Family (1976 TV series)

Family depicted what was, for its time, a contemporary traditional family with realistic, believable characters.[2] The show starred Sada Thompson and James Broderick as Kate and Doug Lawrence, an upper-middle-class couple living at 1230 Holland Street in Pasadena, California, with their three children: Nancy (portrayed by Elayne Heilveil in the original miniseries, then by Meredith Baxter Birney), Willie (Gary Frank) and Letitia, nicknamed "Buddy" (Kristy McNichol). Their fourth child, Timmy, died five years before the first season, at age 10, in a boating accident.

Family raised the profiles of all its main actors. In particular, it catapulted Kristy McNichol and Meredith Baxter Birney to stardom.

• Kate is practical and rational. She is motivated to do what is right, even if it makes her unpopular ("Jury Duty"). An accomplished full-time homemaker, she resents people telling her she could have attained more in life ("Home Movie"). After expressing frustration with the monotony of her existence, she returns to college as a music major and joins the faculty at Buddy's high school in season 4.
• Doug is a calm, steadfast lawyer who aspires to be a judge, although he never uses his intellect to make others feel inferior. He listens to and values his wife (although they grapple with issues such as Doug's past infidelity and occasional workaholism) and always makes time for his children.
• Willie is an aspiring writer. He secures his parents' permission to take a year off after high school to write a screenplay, but to his father's chagrin, drops out completely. (In the pilot, Doug lambastes Willie for having "an IQ of 140, and not using any of it".) He pursues work, assisting in a photography studio, an advertising agency and at a TV show called "The Dame Game," but eventually quits. His frequent romantic affairs drive most of the episodes involving his character.
• Younger daughter Buddy (Letitia) is a tomboy, although she sometimes considers adopting a more feminine appearance ("Coming of Age"). She is a loyal friend, compassionate toward others, and well-liked by her classmates. She has a habit of walking into a room where adults are discussing something confidential and demanding to know what is transpiring. She usually seeks her mother's help when faced with a dilemma. Kate often calls her by the nickname "Tizzylish". Willie has a close relationship with Buddy, who he calls "Peaches".
• Eldest daughter Nancy Lawrence Maitland's move back home with her young son, Timmy (portrayed by siblings Michael and David Shackelford), is the catalyst of the pilot. She does so after catching her husband, Jeff Maitland (played by John Rubinstein), in bed with another woman. They divorce soon after, and Nancy enrolls in law school.
• In season 4, eleven-year-old Andrea "Annie" Cooper (Quinn Cummings) is adopted by the family after her biological parents, Kate and Doug's college friends, are killed in a car accident. Annie excels academically and strives to fit in with her new family and classmates at school, not always with success.

Storylines were often topical. In the first episode, Nancy walks in on her husband Jeff having sex with one of her friends. Other storylines include Kate's possible breast cancer and Buddy's dilemmas about whether to have sex; she always chooses to wait. Several episodes included stories about gay characters; in 1976's "Rites of Friendship", Willie's childhood friend is arrested in a gay bar, while 1977's "We Love You, Miss Jessup" deals with Buddy's friendship with a lesbian teacher. Family also contends with alcoholism (Doug's sister; Buddy's friend) and dementia: a 1979 episode directed by Joanne Woodward guest-stars Henry Fonda as Doug's father, James Lawrence, who is beginning to experience cognitive decline. Two years later, Fonda won an Academy Award for playing a similar character in On Golden Pond.

The initial showrunners of Family were Nigel McKeand and Carol Evan McKeand, who previously had been writers for The Waltons. After the fourth season, the McKeands departed[3] and were replaced by Edward Zwick, who went on to produce the acclaimed series thirtysomething, My So-Called Life and Once and Again.

Exterior shots of the Lawrence family home were filmed at 1230 Milan Avenue in South Pasadena, California.[4]

Family attracted widespread critical acclaim during its original run. TV critics called the show a rare quality offering in ABC's schedule, which included Happy Days, Laverne & Shirley and other Spelling-Goldberg productions such as Charlie's Angels and Fantasy Island.[5][6]

Despite its occasional adult themes, the series was consistently praised by the National Parent-Teacher Association. In February 1979, the PTA said Family contained "good parenting lessons" and "slightly controversial" but "excellent" content,[7] recommending it for viewing by teens and older.

In the fourth season, some critics took issue with the show's direction. In February 1979, Noel Holston of the Orlando Sentinel called Family "ABC's most prestigious program" but claimed "the producers' crisis-of-the-week approach is starting to strain the series' credibility."[8] Some critics complained that Family, like many TV shows of the period, had become too reliant on sex-related plots.[9] In spring 1979, ABC shifted the show to Friday nights at 8 p.m. Eastern, and its previously solid ratings dropped to near the bottom of the chart.[10]

Although Family earned solid ratings and a loyal following, ABC was criticized for failing to promote the show, such as never airing summer reruns, which could have expanded its audience.[11] In an interview ahead of Family's final season, star Sada Thompson called the network "capricious" and the lack of repeats "most unusual".[12] In December 1979, former showrunners Nigel McKeand and Carol Evan McKeand said, "We worked on that show for 4 1/2 years and there wasn't a day during that time that we felt the network (ABC) gave a damn."[13]

Seven years after the series ended, it was widely reported that a Family Reunion TV movie was planned for the 1987–88 season.[14] At least one report indicated that if the movie's ratings were strong enough, the series would be revived for the current ABC schedule.[15] The plot was to involve the Lawrence children gathering for Kate's remarriage. (James Broderick had died of cancer in 1982.) But the 1988 writers' strike halted production, and the project was abandoned.

• 1976 in American television

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Family.

• Family at IMDb
• DVD release planned