TVSquad

It's Father's Day. Dad's day of the year. Earlier this week, I took the AOL TV Dad's Quiz, like Debra, and I was reminded of the variety of fathers on the tube. I think I have a unique take on TV dads. My own died when I was just eight, so I tend to admire those characters that remind me of him. For that reason, the pipe-smoking, cardigan sweater wearing Jim Anderson on Father Knows Best doesn't ring true; neither does the coarse Archie Bunker of All in the Family.

So, here's my five favorite sitcom dads, the ones I related to the most. That means I've excluded single dads and animated dads. That means Hank Hill, Homer Simpson, Peter Griffin and Fred Flintstone are ineligible for my list. Also, this is strictly sitcom pops.

She's trying one more time. That'll make it three attempts, but who's counting. Three attempts since the new century, that is. Anyway, the point is that Geena Davis's new police drama, Exit 19, has been greenlighted by CBS. The Oscar-winning actress (for The Accidental Tourist), is going from playing the first female president on Commander in Chief, to an eccentric New York homicide detective who's also raising two kids -- sans spouse -- in suburban Long Island.

There's going to be a new lady swinging down Wisteria Lane this spring. Entertainment Tonight reported that Justine Bateman has signed onto Desperate Housewives for a few episodes. The actress, who will forever be remembered for playing Alex P. Keaton -- Michael J. Fox's -- sister Mallory on Family Ties, will be playing "a hip artist living with Gabby and Carlos."

Reunions are hot, you know? On February 12, for example, Oprah reunited (most of) the kids from The Cosby Show, with Bill appearing via satellite. Well, never one to let a good idea go to waste, NBC jumped on the theme. They recently had a Family Ties reunion on Today, so now the morning show is commencing tomorrow with a series of more "Together Again" features. Tune into 8:00 a.m. hour each day so you don't miss a thing!

Here are the new TV DVDs, in stores tomorrow.

• Blade - Complete Series
• The Bugs Bunny/Looney Tunes Hour - Academy Award Animation Collection: 15 Winners
• Dallas - Season 8
• The Equalizer - Season 1
• Family Ties - Season 3
• General Hospital: Night Shift - Season 1
• George of the Jungle - Complete Series
• Girlfriends - Season 3
• Riptide - Season 3
• Route 66 - Classic Episodes Vol. 1
• Tell Me You Love Me - Season 1
• This is Tom Jones - Vol. 2

From The Today Show, for the first time in 18 years, the entire cast of Family Ties got together to reminisce and talk about the show. Actually they got together to help series creator Gary David Goldberg plug his new book Sit, Ubu, Sit, a memoir of his life and times. I grew up in the '80s and this show was a huge part of my growing up. My parents were liberal hippies, just like the Keaton parents. And while I had nothing in common with really any of the kids, I found myself drawn into their familial world anyway.

The entire group still looks great, and I wondered if it would be possible to do a Family Ties reunion. The most obvious hurdle would be Michael J. Fox's Parkinson's disease. Even in this interview, it was difficult to see him struggling with it, so I would imagine it would be nearly impossible for him to hide it.

Here are the new TV DVDs, in stores tomorrow.

• Alfred Hitchcock Presents - Season 3
• CSI: NY - Season 3
• The Captain and Tennille - In Hawaii, In New Orleans, Songbook, and Christmas Show sets
• Creature Comforts - Season 1
• Degrassi Junior High - Complete Collection
• Everybody Hates Chris - Season 2
• Family Ties - Season 2
• Ghost Hunters - Season 3, Part 1 and Shining Hotel sets
• Girlfriends - Season 2
• Hannah Montana - Vol. 3
• Meerkat Manor - Season 1
• Michael Palin Pole To Pole
• Murder, She Wrote - Season 7
• Robin of Sherwood - Set 2
• Roots - Complete Collection
• Roots - The Next Generation
• Stargate: SG-1 - Complete Series
• The Vicar of Dibley - A Holy Wholly Happy Ending and The Immaculate Collection

The glorious Gilded Age of Hollywood continues! Brian Bonsall, who played Alex Keaton's younger brother on the 80's sitcom Family Ties, pleaded guilty to third degree assault in a case involving his girlfriend.

