12 Facts About The Family Ties Cast Only Real Fans Would Know

Few people match the neon-tinged '80s cred of Michael J. Fox, whose turn as Marty McFly across three "Back to the Future" films still rates as a landmark pop culture moment. However, it wasn't just his work on the big screen during the decade of Reaganomics and Aqua Net that made him an icon of the era. He also famously starred as Alex P. Keaton on the NBC sitcom "Family Ties," one of the most popular shows of the time.

Created by Gary David Goldberg — who would later co-create the Fox vehicle "Spin City" for ABC — "Family Ties" chronicled the lives and times of ex-hippie parents Steven and Elyse Keaton (played by Michael Gross and Meredith Baxter, respectively) as they raise their children, the upstart yuppie Alex and his younger sisters Mallory (Jason Bateman's sister, Justine Bateman) and Jennifer (Tina Yothers). From its pitch-perfect cast to its sharp writing, "Family Ties" eventually became a hit for NBC and racked up several Emmy noms (including wins for Fox and Goldberg).

Behind the laughs, tender moments, and proto-culture war between Alex and his parents, there are some stories that only true Keaton family devotees know. Here are 12 facts about one of the best sitcoms of the '80s and all time.

While a winning premise and solid writing are essential to a sitcom's success, so, too, is a cast of actors that can both embody their characters and attract viewers. So, when Gary David Goldberg and "Family Ties'" producers were casting the show, putting the right people in the right roles was of the utmost importance. And while they hit the nail on the head with Michael J. Fox, Goldberg wanted another actor to play Alex P. Keaton.

"We had an extremely talented casting director, Judith Weiner ... and she had found this young guy in New York, never acted before, Matthew Broderick," Goldberg told The Television Academy in 2007. "So Matthew was the first one to read for 'Family Ties' for the part of Alex and I said what any normal producer would say, 'Yes, get him a pen, let's make a deal.'" When Broderick passed, Fox audition for the role, but Goldberg wasn't impressed and continued his search.

As recounted by Goldberg, though, Weiner fought for Fox (while Fox was fighting with the casting director). Eventually, Goldberg was convinced to give Fox a second shot. "I just knew that was my part," Fox told The Television Academy in 2001. "I got it. I understood it. ... I thought I knew how to make it funny." In the end, Fox won over Goldberg, and they were off to the races.

Creator Gary David Goldberg wasn't the only decision-maker involved with the "Family Ties" production who had to warm to the idea of casting Michael J. Fox. Arguably the most important person in the process, NBC head Brandon Tartikoff, reportedly wasn't keen on casting Fox, either. 

"When we had a pickup order for the first season, Brandon Tartikoff wanted to fire me. He said, 'I love the show, you've just got to get rid of the kid. I can't see that face on a lunchbox,'" Fox recalled during a 2012 interview with Parade. In the end, though, Fox got to keep his job, and the series became one of the forerunners to the network's Must See TV era. And when the actor became a television and movie star, he made sure to get back at Tartikoff for writing him off.

"Years later, when 'Back to the Future' hit and 'Family Ties' was the No. 2 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."

"Family Ties" creator Gary David Goldberg didn't have to look far for inspiration when he first conceptualized what would become one of NBC's most-viewed shows during the '80s. "It was based on our family and families of friends I knew with similar backgrounds," he said during a 2010 interview (via Rediscovering the '80s). 

Alex, Mallory, and Jennifer's ex-hippie parents, Steven and Elyse, were based partly on him and his wife, Diane. And there was a greater focus on their relationship, their life as parents, and the dichotomy between their beliefs and those of Ronald Reagan's America during "Family Ties'" earlier episodes. In the end, though, the Keaton kids — and Alex, in particular — became the focal point of the show.

"That just shows you it's better to be lucky than smart," Goldberg recalled of the shift from the parents to Alex, and his first appraisal of Fox in that role. Goldberg added that he didn't think that the show would have thrived the way it did if Fox hadn't been show's star. "Mike as Alex was just magic ... Even now, if I look at those re-runs, his work it takes my breath away. I think the 'lucky man' there may have been me."

One could argue that the '80s and '90s represent the high-water mark for television sitcoms. And while there are myriad common threads to be found in hit series ranging from "Cheers," "The Cosby Show," and "The Golden Girls" to "Seinfeld" and "Friends," a major ingredient in all of them was a memorable theme song. "Family Ties'" theme song, "Without Us" — co-written by Tom Scott and Jeff Barry — was one of the best.

