You know that a TV series, even one as beloved as Family Ties, is on its last legs when a season contains not one but two clip shows. Another sign of creative desperation is an over-reliance on Very Special Episodes, and this penultimate 1987-88 sixth season is packed with “big (t)issue” tearjerkers (four of them two-parters!) that address Alzheimer's, divorce, suicide, bullying, and book censorship. Which isn't to say that it doesn't also deliver the laughs. The fully functional ensemble headed by Michael Gross and Meredith Baxter as Steven and Elyse Keaton, along with breakout star Michael J. Fox (by now a full-fledged movie star, and with this season a three-time Emmy-winner) as their son Alex, boasts seamless chemistry and the sitcom chops to elevate the lamest quip or strained one-liner. The liberal parents/conservative son dynamic has pretty much played itself out by this point, but several episodes turn on instilling over-achiever Alex with humanistic values, such as when he discovers that a bus driver was once a legendary blues singer, or takes a job as a mall Santa Claus. The most significant addition to the cast is a pre-Friends Courteney Cox as Alex's psychologist love interest. Other notable guest stars include Julia Louis-Dreyfus in the banned book episode, Robert Klein as Elyse's former classmate (now a millionaire), and the great Barbara Barrie as Aunt Rosemary, in the early stages of Alzheimer's. While earlier seasons are better examples of this era-defining series, the 26 episodes compiled here will still appeal to fans of the show. A strong optional purchase. (D. Liebenson)
Family Ties: The Sixth Season
Paramount, 4 discs, 661 min., not rated, DVD: $46.99 Volume 28, Issue 4
Family Ties: The Sixth Season
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