TV Show Info:
Writer: Wendy Aaron, Lisa A. Bannick, Kate Boutilier, Susan Borowitz
Director: Matthew Diamond, Alan Berqmann, Kent Bateman, Debbie Allen, Peter Baldwin
Cast: Michael J. Fox, Michael Gross, Tina Yothers, Meredith Baxter, Justine Bateman, Brian Bonsall, Marc Price, Scott Valentine
Rating: Not Rated
Studio: CBS/Paramount

Release Info:
Original Air Dates:1982-1989
Season Air Dates: 9/26/85 – 5/8/86
DVD Box Set Release Date: August 5, 2008
Online Availability: Amazon: $29.99, Wal-Mart: $29.86
Episodes: All Season Four Episodes, plus the Family Ties vacation movie that aired prior to the beginning of the season

Season four of Family Ties was a good year. Emmy nods were high, ratings had them in the number two spot, and things were only going to get better for this show. It was one of those shows that everyone you knew was watching. I was just in grade school back then, but I never missed it. As far as family programming that the whole family could enjoy went, you weren’t going to find anything better than this. Sadly, all these years later you might be hard-pressed to find something better on television that both parents and kids can thoroughly enjoy.

This was the year that Michael J. Fox won an Emmy for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy. He was also nominated for a Golden Globe. This was just one of many nods though, with acknowledgement also going to the series as a whole, Justine Bateman (Lead Actress), and outstanding writing. Add in the fact that this was on right after The Cosby Show and there was no logical reason to miss this hour of family entertainment.

One of the things that made this season better was the inclusion of Mallory’s (Justine Bateman) dopey, artistic sculptor boyfriend, Nick Moore (Scott Valentine). Nick was a garbage sculptor and while Mallory’s parents didn’t necessarily see the art in Nick’s ways, it became obvious that Mallory was content with his skill. Another new addition this season was the regular appearance of Alex’s girlfriend, Ellen Reed (Tracy Pollan). Consequently, the onscreen connection was good enough to last and though Alex and Ellen wouldn’t remain together on the show, the two ended up getting married in real life.

The Family Ties: The Fourth Season Plot
The whole premise of Family Ties is about two hippie parents raising a family in the Reagan era 80s. Mom, Elyse (Meredith Baxter) and dad, Steven (Michael Gross) still believe in protesting, standing up for what you believe in, and anything liberal. In fact, Steven even works for public broadcasting and would love to see his children follow in his footsteps, though they have grander ideas for their lives.

Alex (Fox), the oldest child, is a staunch republican that dreams of money and a career on Wall Street. Mallory (Bateman), is the middle child. She is fashion obsessed and appears to be pretty disinterested in everything but boys, clothes, and music. Finally, there is Jennifer (Tina Yothers), who is the youngest until the fourth season (when Andy is more active), and probably the most normal of the bunch. The series goes through life, much the way that a non-television family would.

You see the kids grow up, occasionally get in trouble, and learn to make their own decisions. The thing that made the show so special is that it was not only funny, but it offered a connection with the characters that so few shows provide. You want to experience life with the Keaton clan. You want to see them do well and laugh when the mishaps happen (and they always do). Still, the show made sure to offer its share of serious issues, making it a good vehicle for family time and not just for laughs.

This was the first year where the established Keaton family would show the perils of family life with a baby in tow. Andrew “Andy” Keaton is a big part of this season. He is shown in various scenes as a growing infant. This allows you to see the more amusing side of parenthood with male competitions on whose baby is more intelligent and all of those baby moments that make you chuckle, whether they are on screen or in your own living room. Between baby blues and relationship troubles for Alex, Mallory, and a slew of Jennifer’s own drama, things remain pleasantly busy this season.

There were some pretty good episodes this season. Adding in Nick and Ellen definitely didn’t hurt things, though the best moments come straight from the Keatons, as you would expect. Things get rolling with the antics of Alex, who decides that the best course of action for picking out a hot girlfriend would be the college directory. Naturally, the girl he picks doesn’t work out, but her artist roommate, Ellen does seem to do the trick for him. He ends up spending a few episodes chasing her across state lines to convince her not to marry her boyfriend, but things work out how they should in the end.

