than the new jerusalem. you're a young man. you shouldn't be worried about success. you should be thinking about hopping on a tramp steamer and going around the world. the '60s are over, dad. thanks for the tip. bianculli: you weren't laughing at michael j. fox's character for being too conservative. you were actually laughing at the parents for being too hopelessly liberal. what is this? i found it in the shower. that's generic brand shampoo. ah! this is him. this is the guy i've been telling you about. this is everything you'd want in a president. troy: the genius of "family ties" is it allows a kind of youthful reaganite to emerge that's focused more on the future, that's focused more on the a critique of the '60s. levine: michael j. fox as alex keaton really became the center of the show. and writers were smart enough to see that they had something special and they wrote to that.