Michael J. Fox Is Back: Comeback Vehicle NBC Will Air Full Season Of Comedy Sitcom

He’s back. Michael J. Fox’s legions of fans will be delighted to know that they will see him again on television.  He is returning after an enforced hiatus of more than a decade after he left to concentrate on fighting Parkinson’s disease.

Four networks bid seriously for the rights to the actor’s full-time return to TV, but NBC sealed the deal, with its chief Robert Greenblatt avowing to produce and air a full season of 22 episodes of Fox’s comedy without seeing a single frame of footage.

For Fox this is like a homecoming for it was here at Fox, a little more than 20 years ago, that he got his breakthrough TV role on NBC’s “Family Ties” in 1982.

The single camera comedy will be filmed in New York, authored by Sam Laybourne and directed by the eminent Will Gluck. It will be produced by Sony Television and is aimed at a 2013 premiere. The comedy is primarily autobiographical and will be inspired by Fox’s own life. He will be essaying the role of a father with an illness.

NBC chief Greenblatt said that bringing back Fox was a huge honor for NBC. He said that he was captivated by Fox when he met him and found him to be a very skilled and an optimistic person and that he was in no doubt that the “the character he will create –- and the vivid family characters surrounding him –- will be both instantly recognizable and hilarious.”

Jennifer Salke, President of NBC Entertainment said that they were over the moon, at the prospect of airing a program with such eminent names and said,  “We have all been such huge fans of Michael’s and hoped one day he would return to television with his own show. He had us at hello with his warmth, humor and incredible charisma. The fact that he pitched us a show that was funny, heartwarming and personal was the icing on the cake.”

“I’m extremely pleased to be back at NBC with a great creative team and a great show,” said Fox. “Bob Greenblatt and all the folks at the network have given me a warm welcome home, and I’m excited to get to work.”

Fox gained celebrity status for his performance as Alex Keaton on NBC’s popular “Family Ties” and took home three Emmys and a Golden Globe for his efforts. Fox later starred in the hit comedy series “Spin City,” for which he received another Emmy, three Golden Globes and two Screen Actors Guild Awards.

The comedy is yet to be named. The network said, “It features Fox as a husband and father of three from New York City dealing with family, career, and challenges — including Parkinson’s — all loosely drawn from Fox’s real life. Further casting will be announced at a later date.”