Lucille Ball did not like All In The Family either. She HATED 'All in the Family', saying it was anti-American, she was not happy that CBS would put a show like AIITF on the air especially the same channel as her own show(Here Lucy) was on at the time.

http://www.allinthefamilysit.com/press_rel08012000.shtml
Lucille Ball’s take on the series -- "After the first show... ‘How awful. How could they put anything like this on the air, particularly at CBS, my station?’"

I know she liked Three's Company and she did a highlight type show about it. She preferred pratfall type shows. I preferred All in the Family to Three's company.

I know she liked Three's Company and she did a highlight type show about it. She preferred pratfall type shows. I preferred All in the Family to Three's company.

Agreed

Well, I really like Lucy, but I also heard she could be a prude (on top of being a control freak,) I just accept the bad with the good with someone as vastly talented as her. And she certainly had her plusses BUT....

MILLIONS of people adore AITF, so too bad it snapped Lucy's girdle. The solution is (was?) simple: don't watch it!

I too agree, AITF trumps Three's Co. anyday.

Well, I really like Lucy, but I also heard she could be a prude (on top of being a control freak,) I just accept the bad with the good with someone as vastly talented as her. And she certainly had her plusses BUT....

MILLIONS of people adore AITF, so too bad it snapped Lucy's girdle. The solution is (was?) simple: don't watch it!

I too agree, AITF trumps Three's Co. anyday.
I can understand where Lucy is kind of getting at and I know that she like diffident type of Comedy and so that understandable that she may not not like this show. However I disagree that it's anti-American.

What I don't understand is Cosby criticism of the show. He act like to much of atwo goody two shoe.

look at the era that Lucille Ball came from? So is it really any surprise that she had trouble getting into a show like AITF?

look at the era that Lucille Ball came from? So is it really any surprise that she had trouble getting into a show like AITF?
Yea and a lot of people felt that way after they saw the first show. Maybe her opinion changed after time.

Yea and a lot of people felt that way after they saw the first show. Maybe her opinion changed after time.

Probably because times changed from that first episode and she had no choice but to change with it

I can understand where Lucy is kind of getting at and I know that she like diffident type of Comedy and so that understandable that she may not not like this show. However I disagree that it's anti-American.

What I don't understand is Cosby criticism of the show. He act like to much of atwo goody two shoe.

I don't understand his cricism either. Never thought he was all that anyways.

I don't understand his cricism either. Never thought he was all that anyways.


Come on, at the time the show aired you had a racist white man on air making fun of all races on top of black people not really being seen on TV yet. So yes he criticized it at the time because it was NEW and DIFFERENT.

Just like now I have trouble in 2011 getting used to female characters on a sitcom talking dirty but once more shows start including this type of language It won't be a big deal anymore

It's just not All In The Family. Cosby Hate just about every single Television show that has ever aired that he is not in!! Bill Cosby does not like any Television Show that he not in. He hate just about every TV show that ever aired. The only show's that he likes are the ones that he is in. He doesn't like Three's company either.

Good Heavens, that was redundant.

I do like BOTH Shows "I Love Lucy" and "All in the Family", but Ball's stardom was fadin' fast at the time! When AITF was on, she was in "Mame"! A Lot of people HATED the film, but I like it....

h8eCAhAo12o

Come on, at the time the show aired you had a racist white man on air making fun of all races on top of black people not really being seen on TV yet. So yes he criticized it at the time because it was NEW and DIFFERENT.

Just like now I have trouble in 2011 getting used to female characters on a sitcom talking dirty but once more shows start including this type of language It won't be a big deal anymore

I have to agree with you, I have trouble with the new shows on the air today. SOme I just wonder. did they say what I thought. I haven't seen much of Molly and MIke but what few times I have the mother Swoozie says things that I say Oh MY or yikes! The young people I work with are much more open about talking about things, I would squirm at saying.

I have to agree with you, I have trouble with the new shows on the air today. SOme I just wonder. did they say what I thought. I haven't seen much of Molly and MIke but what few times I have the mother Swoozie says things that I say Oh MY or yikes! The young people I work with are much more open about talking about things, I would squirm at saying.


I was watching 2 Broke Girls the other night and one of the girls said something looks like a "purple vagina"


LOL


Can you imagine Janet or Terri saying something like that on Three's Company or Gloria on All in the Family

All I wonder about the last comment Tvfactfan is "a female l must have had some problem to see or have a purple vagina". She should check with her doctor quick. I picture a lot what they say.

