80s Love: The Cast Of Family Ties, Then And Now

Brian Bonsall Became A Musician

During the show, Bonsall was a child actor who hadn’t even reached his tenth birthday. While he could have potentially had a long career ahead of him in film, he retired from the industry in 1994 and decided to go to high school and leave the acting world, pursuing a career as a musician. He was arrested in 2001 for a DUI, and again in 2007 for assaulting his then-girlfriend. After violating the terms of his probation he’s been in and out of jail.

The Show’s Ratings In The Mid ’80s Were Nearly Unmatched

The first two seasons of the show were difficult. The show barely eked into the top 50 on TV and they switched their day and time so often it was hard to find any good ratings. But from seasons three to five, the show hit its stride. It finished inside the top 5 for ratings in each of those years, peaking at number 2.