Family (1976–1980)

The joys and heartaches of the Lawrence family of Pasadena, California.

Creator:

Jay Presson Allen

Stars:

Sada Thompson, James Broderick, Gary Frank

Nominated for 7 Golden Globes. Another 9 wins & 18 nominations.

Cast

Series cast summary:
Sada Thompson	...	Kate Lawrence (86 episodes, 1976-1980)
James Broderick	...	Doug Lawrence (86 episodes, 1976-1980)
Gary Frank	...	Willie Lawrence (86 episodes, 1976-1980)
Kristy McNichol	...	Letitia 'Buddy' Lawrence (86 episodes, 1976-1980)
Meredith Baxter	...	Nancy Lawrence Maitland (59 episodes, 1976-1980)
Quinn Cummings	...	Annie Cooper (36 episodes, 1978-1980)

Storyline

The trials and tribulations, joyous occasions and heartbreaking moments of the Lawrence family: lawyer father Doug, housewife Kate, married (and quickly divorced) daughter Nancy, teenage son Willie and just-hitting-puberty daughter Buddy. In this critically acclaimed series, we watched various Lawrences fight, fall in love, become ill, graduate school, begin new jobs and, most of all, love each other.

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Plot Keywords:

california | pasadena california | family relationships | brother sister relationship | marriage | 

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Genres:

Drama | Family

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Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

9 March 1976 (USA)

Also Known As:

Eine amerikanische Familie

Filming Locations:

20th Century Fox Studios - 10201 Pico Blvd., Century City, Los Angeles, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Spelling-Goldberg Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

60 min 60 min (86 episodes)

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

'Linda Palmer' was credited as "Linda Weintraub" for episodes 11 (2.4) and 12 (2.5) "Jury Duty" Parts 1 and 2, because in 1976 "Weintraub" was her married name.

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Crazy Credits

Timmy Maitland was played by twins Michael Schackelford and David Schackelford. The end credits are listed on various episodes as either Michael David Schackelford or Michael and David Schackelford.

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Connections

Featured in America's Teenagers Growing Up on Television (1998)

User Reviews

An hour with the Lawrences made for TV time well spent

I first caught this show in re-runs on Lifetime and WOR 9 from New York in the late 80's, and I taped as many episodes as I could manage. I greatly admire the production values and story lines this frequently mawkish, yet unflinchingly progressive piece of late 70's serial TV "dramedy" had to offer in virtually every episode of it's four-year run. All of the key players were exceptional actors, and made for riveting television that has been largely taken for granted. With so much bunk arriving weekly on DVD, Columbia/TrisStar should really pick up the ball on this project and start compiling a comprehensive DVD collection while Sada Thompson and the rest of the crew are still with us, and can offer insightful reminiscence on a long-overdue and much-needed addition to the growing list of good and bad television shows available on DVD.