Why hasn't Family Ties done well in syndication??

[SitcomsHeydayfan]

Family Ties was one of the biggest sitcoms of the 1980s yet new audiences don't seem to like it much compared to so many other sitcoms in syndication.

What gives??

[visaman666]

It was in syndication for a number of years, but hasn't been seen for awhile.

I imagine that it is too steeped in the 80's. Some of the Regan jokes would fall flat today.

[TMC]

Originally Posted by visaman666

It was in syndication for a number of years, but hasn't been seen for awhile.

I imagine that it is too steeped in the 80's. Some of the Regan jokes would fall flat today.

The last time that I recall seeing Family Ties on TV somewhere was on the Up channel and before that The Hub (now Discovery Family).

With that being said, I think that Family Ties likely suffers from simply being a product of its time. While it wasn't a bad show, it still had too many special message episodes, was overly earnest, and naturally had the too-clever little kid (Jennifer and later Andrew).

And while Michael J. Fox often stole the show, it was harder to get into the other characters at times. The often uneasy mixture of comedy and drama made things worse. What I mean is that it would veer from 'jokey' to 'juvenile' to 'melodramatic' too easily.

It was also a show (in contrast to broader sitcoms of the time like Growing Pains) where you really had to follow the storyline and listen for the jokes. When Family Ties first started, it was much more adult orientated and appealed to baby boomers. You really have to understand both 1960s and '80s politics and culture to get several jokes.

[opus]

Originally Posted by visaman666

It was in syndication for a number of years, but hasn't been seen for awhile.

It's on AntennaTV, and has been for a while.

[SitcomsHeydayfan]

Originally Posted by TMC

The last time that I recall seeing Family Ties on TV somewhere was on the Up channel and before that The Hub (now Discovery Family).

With that being said, I think that Family Ties likely suffers from simply being a product of its time. While it wasn't a bad show, it still had too many special message episodes, was overly earnest, and naturally had the too-clever little kid (Jennifer and later Andrew).

And while Michael J. Fox often stole the show, it was harder to into the other characters at times. The often uneasy mixture of comedy and drama made things worse. What I mean is that it would veer from 'jokey' to 'juvenile' to 'melodramatic' too easily.

It was also a show (in contrast to broader sitcoms of the time like Growing Pains) were you really had to follow the storyline and listen for the jokes. When Family Ties first started, it was much more adult orientated and appealed to baby boomers. You really have to understand both 1960s and '80s politics and culture to get several jokes.

Growing Pains has done even worse. In the past 20 years I think I've seen it in syndication ONCE & it was gone pretty fast.

[SitcomsHeydayfan]

Originally Posted by opus

It's on AntennaTV, and has been for a while.

Yeah, it could be on somewhere but it doesn't do that well. Gilligan's Island & many other sitcoms blow it away.

Not that I have anything against Gilligan!

[opus]

Originally Posted by SitcomsHeydayfan

Growing Pains has done even worse. In the past 20 years I think I've seen it in syndication ONCE & it was gone pretty fast.

Growing Pains is also on AntennaTV, although that one's a more recent addition than Family Ties.

[Family Ties Forever!]

Family Ties is a great show. We know that it doesn't do well in syndication, but that doesn't make it a bad show. The fact that it's available on dvd is a likely factor. I have all seven seasons on dvd. I watch it sometimes on tv. Other times i can watch it on dvd.

Asking anyone that wishes to bash the show, not to.

[SitcomsHeydayfan]

Hey Jenny, I didn't mean to bash the show. FT is one of my favorite shows EVER! Alex, Skippy, Nick, the Keatons, etc. had such good chemistry together & created so many laughs over the years!

I heard a cast member many years ago say that some shows don't age as well as others do. It makes NO sense because Family Ties is much better than MOST shows in syndication!

I'm sure you got my PM too.

[Family Ties Forever!]

[rusty spike]

Sometimes, this show is beyond fantastic. Certain episodes are still good. Then there's some that are okay and like other shows, I feel like I'm watching filler episodes. I think the show's long range success in syndication would have been better without so many "special message" episodes.

[Bonniegirl]

I think it's one of the most depressing shows ever IMO. Pretty boring. Only a handful of episodes that are funny in all ! Skippy was funny though , my favorite character .

[icecream]

Family Ties is doing well on Antenna TV, 2 hour block in primetime Sunday nights and a good 5PM hour on weeknights.

[opus]

It also runs regularly on RewindTV, which I guess is related to Antenna, but still, a separate network, and people may not have access to both.

[opus]

Originally Posted by Bonniegirl

I think it's one of the most depressing shows ever IMO. Pretty boring. Only a handful of episodes that are funny in all ! Skippy was funny though , my favorite character .

You just like Skippy because he helped torch Schneider’s camper.