Yes, well with Back to the Future becoming a big hit, you'd think he'd want to just do movies, but no, he stayed with the show till the end. That was great of him.
Well but the other thing was that the disabled were discriminated against by society. As a disabled person,I didn’t understand why people were being prejudiced against me. So the last I went to a convenience store. After 1990, I wasn’t discriminated against. Now it’s the 21 century Im discovering that I got a mental disorder. Which is untreatable, it was handed down to me by my pop. But to minimize the damage. My mom divorced my pop. Then started a guy when I was 9-10 yrs old. Then they married when I was 16 yrs old. My stepdad practically raised me since I was 10.
@@SM-zm5hz the internet was around. But it was harder to have it. Because the router had to know the number/ someone else had to have a router too. So it cost $100 installation fee&another $100 dollars per month. It the phone company would charge for cross country connections. So not at of ppl didn’t get it. So it made things easier.
Well said. I just started a rewatch and it really was an innocent time- and it was a genuine sitcom and did an excellent job of chronicling the ups and downs of life/family, without being heavy-handed.
it is almost like she is Alex's real mother the way she sees him tear up and brushes his hair before hugging him, it's nice and obvious they were close.
This is my happy childhood right here. Watching Family Ties with my sister and parents. I'd love to relive this all over again. Life in those days just seemed....so much simpler...and so much happier.
I remember watching this when it first aired and I didn't cry until Michael j. Fox teared up. This just goes to show that he really meant it when he said he loved the show , the people he worked with and playing Alex.
I got misty-eyed, too --- this show ended 3 weeks before I graduated high school and it felt like it was a ceremonial final chapter to my childhood --- I watched the show every week while doing homework!
I remember watching this when It originally aired. and they show the ep minus the curtain call just now on rewind. I had such a crush on Michael J Fox. The only movie of his I wasn't allowed to see was Causalities of War bc it involved rape. Finally saw it. Yeah I realize why my parents did not take me to see it.
You could see the emotion in Michael J. Fox's face, like in spite of believing they all made the right choice, he was sad to see it end. It takes guts to stop a show when its still loved, instead of continuing it into apathetic oblivion.
I know that while the cast was ready for the show to end and move on, it was still really hard for them to say goodbye. You could tell that they really all loved each other and enjoyed working together. While everyone was sad to see Family Ties end, also everybody realized that all good things do have to come to an end.
I think the cast made the right decision to end the show on THEIR terms and have a proper curtain call where they could be applauded --- plus, this show helped define the 80's and it woulda been weird to see it dragged limping into the 90's trying to figure itself out
I remember watching this live. 'Family Ties' was appointment TV. I was 10 when this finale aired and I always remembered this curtain call. It's been 27 years and I still get misty eyes watching it.
Barry Goldsbury omg me too. I was 11 and in 5th grade. I still remember this curtain call and Michael J Fox fighting back his tears will always stand out and I well up. I just binged watch all the season on Prime and I wanted to see the final curtain call. I’m so glad it’s on here. Fondest memories of my childhood with this timeless classic. One of the best.
You can see how emotional Michael j Fox is. I admire him so much not because he is handsome but because he has a really good heart. I too am sensitive and watching the curtain call made me cry as well. Reading about how he deals with Parkinson’s helped me become stronger. He made people happy and he will always continue to do so. He truly is an inspiration to many. He is my idol. He is my hero.......... may you live longer Michael j..........🌈☀️😻
One of my all time favourites without a doubt! Fresh Prince,Threes Company,Cosby's,Family Ties & The Jeffersons would have to be MY top 5 sitcoms EVER!
As I grow old, I am so grateful for you tube and being about to remember things that were a part of my younger self. NBC Thursday night line up - Crosby Show, Family Ties, Cheers, Night Court, and Hill Street Blues. I remember we had a old Zenith TV with the dial to switch stations. Wait.. we had a Viacom cable box. Happy to have these memories as part of me.
It really is heart moving because I still tear up watching. After all these yrs I'm watching a repeat on Antenna TV as I type this. This is a show that stands the test of time!
They don’t make them like this anymore. These were the times. These were the best times. Michael J Fox breaking down in Meredith’s arms is everything. One of the greatest television shows of our time.
My girlfriend and I like to pretend that the movie, "Secret of My Success" is what followed after Alex left. Michael J. Fox's character in that movie might as well have been Alex Keaton because both they're so much alike.
@@jenpeterson3712 We know that Family Ties ended in 1989 but we like to pretend it that way just for fun. Plus, Alex was moving to NYC which is where "Secret of My Success" takes place.
I remember the night when the show went off the air I cried so hard this show taught me so much and it's funny now I’m 43 and I’ll still watch the reruns and the Kenton’s will always be a family show I grew up to watch and Michael J Fox will always be my favorite actor
I got misty-eyed, too --- this show ended 3 weeks before I graduated high school and it felt like it was a ceremonial final chapter to my 80's childhood --- I watched the show every week while doing homework!
