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Family
1976 - 1980 7.0 (14 votes) 5 Seasons
Genres
Drama
Networks
ABC
Created By
Jay Presson Allen

Family

A MOVING, COMPASSIONATE GLIMPSE INTO THE PRIVATE LIVES OF THE LAWRENCES.

Overview

The lives of the middle-class Lawrence family in Pasadena, California.

Key Crew

Producer: Nigel McKeand, Edward Zwick

Top Cast

Sada Thompson
Sada Thompson

Kate Lawrence

James Broderick
James Broderick

Doug Lawrence

Meredith Baxter
Meredith Baxter

Nancy Lawrence

Gary Frank
Gary Frank

Willie Lawrence

Kristy McNichol
Kristy McNichol

Letitia "Buddy" Lawrence

Quinn Cummings
Quinn Cummings

Annie Cooper

Jimmy Weldon
Jimmy Weldon

Mary Grace Canfield
Mary Grace Canfield

Mrs. Hanley

Seasons

Season 0 poster
Season 0 ()

No overview available.

2 episodes

Season 2 poster
Season 2 (1976)

No overview available.

22 episodes

Episodes
Episode 1: Coming Apart
1976-10-06

Buddy gets a job at a bakery, and introduces Willie to her boss, ""Big Al""; Nancy gets involved with Peter, while she's finalizing her divorce from Jeff -- despite the latter's pleas for a reconciliation.

Runtime: N/A min
Episode 2: Such Sweet Sorrow
1976-10-19

Salina drops by, at a time when Willie is having problems with Alex; Doug is offered a great job in New York.

Runtime: N/A min
Episode 3: Home Movie
1976-10-26

Willie drives everyone crazy by following them around and filming them; Buddy has difficulty with a school assignment -- writing a speech on the topic of ""How I intend to leave my mark on the world""; Kate runs into a former roommate, who has become a successful author.

Runtime: N/A min
Episode 4: Coming of Age
1976-11-09

Buddy officially reaches puberty; Nancy is caught between Kate's resentment of her thoughtlessness, Peter's proposal of marriage, and a come-on from a complete stranger.

Runtime: N/A min
Episode 5: Jury Duty (1)
1976-11-16

Kate is subjected to widespread abuse for being the lone holdout; Buddy captures first prize, T.J.'s heart, and (for good measure) the real killer.

Runtime: N/A min
Episode 6: Jury Duty (2)
1976-11-23

Kate is subjected to widespread abuse for being the lone holdout; Buddy captures first prize, T.J.'s heart, and (for good measure) the real killer.

Runtime: N/A min
Episode 7: The Cradle Will Fall
1976-11-30

Buddy completes her orthodontal treatment; Salina returns to town once again, only to be plunged into a custody battle with her daughter's father; Kate finds out that Elaine's husband is cheating on her.

Runtime: N/A min
Episode 8: Skeleton in the Closet
1976-12-07

Doug must face his sister Emily's alcoholism. Buddy tries to help a senior citizen she spots shoplifting food from the supermarket.

Runtime: N/A min
Episode 9: On The First Day Of Christmas (a.k.a. The Christmas Story)
1976-12-21

Doug is suspicious when his father introduces his new, and much younger, girlfriend; Nancy and Jeff have a fight over who gets Timmy over Christmas.

Runtime: N/A min
Episode 10: Rites of Friendship
1976-12-28

A friend of Willie's comes out of the closet; Buddy, after getting invited to the ""Junior Jump"" by a popular boy, asks Nancy to teach her to dance.

Runtime: N/A min
Episode 11: An Eye to the Future
1977-01-04

Buddy (as ""Diamond In the Rough"") gets heavily into the CB scene; Kate decides to go back to college; Doug does a stint as a judge.

Runtime: N/A min
Episode 12: Lovers and Strangers
1977-01-11

Willie gets cradle-robbed by a visiting movie director, and takes it much too seriously; Doug gets a dog as a birthday present.

Runtime: N/A min
Episode 13: Return Engagement
1977-01-18

Maggie Calder, the woman who nearly destroyed Doug and Kate's marriage 20 years ago, is back for a second attempt. Buddy feels she's being treated like a baby.

Runtime: N/A min
Episode 14: Mirror, Mirror on the Wall . . .
1977-02-01

A daughter whom Elaine gave up for adoption years ago finds her, through Kate; Willie is intrigued by a pretty client at the photo studio where he works.

Runtime: N/A min
Episode 15: Someone's Watching
1977-02-08

A series of anonymous gifts eventually makes Nancy feel threatened; Buddy's motor-mouth school-project partner uses the Lawrences as his surrogate family.

