Jennifer Keaton's decline - Sitcoms Online Message Boards

Hlao-roo · 03-19-2009, 09:58 PM

Unlike previous comments that have been posted here and elsewhere, I'm not referring (directly) to Tina Yother's increased girth as she began wending her way through puberty.

I'm referring to the decreased role her character began to play in key scenes starting around the third season of Family Ties. Yes, this predated the arrival of even the infant version of Andy Keaton. If you watch the earlier seasons, particularly the debut season, it's striking to how many more lines Jennifer got. There would be lengthy scenes between just her and Alex. As the show progressed into the middle and latter seasons, however, her character receded to the background, and she would be reduced to occasional one-liners, or lines that existed merely for the sake of exposition or moving the plot along. It's as though, for whatever reason, Jennifer fell out of favor with the writers. I'm not quite sure why.

One can perhaps speculate that looks had something to do with it. It's at least arguable that, of all the Keaton actors, Yothers was the least telegenic. Fox and Bateman were typical teen/young adult heartthrobs, while Gross and Baxter made for a rather attractive television couple. Yothers, unfortunately for her in our society, had always been chubby -- a trait that would work against her as she approached womanhood. It's possible that the producers, consciously or not, did not want to give her as much screen time because, let's face it, many of us watch television partly as an excuse to gawk at the handsome and the beautiful.

Another possible reason is that Jennifer was, in a manner of speaking, supposed to the "normal" child of the family. While Alex and Mallory took to some of the extremes of '80s culture (political conservatism, rampant materialism) and represented different ends of the spectrum as far as academic achievement went, Jennifer was always seemed to subsist somewhere in the middle. Sure, she was a supposed tomboy in that she liked sports, but she also liked dolls and playing Cinderella. Yes, she was precocious and seemed to display a predilection for philosophy, but she was at heart a little kid (as we saw when the River Phoenix character tried to court her). She was smart and did well in school, but she wasn't the hyperdriven overachiever that Alex was. In sitcoms, at least, the "normal" characters tend to be ones that engage us to least, even as their existence helps to ground the show somewhat.

The final observation is that Tina Yothers did not seem to fulfill the promise she displayed as an actress during her early years on the show. Sure, she was just regurgitating words phonetically, but she did it convincingly, and I really think there are scenes throughout the first and second season in which she displays great poise and stage presence. Unfortunately, these elements began to disappear as she aged. Watching the fifth season, the difference in the quality of her performance is remarkable. Her line reads are stiff and wooden, and she doesn't seem to fully inhabit her character the way the other actors do. If you watch her when she's on camera but not saying anything, she tends to look lost and isolated from what's happening around her.

(On this last point, one can only speculate as to whether her abilities as an actress led to her reduced screen time, or whether it was partly the other way around. When you're not given much to do, and when you're given little to say that's meaningful, it's hard to be enthusiastic about your part.)

What do you guys think?

ThomasE · 03-21-2009, 02:05 AM

I thought that there was something different about her during her teased hair seasons. I loved the hair but the acting seemed a little different. I still love me some Tina Yothers though.

Avilos · 03-21-2009, 03:50 AM

I think that part of it was that Michael J Fox and Justine Bateman we just so good. That it was hard to find a role for Tina on the show.

Alex and Mallory were such strong character types. Almost complete opposites in a way. So they could do a lot of different things with those two. Any "Girl stories" could be done with Mallory. Plus Justine was incredibly versatile. Perfectly setting up Michael for Alex's put downs. But also good at emotional moments. What does that leave for Tina/Jennifer?

They tried to make her a tomboy. Then emulating her parents concerns about social issues and the environment. Maybe the writers could have gone more in that direction. Making her really sarcastic. Being into Punk music.

Avilos · 03-23-2009, 02:38 AM

I watched "Band on the Run" the other night going through my DVDs.

I use to like this episode. But seeing it now its very unbelievable. Why would Jennifer allow Alex to change her Band as much as he did???? The new name, the costumes, the old songs???? She had nothing to gain from that. The episode is really just another example of Alex trying to control everything not really about Jennifer at all.

Following my previous posts, Alex and Mallory had very clearly defined interests. Jennifer never did. Her interest in music could have been her's but it was never followed up. How about sports? We never saw her play in a game but we heard about it. Doing sporting events in sitcoms is tricky. Because it means going outside. Its the reason you often see inside Basketball games (For example Richie on Happy Days)

Which is why showing her in a band would have worked much better. They could have played up a connection with her mom. Elise was a folk singer. With her own aspirations for a musical career. Surprising that that angle was not explored in the episode.

I think the main reason I liked this episode was that Alex insists they sing "Mister Sandman". Which of course was featured in Michael's movie Back to the Future!