Soon after Alex’s issues, Mallory’s new boyfriend Nick shows up. Nick is rough, unkempt, and perfect for Mallory in more ways than one. Sadly, Steven doesn’t see it that way. Mallory ignores her father and maintains her relationship with Nick. Through time, it is obvious to see how important she is becoming to Nick because Nick befriends Alex in hopes of impressing Mallory’s parents. Alex cleans him up, gets him a job, and Nick becomes a whole new man.

Skippy wants Mallory to go to the homecoming dance, but when she doesn’t go it is Alex who saves the day with a replacement date. Mallory will be graduating this season, if she has the chance. One of her teachers informs her that she needs to pass History in order to graduate, so it will be a race to the finish to see if she can get the job done. Meanwhile, Steven is competing for the smartest baby at preschool with the other dads and Jennifer has growing problems of her own, which girls of this age often face. The majority of this season revolves around Alex and Mallory, as usual, but Jennifer and Andrew get in their moments, too. In the end, this was a highly entertaining season, and a sample of what you can expect to come from Family Ties.

The episodes are presented in the following order:

Disc 1
- Family Ties Vacation
- The Real Thing (Part 1)
- The Real Thing (Part 2)

Disc 2
- Mr. Wrong
- Designated Hitter
- Don’t Go Changin’
- The Old College Try
- My Tutor
- Mr. Right
- Just One Look
- How Do You Sleep?

Disc 3
- You’ve Got a Friend
- Nothing But a Man
- The Disciple
- Where’s Poppa?
- Fool For Love
- Checkmate
- Engine Trouble

Disc 4
- A Word to the Wise
- A Word to the Wise
- Art Lover
- Techer’s Pet
- My Buddy
- Once in Love with Elyse
- Paper Chase

Storyline/Plot: ★★★★½
Replayability: ★★★★★
Acting: ★★★★★
Directing: ★★★★★

Audio/Visual:
The video transfer is fairly good here, considering this is a show that is 20 years old. Offered in your standard television, 1.33:1 full frame aspect ratio, Family Ties has held up well and offers a good visual quality. Things are sharp for the most part and colors are good. Occasionally, you might see a moment of grain or noise, but it’s not really worth noticing. Sure, it looks like a show from the 80s, but since that is just what it is, things here aren’t so bad.

The audio is handled with a Dolby Digital mono track that sounds fairly decent. I wasn’t playing with the volume much, if at all, and the sounds came through loud and clear. This isn’t an overly dramatic soundtrack, but I don’t know too many sitcoms that require such sound. This is mainly dialogue and it works well with what it has. Closed Captioning is also included.

Also, just for those wondering, “At this Moment” by Billy Vera is included in this season and it was not replaced with other music. I don’t know how they would have managed to edit that special song out, as it was one of the big moments of the episode that it was in, but luckily it’s there so we don’t need to what if. Like many others, this became one of my favorite songs after hearing it on Family Ties, so fans of the show and the song will love to see it, sounding great, here in the fourth season.

Visual: ★★★★☆
Audio: ★★★★☆

Bonus Features:
Like in previous seasons of Family Ties the bonus features are minimal at best. The only features that are available on these discs are the episodic promos, a gag reel, and a public service announcement. The episodic promos are the standard 30 seconds of video that play at the end of the episode to let you know what is going to happen next week. These are not available for the movie that starts the set, but when the actual season starts they will appear. You can also choose to play them all at once if you want to see them that way.

The gag reel features quite a few amusing moments, some that I had a chance to see before and others that were completely new to me. Either way, it was a funny five minutes well spent. Finally a PSA is included by Michael J. Fox concerning Parkinson’s disease. You can learn more about this at Fox’s website, where you can also donate to the cause.

Bonus Features: ★★★☆☆

Bottom Line:
Fans of Family Ties will be incredibly happy with the fourth season. Everything just continues to get better from the episodes to the quality of the DVDs offered by Paramount. If you are new to the show, you will want to start from the first season because those episodes are just as good as the ones you will find here. Otherwise, you should just go ahead and pick this up. There are plenty of laughs and lots of memorable moments in season four. You won’t want to miss this, especially if you grew up watching it when it aired on television.

Overall Rating: ★★★★½

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