if it was produced/aired today instead of the '80s? What I mean is that you can make the safe argument that Family Ties more than often dealt w/ some pretty heavy subject matter, and not just in a typically whole "very special episode" manner either.

if it was produced/aired today instead of the '80s? What I mean is that you can make the safe argument that Family Ties more than often dealt w/ some pretty heavy subject matter, and not just in a typically whole "very special episode" manner either.

Didn't most 80s shows deal with heavy subject matter - even Punky Brewster had umpteen 'scary' episodes... Henry addicted to painkillers, Cherie stuck in a fridge, runaway children, serial killer on the loose - and that was a kids show! Even Facts of Life more often than not dealt with serious issues.

One Day At A Time also dealt with serious issues.

Didn't most 80s shows deal with heavy subject matter - even Punky Brewster had umpteen 'scary' episodes... Henry addicted to painkillers, Cherie stuck in a fridge, runaway children, serial killer on the loose - and that was a kids show! Even Facts of Life more often than not dealt with serious issues.

Which I thought was good because they were making kids aware of the dangers in life, and the things that were just ahead. They think to themselves. "Hey didn't Mom and Dad tell me that?" and now they see what it looks like on their favorite TV show. Of course considering the confusion these kids can experience when they hit puberty, you could even consider the Twilight Zone subject matter for them, because they begin to feel as though they have entered it.

Family ties was still a comedy any way you look at it. I still laughed allot more than I would have at Dynasty or Dallas. Yeh sure, Uncle Ned (Tom Hanks) was a drunk and hit Alex, but like robby said. The 80s dealt heavily in subject matter. I would keep FT right where it is.

Even All In The Family with all it's taboo subjects at the time wouldn't be considered dramedy (I think being filmed with a live audience speaks for itself)

To me when I think of dramedy the show Eight Is Enough comes to mind because it wasnt filmed in front of a live audience.

From what I've just gathered (http://kenlevine.blogspot.com/2013/03/friday-questions.html), FT was originally envisioned to be a one hour drama (it was around the time in which Matthew Broderick was in line to play Alex instead of MJF). I'm guessing that it would've been sort of like the show Family starring Meredith Baxter and James Broderick, Matthew's father.

I'd call it a pretentious comedy - writers without the comedic chops to churn out a funny situation every week instead lifting ideas from the newspapers and spewing simplistic opinions they weren't qualified to give.

That seems harsh. If you read Gary David Goldberg's book, Sit Ubu Sit, you would know that the writers did not lift storylines from newspapers. There was a lot of comedy on Family TIes. It was on the air for seven years. A show can't last that long if it's not good. Family Ties was a great show.

That seems harsh. If you read Gary David Goldberg's book, Sit Ubu Sit, you would know that the writers did not lift storylines from newspapers. There was a lot of comedy on Family TIes. It was on the air for seven years. A show can't last that long if it's not good. Family Ties was a great show.
One of the best sitcoms of all time and next to AITF, the best political sitcom of all time. The show wasn't there to preach. It was there to make you laugh. A lot of today's sitcoms should learn a thing or two from GDG. He also did the same thing with Spin City.

That seems harsh. If you read Gary David Goldberg's book, Sit Ubu Sit, you would know that the writers did not lift storylines from newspapers. There was a lot of comedy on Family TIes. It was on the air for seven years. A show can't last that long if it's not good. Family Ties was a great show.

But it does not do well in sydication like "Three's Company, I love Lucy, and "All In The Family". These shows Producers were smart they used dateless material like, Husband and wife not getting along or roomates not getting along and family dealing with issues are going on today as well as the 70's. Family Ties did not do that as well as these shows did. And that's why it doesn't do well in syndication.

Maybe the political topics is why it doesn't do so good these days. I mean alot of us just may not understand the political humor from the 80's.