Bonsall was arrested in Boulder, Colorado back in March (I wonder if he knew Mork) after his girlfriend told police that he threw an alcoholic drink in her face while she was asleep, tried to choke her, and threw her down onto a bed. Bonsall claimed self-defense, saying that his girlfriend cut him with a steak knife. Ah, young love.

By pleading guilty Bonsall receives two years probation and has three other charges against him dropped. His lawyer says that Brian is back with his girlfriend and that he has been sober for five months after completing a 30-day rehab. Bonsall's lawyer also said "When sober, they got along fine, but when loaded ... both participated in a violent relationship." Uh, no kidding.

Brian Bonsall, who played Andrew, the youngest Keaton on the NBC sitcom Family Ties, was arrested in Boulder, Colorado for assaulting his girlfriend. She told police that he threw an alcoholic drink in her face while she was asleep, choked her, and threw her onto a bed. Bonsall says it was all in self-defense, because she cut him with a steak knife.

"Well it's like we've been together, for a million years..."

This isn't the first time Bonsall has been in trouble with the police. In 2001 he was convicted of drunk driving, and in 2004 he was arrested for the same offense.

If you didn't watch Family Ties, Bonsall played Worf's son on Star Trek: The Next Generation and starred in the movie Blank Check.

Here are the new TV DVDs, in stores today.

• Alias Smith and Jones - Season 1
• Family Ties - Season 1
• Penn & Teller: Bullshit - Season 4 Uncensored
• Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea - Season 2, Vol. 2
• What's New Scooby-Doo? - Season 1

1. Just when I thought Dr. Phil was the most annoying person in the McGraw family comes...oh, wait, Dr. Phil is still the most annoying person in the McGraw family, but the other night I was watching that HGTV special where they show the White House being decorated for the holidays, and it was hosted by Robin McGraw. She has all the personality of a used bar of soap.

I love the artist Brandon Bird. Bird's illustrations, which appear regularly in The Believer magazine, and paintings are heavy on the pop culture influence. If you've visited his Webby Award-winning site, than you've probably seen his rendition of Bea Arthur wrestling an underwater dinosaur and his Cubist take on the cast of Family Ties.

Bird has used his artist's eye to interpret Seinfeld, Star Trek, Magnum P.I. and even Little House's Michael Landon. His work is always witty, but depending on the piece, it also manages to meld the contents of our mediated brains with Greek mythology, cave paintings and a Hopper-like realism.

The first season of Family Ties will be available on DVD on February 20 of next year. For those of you who didn't grow up watching this series like I did, it focused on two hippies (Michael Gross and Meredith Baxter-Birney) from the '60s raising a family in the Reagan era. Michael J. Fox starred as Alex, their Republican son, and their two daughters were played by Justine Bateman and Tina Yothers. The set will include all twenty-two episodes of the first season, including a two-parter featuring Tom Hanks as Elyse Keaton's secretive brother.

The series, which managed to be very smart and funny while also dealing with series subjects, aired on NBC for seven seasons. While it struggled during its first season, the show soon became part of NBC's sitcom domination when it was placed right next to The Cosby Show. I have to say, though, I always thought Family Ties was the better series. It would sometimes cross the line between funny and preachy, but never to the degree that The Cosby Show did. Both shows had lessons to teach, but Cosby sometimes felt more like a half-hour lecture on good behavior.

Every Tuesday here on TV Squad , we will highlight the week's TV-on-DVD releases. Some noteworthy releases today, February 7, 2006:

• Alleyn Mysteries -  Set 2
• The Batman - The Complete 1st Season
• Blue Collar TV - Season 1, Volume 2
• The Electric Company - Best Of
• Emergency! - Season 2
• Grounded for Life - Season 1
• Growing Pains - The Complete 1st Season
• Hearts Afire - Season 3
• The Lost World - Vol 01; Vol 02
• Moonlighting - Season 3
• One Step Beyond - One Step Beyond Collection
• Pet Alien - Vol 4: Spaced Out
• Poltergeist: The Legacy - The Complete 1st Season
• Sex and the City - Sex And The City Essentials: Breakups; Sex And The City Essentials: Lust; Sex And The City Essentials: Mr. Big; Sex And The City Essentials: Romance
• The Simpsons - Kiss & Tell
• Survivor: Pearl Islands - The Complete Season
• Teen Titans - The Complete 1st Season
• Touched by an Angel - The 3rd Season - Volume 1
• Wildfire - Season 1
• Wire in the Blood - The Complete 3rd Season