As for Archie, he had a hard time saying the word breast. It could mean chicken part or a women's chest. As least you could think of other terms the word could be used for. Now a days not much choice. He always said Keister for rear end. Today the A word would be said.

All I wonder about the last comment Tvfactfan is "a female l must have had some problem to see or have a purple vagina". She should check with her doctor quick. I picture a lot what they say.


She picked up a purple soap holder and said it looked like a purple vagina

Well, you have to understand that the success of "All in the Family" in the early 1970s wound up driving a lot of old TV shows off the air, Lucy's included. AITF changed the face of TV comedy, and left Lucy's brand of comedy "outdated" for the prime-time schedule in the 1970s.

Here's some more Lucy had to say about AITF and the state of TV in 1984.


Why is there so little to laugh at on TV today?

''Overkill. There's not much new stuff, a sameness. And there's too much too choose from - we used to have a few channels and that was it.

''Also, now nobody gets a chance to prove himself anymore. If the show isn't an instant success, the network yanks it off the air so it never has a chance to find an audience.''

Miss Ball says she was in shock when ''All in the Family'' first went on the air. ''My whole lifetime I never called anybody (derogatory ethnic names). Those words had been put out of our vocabulary. And in one night, they were put back in by Archie Bunker. And kids began using them again. And now they're still there. Despite the success of the show, it has left a legacy of those awful words.''

Lucy likes ''Three's Company'' and especially one of its stars, John Ritter. Other TV favorites are Ted Danson and Shelley Long of ''Cheers,'' and she still grieves over the demise of ''M*A*S*H.'' She says she adores Goldie Hawn and Carol Burnett in anything they do.

Lucy is incensed by the proliferation of pornography and the harm she feels it is doing to a whole generation of youngsters. ''Those four-letter words keep pouring out on the cable stations.''

She was insulted by the recent Eddie Murphy and Buddy Hackett specials on HBO: ''Inexcusable. Why should we glorify that by watching it. How can we stop it? It's making money, and as long as they're making a buck they don't seem to care. Nobody cares anymore!'' She throws up her arms in mock surrender.



http://www.csmonitor.com/1984/0516/051606.html

Lucy needed someone strong enough to help guide her through the changing times of the late 60's and beyond (and let's face it, Gary Morton was not that person). Here's Lucy was hopelessly dated, Lucy could have flourished in the 70's and 80's, but she had to update her product (as Jerry Lewis might say). It shouldn't surprise anyone that Lucy didn't care for All In The Family.

To resurrect an old thread from 2011, it is true that Lucy hated AITF and thought the show was trash and abhorred the toilet flush.

Personally, I never much cared for Lucy in anything, but that is my opinion, I Love Lucy was pretty groundbreaking, but her 1960's shows were bad. I don't think they were that "dated" for the time though. I think she had a formula that worked in the 1950's-1960's, with an older demographic keeping her on the air until 1974. I think a "sea change" happened in the 1970's and Lucy was a relic, but too proud to admit it, and her last show in 1986 showed that.

Richard Nixon also hated All In the Family too.

Let's not forget that HER show was about celebrating differences and quirks (even if there was some jokes about them) so I imagine she would have been upset seeing others DIS them.

Lucille Ball did not like All In The Family either. She HATED 'All in the Family', saying it was anti-American, she was not happy that CBS would put a show like AIITF on the air especially the same channel as her own show(Here Lucy) was on at the time.

http://www.allinthefamilysit.com/press_rel08012000.shtml
Lucille Ball’s take on the series -- "After the first show... ‘How awful. How could they put anything like this on the air, particularly at CBS, my station?’"


All in the Family was absolutely anti-American. I didn't necessarily see that when I was watching it growing up but just as with MASH, anyone that was a loyal American was portrayed as a moron. Mike, was portrayed as the good educated smart one, was always out protesting against America.

The success of shows like All in the Family and The Mary Tyler Moore changed the face of television in the 1970s. Their success pushed shows like Lucy off the air, so not surprised she didn't like AITF.

Well, I really like Lucy, but I also heard she could be a prude (on top of being a control freak,) I just accept the bad with the good with someone as vastly talented as her. And she certainly had her plusses BUT....

MILLIONS of people adore AITF, so too bad it snapped Lucy's girdle. The solution is (was?) simple: don't watch it!

I too agree, AITF trumps Three's Co. anyday.

She was cheated on by Desi and that probably, as you put it, "snapped her girdle" more. Seeing AITF's political nature and nonstandard relationships, especially the hippie friends one, she would understandably be uppity to some extent.