One of the best sitcoms from the 80s, yet a little overlooked at times. Great ending for a classic series...simple, yet extremely well-written. Today's "comedies" could learn a little something from this and a few other shows.
I was 11 when this aired and I cried my eyes out. This show was a huge part of my childhood. I also have an older brother who had just moved across the country for college the year before, so seeing Alex saying goodbye to everyone was like reliving it. Totally gut wrenching, but that's life. If not for sadness, there would be no joy.
I remember watching this as a kid and crying as everyone was saying goodbye over the slow, sad version of the theme. It's a shame there are no more family sitcoms like this or TGIF anymore.
I remember the end of this, where Gary David Goldberg says, "...it will never happen again..." , but this is the first time I'm seeing (or maybe remembering) this in it's entirety, & I am in tears😢. When a successful series comes to an end, it's not just the cast & fans affected, it's also everyone who worked on & was connected to the show. It was great, but life has to go on. I wish them all the best.
For the very last time we'd be introducing the cast of "FAMILY TIES". Courtney Cox! Scott Valentine! Marc Price! Brian Bonsall! Tina Yothers! Justine Bateman! Michael J. Fox! Michael Gross! And Meridith Baxter Birney! And our showman, Gary David Goldberg! Thanks for seven wonderful years!
Awe I loved this show!! I was only 6 when it went off but I remember being sad. They all seemed really close there and everyone was so emotional it made me cry!
"What would we do, baby, without us"? This was one of the greatest sitcoms of the 80's. A great story about a idealist American family. Also I loved the theme song, the version by Johnny Matthis & Deniece Williams " Without Us'.
On 24 December 1984, I took a flight from SFO to YVR. It originated at LAX and one of the passengers was Michael J. Fox, who was ridiculously famous by then. In the Customs line I watched him step up and hand the lady his passport. Her eyes nearly popped out
I don't know WHY that in the syndicated version, they would replace this with a generic closing. I think TV finales should be preserved just as they originally aired. Other sitcoms that ended with a curtain call, are, Mary Tyler Moore, The Bob Newhart Show and Newhart, The Cosby Show, and Full House.
I always loved when a show would do a curtain call not too many shows do this and am glad to see when they do. I wonder what the first show to do this was
I remember back in the 70's and 80's (maybe some early 90's?) shows did an ending like this...where the cast came out and it was always so touching. I wish shows still did that. I miss that.
Wow this is so awesome! I just randomly watched the final episode OTA and was curious about this particular episode and found this, what a great upload! I used to always watch this show whenever I stayed home sick growing up in the 80s/90s. Thank you for sharing this time capsule!
i remember seeing the final episode. i was a loyal fn and watched it every week. i remember tearing up at the end of the episode. i'm kinda tearing up now.
I did too. Appreciated in the end Steven admitted that he hadn't shown Nick respect after all. Nick was the 1980's counterculture. Steven had to admit that he was now the 'square parent'.
Im 33 from Argentina, I bought Family Ties dvds some months ago. Im watching it and I'm IN LOVE. The show is just heartwarming and i always end up feeling joyful and happy after eveey episodem I was born on the year it ended and where im from we dont get many tv shows from US (from back then i mean). First time i heard of Family Ties was this year when i stumbled with a nat geo documentary about the 80s. People in US, specifically those who lived throughout the 80s, you are the luckiest people in the world.
I am 18 and look up to Michael J Fox as a hero, watching this put me at tears also, I wish I lived back then everything there is way better then it is now , I prefer 80s music over any of the music that is played today. Watching this show makes me wish all families were like this but its not that way. All we can do is try to make this world a better place it wont be easy but i say we can do this!! I also know another things the cure is coming soon Mr. Fox will find that cure, I have faith in him
Same happened to me, I could never watch the whole series, my parents didn't allow me to spend a lot of time in front of the TV. And so I didn't have the opportunity to watch this last episode among others. I cry like a baby 😢
I just finished watching the show yesterday and I cried so hard. The whole thing about Alex going to New York made me sad, when he said goodbye to his family got me with a tear off my eye, when the whole cast appears and Michael started crying I started crying too, and at the end when everybody (producers, the creator and the actors) says goodbye I cried like a baby, Family Ties it's my favorite show and its ending made me so sad, such good memories of that beautiful show, I learned, laughed and cried a lot with it.
TV was a very one-way media while I grew up in the 80s/90s. No easy way to learn more about the actors, or to see bloopers, or the back stories unless I bought 3rd party magazines like TV Guide. I was never asked to be a Nielsen family. I was stuck having to watch commercials. I couldn't watch what I wanted, when I wanted it. And there was no comment section. So seeing this final curtain call would've been very cool.
