Do you think the show needed any improvement? What were the strong areas and the weak areas?

Strong: Archie's well-defined character; Carroll O'Connor's wonderful performance; and a decent premise (Archie runs the neighborhood saloon).

Weak: The supporting cast (no one really stands out); the Murray Klein character, which wasn't very fleshed-out; the death of Edith; continuing attempts to involve Stephanie in the show.

Bruce the short fly- swatting chineese waiter and Billie the other good looking neice and waitress were an enjoyment to the show trough the last season.
Certainly, the death of Edith really dimished the show. I did like Martin Balsams peformance as Murray on the show though it wasent as strong as Rob Reiners Mike on AITF.

I don't think that they were trying to Make Murray another Mike. At least I hope not.

I think that they tried to make liberal Murray a foil for conservative Archie, albeit a more subtle one than Mike.

It was much worse when Billie started dating one of the Rabinowitzes (before Gary) whom Archie really didn't like. It was a blatant attempt to duplicate the Archie-Mike-Gloria relationships, and it didn't work at all. The producers must have realized this, and brought in Gary instead.

I think that the chemistry was fine between Murray and Archie. Murray displays his mind in the sense that he understands Archie. He knows that Archie means well and he respects that. That was the best point of the show.

The weak part in that sense was that theshow wasn't very funny. I mean there were a few funny moments, but the show was in fact plainly interesting to watch. I mean I was watching Archie to see how he would handle something more than wait for him to say something funny. The best of the best will always be the early episodes of All in the Family.

Do you think the show needed any improvement? What were the strong areas and the weak areas?
The show could have improved with the Jefferson's and Lorenzo's making guest appearances.

First, let me say that I haven't seen the show since it originally aired on CBS
(1979-1983). But I kind of liked the chemistry between Gary Rabinowitz
(Barry Gordon) and Billie Bunker (Denise Miller). It is ironic, too, that they
had both previously been regulars on the Barney Miller spin-off, Fish. I know Barry Gordon (a former child star, who recorded the holiday
novelty tune 'I'm Gettin' Nuttin' for Christmas") went on to do several voice
overs (including the Nestle Quix Bunny and Donatello on The Teenage
Mutant Ninja Turtles). But whatever became of Denise? She made one
TV-movie, "Sooner or Later," and then sort of disappeared off the radar.

On the web, I just learned that Denise also appeared on Diagnosis Murder,
Charles in Charge, Knight Rider, and (interestingly) In the Heat of the Night,
starring Carroll O'Connor. There was a rumor (later disproved) that she was killed in the World
Trade Center on 9/11/01. We know that is false because she appeared in the 2003 movie,
"April's Shower."

The show could have improved with the Jefferson's and Lorenzo's making guest appearances.


The Jeffersons had already made uest appearances on All in the Family in 1978 and 1979 so having them appear on Archie's Bunkers Place too(even thought it was still AITF) would have been too much.

The Jeffersons had already made uest appearances on All in the Family in 1978 and 1979 so having them appear on Archie's Bunkers Place too(even thought it was still AITF) would have been too much.
How would it have been too much?

How would it have been too much?


If George came back to visit in 1978 and Louise came back to visit in 1979, what would either of them have returned again for??? That was already Two guest appearances

Nothing wrong with that Solomon. It would not have been to much at all. It would have been a nice little bonus. However, I will agree with you on the fact that the show was still AITF instead of ABP. I'm with you 100 percent on that. That is just our opinion though.

Nothing wrong with that Solomon. It would not have been to much at all. It would have been a nice little bonus. However, I will agree with you on the fact that the show was still AITF instead of ABP. I'm with you 100 percent on that. That is just our opinion though.


The bonus was the 2 guest appearances in 78/79. What could have possibl been the reason for George and Weezy returning again in the 80's and there was no more Edith?

I am sure that there are other reasons out there. Television is one of the most creative fields that we have.

I don't think that they were trying to Make Murray another Mike. At least I hope not.
Murray was Archie's foil in lieu of Mike. Just like Arthur Harmon was Maude's foil in lieu of Archie Bunker.

I think the show ran it's course after season eleven (or ABP 2). When Edith died and Murray left, it seemed a bit watered down. The next season, the producers tried to get both Rob and Sally back in the grind. They got Sally but Rob turned it down.

It's amazing that this show almost outlasted the Jeffersons when it made it's debut 4 years before the Jeffersons ever existed

It sure is. But I liked this show all the way.

GARY F'ING RABINOWITZ.

I was SO TIRED of all the Gary-based episodes. Towards the end of the show, you start to wonder why Archie's name is still in the title.

You know I hardly remember Archie Bunkers Place but I will say that I think the reason why ABP should have improved is that what worked on All in the Family was the core 4, of Archie, Edith, Gloria and Mike. Thats what made the show great. Thats what made the show iconic. When you dont have that anymore, the quality suffers. Hell, you could make the argument that after Gloria and Mike left, All in the Family wasnt the same.

It would have been nice of they cleaned up all the plot inconsistences with Stephanie. And Barney. And even the final episode; if Billie dumped Gary because he was too old for her, why would she hook up with Rick Baxter who was in Gary's class, thus had to be the same age as Rabinowitz.

GARY F'ING RABINOWITZ.

I was SO TIRED of all the Gary-based episodes. Towards the end of the show, you start to wonder why Archie's name is still in the title.


More Gary and less stephanie worked for me:wave:

In "Goodbye, Murray" they spoke of Stephanie going to visit Uncle Murray in San Fran. It felt they were greasing the skids for a future episode. Unfortunately that reunion never happened.

Another thing I would have like to have seen improved upon was more consistency in following through with a storyline. For example Stephanie becoming a cheerleader, Murray and his younger gentile girlfriend Ruth Kendall, Dottie becoming a waitress at the bar, etc were never built upon after their initial presentation.

Other storylines like Barney pining over Blanche went on way too long but never seemed to progress.

They could have had a Superbowl episode like they did on AITF

ABP should have never aired. AITF should have ended with Mike, Gloria & Joey moving.

At the end of Stephanie's Tryout, Stephie mentioned her intent to tryout for Little League. This was another future episode idea that never happened as her budding baseball career storyline was quickly dropped.

No stephanie or barney

We never really got much about the background of Barbara Lee other than the bits of info dropped into other episodes; she was a former cheerleader, she dated a guy named Armand for a year and a half and Ted Green was so infatuated with her that he followed her to Queens.

With the revelations at the end of Father Christmas, it likely created friction between Barbara Lee and her mother other than Fred Bunker's weakness for younger women. But as was the ABP tradition with storyline follow-through Billie's relationship with her mother was never mentioned again.

The bonus was the 2 guest appearances in 78/79. What could have possibl been the reason for George and Weezy returning again in the 80's and there was no more Edith?

I def would have had a scene on the Jeffersons where Louise reads about Edith’s death in the paper.

McFeeney's Topless was referred to several times, but I would have liked to have seen a full scale rivalry between them and Archie's Place like we saw later between Cheers/Gary's Olde Towne Tavern

I agree with one of the other posters, the show truly ended when Rob Reiner & Sally Struthers left the show and that's when All in the Family should have ended. Having it be about Archie more or less without the others would be akin to having Ralph Kramden working on his bus. All in the Family was the greatest sitcom ever and is timeless, including the topics talked about over 50 years ago and how they still are relevant in 2024. ABP felt just like "another sitcom", and definitely paled in comparison after NBC launched "Cheers" a far superior program that took place in a bar.

Removing Barney from the show would have made it much better

Removing Barney from the show would have made it much better

Barn was awesome. The storyline of him pining away for Blanche drug on way, way too long though.