UMfan77 · 07-13-2009, 09:09 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ThomasE

I thought that there was something different about her during her teased hair seasons. I loved the hair but the acting seemed a little different. I still love me some Tina Yothers though.

I noticed that too. She seemed to act more mature and had a stronger personality compared to previous seasons. That's my observation.

icecream · 07-13-2009, 11:34 AM

Jennifer was really cute. I never thought of her as chubby.

Jesda · 09-10-2009, 01:56 AM

As a child actor, she was sassy. She grew to become dry and awkward.

Marvo301 · 09-10-2009, 02:10 AM

I don't think Jennifer receded into the background so much as Alex and Mallory burst into the foreground. I think the growth of those two characters took the writers attention away from Jennifer and they never really got back to writing for her character. I think as the characters of Alex and Mallory became more prominent the ratings for the show grew. So the writers naturally kept writing for those characters and poor Jennifer just got lost in the shuffle.

mstewart · 09-12-2009, 11:06 AM

The show changed radically when the focus was on Alex and the entire cast was somewhat kicked to the curb especially Meredith Baxter Birney. She was the star of the show and became a supportive player. I did not care for the show in the 5th and sixth seasons. The plots became repetitious with Alex constantly being obsessed with money and making it.

blink · 10-08-2009, 07:59 PM

I couldn't agree more, many sitcoms fall into the same rut when the writers get lazy and start concentrating on a few of the series characters and forget about the rest.
As for the comments others have made about Jennifer's adolescent growth spurt. My god, she was an average size girl in every respect.
That's what's wrong with our society nowadays, if a girl isn't skinny she's conceded chunky or worse. No wonder so many of them are suffering from eating disorders!

Retro4Life · 10-08-2009, 08:54 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by blink

I couldn't agree more, many sitcoms fall into the same rut when the writers get lazy and start concentrating on a few of the series characters and forget about the rest.
As for the comments others have made about Jennifer's adolescent growth spurt. My god, she was an average size girl in every respect.
That's what's wrong with our society nowadays, if a girl isn't skinny she's conceded chunky or worse. No wonder so many of them are suffering from eating disorders!

03-19-2009, 09:58 PM	#1
Hlao-roo Keaton Manor Staff Occasional Poster Join Date: Aug 13, 2008 Posts: 13	Jennifer Keaton's decline Unlike previous comments that have been posted here and elsewhere, I'm not referring (directly) to Tina Yother's increased girth as she began wending her way through puberty. I'm referring to the decreased role her character began to play in key scenes starting around the third season of Family Ties. Yes, this predated the arrival of even the infant version of Andy Keaton. If you watch the earlier seasons, particularly the debut season, it's striking to how many more lines Jennifer got. There would be lengthy scenes between just her and Alex. As the show progressed into the middle and latter seasons, however, her character receded to the background, and she would be reduced to occasional one-liners, or lines that existed merely for the sake of exposition or moving the plot along. It's as though, for whatever reason, Jennifer fell out of favor with the writers. I'm not quite sure why. One can perhaps speculate that looks had something to do with it. It's at least arguable that, of all the Keaton actors, Yothers was the least telegenic. Fox and Bateman were typical teen/young adult heartthrobs, while Gross and Baxter made for a rather attractive television couple. Yothers, unfortunately for her in our society, had always been chubby -- a trait that would work against her as she approached womanhood. It's possible that the producers, consciously or not, did not want to give her as much screen time because, let's face it, many of us watch television partly as an excuse to gawk at the handsome and the beautiful. Another possible reason is that Jennifer was, in a manner of speaking, supposed to the "normal" child of the family. While Alex and Mallory took to some of the extremes of '80s culture (political conservatism, rampant materialism) and represented different ends of the spectrum as far as academic achievement went, Jennifer was always seemed to subsist somewhere in the middle. Sure, she was a supposed tomboy in that she liked sports, but she also liked dolls and playing Cinderella. Yes, she was precocious and seemed to display a predilection for philosophy, but she was at heart a little kid (as we saw when the River Phoenix character tried to court her). She was smart and did well in school, but she wasn't the hyperdriven overachiever that Alex was. In sitcoms, at least, the "normal" characters tend to be ones that engage us to least, even as their existence helps to ground the show somewhat. The final observation is that Tina Yothers did not seem to fulfill the promise she displayed as an actress during her early years on the show. Sure, she was just regurgitating words phonetically, but she did it convincingly, and I really think there are scenes throughout the first and second season in which she displays great poise and stage presence. Unfortunately, these elements began to disappear as she aged. Watching the fifth season, the difference in the quality of her performance is remarkable. Her line reads are stiff and wooden, and she doesn't seem to fully inhabit her character the way the other actors do. If you watch her when she's on camera but not saying anything, she tends to look lost and isolated from what's happening around her. (On this last point, one can only speculate as to whether her abilities as an actress led to her reduced screen time, or whether it was partly the other way around. When you're not given much to do, and when you're given little to say that's meaningful, it's hard to be enthusiastic about your part.) What do you guys think?