I was 13 years when this finale aired. I cried so hard! I loved this show. During the '80s I liked Growing Pains more, now as an adult of 40 I look back at such fondness for this series and it's values. It really was superior. 😭
I've watched every episode so many times, but I've only watched the last 2 episodes once. I don't know if I'll ever watch the end again. I need to believe they all still live together in that house.
katrina sangineto Scott Valentine was a great asset and every girl in my high school crushed on him. Bigly! He did a damn movie with President Trump, called Lucky; & Stamos was in it too! Those were the days. IMBD.com Bee Bopper R.I.P.
My childhood was unhappy. I loved this show. It gave me hope, but I didn’t that at the time. Now 40+ years later I tear up every time I hear the theme song. The Keatons were the best parents ever! ❤
The last episode of Family Ties sounded sad to me because Alex was leaving far away from where Family Ties took place, and everybody except Elyse was proud of him for getting the job he applied for in New York City. I don't find it hard to believe that Michael J. Fox lives there in reality.
+Carly Steffen It was kinda sad, but it ended the show strong and was true to the characters. The conflict between Alex and Elyse brought some heavy and realistic drama into Alex leaving home. It wasn't that Elyse wasn't proud of him, she tells him she is. She just had some major mommy issues in seeing her baby boy leave home to move so far away. Alex leaving also signified the beginning of eventually all her children leaving home and Elyse who identified herself so strongly as a mother found it hard to deal with. She also was hurt and upset by the fact that Alex seemed too happy in leaving. They end up talking through their problems in the end. Alex comes to understand her mommy issues and she realizes that because of those issues she didn't see how hard it was for him to leave, and how afraid he is of taking that huge step and possibly failing. In the end Alex and Elyse spend all night before he leaves reminiscing and the rest of the family join them in time to send him off with a group hug.
@@cisio64123 it was the dynamic between Elyse the free spirit who had done her own thing still wanting to cling to her first born baby. And as 'money hungry' as Alex was, he is still the vulnerable little boy who doesn't want his mom to hurt. Many shows fail with their ending bc they change in the end....or just fiz out. They forget themselves and go away. Family Ties remembered who it was up to the last minute. This is why you love watching it years later. Okay there are some moments better than others (how did Andrew age?) but overall its a strong series
@@robinorlowski2449 Agree the writers knew their characters and stuck faithfully to them right to the end. The conflict between mother and son here was very true to who they were crafted to be. It was realistic of how hard this transition was on both of them because of their paticular bond that had been built up on the series. True to that bond they loved each other too much to leave their issues unresolved.
@@robinorlowski2449 So true. The writers never forgot the characters that had been created and what made them so beloved in the first place. Even this conflict was indeed in character for Alex and Elyse . Elyse as the loving mama bear would have a hard time with this transition and letting her baby go thus would be moody and unable to support it . Alex due to their bond would be hurt by his mothers inability to support him in making such a huge step in his life. It also was true to their bond and love for each other that they couldn't end things that way and hashed things out. Being so true to the characters made this series so great right up to the very end.
Sad watching Michael J. Fox welling up in tears and Meredith Baxter Birney comforting, hugging and kissing him. The two had a really great bond together.
@briansam2524 It was revealed that Meredith would often pick up Michael J. Fox and bring him to the set and give him a ride home during the early seasons of the show. And a secret Meredith kept hidden from the entire cast and crew is that she was being abused by her then husband so the safety net for her was also over so to speak at the time. 😢♥🙏📺
It's heartbreaking to see Michael so broken but it's also a gorgeous moment to witness between him and Meredith. She felt him. She know he needed a hug, she knew he needed another moment to cry and break down and let it out and she ignored everything that was going on around them just to be with him, follow through this moment with him, for him. I don't have and don't want a relationship with my own mother so it's incredibly moving to watch a mother and child who are not bound nor defined by genetics but are bound by choice. And love. You could tell that they're so deep in that moment with all the noise and all the lights and yet it's just the two of them. And it's just stunning. What a gift.
That is a cast that truly loved each other, a lot like CHEERS damn to be a part of something so flippling awesome. 20 something years later I am still in awe!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I turned 40 this year and watched FAMILY TIES for most of the original run. "A, My Name is Alex" and this episode were tough to watch. I taped them both. Classic show, a product of its time.
It's the first series finale that I remember watching. It was one of the best I ever seen. Little did I know that the next year, I would be treated to THE greatest series finale of all time (Newhart).
I watched this final episode when it aired and remember crying so hard when Michael J. Fox and Meredith became emotional. There never has been a show like this since.
