Keaton family is the differences between the kids. Eldest child Alex (Michael J. Fox) was the politically minded, quick-witted, cynical intellectual. Middle child Mallory (Justine Bateman) was the boy-crazed fashionista who was not book smart but more in tune with the feelings of others. The youngest child (until Andy came along in 1986), Jennifer (Tina Yothers) was also sarcastic and quick-witted like her brother but a tomboy who contrasted with her sister's interests. 

As the show progressed, writers further turned Mallory and Alex into foils, creating laughter by contrast, ultimately making Mallory more and more intellectually inferior to her brother. "[Dumbing down Mallory] actually came out of working with Mike [Fox], because initially she was not written like that. She was just kind of a normal sister," Bateman revealed in a 2015 interview with Variety. "And they would write these digs that Alex had on Mallory — just regular brother-sister digs — and the number of reactions you can play to that." Bateman revealed that the writers had witnessed their interplay and thought it was funny. 

"If you look at the pilot and then the first two or three episodes, Mallory is just ... normal," Bateman added. The "Satisfaction" actor said that she and Fox developed good comic timing and had a lot of fun working off each other. 

"Family Ties" creator Gary David Goldberg initially had his reservations about casting Michael J. Fox for the role of Alex P. Keaton — to put it lightly. The showrunner told the Television Academy, "When we cast Michael Fox, I didn't want him."

Prior to "Family Ties" hitting the air in 1982, Fox was an unknown Canadian actor. Goldberg had his eye on another unknown actor to play Alex: Matthew Broderick. Goldberg was immediately impressed with Broderick. "I said what any normal producer would say, 'Yes, get him a pen, let's make a deal,'" he explained. "And then that deal fell through, I think Matthew got a sense of what other opportunities were out for him in New York, and he didn't want to come to California and Mike Fox was the next guy I saw. I just thought, 'No.'"

Goldberg added that Fox initially made a creative choice to play Alex with a darker tone that didn't work. Even still, casting director Judith Weiner saw something in Fox. Goldberg fought back but Weiner kept badgering him to give him another try. The showrunner finally relented. Fox auditioned again and this time, he did not disappoint. "He nailed it," Goldberg exclaimed. "He just played who he was, he played another side. He was Mike. And as soon as he left, I turned to Judith and I said, 'This kid's great, why didn't you tell me about him?'"

Former NBC president Brandon Tartikoff loved the pilot episode of "Family Ties" and wanted the network to pick it up. His one note, however, was a big one. Tartikoff wanted Michael J. Fox replaced by another actor. The executive did not think that the 5'4" Canadian unknown was marketable enough. Creator Gary David Goldberg wrote in his memoir, "The Last Great Ride," that Tartikoff told him, "I'm telling you, this is not the kind of face you'll ever see on a lunch box" (via SFGATE). But Goldberg knew that he had a comedy star in the making.

"The guy is amazing," Goldberg said he told the NBC president. "You send him out to get two laughs, he comes back with five." Tartikoff still was not convinced but wisely did not demand for a cast change. Fox won three consecutive Emmy Awards for Lead Actor for his work on "Family Ties" and then went on to win another one in 2000 for "Spin City." 

In a 2012 interview with Parade, Fox said he had a laugh with his former boss. "So years later, when 'Back to the Future' hit and 'Family Ties' was the number two show on TV, I made Brandon a lunchbox with my picture on it, and I wrote, 'This is for you to put your crow in. Love, me.' Brandon turned out to be a good friend and a great guy. He kept that on his desk until the day he died."

Michael J. Fox explained in an interview with the Television Academy that he auditioned for the role of Alex P. Keaton, but creator Gary David Goldberg was less than impressed. Fox knew that the showrunner was wrong and kept calling casting director Judith Weiner, insisting that he get another chance. "I just knew that was my part," said Fox. "I knew. I got it; I understood it. I thought I knew how to make it funny."

Fox saw something familiar in Alex. He would use his brother Steven as inspiration for the role of the conservative know-it-all. "I was basically just playing my brother, you know, who was the smart-ass in our family and who was so much smarter than everybody else," added Fox. "I never understood the idea of timing, but I knew that my brother was so funny that you'd wait for what he had to say. ... That all became part of Alex."

Before Fox could take on what would be his breakout role, though, he needed to change his name, as there was already someone else in the Screen Actors Guild named Michael Fox. Although he could have gone by Michael A. Fox, as his birth name Michael Andrew Fox, he disliked it. Fox instead went with "J" for his middle initial, taken from a character actor he liked, named Michael J. Pollard.

In the 1980s, it was rare for a television actor to have success on the big screen. Even still, producers wanted Michael J. Fox to star in their sci-fi comedy, "Back to the Future." However, Fox was unavailable for the Robert Zemeskis movie because of his commitment to "Family Ties." Instead, Eric Stoltz was hired for lead role of Marty McFly. Just five weeks into production, though, he was fired because he was playing the role too dramatically. 

Zemeckis went back to the original plan. He hired Fox after "Family Ties" showrunner Gary David Goldberg constructed a wild schedule for the actor to star in both projects, which included Fox working on Season 3 of "Family Ties" during the day and "Back to the Future" until the wee hours of the morning. "I was running on adrenaline," Fox said during a 2023 interview with Variety. "I barely knew where I was, and I didn't really know what I was doing. That served the film because Marty's supposed to be disoriented." 

