What should they have not done with Family Ties?

Most commonly, most would recognize they as the creators of Family Ties.

N@N hasn't done anything but almost toss the series aside.

I think Nick should have been avoided altogether. I think Skippy should have grown into himself and courted Mallory near the end.

You and I are definatly on the same page about Nick and Skippy. I would love it if, before Michael J Fox couldn't do it at all, they had a reunion. No slight against Michael J. God bless him.

In the reunion, Skippy and Maolory should either get or already be together.

They should have stuck with the original concept that made the show quite enjoyable during the first two and a half seasons dealing with parents, who were 60's hippies, now raising kids in the 80s who don't subscribe to their way of thinking but still love their parents. Way way too much Alex to a point that the storylines became repetitious especially the scenes with him and Andy. I find it annoying that a child, as young as Andy, with that type of adult dialogue and not keeping him as a child.

They should not had turned Meredith Baxter Birney, the star of the show, and Michael Gross, her co-star leading actor, into supporting players when it is originally their vehicle. Steven and Elyse Keaton were more a realistic married couple compared to the other couples that hit the screen over the years. I have stated in previous postings that Steven and Elyse represent the 80's the way Rob and Laura Petrie represented the 60s.

Meredith Baxter Birney, the star of the show,

I agree with all of your post except that part.

Originally posted by Crimson


I agree with all of your post except that part.

HELLO!!! When the credits roll the first name comes up as star is Meredith Baxter Birney. She was the first to be cast for the show.

Originally posted by Crimson


I agree with all of your post except that part.
Here is a site to look at to understand that original focus was on Meredith Baxter Birney and Michael Gross and how the storylines started feature more of Alex.

http://www.museum.tv/archives/etv/F/htmlF/familyties/familyties.htm

Oh no, I mean I agree about the direction and pretty much everything you said. I just don't think, talented as she is, that Meridith was THE star of the show. I may have misunderstood you. But yes, Alex P became the center of the keaton universe. Still, I didn't mind it. What I minded terribly was NICK.

Originally posted by Crimson
Oh no, I mean I agree about the direction and pretty much everything you said. I just don't think, talented as she is, that Meridith was THE star of the show. I may have misunderstood you. But yes, Alex P became the center of the keaton universe. Still, I didn't mind it. What I minded terribly was NICK.

What bothered me about the stories centering around Alex was that the other actors, especially Baxter-Birney and Gross, was pushed aside. The storylines with Alex became repetitious and tiring. It would have been good if they did stories dealing with his views and his parents view. Potential good comedy there. All In the Family's best comedy was the conflicts between Archie and his son-in-law.

The only thing good that came from Nick was Steven Keatons reactions as a result.

They shouldn't have taken Ellen off! She and Alex went together! I LOVE that episode when they dance to "At this moment" Ahhh, my favorite episode, They should have stayed Boyfriend/Girlfriend insted of Ellen going to Paris!

I totally agree with TheFonz, they should have never taken Ellen off the show. Most of my favorite episodes were with her in them.

I agree! The best episode (in my opinion) with Nick and Steven was part II of the ep where Nick and Mallory were going to elope and Steven kept singing gospels to try and get a grip.:lol:

They should have never added Nick.

Creating Nick was a big mistake.

They shouldn't have taken Ellen off! She and Alex went together! I LOVE that episode when they dance to "At this moment" Ahhh, my favorite episode, They should have stayed Boyfriend/Girlfriend insted of Ellen going to Paris!

Well, the producers didn't exactly choose to remove Ellen, you know. They were forced to do so as Tracy Pollan wanted to leave the series to be closer to her family.

Maybe they could've convinced Tracy to come back for the last episode, and she and Alex could've married and moved to NYC together. Oh well. :(

I haven't seen Family Ties in years, and I always loved the show but I agree about Nick. It would have been nice if Ellen had stuck around, but the good thing is that she stuck around in real life and is married to Michael J Fox!

The one thing they shouldn't have done, IMO is age the youngest child. They did this same thing on Growing Pains, which I hated. I think they should have just let them age naturally, like on Full House.

Creating Nick was a big mistake.

:clap: Well said. The Nick character was a huge mistake. The show would have been so much better without him.

:clap: Well said. The Nick character was a huge mistake. The show would have been so much better without him.

Before reading this thread, I knew that you were going to say something about Nick. :lol: ;)

^ :lol:

Creating Nick was a big mistake.

Can't agree more, what was the point

Can't agree more, what was the point

Exactly! Worst decision they ever made.

Creating Nick was a big mistake.
I disagree. By creating the character of Nick they gave the show another focus other than Alex. So instead of every episode being solely about Alex they were able now to create story lines for Mallory and Nick which usually also included Stephen and Elyse. This helped Family Ties remain the family sitcom it was created to be and not devolve into the Alex show.

Maybe Nick was created to give some friction between Mallory and her parents?

Maybe Nick was created to give some friction between Mallory and her parents?
I think that's EXACTLY why he was created. :nod:

I disagree. By creating the character of Nick they gave the show another focus other than Alex. So instead of every episode being solely about Alex they were able now to create story lines for Mallory and Nick which usually also included Stephen and Elyse. This helped Family Ties remain the family sitcom it was created to be and not devolve into the Alex show.



I agree it was an ensemble show and not about just one character. Nick did help shift the attention to all of the other characters. I liked Nick.

I agree it was an ensemble show and not about just one character. Nick did help shift the attention to all of the other characters. I liked Nick.
So did I. I think we're in the minority of people who actually liked Nick. I found him much less annoying than Skippy (sorry, Jenny!).

I liked Mallory and Nick too.

So did I. I think we're in the minority of people who actually liked Nick. I found him much less annoying than Skippy (sorry, Jenny!).


I liked Nick too. He was a great addition and the interactions between him and Alex and him and Steven were classic. :lol: The one person I didn't care for was Lauren. Ellen was the perfect GF for Alex.

I liked Nick too. He was a great addition and the interactions between him and Alex and him and Steven were classic. :lol: The one person I didn't care for was Lauren. Ellen was the perfect GF for Alex.
:yeahthat

I disagree. By creating the character of Nick they gave the show another focus other than Alex. So instead of every episode being solely about Alex they were able now to create story lines for Mallory and Nick which usually also included Stephen and Elyse. This helped Family Ties remain the family sitcom it was created to be and not devolve into the Alex show.

Indeed, Marvo301, the Nick character not only gave the writers the ability to write about the other family members, it also gave them the motivation. Without the Nick character, the writers would not have been as motivated as they were to write about the other characters, rather they would have had it focus exclusively on Alex, since Michael J. Fox was a huge money-maker for the production companies and the network.

So did I. I think we're in the minority of people who actually liked Nick. I found him much less annoying than Skippy

This. I'm surprised at the Nick hate. He was funny, and Mallory was with someone dumber than she was. I also agree Nick/Steven, Nick/Alex were hysterical. :lol:

This thread was interesting. At the beginning of it Nick was the worst thing to happen to Family Ties. Then about halfway through it the tide starts to shift and everyone likes him.

I never thought Andy was necessary for the show, especially since he aged about 4 years over one season. Nick would be the obvious one that should have been contained to a few episodes, as I never cared for his acting.