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Michael J. Fox Discusses His Return to TV

Michael J. Fox will return to TV this fall with a semi-autobiographical comedy on NBC — 31 years after Family Ties premiered on the network and made him a teen heartthrob. And, yes, times have definitely changed.

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Sadie Gennis

Michael J. Fox will return to TV this fall with a semi-autobiographical comedy on NBC — 31 years after Family Tiespremiered on the network and made him a teen heartthrob. And, yes, times have definitely changed.
"I went from Teen Beat and Tiger Beat... to AARP," Fox, 51, joked to Access Hollywood about his new AARP magazine cover. "There's some great tips about colon health!"

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In his as-yet-untitled new comedy, Fox plays an anchorman whose life is changed by Parkinson's disease, a condition Fox was diagnosed with in 1991. When asked why he was so willing to deal with the disease publicly, Fox explained, "Well, I don't have a choice. ... But my personal life — you can sit and project out and say, 'Oh, I'm going to have this and it's going to be like this and I won't be able to do that.' But it's much more about right now. 'What can I do right now?' Right?"I just thought, I love to do this and as much as anyone will let me do it and give me their time to do it — I should do it. And so, I'm doing it," he continued.

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But while the show is inspired by his life, Fox insists that it's still very much fiction. "It's based loosely on my experiences. And I don't want to say too much because I don't want my kids to think every time a kid does something goofy on the show that it's a reflection on them."Are you excited for Fox's big sitcom return?