Why Didn't They Ask Bateman?

When they do DVD features for a TV show, the question is always which of the cast members will show up for the making-of talking-head featurettes? And which ones won't be interviewed? The point of this, of course, is to speculate on why those particular people refused to be interviewed. (Reasons include: they were out of the country or on location when the features were made; they're tired of being typecast and don't want to re-associate themselves with the show; they just don't like it any more.)

On Family Ties season 2, there are two regulars who aren't interviewed (Brian Bonsall isn't there either but he doesn't count because he wasn't on the show yet): Justine Bateman and Meredith Baxter.

Whether this means that Meredith Baxter really was pissed over not being the star of the show, I don't know. But it would be wrong not to speculate.

The people who were interviewed for the DVD set, by the way, are Gary David Goldberg, Michael J. Fox, Michael Gross, Tina Yothers and Marc "Don't Call Me Skippy" Price. And yes, there is music editing, but neither I nor the Sitcoms Online reviewer are quite certain where. In the episode where Alex has an older girlfriend, the music they dance to sounds fake and isn't in proper balance with the dialogue, so I would guess that's a substitution right there.