Family Ties: From Hippies to Yuppies

On September 22, 1982, a new show debuted on NBC. It felt like a throwback to the family sitcoms of yesteryear, but, at the same time, felt like a big risk...

The early 1980s seemed to be a time when the family sitcom had disappeared. Primetime TV at the time was all about dramas, and the popular sitcoms were shows like M.A.S.H and Three's Company.

The new NBC show came out to little fanfare and barely had an audience in its first season. It was the same thing for the second season. But in the third season, things were about to explode...

Thanks to a renewed interest in family sitcoms--not to mention its young breakout star from Canada--primetime network TV was about to change forever.

Full House, Growing Pains, Who's the Boss, Perfect Strangers, Family Matters, Home Improvement--they might not have ever happened if it wasn't for this show...

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