The Biggest Career Comebacks from TV Actresses, Ranked

Mallory Keaton cared about two things: shopping and her boyfriend, Nick. Justine Bateman played Alex’s fashion-loving younger sister on Family Ties from 1982 to 1989, right alongside Michael J. Fox. When the show ended, she had a hard time finding her next big role.

So Justine rewrote her own story. She went back to school and earned a computer science degree from UCLA in 2016. She also wrote books about fame and aging, and in 2021 she directed her first feature film, Violet. It’s impressive and inspiring, though it flew under most people’s radar.