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A combination of superb writing and outstanding acting, Family was a prime-time soap opera with legs. It started out as a six-part miniseries on ABC in March 1976, created by Jay Presson Allen, whose writing credits included films such as Cabaret and Prince of the City. The strong ratings and story potential encouraged ABC to rework it into a full weekly series. 

 

The show told the story of the Lawrence family. Father Doug was a lawyer, and his strong and quiet wife Katie stayed home with their kids. The children were Nancy, Willie, and Letitia, who was nicknamed Buddy. Later on, they were joined by an adopted orphan, Andrea.

 

The series dealt with a variety of serious issues. Adult daughter Nancy moved back home after her husband Jeff cheated on her. She gave birth to a son, Timmy, and made plans to go to law school. Teenage Willie quit school to try to become a writer, while searching for love. Young Buddy feels lost in the crowded home, and runs away from home. Even the parents weren’t spared life-changing plot lines – Doug is temporarily blinded in a car accident, and Kate gets breast cancer.

 

Even with the dramatic issues, the show kept a strong sense of morality and focused on social problems being deal realistically by a family that people could really associate with. Fans were passionate about the series, and Kristy McNichol won two Emmys for her role as Buddy. The show was also the recipient of awards from the Directors Guild of America, the Young Artist Awards, and the Human Family Educational and Cultural Institute. Not bad for a soap opera, huh?