Fox would need all the adrenaline he could muster over a grueling three-month period. "I was Alex, I was Marty, and I was Mike," Fox wrote in his memoir "Future Boy: Back to the Future and My Journey Through the Space-Time Continuum" (via Yahoo! Entertainment). "That's two too many. In order to complete my work, at least one of them had to go, and Mike was the odd man out."

While many television shows gain attention for their infighting and controversy, the cast of "Family Ties" got along splendidly. It all starts at the top. "(Creator) Gary David Goldberg created a fantastic environment, from the quality of the scripts to the quality of the people," Justine Bateman said in a 2015 interview with Variety. In 2020, the cast came together for an online reunion on the livestream series "Stars in the House" to celebrate the legacy of the '80s sitcom. The love was palpable between the former TV family. 

Tina Yothers discussed the shenanigans that took place when the cameras weren't rolling. "We talked about Gary and running the show and how great it was, but behind the scenes we had so much fun," joked Yothers (via People). "I mean, seriously, the water gun fights, Michael. The wrestling matches. We got in a lot of trouble, we weren't the most well-disciplined cast because we would have so much fun together."

The family patriarch, played by Michael Gross, has learned to appreciate the love between the cast as he has had more time to reflect. "I think I took some of how great we were together for granted," Gross said at the reunion. "I didn't know how contrary some shows could be and how some casts quarreled the way they did. I mean, I just thought it was all perfection the way ours was ... that there was no controversy, not a lot of problems."

Michael J. Fox and Tracy Pollan's love Story, from "Family Ties" to real-life romance almost did not happen. "Family Ties" had enjoyed three successful seasons when writers decided to give Fox's character Alex P. Keaton a serious girlfriend. Producers cast Tracy Pollan for the role of Ellen Reed, and Fox was instantly smitten with his new co-star.

However, Pollan did not feel the attraction. She revealed on Inside the Actor's Studio, "He was feeling good about himself. I think I thought he was kind of full of himself" (via Mental Floss). In time, Fox was able to work his undeniable charm. "And then we started to work together and I got a completely different impression and how completely opposite from that he was—just funny and so smart," Pollan added. 

Pollan and Fox remained in the friend zone because they were dating other people. She left the sitcom in 1987 but would reunite with Fox a few years later on the feature film "Bright Lights, Big City." They started dating and were engaged just seven months later. As of this writing, Fox and Pollan have been married for nearly four decades. They've welcomed four children, and Michael J. Fox's oldest son grew up to look just like him. "My best life now is I enjoy my family so much," Fox told People in 2022. "Tracy and the kids are amazing. I know that sounds boring, it sounds like a fairy tale, but we've been married 30-something years, so we've got something figured out."

American sitcoms have a rich history of being a breeding ground for emerging talent. "Family Ties" did not just cast great actors to play the Keaton family and other supporting roles, but they were able to pick talented actors on the way up.

One of the most memorable guest spots came in the 1984 episode "Say Uncle." Tom Hanks plays beloved Uncle Ned, Elyse's younger brother, who Alex totally worships. Hanks was already known for his stint on "Bosom Buddies" but hadn't become a movie star quite yet. In the episode, Ned has a serious drinking problem and even resorts to swigging vanilla extract when there isn't any alcohol left in the Keaton house. Hanks had previously appeared in two episodes of the series during Season 1, where he was on the run after embezzling millions from his own company to try to financially help his co-workers. Hanks' three-episode arc let the country see that Hanks was not just a comedic talent who could wear a dress, but a serious, dramatic actor. 

Other soon-to-be famous actors who spent some time with Keaton family include, Geena Davis, River Phoenix, Julia-Louis Dreyfus, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Christina Applegate, Crispin Glover, and Hank Azaria.

For seasons three to six, "Family Ties" enjoyed the cushiest spot on TV. The sitcom aired at 8:30 between ratings powerhouses "The Cosby Show" and "Cheers." This "Must See TV" roster became a Nielsen ratings juggernaut. Then, in the spring of 1987, NBC decided to move "Family Ties" to Sunday night and placed "A Different World," a spinoff of "The Cosby Show," in the 8:30 time slot. In the 1980s, Sunday nights attracted a much lower television audience. 

The ratings plummeted, dropping from second place in the Nielsen ratings in 1987 to 17th place the following year. Additionally, Michael J. Fox had made the transition to movie star. Producers decided that ending the show after seven successful seasons was the right move, even though the ratings were comparatively still pretty solid.

Fox, who'd by then married Tracy Pollan, also had a child on the way. "Alex is now in his 20s, he's out of college," Fox told the Television Academy on the show's decision to end after Season 7. "I mean you can't have a 25-year-old guy you know arguing about who gets to use the telephone. It [would] just feel like we would be taking the audience for granted, so seven years seemed like the appropriate amount of time." The family sitcom's teary series finale, "Alex Doesn't Live Here Anymore," featured the young Republican saying goodbye to his family and friends for a job in New York City.