Family Ties

1h 2min

Comedy

Drama

Family

Former 1960s flower children Steven and Elyse Keaton raise their conservative son Alex, daughters Mallory and Jennifer, and later, youngest child Andrew.

Production Companies

Ubu Productions

Paramount Television

NBC Studios

Episodes

Cast

Pilot

1. Pilot

24min

22nd Sep 1982

Alex escorts a pretty socialite to a dance at her country club.

Not With My Sister You Don't

2. Not With My Sister You Don't

25min

29th Sep 1982

Alex heads the household when Elyse and Steven go away for the weekend.

I Know Jennifer's Boyfriend

3. I Know Jennifer's Boyfriend

24min

6th Oct 1982

Jennifer gets picked on when she befriends a boy at school.

Summer of '82

4. Summer of '82

25min

27th Oct 1982

Seduced by an "older woman" of twenty-one, the hitherto inexperienced Alex is devastated to learn that she thinks of their relationship as casual.

I Never Killed for My Father

5. I Never Killed for My Father

25min

3rd Nov 1982

A visit from Steven's father evokes confrontation between the two.

Give Your Uncle A Kiss

6. Give Your Uncle A Kiss

25min

10th Nov 1982

Mallory is horrified and confused when a close family friend and older business associate of her father's makes a pass at her.

Big Brother Is Watching

7. Big Brother Is Watching

25min

17th Nov 1982

As the new editor of his school paper, Alex uncovers a cheating scandal and to everyone's chagrin, prints a list of students who were caught including Mallory.

No Nukes Is Good Nukes

8. No Nukes Is Good Nukes

24min

24th Nov 1982

To the dismay of the Keaton children and their equally conservative grandparents, Steven and Elyse take time out Thanksgiving Day to attend an anti-nuke rally-and end up spending the holiday in jail.

Death Of A Grocer

9. Death Of A Grocer

25min

1st Dec 1982

Though Alex loves working at Mr. Adler's "Mom and Pop" grocery store, to the old man's dismay, he quits to "climb the corporate ladder" at an ultramodern supermarket.

Have Gun, Will Unravel

10. Have Gun, Will Unravel

25min

8th Dec 1982

The Keatons consider buying a gun for protection after getting burglarized.

A Christmas Story

11. A Christmas Story

25min

15th Dec 1982

When a blizzard forces the Keatons to spend Christmas at home, Elyse's gift to Steven, an album filled with fascinating old photos, sparks flashbacks to the birth of their three children.

Oops

12. Oops

25min

22nd Dec 1982

Mallory resents Elyse for the advice she gives her pregnant friend.

Sherry Baby

13. Sherry Baby

25min

12th Jan 1983

When popular sorority girl Sherry Marshall befriends Mallory to get close to Alex, Mallory brings them together in hopes of joining Pi Nu but her plan backfires.

The Fugitive  (1)

14. The Fugitive (1)

25min

19th Jan 1983

Elyse's younger brother and Alex's idol, Ned, makes a surprise visit. However, everyone is puzzled by the go-getter corporate executive's suspicious behavior.

The Fugitive  (2)

15. The Fugitive (2)

24min

26th Jan 1983

With the FBI hot on Ned's heels for embezzling 4.5 million dollars in corporate funds, Elyse's ethical brother and Alex's idol tells the family why and where he hid the money.

Margin Of Error

16. Margin Of Error

25min

9th Feb 1983

Alex amasses a bundle by playing the stock market on paper for his economics class, and courts disaster by secretly investing his father's money.

French Lessons

17. French Lessons

25min

15th Feb 1983

Mallory's handsome but shy French tutor, Jeff, finally musters up the nerve to ask her out and then courts disaster by enlistening Alex's advice on how to behave on the date.

I Gotta Be Ming

18. I Gotta Be Ming

25min

22nd Feb 1983

As ""Big Brother"" to a 10-year-old Vietnamese boy, Alex tries to mold Ming into his own image, and he learns an unforgettable lesson when he breaks a promise to the adoring child.

Suzanne Takes You Down

19. Suzanne Takes You Down

25min

15th Mar 1983

Soon after free lance architect Elyse Keaton hires her friend Suzanne Davis to handle clerical chores, she wants to fire the under-qualified, overly aggressive secretary, but Suzanne's marriage breaks up, making the new job her only salvation. After 20 years as a housewife, Suzanne feels she lacks an identity outside the home. Swamped with paperwork, Elyse decides to solve that problem while easing her friend's mid-life crisis. Unfortunately Suzanne's take-charge approach to business throws a wrench into Elyse's client dealings and threatens to ruin the women's friendship. On the brink of firing Suzanne, the frustrated Elyse faces a terrible dilemma when Ron Davis decides he ""needs space"" and leaves his wife.

The Fifth Wheel

20. The Fifth Wheel

25min

27th Mar 1983

Alex gets stuck babysitting for his little sister Jennifer, who is fed up with feeling in the way at his poker game and decides to disappear.

Stage Fright (a.k.a. Video Jitters)

21. Stage Fright (a.k.a. Video Jitters)

25min

3rd Apr 1983

While gearing up to face the TV cameras as captain of his high school's team on "Quiz Off," Alex panics at first when a teammate drops out. He then launches a major tutoring program for his sister Mallory.

Elyse D'Arc

22. Elyse D'Arc

25min

10th Apr 1983

In her zeal for good causes Elyse devotes so much energy to committee work that a neglected Steven feels shortchanged. Ecstatic to have won an award for his public television documentary, Steven arrives home eager to celebrate, but every effort is foiled by Elyse's obligations to her various projects. Finally, the over-extended wife-mother-architect-committee volunteer begins to realize she's neglecting her most important committee.

First air date

22nd Sep 1982

Last air date

14th May 1989

Status

Ended

Type

Scripted

Original language

en

Networks