"We decided that the song should have an upbeat feel and took a couple of days apart to mess around with ideas. After that, Jeff called with an announcement that he had written the hook of a song called 'What Would We Do Without Us?'" Scott explained in a 2013 interview (via Rediscover the '80s). Although he liked what he heard, he thought the song could be improved. "After some experimentation at home, I added the word 'baby' to the middle, which broke up the phrase nicely, I thought."

To this day, "Without Us" may be one of the all-time greatest television theme songs, and it was famously a duet by Johnny Mathis and Deniece Williams. However, they weren't the first performers to sing it. Rather, it was singer/actress Mindy Sterling and former Buckinghams frontman Dennis Tufano, friends of Barry and Scott, respectively. The song was re-recorded with bigger names, but Scott still prefers the original version. "No offense to Johnny and Deniece," he added.

In the 2020s, Tom Hanks is thought of as one of the greatest living American actors and a veritable Hollywood icon. However, when we turn the clock back to before Hanks was famous, the "Forrest Gump" star was trying to make his name in show business on shows like ABC's "Bosom Buddies." It was during this time that Hanks appeared on "Family Ties" in a short-lived but memorable role.

Appearing in three episodes of the show during its first and second seasons, Hanks played Ned Donnelly — the younger brother of Meredith Baxter's Elyse and the uncle to her children. In Hanks' first appearance in the two-part episode "The Fugitive," Uncle Ned shows up at the Keaton household unexpectedly, and it's ultimately revealed that he's hiding out after being accused of embezzling millions from his employer. In truth, he was trying to expose and punish the company for its unethical dealings in Robin Hood-like fashion. Nevertheless, he turns himself in to the FBI in the end.

In his S2 appearance, Hanks showed up in the very special episode, "Say Uncle," in which Ned returns to visit the Keaton family, and it's revealed that he has turned to alcohol amid losing his home and career. The episode ends with Hanks' Ned admitting he has an issue and calling Alcoholics Anonymous after physically assaulting Alex.

By 1984, "Family Ties" had become a certified hit, reaching the top five in the network ratings and opening doors for its young cast members. For Michael J. Fox, that meant being offered the lead role of Marty McFly in the Steven Spielberg-produced, Robert Zemeckis-directed comedy "Back to the Future." However, when they approached the show's producers — including Gary David Goldberg — about letting Fox work on the film while the series was in production, Goldberg and Co. refused.

As a result, Eric Stoltz was hired for the job. And while Stoltz was a star in his own right, his vibe and approach to the role differed from the filmmakers' vision, necessitating a late change. "Eric was an immensely talented actor, but the creative team felt that he just wasn't the right fit for Marty McFly," Fox wrote in his memoir, "Future Boy" (via The Independent). So, "BTTF's" producers decided to turn to Fox and his "Family Ties" boss once more.

"Spielberg and Zemeckis hoped they could convince Universal to make a change and reshoot Eric's scenes, but only if they could successfully lock me in for the part this time around," Fox wrote. And despite having balked at the idea previously, Goldberg ultimately gave the OK for Fox to pull double duty, clearing the way for him to play his most iconic role. 

During her run on "Family Ties," Meredith Baxter was credited as Meredith Baxter-Birney because she was married to fellow actor and former co-star David Birney at the time. And while the two were wed for 15 years, from 1974 to 1989, trouble in their marriage — including alleged physical abuse — played a role in her falling into a pattern of substance misuse.

"I would drink all the way home from the 'Family Ties' studio," Baxter revealed during a 2011 appearance in support of her memoir, "Untied: A Memoir of Family, Fame, and Floundering" (via NBC New York). "I didn't stop drinking until the marriage [to Birney] was over. Drinking had started to serve a purpose for me because I was so unhappy and had no place to put it."

While she navigated a failing marriage and, later, a divorce and custody battle, she found solace in her work as an actor. However, when a friend on a film set noticed her behavior, she was eventually motivated to change. "She said, 'You know, we're trying to cut this movie together and your eyes aren't focused and we can't understand you,'" Baxter recalled during a 2010s interview with Larry King. "She gave me the names of people that I actually knew stunned me that they were sober." Fast-forward to today, and Baxter has been sober since 1990.

Although she didn't achieve the success of her co-star, Michael J. Fox, Justine Bateman became a television star amid "Family Ties'" emergence as a sure-fire hit. As the Keatons' middle child, Mallory Bateman stole teens' hearts and provided comedic relief as Alex's ditzy foil. However, her character wasn't initially intended to be portrayed as an airhead.