03-21-2009, 02:05 AM	#2
ThomasE Member Moderator Forum Fanatic Join Date: Apr 04, 2000 Location: New York, New York, U.S.A. Posts: 10,857	I thought that there was something different about her during her teased hair seasons. I loved the hair but the acting seemed a little different. I still love me some Tina Yothers though.
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07-13-2009, 11:34 AM	#6
icecream Cat-tastic and Whiskerlicious Forum Celebrity Join Date: Sep 01, 2006 Location: The Catacombs Posts: 20,863	Jennifer was really cute. I never thought of her as chubby.
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09-10-2009, 01:56 AM	#7
Jesda Hi Forum Cub Join Date: Sep 10, 2009 Posts: 2	As a child actor, she was sassy. She grew to become dry and awkward.
Jesda Hi Forum Cub Join Date: Sep 10, 2009 Posts: 2

09-10-2009, 02:10 AM	#8
Marvo301 I'm NOT a Blockhead! Forum Celebrity Join Date: May 17, 2002 Location: The Great White North Posts: 21,460	I don't think Jennifer receded into the background so much as Alex and Mallory burst into the foreground. I think the growth of those two characters took the writers attention away from Jennifer and they never really got back to writing for her character. I think as the characters of Alex and Mallory became more prominent the ratings for the show grew. So the writers naturally kept writing for those characters and poor Jennifer just got lost in the shuffle.
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03-21-2009, 03:50 AM	#3
Avilos Member Occasional Poster Join Date: May 29, 2008 Location: Plymouth, WI Posts: 83	I think that part of it was that Michael J Fox and Justine Bateman we just so good. That it was hard to find a role for Tina on the show. Alex and Mallory were such strong character types. Almost complete opposites in a way. So they could do a lot of different things with those two. Any "Girl stories" could be done with Mallory. Plus Justine was incredibly versatile. Perfectly setting up Michael for Alex's put downs. But also good at emotional moments. What does that leave for Tina/Jennifer? They tried to make her a tomboy. Then emulating her parents concerns about social issues and the environment. Maybe the writers could have gone more in that direction. Making her really sarcastic. Being into Punk music.

03-23-2009, 02:38 AM	#4
Avilos Member Occasional Poster Join Date: May 29, 2008 Location: Plymouth, WI Posts: 83	I watched "Band on the Run" the other night going through my DVDs. I use to like this episode. But seeing it now its very unbelievable. Why would Jennifer allow Alex to change her Band as much as he did???? The new name, the costumes, the old songs???? She had nothing to gain from that. The episode is really just another example of Alex trying to control everything not really about Jennifer at all. Following my previous posts, Alex and Mallory had very clearly defined interests. Jennifer never did. Her interest in music could have been her's but it was never followed up. How about sports? We never saw her play in a game but we heard about it. Doing sporting events in sitcoms is tricky. Because it means going outside. Its the reason you often see inside Basketball games (For example Richie on Happy Days) Which is why showing her in a band would have worked much better. They could have played up a connection with her mom. Elise was a folk singer. With her own aspirations for a musical career. Surprising that that angle was not explored in the episode. I think the main reason I liked this episode was that Alex insists they sing "Mister Sandman". Which of course was featured in Michael's movie Back to the Future!

09-12-2009, 11:06 AM	#9
mstewart mstewart Senior Member Join Date: Jan 25, 2002 Location: California Posts: 1,780	The show changed radically when the focus was on Alex and the entire cast was somewhat kicked to the curb especially Meredith Baxter Birney. She was the star of the show and became a supportive player. I did not care for the show in the 5th and sixth seasons. The plots became repetitious with Alex constantly being obsessed with money and making it.

10-08-2009, 07:59 PM	#10
blink Member Forum Regular Join Date: Apr 17, 2004 Location: Texarkana AR. Posts: 950	I couldn't agree more, many sitcoms fall into the same rut when the writers get lazy and start concentrating on a few of the series characters and forget about the rest. As for the comments others have made about Jennifer's adolescent growth spurt. My god, she was an average size girl in every respect. That's what's wrong with our society nowadays, if a girl isn't skinny she's conceded chunky or worse. No wonder so many of them are suffering from eating disorders!