Description: Family Ties first aired in September of 1982 on NBC and was one of the first of a wave of family comedies that emerged in the 1980's. With a rocky start in the ratings, Family Ties rose to number 2 after it was placed in the prized time-slot right after The Cosby Show and remained there from 1984 until 1987. The series centered around the Keaton family, Steven and his wife Elyse, both flower children of the 1960's. They had four children, Alex, Mallory, Jennifer and Andrew, who was born in 1985. What was unique about Family Ties was that it blended family comedy with politics. The 1960's flower children, Steven and Elyse clashed with the 1980's conservative, Alex. The show, in a way, showed the changing values during the Reagan era. Besides political views, Family Ties covered a number of controversial topics ranging from suicide to racism to drug dependency. Skippy was a neighbor who had a never-ending crush on Mallory. Ellen was Alex's first serious girlfriend. After breaking up with her, he became seriously involved with Lauren, a psychology student and Nick Moore was Mallory's serious boyfriend. First Telecast: September 22, 1982 Last Telecast: September 17, 1989 Episodes: 180 Color Episodes Theme Song: Without Us Written by: Jeff Barry and Tom Scott Sung by: Mindy Sterling and Dennis Tufano (1982) Johnny Mathis and Deniece Williams (1982-1989) NBC Broadcast History September 1982-March 1983----Wednesdays----9:30 p.m. March-August 1983----Mondays----8:30 p.m. August-December 1983----Wednesdays----9:30 p.m. January 1984-August 1987----Thursdays----8:30 p.m. August-September 1987----Sundays----8:00 & 8:30 p.m. September 1987-September 1989----Sundays----8:00 p.m. Nielsen Ratings: (Top 30 or Better) #5 in the 1984-1985 Season #2 in the 1985-1986 Season #2 in the 1986-1987 Season #17 in the 1987-1988 Season