When Michael J. Fox disclosed that he was suffering from Parkinson's disease in 1999 — after nearly a decade of keeping it under wraps — it wasn't clear how much more on-camera acting he would do. He semi-retired in 2000, doing voiceover work, writing books, and promoting The Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson's Research.
More recently, Fox has stepped back into acting, playing characters that address his disability directly instead of trying to work around it. He played himself on Curb Your Enthusiasm, with Larry worrying that Fox was exploiting his Parkinson's to manipulate those around him. On The Good Wife, he recurs as lawyer Louis Canning, who has another neurological disorder he uses to his advantage.
And now Fox takes on a starring role in the upcoming NBC sitcom The Michael J. Fox Show. Based on the promo, the series follows Mike Henry returning to work after leaving his job due to complications from Parkinson's. But relax, it's a comedy! If the sitcom can continue to find the humor in disability as a fact of life — all while treating Fox with dignity — it could easily become a hit.
Watch another clip from The Michael J. Fox Show below.
