hnt_dnl
The BEST. That is what ALL IN THE FAMILY (premiering in 1971) is. Accept no substitutes! I think there is this myth that the first of anything by definition can't be the best, because anything can be improved upon. This may apply in some arenas, like technology, but not art. And AITF is art! In the same way that I feel that "The Maltese Falcon" is the first great example of film noir (and still to this day, best) and "Psycho" is the first great example of the slasher film (and still to this day, best), I feel that AITF is the first great example of the modern television show, and still to this day...BEST! 21st century TV viewers can have their "Sopranos" and their "The Wire" and their "Breaking Bad". I take AITF over all of them! Modern TV in the 21st century is close being a "one-trick pony". A show can be a drama OR a comedy, but not both. Just because a show has "realistic" elements like violence, profanity, and sex, doesn't make it groundbreaking. AITF ushered in the modern age of television. What AITF does that many modern shows fail to do is to both have realism AND entertainment value! For a show that premiered over 40 years ago, one can still watch AITF today and be flooded by varying emotions: laughter, sadness, contemplation, thought. I proclaim the TV show "Cheers" as the greatest COMEDY of all time, not the greatest SHOW of all time. I'm calling AITF the greatest SHOW of all time. Huge distinction, because AITF was not just a comedy, it was an EXPERIENCE, much like my best film of all time, "2001:A SPACE ODYSSEY" was an experience. AITF did not fit into just one genre. Not just a comedy. Not just drama. You can't pigeonhole this show into just one thing. That's the beauty of it.Even though I had been born when AITF premiered in the early 70s, I was a bit too young to appreciate it. It took repeated viewing and the absorption of all TV that I've seen over the last couple of decades to come to the conclusion that it really all started with this show.AITF starred what I consider to be the GREATEST TV character of all time, Archie Bunker (played to perfection by the late, great Carroll O'Connor). Archie was an amazing protagonist-antagonist that I still don't think has ever been equaled. He was a proclaimed Christian, a bigot, and of the old school. He didn't like change or the way the world was going in the early 70s, equal rights for women and affirmative action. He was essentially a sounding board for conservatism. The ultimate irony is that, in real life, O'Connor was a forward-thinking liberal, the antithesis of Archie. It had to be somewhat difficult for him to portray a person who was the opposite of him in many ways. O'Connor was awarded FOUR Emmys for this role. Not enough if you ask me! But to counter Archie's conservativism, he was also a military veteran, and a hard-working family man who loved his wife and daughter and tolerated his opposing son-in-law. These other 3 vital characters were his sweet, daffy wife Edith Baines Bunker (awesomely played by the late Emmy-winning Jean Stapleton), his beautiful, effervescent daughter Gloria Bunker Stivic (wonderfully played by Sally Struthers), and his smart, liberal, Atheist son-in-law Michael Stivic (superbly performed by Emmy-nominee Rob Reiner, who we all know now for his directorial efforts).The group dynamic of these main 4 characters is sublime, all of them being in perfect synergy in their scenes. Many times other recurring or guest characters would share scenes with the main 4 and the entire ensemble would nail dialogue-heavy, drawn out scenes, and keep the viewer fully engaged. Ensemble shows now don't even enjoy this kind of interaction, with ensemble scenes being saved for big reveals or moments, with quick editing and snarky dialogue in the guise of real interaction. AITF scenes seemed real.AITF, of course, would pair off, and for me, the best pair was Archie-Mike. The constant back-and-forth bickering between these 2 men is awe-inspiring. Every important topic was pretty much covered in their arguments: religion, politics, war, sex, the economy. And a few not-so-important ones, too! I think Archie and Mike actually learned a lot from each other over the years, as in the later seasons, you could see Archie begrudgingly beginning to accept change and Mike seeing a few things from Archie's POV as he had to start raising a family in a tough economy. Archie-Edith had a great dynamic, too. Initially Archie's figurative punching bag, Edith came into her own, as she proved to be more free-thinking and open-minded than her husband. To counter Archie's close-minded views, Edith would constantly rail into these long-winded anecdotes that always would get under his skin. I think she sneakily did this to shut him up most of the time! Although not as forefront as the Bunkers' marital woes, Mike-Gloria had their share of great interactions over the years, mainly a battle of the sexes, but also arguing about Archie. AITF, through incredible writing and brilliant acting, had this ability to relay to the viewer extended character interactions that would be the set up ONE huge laugh at the end, but also to yield various laughs on the way to the big one! Mike and Gloria left after the 7th season, but the show still survived and was very good in it's 8th season with the introduction of a new character, Edith's niece Stephanie (well-played by Danielle Brisebois) and still had thought-provoking, wonderful stories. The show made it to a 9th and final season being called "Archie Bunker's Place". But, for me, as long as Archie Bunker is involved, it's ALL IN THE FAMILY!
rreeyore
This television show changed everything on TV after it. It broke so many grounds. It was one of the first sitcoms to deal with prejudice, politics, war, and was the first television show to feature the sound of a flushing toilet. The main character, Archie Bunker, is an old-fashioned bigot who represents the working man in America. His wife, Edith Bunker, represents the old-fashioned house wife in the 1950's. Archie an Edith's daughter Gloria and her husband Micheal live with the Bunkers in a suburb of New York City. The Show took on so many controversial topics of the time such as the Vietnam War and Watergate. It could always find humor in everyday suburban life. It was mostly dealing with the old-fashioned way of life (Archie), being confronted by the easy-going hippie lifestyle (Micheal) during the 1970's. All the humor is in Archie and Micheal's feuds and bickering due to the twos different beliefs. This sitcom is one of the best.
Greatornot
The headline truly does say it all. You certainly did have ALL in this family. Conservative,uneducated bigot in Archie. Liberal smug college student in Mike,the son in law. Naive with her shining moments in Edith the housewife. Womens libber daughter Gloria. What a fun family. First 5 yrs impeccable. My 10 is based on those. Funny with clashes constantly. Bring in Lionel, the families young, black friend and you had full blown fits of laughter. As the show went on the feistiness and bluntness slowly seeped . The final season not even a shell of this wonderful show. Sometimes the show did get more serious after the initial 5 seasons. All in all this show was a microcosm and realistic picture of Americana in a working class mans home. Lots of humor eased tension on issues of the day, such as picketing,gun control, Vietnam,homosexuality,privacy rights, religion,political affiliation clash, race etc. Hmmm we have quite a few of these same issues today, go figure. In a nutshell, even though the show lost steam after the first 5 seasons, after the Stivics moved away from the Bunkers... It is still my favorite show of all time. In all fairness to AITF- I believe there must have been pressure to tone down due to political correctness rearing its ugly head= What a shame. Enjoy this show on DVD or TVLAND. At least the early seasons come out first on DVD.