Runtime: N/A min
Episode 16: A Safe House
1977-02-15

A former friend of Willie's, now an outlaw, gives him a call; Buddy thinks she has a great scoop for the school paper.

Runtime: N/A min
Episode 17: Best Friends
1977-02-22

Nancy attends her high-school reunion, meeting the guy she dumped to marry Jeff; T.J. asks Buddy to a formal dance, causing a rift with Audrey.

Runtime: N/A min
Episode 18: Taking Chances (1)
1977-03-01

When Doug loses his sight after getting hit by a car, opinions are divided as to whether he should undergo an operation that could either restore it, or kill him; in the meantime, Willie has second thoughts about having quit his job.

Runtime: N/A min
Episode 19: Taking Chances (2)
1977-03-08

After spending an eternity as a blind man whose youngest daughter despises him, Doug finally musters up the courage to have the operation -- and, of course, all's well.

Runtime: N/A min
Episode 20: Comings and Goings
1977-03-22

Willie and Salina search for an apartment together. Jeff's mother Sylvia is confined to the Lawrence home following a back injury and a quarrel with Jeff's father.

Runtime: N/A min
Episode 21: . . . More Things in Heaven and Earth
1977-03-29

Kate is shaken by what a supposed psychic says about her long-missing aunt; Nancy lands a prestigious legal assignment, and suspects her looks are the reason.

Runtime: N/A min
Episode 22: An Endangered Species
1977-05-03

A recently-divorced friend wants to hang out with Kate; Nancy gets upset when a classmate asks to use her place for an affair with a married man.

Runtime: N/A min
Season 3 poster
Season 3 (1977)

No overview available.

23 episodes

Episodes
Episode 1: Acts of Love (1)
1977-09-13

While Nancy and Buddy prepare for their parents' 25th wedding-anniversary party, Willie meets, and falls in love with, a physics student named Lizzy -- who, as he soon finds out, has radiation sickness.

Runtime: N/A min
Episode 2: Acts of Love (2)
1977-09-20

Lizzy dies, but not before Willie convinces her to marry him first.

Runtime: N/A min
Episode 3: The First Time
1977-09-27

Kate unhappily contemplates her 49th birthday; T.J. asks Buddy to go steady with him, but she's not sure.

Runtime: N/A min
Episode 4: Change of Heart
1977-10-04

Nancy is jealous of Jeff's new fiancée.

Runtime: N/A min
Episode 5: Annie Laurie
1977-10-25

Doug gets propositioned by a female lawyer.

Runtime: N/A min
Episode 6: We Love You, Miss Jessup
1977-11-01

Buddy's English teacher gets outed; Willie suspects Nancy of being a home-wrecker.

Runtime: N/A min
Episode 7: The Little Brother
1977-11-08

Willie fails to understand a black thing; Buddy develops an interest in genealogy.

Runtime: N/A min
Episode 8: Childhood's End
1977-11-15

Buddy's friend Laura returns for a visit, and -- guess what? -- she, too, is now an alkie; a friend of Doug's, a divorced father, is apprehensive about seeing his kids again.

Runtime: N/A min
Episode 9: A Tale Out of Season
1977-11-22

Doug's colleague and protégé turns out to be a child-beater; Nancy finds a puppy; Buddy finally gets into the Thanksgiving spirit.

Runtime: N/A min
Episode 10: Labors of Love
1977-11-29

Buddy, upset by a lack of attention from T.J., tries to make him jealous by hanging out with a geek; Willie catches the eye of his cute über-boss.

Runtime: N/A min
Episode 11: A Child is Given
1977-12-13

Runtime: N/A min
Episode 12: More Than Friends
1978-01-03

Nancy hits it off with Willie's former writing teacher, but things get awkward when he pans Willie's script.

Runtime: N/A min
Episode 13: Princess in the Tower
1978-01-10

Kate, slightly sick of family life, checks out a model apartment in a brand-new high-rise condo -- and gets trapped overnight, along with a very pregnant younger woman; Buddy has the bright idea of dyeing her hair blonde.

Runtime: N/A min
Episode 14: Echoes of Love
1978-01-17

Willie can't stop reminiscing about Lizzy, so he hooks up with her former roommate; Audrey is depressed because her parents are splitting up, and angry that Doug is representing her mother in the divorce.

Runtime: N/A min
Episode 15: See Saw
1978-01-24

Kate volunteers to help a moody (and arithmetic-obsessed) young patient at the Braille institute; Willie works on installing Timmy's new bed; Buddy leaves for a week-end of skiing with T.J. and his parents.

