Family Ties Meets the Real World
I never watched Family Ties in the 1980s, but caught up with it in the following decade. The show is a classic that occasionally got serious and dealt with issues such as drug addiction and mental health. Considering what television looked like in the ’80s, the showrunners did a good job and were lauded, but those episodes look pretty pale in comparison with how television has matured over the past decade. Family Ties never dared confront dark issues in a thoroughly credible way, but recently real life has showed that the actors portraying the characters lead much more complicated lives.
- Meredith Baxter, who played mom Elyse, decided a few days ago to publicly acknowledge that she is gay. She was married while making the show and has three failed marriages behind her; she did get five kids out of them. She was congratulated on her decision by Michael Gross who played her husband on the show; she’s been open about her sexual orientation with friends for years.
- Brian Bonsall, who played Andy (the youngest son) on the show, is a troubled young man, as they say. He’s been convicted of driving under the influence and assault. Last Saturday he was arrested and has been charged with second-degree assault after allegedly beating up a guy with a wooden stool.
- Michael J. Fox, who played Alex, was diagnosed with Parkinson’s in 1991 and quit acting (except for the occasional guest appearance) in 2000. He has since devoted much of his life to promoting Parkinson’s research. He’s been very open about his condition in later years, explaining that some of his symptoms that we see are actually not because of the illness but excessive use of medication; if he didn’t over-medicate Fox would apparently not be able to speak as clearly as he does now.
Life is messy sometimes. Some of us realize that we’re gay. Some of us end up in trouble with the law. And some of us get a life-altering disease. All of these stories are more complex and fascinating than those Family Ties produced. But then again, there’s also balance. The three other cast members of the show, Gross, Justine Bateman and Tina Yothers, have led fairly quiet lives, which should also be statistically correct. Gross is a rail buff and that’s about as thrilling as it gets.
This version of Family Ties would be perfect for the 21st century.
Published by Stefan Hedmark 2009-12-13 12:24
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