Gary David Goldberg, Creator of ‘Family Ties,’ Dies at 68

NYT ^ | 6/24/2013 | BRUCE WEBER

[Borges]

Gary David Goldberg, a writer and producer who created warmhearted television shows, most notably “Family Ties,” a leading comedy of the 1980s that propelled Michael J. Fox to stardom, died Sunday at his home in Montecito, Calif. He was 68.

The cause was brain cancer, said his daughter Shana Silveri.

Mr. Goldberg came to writing relatively late, after a peripatetic young adulthood in the 1960s and early ’70s that involved dropping out of colleges, waiting on tables in Greenwich Village, hitchhiking around the world with the girlfriend who would become his wife and starting a day care center with her in Northern California.

The rebellious flower child sensibility that informed these adventures was the spur for “Family Ties,” which captured the culture clash between parents of the hippie generation and children growing up during the Reagan administration.

[fieldmarshaldj]

RIP.

[Obadiah]

Family Ties became a hit simply because it accidentally made fun of kooky liberals. They developed this somewhat as a more pronounced theme which led to it's greater success and then sharply backed away from making fun of liberals towards the end of the series run. In fact, they appeared rather repentant near the very end and that's why the show went into decline, because they lost that edge that made fun of liberals and it just became another dumb sitcom.

[Borges]

It was also the first nuclear family on TV in a long time.

[Rides_A_Red_Horse]

In fact, they appeared rather repentant near the very end and that's why the show went into decline, because they lost that edge that made fun of liberals and it just became another dumb sitcom.

---

On one of the last shows, Alex tried to talk his dumb friend out of joining the Marines. The friend “Boner” explained that he wasn't smart, like Alex. Alex could do anything but he was so dumb that the Marines was his best choice.

The narrow mindedness of liberals shouldn't surprise me anymore...

[mknj]

I think you may be combining Family Ties and Growing Pains.

[Nik Naym]

Me thinks you are mixing together a couple of different shows.

But your point is still valid and correct.

[Rides_A_Red_Horse]

Could be. I pretty much quit watching TV when I reached High School.

[drjimmy]

Family Ties became a hit simply because it accidentally made fun of kooky liberals.

As with those who claim All in the Family "accidentally" made fun of kooky liberals (Meathead and Gloria, primarily), there was nothing accidental about it. The creators/writers/producers of these shows wanted the largest audience possible, so they put out a product that both liberals and conservatives would watch, while still tipping the scale toward liberalism.

Note that I used the past tense. In today's much more fractured television landscape, it is all about audience segmentation, so appealing to demographic slices (and their purchasing power) is what matters on TV today.

[murron]

I always thought that it was ironic that the Mom and Dad were supposed to be this liberal couple living conservative family values. Their kids weren’t on drugs, didn’t smoke, were respectful to their parents, and had strict rules to follow, which they did. The parents were loving to each other and were faithful to each other, held down respectful jobs, and on and on.

[Borges]

It’s good dramatic art to see the flaws (and virtues)in every character. BTW Goldberg created a show called ‘Brooklyn Bridge’ (set in the early 1960s) which was wonderful and would certainly appeal to conservatives. It lasted barely two years.

[Buffalo Bob]

Family Ties was just another liberal puke-fest against conservative values in America.

[Charles Henrickson]

Goldberg created a show called ‘Brooklyn Bridge’ (set in the early 1960s) which was wonderful and would certainly appeal to conservatives. It lasted barely two years.

"Brooklyn Bridge" was one of my favorite shows. It reminded me so much of my own childhood growing up in my mostly Jewish neighborhood in Chicago in the '50s-'60s.

[Borges]

How so? The conservative character eventually became the most sympathetic character and the center of the show.