What should they have not done with Family Ties?

[catlover79]

Originally Posted by Clint Eastwood Fan

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

[glickmam]

Originally Posted by Marvo301

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.

[ecjj11]

Originally Posted by catlover79

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.

[opus]

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.

[jets4life]

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.