Family | |
---|---|
Created by | Jay Presson Allen |
Starring | |
Opening theme | John Rubinstein |
Country of origin | United States |
Original language | English |
No. of seasons | 5 |
No. of episodes | 86 (list of episodes) |
Production | |
Executive producers | |
Camera setup | Single-camera |
Running time | 50 minutes |
Production companies |
|
Original release | |
Network | ABC |
Release | March 9, 1976 – June 25, 1980 |
Familyis an American television drama series that aired on ABC from March 9, 1976, to June 25, 1980. It was conceived as a six-episode limited series, [1] but initial high ratings led to the production of 86 weekly episodes. Creative control of the show was split among executive producers Leonard Goldberg, Aaron Spelling and Mike Nichols.
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.
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. 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 .
Season | Episodes | Originally aired | ||
---|---|---|---|---|
First aired | Last aired | |||
1 | 6 | March 9, 1976 | April 13, 1976 | |
2 | 22 | October 6, 1976 | May 3, 1977 | |
3 | 23 | September 13, 1977 | May 16, 1978 | |
4 | 22 | September 21, 1978 | May 17, 1979 | |
5 | 13 | December 11, 1979 | June 25, 1980 |
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 National Parent-Teacher Association consistently praised the series. 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 the bottom of the chart. [10]
Although Family earned solid ratings and a loyal following, ABC was criticized for failing to promote the show; the network never aired summer reruns, which could have expanded its audience. [11] In an interview before 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.
Season | Time slot (ET) | Rank | Rating |
---|---|---|---|
1975–76 | Tuesdays 10 p.m. | 34 [16] | N/A |
1976–77 | Tuesdays 10 p.m. | 39 [17] | N/A |
1977–78 | Tuesdays 10 p.m. | 31 [18] | 19.8 |
1978–79 | Thursdays 10 p.m. (Sep 1978-Mar 1979) Fridays 8 p.m. (Apr-May 1979) | 52 [19] | N/A |
1979–80 | Mondays 10 p.m. (Jan-Feb 1980) Mondays 9 p.m. (Mar 1980) Wednesdays 8 p.m. (June 1980) | 61 [20] | N/A |
Year | Award | Category | Work | Result | Ref. |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1976 | Directors Guild of America Awards | Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Dramatic Series | Glenn Jordan (for "Rites of Friendship") | Won | [21] |
1977 | E. W. Swackhamer (for "Acts of Love: Parts 1 and 2") | Nominated | [22] | ||
1976 | Golden Globe Awards | Best Television Series – Drama | Nominated | [23] | |
Best Actress in a Television Series – Drama | Sada Thompson | Nominated | |||
1977 | Best Television Series – Drama | Nominated | |||
1978 | Nominated | ||||
Best Actress in a Television Series – Drama | Kristy McNichol | Nominated | |||
Sada Thompson | Nominated | ||||
1979 | Nominated | ||||
1976 | Humanitas Prize | 60 Minute Network or Syndicated Television | Jay Presson Allen (for "Pilot") | Nominated | [24] |
Nigel Evan McKeand and Carol Evan McKeand (for "A Right and Proper Goodbye") | Nominated | ||||
1978 | David Jacobs and Carol Evan McKeand (for "Annie Laurie") | Won | |||
Carol Evan McKeand (for "The Princess in the Tower") | Nominated | ||||
1980 | Sally Robinson (for "Thanksgiving") | Won | |||
1977 | Primetime Emmy Awards | Outstanding Drama Series | Leonard Goldberg, Nigel McKeand, Mike Nichols, and Aaron Spelling | Nominated | [25] |
Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series | Sada Thompson | Nominated | |||
Outstanding Continuing Performance by a Supporting Actor in a Drama Series | Gary Frank (for "Lovers and Strangers") | Won | |||
Outstanding Continuing Performance by a Supporting Actress in a Drama Series | Meredith Baxter Birney | Nominated | |||
Kristy McNichol | Won | ||||
1978 | Outstanding Drama Series | Leonard Goldberg, Nigel McKeand, and Aaron Spelling | Nominated | ||
Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series | James Broderick | Nominated | |||
Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series | Sada Thompson | Won | |||
Outstanding Continuing Performance by a Supporting Actress in a Drama Series | Meredith Baxter Birney | Nominated | |||
Kristy McNichol | Nominated | ||||
Outstanding Lead Actor for a Single Appearance in a Drama or Comedy Series | John Rubinstein (for "And Baby Makes Three") | Nominated | |||
Outstanding Film Editing for a Drama Series | Jim Faris (for "Acts of Love: Part 1") | Nominated | |||
1979 | Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series | Sada Thompson | Nominated | ||
Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series | Kristy McNichol | Won | |||
1980 | Outstanding Drama Series | Leonard Goldberg, Aaron Spelling, and Edward Zwick | Nominated | ||
Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series | Kristy McNichol | Nominated | |||
Sada Thompson | Nominated | ||||
1979 | Young Artist Awards | Best Juvenile Actress in a TV Series or Special | Quinn Cummings | Nominated | [26] |
Kristy McNichol | Nominated | ||||
1980 | Best Young Actress in a Television Series | Quinn Cummings | Won | [27] |
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