Michael J. Fox Series to Mirror Real Life Struggle

More details about Michael J. Fox’s upcoming NBC comedy were released last week. Mirroring real life, the East End actor, who has a home in Quogue, will play a newscaster who leaves his job due to complications related to Parkinson’s Disease, but returns after getting many symptoms under control.

Fox was diagnosed with Parkinson’s in 1991 and disclosed the news publicly in 1999, as his symptoms became more severe. The beloved star of Back to the Future and 80s TV classic Family Ties semi-retired from acting after leaving his hit show Spin City in 2000, but returned to the small screen in recent years with memorable roles on Curb Your Enthusiasm, The Good Wife, Boston Legal, Scrubs and Rescue Me, earning him an Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actor in a Drama Series.

The as-yet-untitled comedy series is Fox‘s first starring role since Spin City and it marks a return to NBC, the network that launched his career with the role of Alex P. Keaton on Family Ties. Episodes are scheduled to begin airing in fall of 2013.