NBC Nearly Rejected Michael J. Fox For Family Ties For An Absurd Reason

Believe it or not, Michael J. Fox as Alex P. Keaton almost didn't happen. At 5 feet 4 inches, Fox did not fit NBC executive Brandon Tartikoff's vision for the role, according to his memoir. 

"We were bothered not by his comedy skills, which, as you know, are great, but by his height," he wrote. "How could someone so short have Michael Gross and Meredith Baxter Birney as parents?"  

In a Parade interview, Fox also recalled Tartikoff saying, "I can't see that face on a lunchbox."

The man who helped greenlight some of NBC's best shows such as "Hill Street Blues" and "The Cosby Show" ultimately underestimated Fox, as he went on to become the defining cast member of "Family Ties." Initially, the show was designed around Steven (Gross) and Elyse Keaton (Birney), but it was Alex who was identified as the fan favorite in network surveys, prompting the show to shift its focus. For his portrayal of Alex, Fox went on to win three consecutive Primetime Emmy Awards for outstanding lead actor in a comedy series, in 1986, 1987, and 1988.

According to "Family Ties" creator Gary David Goldberg. Matthew Broderick was initially offered the role of Alex, but he declined. Goldberg subsequently turned down Michael J. Fox. At the insistence of his casting director Judith Weiner, who told him to "call him [Fox] back, chase him," Goldberg saw Fox again. "He nailed it," recalled Goldberg, as recounted by Tartikoff in his memoir. "You send him out to get two laughs, and he comes back with five."

In a playful act of payback, Fox, who was coming off the success of "Back to the Future," designed a lunchbox featuring his face and sent it to Tartikoff. "I still have it in my office," wrote the executive. Every once in a while, I open it and read the note Michael put inside. It says, "Eat crow, Tartikoff."