Most recognized for her role as Elaine on “Seinfeld”, or the POTUS on the HBO hit TV series, “Veep”—among many others—believe it or not, Louis-Dreyfus also appeared on “Family Ties” in 1988. On “Family Ties”, she played a lawyer by the name of Susan “Raindrop” White, who appeared on Season 6.
Prior to her starring role on Seinfeld, Dreyfus appeared on NBC’s Saturday Night Live (SNL), a role which would lead Louis-Dreyfus to drop out of college at the age of 21 and move to New York City to pursue her dreams as an actress. She would remain a regular SNL cast member up until 1985. Louis-Dreyfus later expanded her acting career to film in 1986, with small roles in the fantasy-horror film “Troll,” and, more notably, in Woody Allen’s Hannah and Her Sisters.
The Mid-‘80s: A Period of Nearly Unrivaled, Unmatched Television Ratings
Despite the difficulty faced during the first two seasons of “Family Ties,” during which time the show barely etched itself into the top 50 television shows—perhaps, in part due to the sitcom’s predominately inconsistent television air time scheduling—the producers of “Family Ties” found it almost impossible to obtain any good ratings from viewers, and struggled to keep up with the more successful shows on TV at the time.
However, the show’s luck would soon change for the better. With the arrival of seasons three, four and five, the sitcom was finally able to reach its potential. In the years that followed, “Family Ties” would ultimately snag a spot among the top 5 television ratings. At its prime, the show even topped the charts, peaking at number two on TV rankings.
The Many Awards of Michael J. Fox
Over the years of his longstanding, successful career in acting, Michael J. Fox has continued to win awards for his talents. Some of the many prestigious acting awards Fox has collected include several Golden Globes (1998, 1999, and 2000) and a Grammy.
But above all, nothing even begins to compare to the incredible actor’s three-year Emmy-winning streak from 1986 to 1988, all of which he earned for his role as Alex on “Family Ties.”
The Joseph Gordon-Levitt Experience
A very young Joseph Gordon-Levitt also appeared on the series, in not just one, but two episodes of “Family Ties". Playing the role of Dougie—a friend of Andrew’s (the youngest child of the Keaton family), Gordon-Levitt was seven-years-old at the time the episodes were shot. Though he may not have known it at the time, Gordon-Levitt would go on to have a truly iconic acting career.
Since his role on “Family Ties”, Gordon-Levitt went on to play roles in box office hits, including Inception and (500) Days of Summer. Additionally, many more would come to know and recognize Gordon-Levitt for his role on over 100 episodes of “3rd Rock from the Sun,” where he took on the role of extraterrestrial teenager Tommy Solomon.
River Phoenix Also Appeared on the Show
River Phoenix was another celebrity appearance on “Family Ties”. Featured in one 1985 episode of the show, a 15-year old Phoenix took on the role of Eugene Forbes, a 14-year old mathematical prodigy responsible for tutoring Alex.
Sadly, just 8 years later, Phoenix tragically passed away at the young age of 23.