Family Ties - The Fourth Season (1982)

Romance was in the air in Family Ties' fourth season (1985-86), when it was in the coveted 8:30 p.m. slot following The Cosby Show in NBC's Must-See TV Thursday lineup. When Alex (Michael J. Fox) is starting his sophomore year at Leland College, his plan to pick a prospective girlfriend from the freshman directory goes awry when he battles with her art-major roommate, Ellen (Tracy Pollan). Not surprisingly, opposites attract, and Alex and Ellen's dance together and the heart-tugging aftermath became one of the series' emotional high points and made a No. 1 single out of Billy Vera and the Beaters' "At This Moment." (It turns out that Fox and Pollan's incredible chemistry wasn't just acting: they married less than three years later.) Many of the season's best episodes feature Alex and Ellen, including those involving her father (played by Ronny Cox), but another major character was added in Nick (Scott Valentine), the Kawasaki-riding, garbage-art-making, earring-wearing boyfriend of Mallory (Justine Bateman). Nick, whose favorite greeting is "Ayyy!", immediately sets off warning bells for Mallory's father Steven (Michael Gross), though the Rambo comparisons seem silly today.

Also in the season, Mallory tops Alex in an IQ test, Stephen finds a new and demanding job, Elyse (Meredith Baxter-Birney) and Alex take an automotive class, Jennifer (Tina Yothers) winds up in a difficult spot when Alex helps her with a speech, and Skippy (Marc Price) finally decides to pursue Mallory. Guest stars include River Phoenix as Alex's 13-year-old math tutor, Martha Plimpton as a young shoplifter, and Peter Scolari as Elyse's romantically inclined coworker. The four-DVD set has the 90-minute Family Ties Vacation movie that aired before the season started, episode promos, the original theme song, and the original Billy Vera song. --David Horiuchi

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In TV Land, a new baby, or the introduction of new love interests are traditionally ratings ploys to prop up a sagging series. This was not the case with Family Ties, which in its fourth season was ranked second only to The Cosby Show in the ratings and Emmy-nominated for Best Comedy Series. Breakout star Michael J. Fox would win his first Emmy as Alex, primetime's first compassionate conservative, while costar Justine Bateman received a nomination for her deft work as underachiever Mallory. The season, and this box set, gets off to a jolly good start with the feature-length "A Family Ties Vacation," which sends the Keatons off to England, where they become embroiled in espionage (hey, it could happen). Once the season proper begins, the show regains its solid footing with the key additions of Tracy Pollan and Scott Valentine in recurring roles. Pollan, the future Mrs. Michael J. Fox, is introduced in the Emmy-nominated two-parter, "The Real Thing," in which Alex meets his match in the beautiful and brainy Ellen Reed, and falls in love with her (to the indelible tune of "At This Moment" by Billy Vera & the Beaters). Valentine etches a fine and funny portrait of every parent's initial nightmare as Mallory's new boyfriend, an "environmental artist" who seems to be channeling Sylvester Stallone. He reveals his more soulful side in the episode, "The Old College Try," in which he changes Mallory's mind about not wanting to go to college. Family Ties' ensemble is thoroughly at home in their iconic characters. Each handles the prolific jokes like Friars Club roasters, as well as the more emotional moments. Happily, this season goes easy on the Very Special Episodes. Even so, the few two-parters aside, there is no issue that cannot be resolved within the allotted 30 minutes, whether it be Ellen's estrangement from her father (Ronny Cox) in "Where's Poppa," or Mallory being forced by a teacher to "grow up" and apply herself in order to graduate high school in "Paper Chase." There are no early appearances by future A-listers along the lines of Tom Hanks and Geena Davis from previous seasons, but a young River Phoenix impresses in the episode, "My Tutor," as Alex's 13-year-old tutor who becomes a "crazed lunatic" over Jennifer (Tina Yothers). The Keatons were one of television's most functional families and it's heartening to watch them grow. These are the Ties that bind. --Donald Liebenson Amazon.com

What will fans do, without Seasons 5, 6, and 7?

Fans of Family Ties are happy to purchase Season Four on DVD, this August. I would say Family Ties Season 5 would be a perfect DVD release sometime in January 2009, or maybe the Holidays of 2008. I also think Family Ties Season 6 should be released sometime in 2009, and Family Ties Season 7, which is the final Season, should be release for the Holidays of 2009. I hope CBS/Paramount uses the colors Orange, Green, and Pink for the 3 remaining Seasons. Please release the last 3 seasons in 2009! July 19, 2008

Possibly the Best Season Ever

I'm already counting down to the release date! Season 4 of Family Ties was the Year of Alex and Ellen, and if you were a child of the '80s like me, you still know all the words to "At This Moment" by Billy Vera and the Beaters because you heard it on Family Ties in the 2-parter where Alex and Ellen met and fell in love. (The song has just GOT to be in the episodes! It's a vital part of the story!) Season 4 was also the year Mallory brought Nick home to meet her family for the first time, and the reactions of the Keatons to Nick were comedy gold. And all of the Keatons, plus Skippy, being kept awake by Alex's insomnia (and a faulty burglar alarm), with Elyse finally providing a cure for her firstborn's sleeplessness (one of my favorite ever scenes between Meredith Baxter and Michael J. Fox), is one of the best episodes of all time. This season is a must-have for every true Family Ties fan's collection! May 27, 2008

Could be the best season.

Family Ties - The Complete Fourth Season just keeps getting better and better. I truly enjoyed every season, the acting was always on top and the storylines always dealth with real issues. Season four is stellar, we are introduced to Ellen who tutors Alex and they fall in love and in real life too. My favorite episodes include: Mr. Wrong, My Tutor, A World to the Wise Part I and II, Teacher's Pet, and Once in Love with Elyse. I highly recommend purchasing season 4, only three seasons left! May 26, 2008

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