Revisiting the 1980s: Iowa Humor from "Family Ties" Pilot

It took me a while, but I finally subscribed to CBS All Access as part of a Father's Day present from my boys. Now that I've zoomed through "Star Trek: Discovery" and "Star Trek: Picard," I decided to see what else there is to see. Which isn't a lot, but I was pretty happy to the entire run of "Family Ties" from the 1980s.

I loved this show growing up. For those who aren't familiar with this classic 80s sitcom, it features a pair of middle age hippies and their kids -- the oldest of whom is a staunch Young Republican.

I watched the first two episodes of the series last night and rediscovered this forgotten bit of Iowa humor from the series' pilot. The family was gathered in the kitchen when 9-year-old Jennifer asked for some assistance with her homework:

Jennifer: Anyone know the capital of Iowa?
Mallory, Elyse, & Steven Overlapping: Des Moines! Cedar Rapids! Council Bluffs!
Jennifer: Well, that narrows that down a little.
Steven: Actually, Jennifer, Iowa is the one state that has no capital. And so you see, it's the responsibility of every American to look after Iowa.

For the record, the answer is "Des Moines." And Mallory -- who later became the dimwitted teen daughter in season 2 -- knew that answer where her otherwise bright parents were clueless.