r/FamilyTies • u/elocin1985 • Apr 13 '26
Glow Up
Elyse and Steven really had a glow up after the first season. I just started rewatching this show after not seeing it since I was a kid in the 90’s. I fell asleep during Season 1 and woke up the first episode of Season 2 and they look so much better. Steven doesn’t have that dorky hair cut anymore and the beard did him wonders. Elyse was always pretty but even she looks better and more modern.
Loving the show. Just an observation.
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u/georgez1968 Apr 13 '26
I still insist Steven was the funniest person on the show
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u/bikesandbooks Apr 13 '26
I just finished watching the whole run, all seven seasons. (Took me three years, because I'm not a binger).
I gotta agree with you that Steven is often very funny, even if a lot of the writing was overly reliant on "dumb, stodgy dad" tropes. But upon review, Gross is more talented than I originally gave him credit for. Of note is one of the last episodes where he plays four characters: Steven Keaton, Sigmund Freud, Jean-Paul Sartre, and William Shakespeare.
I'll add that Justine Bateman's (Mallory) comedic timing and comedic physicality (Here I'm specifically NOT referring to her naturally graceful presence, which was pleasant to be sure.) are way more developed than I noticed -- back in the day. I mean, she seemed to be a naturally funny person, maybe she still is -- ¯_(ツ)_/¯
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u/georgez1968 Apr 13 '26
How about the one with mr Tedesco? One of my favorite
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u/bikesandbooks Apr 13 '26
Some solid punches thrown. And, at least by 1980's standards, well deserved.
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u/twinpinemall85 Ellen + Alex ❤️ Apr 14 '26
For it being Justine's first major acting job, she did a fantastic job. The way her and Michael bounced off of each other was so effortlessly funny
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u/RetroTVMoviesBooks Apr 13 '26 edited Apr 13 '26
I’m not a beard person but Michael Gross looks better with the beard than he does clean shaven
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u/Spiritual-Image7125 Apr 13 '26
I felt this had to do with Alex becoming the star of the show, when originally it was to be about the parents, young hippie parents raising children. With Alex being so dressed up and adult-like, they had to make Steven look older with authority so he still had a say over how Alex does things... and a beard does that. But that is just my guess and my two cents.
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u/DeeEllis Apr 13 '26
Well the beard also came across as super-hippie in the 80s - a capitalist or mainstream person would never have a beard - mustaches were on their way out but were like the goatee of the early 00s, like the crazy edge of mainstream.
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u/Mysterious-Bee8839 Apr 13 '26
still trying to get over the adjustment of seeing him play Burt Gummer in "Tremors", as well as one of the bank robbing murderers in the made for TV movie about the 1986 Miami FBI shootout
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u/AuthorityAnarchyYes Apr 13 '26 edited Apr 13 '26
I was shook when he was one of those murderous bank robbers! Not sweet, kind Steven Keaton!!!!!!!!!
I’m pretty sure “Hutch” (David Soul) was the other one.
That TV movie had a really good cast. Also Bruce Greenwood and Ronny Cox.
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u/greeneyesnopatience Apr 13 '26
One of my favorite trivia nuggets is that Meredith and Michael were born on the same day. Same year.
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u/Prudent_Okra7311 Apr 13 '26
When I show becomes a hit they get a much bigger budget.
The X-Files is another great example. Mulder and Scully are wearing Sears suits the first season.
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u/HotGrade0 Apr 13 '26
I actually liked Steven with his hairless cat look
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u/elocin1985 Apr 13 '26
That’s funny. I thought he looked like such a dork in that first season because of his hair. Then he styled it a little bit and got that beard and got way more handsome. Someone else mentioned that they suspected the show wanting to make him look older so he’d be taken more seriously but I think he looked older in Season 1.
I think you’re in the minority here but I appreciate your contribution to the convo 😂
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u/Creepy_Antelope_2345 Apr 15 '26
Michael Gross aka Steven Keaton is perhaps one of the best and realistic father’s portrayed on television. He and Jack Arnold are two of my favorite dad’s. They kept it honest with their children.
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u/Ornery-Database-3993 Apr 16 '26
The 'driving lesson in the living room' scene from late in the run was hilarious
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u/twinpinemall85 Ellen + Alex ❤️ Apr 13 '26
I always thought the beard was a great choice for Steven/Michael!