Mister_D_Loomis Just recently caught many of the episodes on Decades TV weekend binge. When the show was on in the late 70's I never watched it because it wasn't a comedy and it was an hour (a whole hour!) and I was a kid.Now that 40 years have passed I was delighted to find it as well preserved and as timeless as it is. The stories are well written, characters are well-rounded and intelligent but fallible and realistic. Although set in the very familiar 70's the content of the stories are adaptable to any generation since. Family is one of those shows that is very easy to binge watch. Watching the children grow up in the same time-frame in which we all grew up at the same time is definitely the draw for me and each episode offers something or someone interesting. Whether it's the styles of the time or the endless guest stars who went on to more notable careers of their own, this show is a gem.

easyasdell Black kid with Irish and Native American ancestry born in early 70's & grew up in "metropolitan" city in North Carolina. I loved this show...still do. Mom Kate reminds me of my own mom, although mine dressed less conservatively. Mom loved that Kate wasn't svelte, but still attractive as a lead actress, much like herself. Kate & my mom had the same aloofness, but my mom was more outwardly affectionate. Rules were made & adhered to...kids deferred to their parents, but were allowed to speak their minds, within reason. Mostly caught this show in syndication during summers in the 80's. I thought Kate & Doug had a great dynamic. Gary Frank's Willie-a great big ham in & out of character but believable & very much of his time. Good looking, self-assured, and finding himself. I got a bi-vibe from his portrayal of Willie, but that's just my take on things. He and Season Hubley played very well together as a couple. Nancy-not MBB's best role, but very believable and played frankly. Buddy was Kristy's best acting job hands down...she slept walked through "Summer of My German Soldier, allowing Esther Rolle to walk away with the movie & the Emmy-even in her supporting role. I haven't seen Kristy in much since that was worth writing home about, but she was outstanding as Buddy. I believe that Buddy may have been closest to her real self, and that's why she played so easily against other lead characters...just my take on things. James Broderick as Doug was a tender and subtle actor, playing straight man and confidante to Kate & his kids...a real pro-you knew he'd walked the walk with his own "Family". Sada Thompson was the greatest!!!!! She was attractive, intelligent, witty, elegant, and the perfect foil to her children's storehouse of tricks---especially Nancy's. I loved how gently she let down her recently divorced neighbor-Howard Stone-who had romantic delusions about Kate. From the long exterior shot when she briefly lands home & pleads with Doug "not to go away", to her arrival on Howard's front stoop and rear yard, she plays it with total class...such an elegant and refined woman. She knew that acting involved far more than mere dialogue. Can't say enough how much I still enjoy watching this well played and well written family drama. Nothing compares to it these days...nothing! I hope it comes back in syndication-METV or elsewhere. Sada Thompson and Esther Rolle were probably the best actresses on television during that time, and remind me so very much of my own mother and grandmother's-except mine were prettier, for what that's worth. They had grace, style-when allowed, and could deliver the most subtle and moving dialogue with profound subtlety. Thanks for indulging me folks! -easyasdell

lbjca I sure can't understand why they ever hired Elaine Heilveil to play Nancy. I thought she was really boring. She was a terrible actress and not attractive to look at that is for sure. The show became a hit once they fired Elaine, which was an excellent choice they made. I really liked Meredith, she was not only beautiful to look at, but she added spark to the roll of playing Nancy. Obviously Meredith has had an excellent career, where I really never saw Elaine in anything else for which I'm grateful. I really do believe if they had kept Heilveil, the show would have never become the hit it became. I don't recall seeing a show like this where they fired an actress as I heard they did Heilveil, the producers obviously saw what I saw, it's too bad they didn't see this before hiring her in the first place though.

gwenny3080 So for many years, I remembered a show I use to watch as a small child (I was born in 1980). For the life of me, I remembered only the theme song, the word "Family" in the title, and Kristy McNichol being in the cast. The show was on (in syndication) WSMH TV 66 here around 84-86. I owe thanks to VH1 for recently running the 100 famous teen stars in which Ms. McNichol and this wonderful show were mentioned. I am happy to know that my mind wasn't playing tricks on me and that this show really existed. I loved this show as a child and my family use to watch it together. It was a great time back then, when family actually did things as a family. I remembered eating dinner and finishing up just in time to watch this show. They (TVLand) need to bring this back so that my nieces and nephews can enjoy this classic also.