Me and my Mon, this was BY FAR our favorite show. She saw a lot of Alex in me. We watched this religiously, we would even turn a hockey game off or have it on a different set so we would not miss it. We loved watching it together. Sadly my Mom never got to see this, she died in Nov 1989, I was 16 and she was 47. I am now 46. She would be very upset if she saw how Michael got sick and I often wonder what she would think of me since I am transgender. Kind of a role reversal with Meredith I guess. We loved the show.
Much respect for Michael J Fox for staying on when he was such a big movie star. One of the best tv series of all time. Once in a life time.
+L C.C i was thinking the same thing
Yes, well with Back to the Future becoming a big hit, you'd think he'd want to just do movies, but no, he stayed with the show till the end. That was great of him.
He actually stayed on because he was grateful to the show because that was where he got his big break. No way was he going to kill a mockingbird.
Did he renew his contract after Back to the Future or was he under contract for 7 years?
And he never asked for more money or anything. Such a great person i always loved him.
I still cry. I miss the innocence. Thank you family ties
Same . Life was happier in the 80’s , simpler , no internet yet ppl were always happy , I cant explain it
Well but the other thing was that the disabled were discriminated against by society. As a disabled person,I didn’t understand why people were being prejudiced against me. So the last I went to a convenience store. After 1990, I wasn’t discriminated against.
Now it’s the 21 century Im discovering that I got a mental disorder. Which is untreatable, it was handed down to me by my pop. But to minimize the damage. My mom divorced my pop. Then started a guy when I was 9-10 yrs old. Then they married when I was 16 yrs old. My stepdad practically raised me since I was 10.
Well for most it was a better time, atleast in the US
@@SM-zm5hz the internet was around. But it was harder to have it. Because the router had to know the number/ someone else had to have a router too. So it cost $100 installation fee&another $100 dollars per month. It the phone company would charge for cross country connections. So not at of ppl didn’t get it. So it made things easier.
Well said. I just started a rewatch and it really was an innocent time- and it was a genuine sitcom and did an excellent job of chronicling the ups and downs of life/family, without being heavy-handed.
You could tell the MJF even though he was a big star by then. Was very sad. You could see the tears in his eyes. God bless him
it is almost like she is Alex's real mother the way she sees him tear up and brushes his hair before hugging him, it's nice and obvious they were close.
I was thinking the same thing.
Yes
My favorite part....oh my goodness.....you could tell he was about to lose it when he came out.....
Well they worked with each other for like 6 years or something like that. So it makes sense 😀
Yes he was trying to hold it together
This is my happy childhood right here. Watching Family Ties with my sister and parents. I'd love to relive this all over again. Life in those days just seemed....so much simpler...and so much happier.
You can, sort of...Pluto TV has a 24/7 Family Ties channel. It's free.
Life didn't seem to be simpler, It WAS simpler. I was a teen when this show started and I was a young adult when it ended. I agree with your comment.
@@Rupert14lot more information on TV show on doing live concert in person picture of them siong
@@Rupert14wow cool.
I remember watching this when it first aired and I didn't cry until Michael j. Fox teared up. This just goes to show that he really meant it when he said he loved the show , the people he worked with and playing Alex.
cisio64123 I know right this was my first time watching this clip and as soon as he started tearing up I lost it ;-; He is such a great actor.
I remember watching it when it aired also. So special.
I got misty-eyed, too --- this show ended 3 weeks before I graduated high school and it felt like it was a ceremonial final chapter to my childhood --- I watched the show every week while doing homework!
I was 15 and remember this. I haven't seen it since until tonight, 32 years later.
I remember watching this when It originally aired. and they show the ep minus the curtain call just now on rewind. I had such a crush on Michael J Fox. The only movie of his I wasn't allowed to see was Causalities of War bc it involved rape. Finally saw it. Yeah I realize why my parents did not take me to see it.
How things changed so much from those days. I miss it so much.
I love Scott Valentine. Such an underrated actor. Love him putting Brian up on his shoulders...l like to think they were buddies 😊
You could see the emotion in Michael J. Fox's face, like in spite of believing they all made the right choice, he was sad to see it end. It takes guts to stop a show when its still loved, instead of continuing it into apathetic oblivion.
in a New era going to the 90's had started
Well, it had been on seven seasons already. Maybe it was time to stop. Better to go out with a little dignity than just be cancelled.
I'm glad they got out while they were ahead. So many sitcoms ruin their era when they stay on too long
I know that while the cast was ready for the show to end and move on, it was still really hard for them to say goodbye. You could tell that they really all loved each other and enjoyed working together. While everyone was sad to see Family Ties end, also everybody realized that all good things do have to come to an end.
I think the cast made the right decision to end the show on THEIR terms and have a proper curtain call where they could be applauded --- plus, this show helped define the 80's and it woulda been weird to see it dragged limping into the 90's trying to figure itself out
There will never be another sitcom like Family Ties!!
True
Thank God.
Peter Reyes ... you didn’t like family ties????
