The cast of iconic ‘80s Sitcoms: Where are they now?

Some of us might’ve needed a DeLorean to manage Michael J. Fox’s filming schedule in the ‘80s, but the actor seamlessly balanced appearing as Marty McFly in the Back to the Future films with his role as Alex P. Keaton in Family Ties (1982–1989). As the conservative, Reagan-loving teen son of ex-hippie parents, Michael became hugely popular for his comedic timing – especially amongst young people, according to Michael Gross, his on-screen father. 

“I remember walking into the mail room and finding just these gobs of mail from pre-teens going, ‘This is our guy’,” Gross told Entertainment Tonight. “You just said, ‘Oh, this is a phenomenon…girls are gonna fall in love with [him]’. And they did”. 

After starring in more classic ‘80s flicks like Teen Wolf (1985) and The Secret of My Success (1987), Michael returned to his sitcom roots with Spin City (1996) and later voiced the titular character in the Stuart Little franchise.

Michael’s last major acting appearance was as himself in Still: A Michael J. Fox Movie (2023), chronicling his struggle with Parkinson’s disease. The actor was first diagnosed in 1991 and is semi-retired from acting, though he’s set to make a highly-anticipated appearance in season three of Shrinking on Apple TV, alongside Harrison Ford.

At just 13-years-old, Jason Bateman began appearing in a supporting role as Derek Taylor, Ricky’s mischievous best friend, in Silver Spoons (1982-1984), before transitioning to teen icon status as David Hogan in The Hogan Family (1986–1991). The popular sitcom became a late ‘80s staple, and was Jason’s biggest role prior to his film debut in Teen Wolf Too (1987) – playing the cousin of Michael J. Fox’s character.

The star has opened up about the pressures of being a child actor, telling Conan O’Brien he was “filled with anxiety” over the need to make a living, adding that his parents earned more being his managers than working their day jobs. He described his starring role in the sitcom Arrested Development (2003) as a much-needed “reset button” that convinced him to continue acting.

Jason had a slew of co-starring roles in major blockbusters like Hancock (2008) opposite Will Smith, before becoming a regular comedy star in the 2010s with hits like Horrible Bosses (2011) and Identity Theft (2013) alongside Melissa McCarthy. Most recently, he’s become a Netflix staple, starring in smash hits like Ozark (2017), and crime drama Black Rabbit (2025) opposite Jude Law.

Just like the iconic theme song said, everybody knew Shelley Long’s name after her role as Diane Chambers in Cheers (1982–1993), which scored her five Emmy nominations and a 1983 win. Shelley portrayed the witty waitress and love interest of Ted Danson’s character for five seasons, before leaving to pursue both a film career and family commitments – a choice which caused the show’s creators “sheer panic” after fearing for its future success.

Shelley starred alongside Bette Midler in Outrageous Fortune (1987) and appeared as Carol Brady in The Brady Bunch Movie (1995), before joining the star-studded cast of the rom-com Dr. T & the Women (2000) with Helen Hunt and Kate Hudson. The star also made her sitcom return with a more “modern” role, portraying DeDe Pritchett in eight episodes of Modern Family (2009), even receiving several award nominations for the appearance.

Shelley has favoured a quiet life out of the spotlight since her last role in The Cleaner (2021), and turned down an appearance in the Cheers cast reunion at the 2024 Emmys.

Tony Danza portrayed a live-in housekeeper – also called Tony – for the Bower family in Who’s the Boss? (1984–1992), which received ten Emmy nominations and went on to become one of the biggest TV hits of the ‘80s. After eight years of the ultimate slow-burn romance between Tony and Angela Bower (Judith Light), Tony went on to star in his own sitcom, The Tony Danza Show (1997), which, despite being cancelled midway through its run, earned him a People’s Choice Award. 

The actor continued to guest star on TV shows going into the millennium, and even had his own reality show, Teach: Tony Danza (2010), which followed his journey to becoming a 10th-grade (GCSE) teacher at a Pennsylvania high school. And Just Like That… fans may also remember his guest appearance in season two as…Tony Diaz – a nod to the running gag that he always plays a Tony. 

You can catch Tony in a non-eponymous role as Stefano Marchetti in the latest season of Power Book III: Raising Kanan on Prime Video.

Perfect Strangers (1986–1993) chronicled the precarious co-existence of flatmates Larry Appleton and Balki Bartokomous, the latter being the all-American Larry’s distant cousin from the Mediterranean. With his catchphrase “Don’t be ridiculous” and a very distinctive accent, actor Bronson Pinchot captured the fish-out-of-water hilarity of Balki and had incredible chemistry with co-star Mark Linn-Baker.

