Michael J. Fox to Lead his Own NBC Series
Michael J. Fox, who became a star in the early 1980s via NBC's Family Ties, will be returning to the network some 30 years later in a new as yet untitled comedy series.
NBC announced the deal early Monday evening after the Peacock, ABC, CBS and Fox all reportedly were involved in a bidding war for his services. Earlier reports also say that Fox has found a blend of medications that have helped him to curb the tremors from his Parkinson's Disease, with which he was diagnosed in 1991. He disclosed the illness publicly in 1998 while starring in ABC's Spin City. Fox then left that series in 2000, and was replaced by Charlie Sheen.
NBC said it has ordered 22 episodes of Fox's new series, which is set to premiere in fall 2013. He'll play a New York-based husband and father of three "dealing with family, career and challenges — including Parkinson's — all loosely drawn from his real life," the network says.
"I'm extremely pleased to be back at NBC with a great creative team and a great show," Fox said in a publicity release. The show's executive producers are Will Gluck (Friends with Benefits, The Loop) and Sam Laybourne (Cougar Town, Arrested Development).
Fox came to fame as kid conservative Alex P. Keaton on Family Ties, winning three Emmys for the role. The character had a picture of William F. Buckley over his bed. Fox stayed with the series for its entire 1982-'89 run.
Family Ties gave NBC a three-wheeled juggernaut on Thursday nights, in tandem The Cosby Show and Cheers. With Bill Cosby's sitcom the driving force, the shows ranked one-two-three in the 1986-'87 TV season, with Family Ties in the runner-up spot ahead of Cheers.
In recent years Fox has appeared in Boston Legal, Rescue Me and The Good Wife (above). He received Emmy nominations for all three recurring roles, winning the statue for his performance in Rescue Me. Fox also has four lead actor Emmys — three for his work on Family Ties, and one for Spin City. In just a few weeks he'll have an opportunity to add one or two more to his collection, thanks to nominations for Guest Actor in a Drama Series and Guest Actor in a Comedy Series for roles on The Good Wife and Curb Your Enthusiasm, respectively. The 2012 Emmy Awards air Sept. 23.
Read more by Ed Bark at unclebarky.com