Actor and Parkinson's pioneer Michael J. Fox knows it takes chemistry and perfect comedic timing to have a successful family sitcom on prime-time TV.

So will the actor who once played the witty smart alec kid, Alex P. Keaton on "Family Ties" and the inquisitive adventurer in "Back to the Future," be able to bring back that same charm we all know and love to "The Michael J. Fox Show" on NBC?

In the 52-year-old actor's new sitcom, Fox plays a version of himself named Mike Henry who is a network news anchor trying to make his comeback after taking time off due to Parkinson's disease. The stories are loosely based on his family, which includes his wife Tracy Pollan whom he wed in 1988 and four children.

"It's an amazing experience being back," he told Access Hollywood.

In 1999, Fox announced that he had Parkinson's disease at age 29. Soon after he left his role in "Spin City," but has made several guest appearances, such as lawyer Louis Canning on "The Good Wife."

What exactly is Parkinson's disease that Fox battles with everyday?

According to the Mayo Clinic, "Parkinson's disease is a progressive disorder of the nervous system that affects your movement. It develops gradually, sometimes starting with a barely noticeable tremor in just one hand. But while tremor may be the most well-known sign of Parkinson's disease, the disorder also commonly causes stiffness or slowing of movement."

The diagnosis was devastating for Fox, who admitted to Howard Stern on "The Howard Stern Show" that he found solace in a bottle and drank everyday so he didn't have to face the reality of his condition.

"I used to drink to party," Fox said, "but...now I was drinking alone and to just not be (present). Every day," E! reported.

This downhill course was not going to cut it for his wife. According to Stern interview, "Pollan, looked at him one day and said 'is this what you want?' It wasn't and he quit, heading into AA."

Fox' sense of humor has always stayed intact and he's come to terms with his disease. Shock jock Stern couldn't avoid one of his favorite subjects, sex.

"Masturbation, he (Fox) admits, is 'like a bad hand job.' Sex can still be pretty great, but sometimes he'll do something in bed and if his wife says 'do that again!' He has to tell her that he can't, it was involuntary. To his kids, he's just 'shaky Dad.'"

Well this Dad is already shaking things up with his comeback and his humble, comedic self-depricating spin on a tough issue.