“He’s so embedded in my heart,” Bronson said in a 2024 interview. “When I get together with Mark, we’re already laughing. Because we can read each other’s minds. And I can’t express to you how not an exaggeration that is.”

After the sitcom, Bronson appeared in True Romance (1993) alongside Brad Pitt and The First Wives Club (1996), and more recently appeared in Netflix’s Chilling Adventures of Sabrina (2018) as George Hawthorne, the strict principal of Baxter High. He also appeared in the stellar ensemble cast of Shondaland’s The Residence (2025), and is continuing to build an impressive acting resume.

The Facts of Life (1979–1988) boasted an impressive cast of leading ladies, including Nancy McKeon, who played tomboy student Jo Polniaczak in the popular show, which followed a housemother at a girls’ boarding school attempting to keep a watchful eye on her students. Nancy joined in the show’s second season and helped propel the show’s overall popularity, with her tough persona frequently clashing with Manhattan socialite Blair Warner (Lisa Whelchel).

We almost saw Nancy as Monica Geller in Friends (1994), as the actress was reportedly tied for the role with Courteney Cox, but the actress quickly moved on to the sitcom Can’t Hurry Love (1995), which she co-produced and starred in alongside Law & Order legend Mariska Hargitay. 

Nancy hasn’t taken as many screen acting roles since the 2000s – old-school Disney Channel watchers may remember her as Connie Munroe in Demi Lovato’s Sonny with a Chance (2009) – and her last role was in the Prime series Panic (2021). The star just finished a run in the off-Broadway show Pen Pals, and we’re wondering if this sitcom legend has developed a taste for the stage?

A groundbreaking show that portrayed two recently divorced single mothers living together and raising their children, Kate & Allie (1984–1989) was a smash-hit that starred Jane Curtin as Allie, the more straight-laced of the two. Jane was an original cast member on Saturday Night Live in 1975, and her honed comedy skills helped earn her back-to-back Emmys for Lead Actress in a Comedy.

“I had the time of my life doing that show,” Jane told the Television Academy, sharing that both she and co-star Susan brought their babies to set each day. “It was so warm and familial.” Clearly developing a taste for sitcoms, she went on to star in the short-lived Working It Out (1990) before appearing as Dr. Mary Albright in 3rd Rock from the Sun (1996), a human opposite an alien family consisting of John Lithgow and Joseph Gordon-Levitt. 

Still an actress, Jane joined fellow SNL alum Kate McKinnon in the action comedy flick The Spy Who Dumped Me (2018), and was most recently featured alongside Bronson Pinchot in The Residence (2025), where she played the quirky mother-in-law of the President.

The matriarch of the iconic Seaver family, playing Maggie Seaver in Growing Pains (1985–1992) was Joanna Kerns’ big break as both an actress and director. The star, who also had behind-the-scenes ambitions, revealed she had to “beg and plead” to direct an episode of the show. “At that time, so many of them openly said, ‘This is an action show. We do not hire women’”.

After a series of TV films, Joanna largely traded acting for directing, and went on to direct episodes of Dawson’s Creek, Grey’s Anatomy, and Pretty Little Liars, amongst many others. She made a special acting appearance alongside Winona Ryder in the 1999 hit Girl, Interrupted and went on to reprise her original role in Growing Pains: Return of the Seavers (2004).

Like Maggie Seaver herself, Joanna overcame adversity to successfully pursue her career, and the in-demand director, who most recently directed episodes of Chicago Med (2015-), is showing no signs of slowing down.

At an astounding 94, actress Marla Gibbs is still regularly appearing on screens worldwide. After making her sitcom debut in The Jeffersons (1975–1985), Marla went straight into starring as Mary Jenkins in 227 (1985–1990), which chronicles the lives of Black women living together in Washington, D.C. Adapted from a play by Christine Houston, the show was created specifically for Marla, who had starred in the production in Los Angeles. 

After becoming a hit with audiences – she also co-produced the show and sang the theme song – Marla appeared in films like The Brothers (2001) and Madea’s Witness Protection (2012) opposite Eugene Levy and Denise Richards. She’s also a Shondaland regular, having appeared in both Grey’s Anatomy (2022) and its spin-off Station 19 (2018).

At the American Black Film Festival Honours in 2025, Marla revealed she’s “ready to do some more roles”, and has shared that her memoir, It’s Never Too Late, will be released in 2026.