Despite the cast’s clear opposition to the outcome of the final episode of the show, decades later, they would actually take part in a cast member reunion. During the reunion, Michael J. Fox and “Family Ties” crew members agreed to meet up and reunite, taking part in an Entertainment Weekly sponsored get-together in 2015.
The “Family Ties” cast and creators wanted to give fans a chance to see what the Keatons looked like years after the show’s final episode. Apparently, behind the scenes, the “Family Ties” cast actually managed to stay in touch. “It’s cliché to say that it was like a family and everybody always says, ‘They’re so great. We all loved each other.’ But we really did,” said Fox, then 54, about the cast back in 2015.
Alex Was Born in Africa
For many fans of the show, the true charm of “Family Ties” lies in the heavy tension between the hippie, democratic baby boomer parents Steven and Elyse, and their young Republican son, Alex.
This major family conflict is one that began soon after Alex's birth, who, believe it or not, was actually born in Africa while his parents were in the Peace Corps. But despite Alex’s liberal upbringing, he would eventually establish his own, more conservative views.
The Alternate Series Ending - A Fatal Plane Crash
Though the series ultimately ended with Alex packing up for his move to New York, in reality, if the cast would've had it their way, the series would have ended very differently. According to reports, the cast of “Family Ties” actually wanted the series to end with a fatal plane crash. Apparently, for whatever reason, at the time when the last episode was filmed, the cast didn't want even the slightest possibility of a future reunion show after the series' initial ending.
"Everybody wanted to get it right, and there were rewrites up until the last minute,” commented Gross on the last episode. "Maybe some perverse part of our writers never wanted the show to end.” According to Michael J. Fox, the last episode was taped in front of an audience of family and friends of the cast members. "I was fine until the curtain call, then I started weeping. I felt like an idiot until I looked around and realized I had company,” said Fox.
The “Family Ties” Scandal
Though the cast would remain close during and after the airing of the show, behind the scenes, unbeknownst to many at the time, there was actually a big conflict brewing between the “Family Ties” creator Gary David Goldberg and many other big names in TV.
Ultimately, this quarrel would end in an infamously enormous lawsuit—one which involved over 150 television and film writers over the age of 40, who took the industry’s alleged age discrimination to court. Goldberg became the focal point after the lawsuit, after being quoted saying that the writers of “Family Ties” did not include anyone over the age of 29, claiming this choice was ultimately made “by design.”
An Unlikely Reality Show Connection
Tina Yothers, who is most known for her role as Jennifer on “Family Ties,” appeared on an episode of Celebrity Wife Swap in 2012. Beginning her acting career at just nine years old, Yothers eventually transitioned from acting to music. Indeed, following her role in “Family Ties,” Yothers, who rebelliously died her hair black following the end of the show, went on to join a band by the name of ‘Jaded.’
Her career in music would later extend to the theater. Following her pursuit of a career in performing, Yothers decided to return to the world of television, but this time, it was for reality TV. She appeared on "Celebrity Fit Club" (VH1, 2005-2010), and ABC’s "Celebrity Wife Swap” in 2012.