cs - I understand your concerns and share them. I have had heavy losses also - my marriage, job, house, friends - been striped down to nothing left except the extra burden of depression. I never thought I'd be living to see 13 years post dx - I had no idea what to expect, but I didn't expect to be standing. During that time I've practically screamed to anyone who would listen that the "establishment" (medical, research, organizational) doesn't have an f-ing clue as to what we were/are dealing with. By and large they have heard what patients are saying - but, beyond a better understanding of the disease to inform the research and care, there has been little effort to try to understand the socio-economic aspects of what living with PD actually means.

One of the things that worries the organizations greatly is how to reach those with PD who are out of the loop. There are still so many people out there who are suffering unnecessarily because they don't have basic information on disease management or symptom variability or clinical trials, etc, etc, etc.

What does this have to do with a new MJF sitcom? His audience will be enormous - broadcast, not cable, enormous. And I know he'll do a good job of portraying PD with sly sensitivity, with all of the laughs and a great deal of reality (if you haven't seen the last episode this season of "Curb your Enthusiasm" where MJF plays himself, and PD is up front, real, and hilarious, well, you are missing one of the premier performances of the decade!).

One sitcom that does this well right now is "Modern Family." It shows gay marriage in an extremely sensitive, positive light while never missing a joke - all played to a huge audience.

If there is one thing I do know about MJF and the people he surrounds himself with (the foundation that bears his name), is that they always strive for excellence and embody quality. I expect nothing less from him in this new endeavor - and will assume that it will only move the fight against PD forward.

So, it will solve one half of the equation - reaching a broader audience. But there still is a lot of work to do to understand and help the entire spectrum of the PD population in a meaningful way. We can't give up.

They will have to walk a tight line concerning Parkinson's for me to watch and applaud him. Parkinson's is not a comedy nor are Parkinsonians so what is the premise line. Where will the laughter come from??????????????

Thelma - the best example of what is possible is the episode of "Curb your Enthusiasm" where MJF played himself in a story that highlighted his Parkinson's in a real, and really funny way. I don't have cable or a TV; I was able to watch the episode, called "Larry vs Michael J Fox" (last episode of season 8), on my computer through my amazon.com account for $1.99.

In it, MJF comes off as extremely human and likeable as someone living with all of the physical challenges of PD (tremor, dystonia, dyskinesia) with a great, cutting, self-deprecating sense of humor - but the story was written in a way that the joke was not on him, it was on everybody else, most notably on the series' star, Larry David, who also plays himself. MJF clearly has the upper hand; it is very skillfully done. He never loses his dignity nor his sense of humor.

Who knows how this new show will be formatted or scripted, but there is definitely the opportunity and precedence to portray PD both realistically and humorously.

imho, next to a disease altering treatment or a "manhatten" size govt investment to find a cure, can't think of anything better to get the public's attention than a MJF show. It was the serious moments that we remember from some sitcoms - ALL IN THE FAMILY -and i'm sure there will be some educational tidbits slipped in. and imho, people don't want tp see sick people on t.v., at least i can only watch so much.
FOX played a disabled attorney on THE GOOD WIFE who used his pd like disability to get sympathy from juries and he was very good cuz the story was good. they could have easily made us feel sorry for him but we didn't. I could imagine a cast with a granddaughter asking him why there isn't a cure etc., etc.,

i miss that look before the delivery.

I guess i am not as sure as some are that this is workable. I don't beleive it can be realistic and show the dark side of parkinson's or my own cancer even as a comedy!!!!

It is just as Cs stated it can't possibly show anything about Parkinsons that is funny. The realities of life are not funny..........how about this..........have a person with parkinson's sitting in a chair and holding their precious darling first grandchild and it does the inevitable thing they do most and the person can't move, afraid to drop the child and unable to call for help and the parent sitting in front of them just cooing and making all the irritating sounds parents due to try and communicate with a baby.

Isn't that hillarious.

Not to me

You know I just decided that I will never ever again capitalize the word parkinson or parkinson's but will will elaborate on the word as bold capitals to make my point.

PARKINSON............. PARKINSON'S............ PARKINSONIANS

I guess I just see the world differently.

This also appeared in the print version of the New York Times

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/08/22/ar...-2013.html?hpw

The deal for the show includes no commitments from Mr. Fox about his health, “but he’s up for doing 22 episodes a year,” the NBC executive said, adding, "He is in great shape." Okay............ MICHAEL............ how have you come to be in "great shape"

NYT article today had him saying that he happened on a new regimin which reduced tics and tremors, "so why not work?" Would sure like to know what that regimin is?!?