Family originally aired beginning March 9th 1976 with the final episode airing June 25th 1980, having a total of 86 episodes.

This series explored the lives of the Lawrence family of Pasadena California, consisting of father Doug Lawrence (James Broderick) and mother Kate (Sada Thompson) and their children, recently divorced daughter Nancy (Elayne Heilveil in season one and thereafter Meredith Baxter-Birney), their intelligent and artistic, yet underachieving son Willie (Gary Frank), and the sometimes childlike, sometimes well beyond her years, baby of the family, Letitia 'Buddy' Lawrence (Kristy McNichol). Throughout it all this family comes together to face the challenges of life, loving and supporting one another through good times and bad.

This multiple award winning drama was a true innovator on tv and was well ahead of its time. During an era when police and action series dominated the television landscape this quiet, intelligent drama must have seemed like a small oasis in the never-ending drone of noise that was 1970s tv. With smart scripts, a top-notch group of ensemble actors at the core and solid directing throughout Family would become a standard for television dramas for many years to follow. Not only was the show's overall quality exceptional but also it would often take on difficult or controversial subjects for storylines, subjects that most other programs wouldn't have dared. Subjects such as cancer, death, sexuality and homosexuality were only a few of the topics that this innovative series touched on. Ending after just five short seasons, Family nonetheless left a very tall yardstick for all subsequent dramas to measure up to.

This was Kristy McNichol's second television series and the program that really gave her the opportunity to grow and develop as a young artist. Regularly in the center of the story, her character 'Buddy' was quite often allowed to tackle subject matter and to go places that young actresses of her age were rarely permitted. Family was also the series that earned Kristy both of her Emmy® Awards and opened up an entire new world of opportunities to her. To many fans of this actress Family will always be the program that she will be most fondly remembered, and with good reason. Throughout the run of this innovative series we watched her grow from awkward tomboyish teen to an intelligent, capable and beautiful young woman, a transformation that we followed and could relate with every week. Family would truly be one of Kristy McNichol's finest efforts and a very worthy entry in the annals of the history of television.

Buying note: This show is now available from Sony® Pictures Home Entertainment in a 6 DVD boxed set that includes the entire first and second seasons (28 episodes in total). While there are no special features the sound has been re-mastered in high definition Dolby® digital.

5-6-2007