@@dr4g0nb0y4 Sure... when I was seven. Now, not so much.
@@MrPeterReyes 😆
Michael just clung to Meredith like he was never going to see her again.
almost
alex kanyima Almost? What do you mean?
ashli674 they will never see each other again after that curtain call
alex kanyima If you mean as Alex and Elyse you are right. But if you mean as Mike and Meredith, she played his mom on Spin City.
ashli674 yeah both, in this situation
Why can't all shows say good-bye like this? Classy, and giving respect to the crew.
It takes time that could instead be sold for a few more commercials. The bean counters wouldn’t like it.
They used to be like this but not anymore
I love all the emotion..especially between MJF and Meredith. ...so sweet
Can't imagine anyone but Michael J. Fox playing Alex.
+Darcy Brummett Does he still have Parknison's Disease?
Uh, yes.
+Darcy Brummett too bad.
You do not get cured of that, unfortunately. But at least he is still hanging in there and fighting to find a cure.
Ironically enough, the role was originally written for Matthew Broderick, who didn't want to do it. Plus, Gary didn't want Michael originally.
I remember watching this live. 'Family Ties' was appointment TV. I was 10 when this finale aired and I always remembered this curtain call. It's been 27 years and I still get misty eyes watching it.
It wasn't exactly live It was taped before a live audience. There is a difference.
I know there is a difference. I meant I watched it as it was airing.
Do you know who the folks are saying "bye" as the credits roll? Fans, crew, a mix of both?
Barry Goldsbury omg me too. I was 11 and in 5th grade. I still remember this curtain call and Michael J Fox fighting back his tears will always stand out and I well up. I just binged watch all the season on Prime and I wanted to see the final curtain call. I’m so glad it’s on here. Fondest memories of my childhood with this timeless classic. One of the best.
I remember that too. it was so 'historic' . I think the only other finale I remember that crispy was 'happy days'. Also significant.
I loved this program! I still watch the reruns!
You can see how emotional Michael j Fox is. I admire him so much not because he is handsome but because he has a really good heart. I too am sensitive and watching the curtain call made me cry as well. Reading about how he deals with Parkinson’s helped me become stronger. He made people happy and he will always continue to do so. He truly is an inspiration to many. He is my idol. He is my hero.......... may you live longer Michael j..........🌈☀️😻
His attitude is amazing. He is sincere, you can see it when he's being interviewed. I am enjoying his latest book
One of my all time favourites without a doubt! Fresh Prince,Threes Company,Cosby's,Family Ties & The Jeffersons would have to be MY top 5 sitcoms EVER!
As I grow old, I am so grateful for you tube and being about to remember things that were a part of my younger self.
NBC Thursday night line up - Crosby Show, Family Ties, Cheers, Night Court, and Hill Street Blues.
I remember we had a old Zenith TV with the dial to switch stations. Wait.. we had a Viacom cable box.
Happy to have these memories as part of me.
Yes! Thursday nights were great for 2 reasons. The NBC lineup as you mentioned and that tomorrow would be Friday.
How can I feel sad again after all this years? Heart moving stuff, really. Thanks guys for making part of my family.
It really is heart moving because I still tear up watching. After all these yrs I'm watching a repeat on Antenna TV as I type this. This is a show that stands the test of time!
They don’t make them like this anymore. These were the times. These were the best times. Michael J Fox breaking down in Meredith’s arms is everything. One of the greatest television shows of our time.
My girlfriend and I like to pretend that the movie, "Secret of My Success" is what followed after Alex left. Michael J. Fox's character in that movie might as well have been Alex Keaton because both they're so much alike.
You ain't got a girl bro
Secret of My Success was a 1987 movie. BTTF 2 was underway when Family Ties ended
@@jenpeterson3712 We know that Family Ties ended in 1989 but we like to pretend it that way just for fun. Plus, Alex was moving to NYC which is where "Secret of My Success" takes place.
I remember the night when the show went off the air I cried so hard this show taught me so much and it's funny now I’m 43 and I’ll still watch the reruns and the Kenton’s will always be a family show I grew up to watch and Michael J Fox will always be my favorite actor
I got misty-eyed, too --- this show ended 3 weeks before I graduated high school and it felt like it was a ceremonial final chapter to my 80's childhood --- I watched the show every week while doing homework!
The Kentons were America's family.
OMG... I remember this last curtain... *crying again*
What a wonderful show. Definitely one in a million...
I loved this show so much as a kid and still do.
Love how some are in their pj's.
I loved this series so much. Had such a big crush on Michael J Fox.... i miss Family ties.
I've always loved this show as a kid and still love watching reruns to this day.
It comes on Pluto TV. They have a channel just for this show.
Every time I finish binging the series, I come here and watch this video. Thank you so much for posting it.