Runtime: N/A min
Episode 16: Lifeline
1978-01-31

Nancy plays hot-line operator when her classmate attempts suicide, to get back at her married boyfriend for breaking up her; Buddy baby-sits a whiny kid.

Runtime: N/A min
Episode 17: . . . And Baby Makes Three
1978-02-07

Nancy and Jeff aren't sure whether to get back together; Buddy is disgusted that Audrey has fallen for the cheap ploys of the school Casanova.

Runtime: N/A min
Episode 18: Crossing Over
1978-02-14

Willie has an appointment with a big-shot film producer, on the eve of his 21st birthday; then, he and Doug make friends with a stripper.

Runtime: N/A min
Episode 19: The Covenant
1978-02-21

Medical crises abound in the family when James reveals to Doug that he must soon undergo exploratory surgery, and Nancy begins to miscarry Jeff's baby.

Runtime: N/A min
Episode 20: A Friend of the Family's
1978-02-28

A somewhat unscrupulous former friend of Willie's drops by; Buddy needs driving lessons; Kate and Doug consider taking separate vacations.

Runtime: N/A min
Episode 21: Fear of Shadows
1978-05-02

Kate has a recurring nightmare about running over a little boy; Buddy gets a pet raccoon.

Runtime: N/A min
Episode 22: Sleeping Gypsy
1978-05-09

Everyone at school dislikes Buddy's bohemian friend; Kate gives Doug a plaid jacket he doesn't much care for.

Runtime: N/A min
Episode 23: Counterpoint
1978-05-16

Kate has to go back and repeat a class she flunked the previous semester, and gets picked on by a snobby professor; Doug contemplates early retirement after his tennis partner has a heart attack.

Runtime: N/A min
Season 4 poster
Season 4 (1978)

No overview available.

22 episodes

Episodes
Episode 1: Starting Over
1978-09-21

Annie's sole surviving relative dumps her into the Lawrences' lap -- where she doesn't feel quite comfortable, at first.

Runtime: N/A min
Episode 2: All For Love
1978-09-28

Zack tells Buddy that unless she sleeps with him, he will have to satisfy his manly needs with another girl; Doug thinks of buying a flashy sports car.

Runtime: N/A min
Episode 3: Changes
1978-10-12

Nancy is all set to re-marry Jeff; Annie, heretofore known as ""Annie Cooper,"" decides to add ""Lawrence"" to her name; Buddy, ever the traditionalist, is bothered by it all.

Runtime: N/A min
Episode 4: Magic
1978-10-19

Kate, in the hospital for a physical, meets a burned-out former rock star; Annie needs Doug's help to impress her classmates with magic tricks.

Runtime: N/A min
Episode 5: Just Friends
1978-11-09

Willie considers an affair with a married woman he met in a writing class; Nancy, sick of living in a ""fishbowl,"" decides to move out of the guesthouse and into an apartment of her own.

Runtime: N/A min
Episode 6: Generations
1978-11-23

The family decides to spend Thanksgiving at Hattie's farm where Kate faces ghosts from the past. Buddy is intrigued by a local boy.

Runtime: N/A min
Episode 7: Expectations
1978-12-07

Nancy's new boss pressures her to sleep with him; Buddy tries out for the cheerleading squad.

Runtime: N/A min
Episode 8: Gifts
1978-12-21

Annie, who still misses her parents, can't relate to the Lawrences' holiday cheer, and decides to run away until Christmas is over; Willie runs into his old barber, who is about to close up shop for good.

Runtime: N/A min
Episode 9: The Friend's Affair
1979-01-04

A colleague and friend of Doug's is cheating on his wife; Annie suspects a next-door neighbor of having murdered his.

Runtime: N/A min
Episode 10: Exits and Entrances
1979-01-11

After Buddy stars in a high-school play (Shaw's Saint Joan), her interest in acting is strongly encouraged by a friend of Kate's, a professional actress; Annie gets a telemarketing job to pay for a new bike.

Runtime: N/A min
Episode 11: Moment of Truth
1979-01-18

A man he once helped put in jail threatens Doug; Buddy and Audrey have a fight about who copied from whom on an algebra test.

Runtime: N/A min
Episode 12: Malicious Mischief
1979-01-25

Nancy considers a marriage proposal from Timmy's daycare provider -- until he gets accused of child abuse; Willie falls in love with a cat.

Runtime: N/A min
Episode 13: Sleeping Over
1979-02-01

Buddy's invitation to a sorority becomes a sore point in her friendship with Audrey when Audrey isn't invited to join. Willie sleeps with Kate's musician friend, leading to a serious mother-son rift over casual sex.

