Did either of these additions to the cast hurt the show Or did they help in some way?

I think Nick hurt the show. He didn't seem anything like what Mallory would be looking for in a boyfriend. He was really dumb and grunted a lot. The show would have been better off without Nick. I have nothing against the actual actor Scott Valentine, but I can't stand the character Nick.

The character Andy contributed some to the show. :) A sweet little boy.

I think Nick hurt the show. He didn't seem anything like what Mallory would be looking for in a boyfriend. He was really dumb and grunted a lot. The show would have been better off without Nick. I have nothing against the actual actor Scott Valentine, but I can't stand the character Nick.

The character Andy contributed some to the show. :) A sweet little boy.


Interesting, I would think Andy would've been chosen, simply because most viewers of a show hate baby additions.

I think the Andy character hurt the show. First of they didn't need another child on the show. The Keaton family was good the way it was. Second he was a very unoriginal character. He was basically a little Alex. There was already an Alex on the show and another was wasn't needed.

On the other hand i think the Nick character was good for the show. He was original there were no other characters like him on the show or on TV period. Also the addition of Nick gave the writers a lot of new stories to write. This probably extended the series by two seasons.

I'm going to say neither. I actually liked both characters. The one addition I didn't like was Courtney Cox. She could never replace Tracy Pollan.

I'm going to say neither. I actually liked both characters. The one addition I didn't like was Courtney Cox. She could never replace Tracy Pollan.

I agree.

Neither! I never thought "this person shouldn't be here" when I was watching this show.

I would have to go with Andy. Anytime a show adds another kid to the cast, it's usually a sign of a shark jump. It really hurt the dynamics of a sitcom that started slow and became successful when moved to the post-Cosby slot.

Andy. I am not a fan of "add another kid" to sitcoms. See: Cosby Show -- Olivia.

I posted a similiar thread of sorts on IMDb in regards to who was arguably the worst "add on character" to Family Ties. All look at this way, Andrew if you ask me, really screwed up the family dynamic. Most of the time (unlike Nick), you could get the sense that he didn't really fit into the story. Andrew was pretty much dead weight because the producers/writers got themselves into a corner when they felt the need to write in Meredith Baxter's real life pregnancy. All that Andy was really good for was saying cute one-liners and leaving, being Alex's mini-me, and replacing Jennifer as the cute Keaton kid (Jennifer seemed to become Andy's nanny).

Nick was too much of a one dimensional character (he was basically a spoof of Syl Stallone and nothing more). Personally he shouldn't have been around as long as he had. Nick really dumbed down and formulated the humor because he was basically the trite "bad boy boyfriend that the parents didn't like" trope. They already had Skippy as the resident, "not too bright as a lightbulb" resident character. Nick's arrival also coincided with Mallory arguable Flanderization.

I thought Andy was a pretty useless character and wasn't needed.

Nick, however, I found myself cracking up at some of the stuff he did or reactions from the other characters to him. He was a breath of fresh air as far as I was concerned.

I like Nick. He's hilarious! Andy isn't so bad once I got used to him. He was very cute but the writers overdid the mini-Alex thing. It was just too unreal that such a little kid would be that knowledgeable about financial matters. I thought that it was stupid and unnecessary to the premise of the show. I can see him worshiping his older brother but the writers took it way too far.:rolleyes:

I thought Andy was a pretty useless character and wasn't needed.

Nick, however, I found myself cracking up at some of the stuff he did or reactions from the other characters to him. He was a breath of fresh air as far as I was concerned.

I agree with you 100%!:happyface :wave:

Another gripe that I have with Nick is that if you ask me, he kind of screwed up the otherwise fundamental concept of the show. What made Family Ties unique was that the parents seemed to be cooler and hipper than the kids (or at least, Alex). With Nick around, it seemed like Steven and Elyse became even more uptight and conservative than Alex.