Such a beautiful moment. She knew Michael was emotional and comforted him. Like a true family, they all are together. Always.
One of the best sitcoms from the 80s, yet a little overlooked at times. Great ending for a classic series...simple, yet extremely well-written.
Today's "comedies" could learn a little something from this and a few other shows.
Yeah it was really a great ending. Kinda wished for more closure but it still ended on a high note.
let's go for a remake of family ties
I remember watching this when it aired and I was so sad. One of my favorite shows from my childhood. Brilliant cast.
That show was Very popular here in Brazil. I used to watch Family Ties ( Caras e Caretas) when i was almost teenager.
I was 11 when this aired and I cried my eyes out. This show was a huge part of my childhood. I also have an older brother who had just moved across the country for college the year before, so seeing Alex saying goodbye to everyone was like reliving it. Totally gut wrenching, but that's life. If not for sadness, there would be no joy.
Good ol times before tech took away heart.
Carl Bonroy .... terrific statement
I remember watching this, shortly before my h.s. graduation. Hadn't seen it since. Thanks for posting.
They were all very loyal to Family Ties. It's what made them all star's. Great show and chemistry among the actor's.
I remember watching this as a kid and crying as everyone was saying goodbye over the slow, sad version of the theme. It's a shame there are no more family sitcoms like this or TGIF anymore.
I remember the end of this, where Gary David Goldberg says, "...it will never happen again..." , but this is the first time I'm seeing (or maybe remembering) this in it's entirety, & I am in tears😢. When a successful series comes to an end, it's not just the cast & fans affected, it's also everyone who worked on & was connected to the show. It was great, but life has to go on. I wish them all the best.
For the very last time we'd be introducing the cast of "FAMILY TIES".
Courtney Cox!
Scott Valentine!
Marc Price!
Brian Bonsall!
Tina Yothers!
Justine Bateman!
Michael J. Fox!
Michael Gross!
And Meridith Baxter Birney!
And our showman,
Gary David Goldberg!
Thanks for seven wonderful years!
I love the way this cast truly cared about each other! Micheal and meredith especially
Awe I loved this show!! I was only 6 when it went off but I remember being sad. They all seemed really close there and everyone was so emotional it made me cry!
FT was a bit before my time but I just finished watching every episode on Netflix and am now crying like a little baby. Gosh, this show was fantastic!
"What would we do, baby, without us"? This was one of the greatest sitcoms of the 80's. A great story about a idealist American family. Also I loved the theme song, the version by Johnny Matthis & Deniece Williams " Without Us'.
On 24 December 1984, I took a flight from SFO to YVR. It originated at LAX and one of the passengers was Michael J. Fox, who was ridiculously famous by then. In the Customs line I watched him step up and hand the lady his passport. Her eyes nearly popped out
So many memories Family ties was one of the best t.v. shows ever
I don't know WHY that in the syndicated version, they would replace this with a generic closing. I think TV finales should be preserved just as they originally aired.
Other sitcoms that ended with a curtain call, are, Mary Tyler Moore, The Bob Newhart Show and Newhart, The Cosby Show,
and Full House.
I always loved when a show would do a curtain call not too many shows do this and am glad to see when they do. I wonder what the first show to do this was
Family ties was one of my favorite shows growing up in the 80s. I have all the dvds
I just finished watching Family Ties. I love so much this show, but I'm sad that this is the end.
At the end of this is like saying goodbye to an old friend 👋🏾,🥲
STILL. I just completed watching the new Michael J. Fox documentary and the final two episode of Family Ties so watching this extra scene was a must.
I always found this last show, so special, and filled with emotions.
A great way to say goodbye, and a honorble sense of farewell.
FT, is the best.
let's go for a remake of family ties
I remember back in the 70's and 80's (maybe some early 90's?) shows did an ending like this...where the cast came out and it was always so touching. I wish shows still did that. I miss that.
Wow this is so awesome! I just randomly watched the final episode OTA and was curious about this particular episode and found this, what a great upload! I used to always watch this show whenever I stayed home sick growing up in the 80s/90s. Thank you for sharing this time capsule!
i remember seeing the final episode. i was a loyal fn and watched it every week. i remember tearing up at the end of the episode. i'm kinda tearing up now.
It's always sad to see good shows come to an end...especially those with a young cast who you literally watch grow up.
I wished it would have ended with Mallory & Nick REALLY getting married!! I LOVED those two together!!!
I did too. Appreciated in the end Steven admitted that he hadn't shown Nick respect after all. Nick was the 1980's counterculture. Steven had to admit that he was now the 'square parent'.