"[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 explained (via a 2015 Variety feature). When the show's writers would write jokes or verbal barbs for Fox's Alex at the expense of Bateman's Mallory, it was up to Bateman to respond accordingly in the scene. It was those reactions that reshaped the character.

"You can be annoyed, you can roll your eyes, and then I'd get to a point where I'd just pretend it was a compliment," Bateman said. "The writers saw that and went, 'Oh, s**t, if she thinks that's funny, that's so great.' So, we just started going in that direction."

Although she broke out as a Hollywood star and achieved her greatest success as one of the stars of a legitimate pop culture phenomenon in NBC's "Friends" during the '90s and early 2000s, Courteney Cox had been landing roles in films and on television for many years before she became a ratings-driving star.

While appearances in the 1984 music video for Bruce Springsteen's "Dancing in the Dark" and the first cinematic adaptation of "Masters of the Universe" (in 1987) warrant mentions, her recurring role as Lauren Miller across "Family Ties'" sixth and seventh seasons was a highlight of her early career. First appearing in the two-part S6 premiere "The Last of the Red Hot Psychologists," Lauren is a psychology student who meets Michael J. Fox's Alex while writing a paper on overachievers. She falls for him and the two start dating.

Cox raved about her castmates after she joined the show, telling Bryant Gumbel in 1987 (via MSNBC/YouTube), "I felt I really want to do my best job. I don't want to step on anyone's toes, but they're so nice. Every person on the show is just great. So, they accepted me."

The trajectory of Michael J. Fox's life and career was irrevocably altered when the "Family Ties" and "Back to the Future" star was diagnosed with Parkinson's disease. Despite having navigated the illness for several decades, Fox has continued to make an impact in the world through his efforts to raise awareness of the condition. And he has been supported in those efforts throughout by his longtime wife, Tracy Pollan.

The actors met in 1985 while working together on "Family Ties." First appearing in the two-part S4 premiere "The Real Thing," Pollan played Ellen Reed — the roommate of a woman Alex initially deems to be his ideal partner. They ultimately develop feelings for each other and start dating. However, they decide to break up when Ellen leaves for Paris on a dance scholarship.

Although their relationship was strictly professional at first, and Pollan dated another famous actor before Fox, they fell in love and got married in 1988. Said Pollan in 2021 of what has allowed their romance to endure (via People): "We enjoy each other's company and we just have fun together and so it's not that hard for us, we're lucky."

The "Family Ties" theme song, "Without Us," has practically transcended the show itself as part of the soundtrack of life in the '80s. However, it's not the only song from the show to have made an impact outside of the small screen's confines. In fact, one song featured on "Family Ties" achieved chart-topping success after viewers rediscovered it on the show.

"At This Moment," recorded by Billy Vera and his band (as Billy Vera & The Beaters), was first released to little fanfare in 1981. However, the song was prominently featured multiple times during S4 of "Family Ties," first playing when Alex and Ellen dance for the first time on "The Real Thing: Part 1." It was used again in Part 2 and for a final time in the S5 episode "Starting Over" (after Ellen has left for Paris). Becoming the anthem for their love story, the song found new life in 1986 and '87, reaching No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100.

"People called record stores, and they called radio stations, and the next thing you know, man, it was leaping over Madonna, leaping over Richard Marx," Vera told Professor of Rock on YouTube in 2024. "I said, 'Oh my god, I'm 42 years old, I got a hit record, the No. 1 record.'"

The push-and-pull dynamic between Alex and his parents over political ideology — particularly during the earlier seasons — helped make "Family Ties" appointment television. The dichotomy of a couple of liberal Berkeley grads and former hippies raising a conservative son whose heroes were Richard Nixon and Ronald Reagan provided fertile ground for comedy and character studies alike.

As fate would have it, one of the most omnipresent forces affecting that dynamic was actually a huge fan of "Family Ties" in real life. As reported by UPI, then-President Reagan shouted out the series while speaking at a 1986 ceremony honoring student leaders and academic/artistic high achievers. 

"The inspiration you provide to all young Americans is important," Reagan said (via UPI). "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."

If you or anyone you know needs help with addiction issues, help is available. Visit the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration website or contact SAMHSA's National Helpline at 1-800-662-HELP (4357).

If you or someone you know is dealing with domestic abuse, you can call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1−800−799−7233. You can also find more information, resources, and support at their website.