Runtime: N/A min
Episode 14: Disco Queen
1979-02-08

Buddy sneaks into a disco club, with the help of an older acquaintance, and finds it more than she bargained for; Annie has a date with a jock.

Runtime: N/A min
Episode 15: The Athlete
1979-03-01

Buddy, volunteering at a hospital, encounters a star high-school basketball player who is there for a broken leg -- or so he thinks; Annie runs for class president against her nemesis, Emmy Sheldon.

Runtime: N/A min
Episode 16: The Competition
1979-03-08

Buddy learns the price of competition when an overachieving classmate commits suicide after losing a history competition to her. Annie's cookie-selling strategy is a riot.

Runtime: N/A min
Episode 17: Ballerina
1979-03-15

Willie has a fling with a ballet dancer; Doug purchases a workout set by mail order.

Runtime: N/A min
Episode 18: Diversions
1979-03-22

While studying for the bar exam, Nancy's attention is diverted by a charming and seemingly accident-prone neighbor.

Runtime: N/A min
Episode 19: An Apple For the Teacher
1979-03-30

Kate's teaching career gets off to a rough start, when a student decides to continuously annoy her; Annie borrows Buddy's ""lucky"" ring to help during a spelling bee, and promptly loses it.

Runtime: N/A min
Episode 20: Prelude
1979-04-20

Buddy has a crush on her swimming instructor, much to Zack's displeasure; Kate is tempted to call an old boyfriend.

Runtime: N/A min
Episode 21: Going Straight
1979-05-10

Willie hires Bambi Deering, the stripper he met on his 21st birthday. Doug attempts to save hefty plumber's fees by repairing the household pipes himself.

Runtime: N/A min
Episode 22: From Russia With Love
1979-05-17

Kate acts as escort to, and highly impresses, a visiting Ukrainian composer; Buddy and Annie play Monopoly to determine who gets Willie's old room.

Runtime: N/A min
Season 5 poster
Season 5 (1979)

No overview available.

13 episodes

Episodes
Episode 1: Thanksgiving
1979-11-20

Doug's father starts showing his age.

Runtime: N/A min
Episode 2: 'Tis the Season
1979-12-24

A pre-Christmas argument with Willie nearly gives Doug a heart attack; Buddy invites her school's janitor to her house, where he quickly endears himself to everyone but Kate.

Runtime: N/A min
Episode 3: Jack of Hearts
1980-01-14

Buddy and Nancy find themselves in a love triangle; Annie dabbles in the occult.

Runtime: N/A min
Episode 4: When the Bough Breaks
1980-01-21

Kate finds out she's pregnant; a friend of Buddy's, on vacation from her all-girls school, picks Willie as a seduction target.

Runtime: N/A min
Episode 5: Hard Times
1980-01-28

Two friends of Buddy's who have been going steady for 3 years are having relationship problems -- and when she tries to help, the results aren't quite what she expected; Nancy is having trouble at work, which starts to affect even Timmy.

Runtime: N/A min
Episode 6: Whispers
1980-02-04

Buddy's friendship with a teacher gives rise to rumors; Annie uses questionable tactics to get Willie to let her interview him for her school paper.

Runtime: N/A min
Episode 7: Play on Love
1980-03-03

Willie finds the director of his play more interesting than Rachel; Buddy insists on buying an old sports car, over Doug's objections.

Runtime: N/A min
Episode 8: Daylight Serenade
1980-03-10

Buddy has an ambiguous relationship with a nerdy schoolmate whom Kate is training for a piano recital; Nancy begs Annie to teach her how to roller-skate, so she can go to a party with a handsome fellow lawyer.

Runtime: N/A min
Episode 9: Such a Fine Line
1980-03-17

A schoolboy has a crush on Kate; Jeff, now an in-over-his-head rock manager, blows into town with his band.

Runtime: N/A min
Episode 10: The Ties That Bind
1980-06-04

Elaine resurfaces in Kate's life after being dumped by Fred for a younger woman. Meanwhile, Annie experiences abandonment issues, too.

Runtime: N/A min
Episode 11: Just Like Old Times
1980-06-11

Buddy tries to make everyone think she didn't get into any of the schools she applied to; Doug wants Annie to share his obsession with baseball.

Runtime: N/A min
Episode 12: Smarts
1980-06-18

Annie gets picked on by her classmates, for being too smart; Buddy, studying for her SATs, worries that she's not smart enough.

Runtime: N/A min
Episode 13: Letting Go
1980-06-25

Doug is upset when Buddy starts dating a 21-year-old; Annie is jealous of an old friend who has matured much faster than she has.

Runtime: N/A min

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