@robinorlowski2449 well it was also because Nick had the IQ of a rock 😂
Im 33 from Argentina, I bought Family Ties dvds some months ago. Im watching it and I'm IN LOVE. The show is just heartwarming and i always end up feeling joyful and happy after eveey episodem I was born on the year it ended and where im from we dont get many tv shows from US (from back then i mean). First time i heard of Family Ties was this year when i stumbled with a nat geo documentary about the 80s. People in US, specifically those who lived throughout the 80s, you are the luckiest people in the world.
Watched the entire series for the first time through Netflix and just finished the final episode. Thanks for posting this! Really moving.
I am 18 and look up to Michael J Fox as a hero, watching this put me at tears also, I wish I lived back then everything there is way better then it is now , I prefer 80s music over any of the music that is played today. Watching this show makes me wish all families were like this but its not that way. All we can do is try to make this world a better place it wont be easy but i say we can do this!! I also know another things the cure is coming soon Mr. Fox will find that cure, I have faith in him
Thank You for the Memories. M J Fox especially. What a great show.
I recorded this on VHS when it aired. I’ll never forget this show and how special it was. Never missed it.
I loved this show while growing up in the 80s. My entire family watched it. I wish my children had a show like this today.
@Jacob Wilkes of course they're old enough to watch. I watched this in elementary school aged.
@Jacob Wilkes oh I meant when I was elementary school aged. Sorry for the confusion,
This happened 30 years ago, but I'm watching it for the first time. Crying like a baby. It's 2020.
Same happened to me, I could never watch the whole series, my parents didn't allow me to spend a lot of time in front of the TV. And so I didn't have the opportunity to watch this last episode among others. I cry like a baby 😢
I just finished watching the show yesterday and I cried so hard. The whole thing about Alex going to New York made me sad, when he said goodbye to his family got me with a tear off my eye, when the whole cast appears and Michael started crying I started crying too, and at the end when everybody (producers, the creator and the actors) says goodbye I cried like a baby, Family Ties it's my favorite show and its ending made me so sad, such good memories of that beautiful show, I learned, laughed and cried a lot with it.
2022. I wasn't even born yet, December 91'. I'm weeping at Michael crying and Meredith holding him.
TV was a very one-way media while I grew up in the 80s/90s. No easy way to learn more about the actors, or to see bloopers, or the back stories unless I bought 3rd party magazines like TV Guide. I was never asked to be a Nielsen family. I was stuck having to watch commercials. I couldn't watch what I wanted, when I wanted it. And there was no comment section. So seeing this final curtain call would've been very cool.
And the arrangement of Without Us brought the last drop of tears in me. Thank you, FamilyTies.
poshhotel, I cried also. I totally agree with you, the 80's was an awesome time for family tv. I was a teen when the finale aired.
I remember when NBC showed a preview of this but i never got to see it til now. Very sad scene.Thanks for posting
I was 13 years when this finale aired. I cried so hard! I loved this show. During the '80s I liked Growing Pains more, now as an adult of 40 I look back at such fondness for this series and it's values. It really was superior. 😭
Great show. I still watch it almost every day.
I can't even finish watching after 2:18. It's too much!
Man, miss t.v. like this!
I've watched every episode so many times, but I've only watched the last 2 episodes once. I don't know if I'll ever watch the end again. I need to believe they all still live together in that house.
Great show!
I was eight years old when it went off and I cried for a week.
+familyofsevendolls i was eight too!
I cried too
you people are lame...
nvkulk you have no feelings
Oh my gosh, Michael J. Fox at 1:31... breaks my heart!!! The best guy in the world. I love him to death!
OMG this show WAS the best!!! The theme song the BEST in sitcom history!!!
katrina sangineto Scott Valentine was a great asset and every girl in my high school crushed on him. Bigly! He did a damn movie with President Trump, called Lucky; & Stamos was in it too! Those were the days. IMBD.com Bee Bopper R.I.P.
My childhood was unhappy. I loved this show. It gave me hope, but I didn’t that at the time. Now 40+ years later I tear up every time I hear the theme song. The Keatons were the best parents ever! ❤
One of the best tv series ever!
I loved this show so much! I miss these days more than anything.
Oh goodness, I was 7 when "Family Ties" went off the air and I remember crying for a week! I'm actually tearing up now!
I was 9 yrs old when this first aired and fell in love , and ill tell anyone unless you were there man you just wont get it !!!!!
The last episode of Family Ties sounded sad to me because Alex was leaving far away from where Family Ties took place, and everybody except Elyse was proud of him for getting the job he applied for in New York City. I don't find it hard to believe that Michael J. Fox lives there in reality.
