At first, 'Family Ties' seemed to just be a wonderful project of its time. These were the Reagan years, the new conservatism. Alex P. Keaton quickly became the Fonzie of the '80s, so it seemed very much a product of its time. But I soon began to realize that it went far beyond that. These great family shows transcend whatever time they are in.
When I was doing 'Family Ties,' I was not quite that mellow as a real father. In fact, my wife used to call me Captain Von Trapp from 'The Sound of Music.' I tended to be a little more authoritarian. I had been a very disciplined child myself, so I made the mistake of thinking one size fits all.
