Family Ties was a popular 80's sitcom. The premise for the show was the clash of the idealistic 60's and the conservative 80's. Elyse Keaton, played by Meredith Baxter, and Steve Keaton, played by Michael Gross, were activists in the 60's who married and settled down in an Ohio suburb. Both dropped their activistism and became an architect and TV producer respectively. The 80's conservatism can be seen in their son, Alex Keaton, played by Michael J. Fox. He is a proponent for Reagan-omics, William Buckley, and is a stock market wizard. Much of the show's humor is derived from this and it led to Fox's Emmy Awards. Mallory Keaton is played by Justine Bateman. Mallory is considered a dense girl who is only concerned with fashion and her boyfriend, Nick. Jennifer Keaton, played by Tina Yothers, was a nobody and was deprived of lines and character development. They had a neighbor named Skip played by Marc Price, who was also a nobody. The show did very well and is currently in syndication.