+Carly Steffen It was kinda sad, but it ended the show strong and was true to the characters. The conflict between Alex and Elyse brought some heavy and realistic drama into Alex leaving home. It wasn't that Elyse wasn't proud of him, she tells him she is. She just had some major mommy issues in seeing her baby boy leave home to move so far away. Alex leaving also signified the beginning of eventually all her children leaving home and Elyse who identified herself so strongly as a mother found it hard to deal with. She also was hurt and upset by the fact that Alex seemed too happy in leaving. They end up talking through their problems in the end. Alex comes to understand her mommy issues and she realizes that because of those issues she didn't see how hard it was for him to leave, and how afraid he is of taking that huge step and possibly failing. In the end Alex and Elyse spend all night before he leaves reminiscing and the rest of the family join them in time to send him off with a group hug.
@@cisio64123 it was the dynamic between Elyse the free spirit who had done her own thing still wanting to cling to her first born baby. And as 'money hungry' as Alex was, he is still the vulnerable little boy who doesn't want his mom to hurt. Many shows fail with their ending bc they change in the end....or just fiz out. They forget themselves and go away. Family Ties remembered who it was up to the last minute. This is why you love watching it years later. Okay there are some moments better than others (how did Andrew age?) but overall its a strong series
@@robinorlowski2449 Agree the writers knew their characters and stuck faithfully to them right to the end. The conflict between mother and son here was very true to who they were crafted to be. It was realistic of how hard this transition was on both of them because of their paticular bond that had been built up on the series. True to that bond they loved each other too much to leave their issues unresolved.
@@robinorlowski2449 So true. The writers never forgot the characters that had been created and what made them so beloved in the first place. Even this conflict was indeed in character for Alex and Elyse . Elyse as the loving mama bear would have a hard time with this transition and letting her baby go thus would be moody and unable to support it . Alex due to their bond would be hurt by his mothers inability to support him in making such a huge step in his life. It also was true to their bond and love for each other that they couldn't end things that way and hashed things out. Being so true to the characters made this series so great right up to the very end.
Sad watching Michael J. Fox welling up in tears and Meredith Baxter Birney comforting, hugging and kissing him. The two had a really great bond together.
@briansam2524 It was revealed that Meredith would often pick up Michael J. Fox and bring him to the set and give him a ride home during the early seasons of the show. And a secret Meredith kept hidden from the entire cast and crew is that she was being abused by her then husband so the safety net for her was also over so to speak at the time. 😢♥🙏📺
Michael J Fox became a huge movie star after family ties. Great show. Remember it well
😢😢
I only came here because I couldn’t find this ending in streaming service r syndication
Thank you soooo much for posting this clip!!!
It was definitely bitter sweet when #FamilyTies ended back in 1989. I was sad 😢 that I was losing a part of my youth.
I’m not crying, you’re crying. MJF was the epitome of being grateful. He never asked for a raise or top billing and was gracious to everyone.
Michael J. Fox was a class act. Well, he still is. He is one of a few that are very humble and exhibits class.
i still tear up when i see this
Wow our society has changed in the 20 years since this show ended. Is it possible to get back to this, or is it forever gone?!
the best family show ever
they should do this for every big show that ends (televised)
It's heartbreaking to see Michael so broken but it's also a gorgeous moment to witness between him and Meredith. She felt him. She know he needed a hug, she knew he needed another moment to cry and break down and let it out and she ignored everything that was going on around them just to be with him, follow through this moment with him, for him. I don't have and don't want a relationship with my own mother so it's incredibly moving to watch a mother and child who are not bound nor defined by genetics but are bound by choice. And love. You could tell that they're so deep in that moment with all the noise and all the lights and yet it's just the two of them. And it's just stunning. What a gift.
That is a cast that truly loved each other, a lot like CHEERS damn to be a part of something so flippling awesome. 20 something years later I am still in awe!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I turned 40 this year and watched FAMILY TIES for most of the original run. "A, My Name is Alex" and this episode were tough to watch. I taped them both. Classic show, a product of its time.
This was the very first official series finale I watched on television
It's the first series finale that I remember watching. It was one of the best I ever seen. Little did I know that the next year, I would be treated to THE greatest series finale of all time (Newhart).
@@trevorbarnhill3399 The first series finale I remember watching was Happy Days. This was a follow up.
I watched this final episode when it aired and remember crying so hard when Michael J. Fox and Meredith became emotional. There never has been a show like this since.
Michael is still my all time fav actor 😘🥰💕
I would love to say that just to see Michael J. Fox's reaction--lol probably spot on
Me and my Mon, this was BY FAR our favorite show. She saw a lot of Alex in me. We watched this religiously, we would even turn a hockey game off or have it on a different set so we would not miss it. We loved watching it together. Sadly my Mom never got to see this, she died in Nov 1989, I was 16 and she was 47. I am now 46. She would be very upset if she saw how Michael got sick and I often wonder what she would think of me since I am transgender. Kind of a role reversal with Meredith I guess. We loved the show.
You mother loved you and I am sure she is proud of you no matter what. You are still you inside even transgendered
Thank you so much. You made me cry.Thank you Bless you@@love_agapi_m3976