I doubt she continued to watch after her saying her piece.

It's just a tv show, though.

I wonder what Lucille Ball thought about Norman Lear’s other shows like Sanford and Son, Maude, Good Times, and The Jeffersons.

Everyone views things differently. For me, AITF was a show about family and sticking together no matter your opinions and views. At the end of the day, no matter what happened, they were there for each other. No family is perfect as no person is perfect and AITF showed this perfectly.

For me, AITF was a show about family and sticking together no matter your opinions and views. At the end of the day, no matter what happened, they were there for each other. No family is perfect as no person is perfect and AITF showed this perfectly.
That’s a very positive message and one that hasn’t carried over to the modern day. These days relatives seem to disown one another over political disagreements.

She was cheated on by Desi and that probably, as you put it, "snapped her girdle" more. Seeing AITF's political nature and nonstandard relationships, especially the hippie friends one, she would understandably be uppity to some extent.

I doubt she continued to watch after her saying her piece.

It's just a tv show, though.

I know beauty is in the eye of the beholder, but WHY he would cheat on such an attractive woman I'll never understand; Lucy was still beautiful at 60....and fantastic legs. She was a chorus girl and IMO could put Betty Grable's to shame. She was also a superb businesswoman-I wished I could have met her, I really liked her a lot.

(Just my 2 cents, but Desi was not all that.)

I wonder what Lucille Ball thought about Norman Lear’s other shows like Sanford and Son, Maude, Good Times, and The Jeffersons.
In one of the Lucy books I own, it states "She found Maude and Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman perverse and self-indulgent. MASH and The Mary Tyler Moore Show were more to her liking". There was no mention of Sanford or Good Times.

All in the Family was absolutely anti-American. I didn't necessarily see that when I was watching it growing up but just as with MASH, anyone that was a loyal American was portrayed as a moron. Mike, was portrayed as the good educated smart one, was always out protesting against America.

Totally disagree. If anything, that we could have a show like AITF on the air show's what a great country we are. Imagine all the dictatorships where freedom of viewpoints would never be tolerated. Also, the show wasn't disdainful of America; more than anything else it helped ALL of us see our warts and that both extremes (liberal and ultra-conservative) are not without shortcomings. The show made us think.

And Mike didn't come across as all that smart anyways. He was smug and hypocritical; and when push came to shove, he was just as close-minded as Archie, maybe even more so. At least Archie was real.

There were a couple of eps where Mike really comes across as a buffoon. Two examples come quickly to mind: in the ep where the burglars break in, they treat Mike's viewpoints just as contemptuously as Archie's. Also the ep where they play that board game, and when everyone starts critiquing Michael, he throws the game off the table. Real mature -Mike can dish it out but can't take it.

I do like BOTH Shows "I Love Lucy" and "All in the Family", but Ball's stardom was fadin' fast at the time! When AITF was on, she was in "Mame"! A Lot of people HATED the film, but I like it....

h8eCAhAo12o

Incidentally, Jane Connell (with whom Lucy worked with on MAME), played Sybil Gooley on an episode of ALL IN THE FAMILY a few years later.

I found MAME to be pretty decent (albeit a very long film). Lucy played a character unlike any character she had ever played, helping a woman who was pregnant and unmarried. So, for Lucy, that was a bit of a groundbreaking move in her career. No one ever seems to mention that.

So I wonder if Lucy actually warmed up to ALL IN THE FAMILY. Any good actor/actress knows that you need to sit with a character long enough to understand who they are. Her initial opinion seems to be taken at face value of the character of Archie Bunker. I would hope she was able to see past that and understand what they were doing if she invested some time in watching it regularly. It's always a shame to miss out on something that could add some laughter to your life.

The problem is revealed by the episodes you pick. Asked to pick 3 episodes where Mike was portrayed negatively, nearly everyone who watched the show would include the board game episode. Archie was portrayed that negatively on almost a weekly basis. Propagandists know that sometimes they have to briefly criticize their own side, just so they can claim evenhandedness.

Mike is criticized in the burglar episode, but by an even more leftist point of view than he subscribes to. It's a forerunner of our current diversity argument that people of the "dominant culture" don't really have a say as to the complaints of minorities, and can't criticize them.

I went through probably 15 years of drifting from a liberal to a conservative. As a liberal, I many times saw my thoughts portrayed on political shows on TV. None of those political shows - including All in the Family, MASH, Maude, Family Ties, Designing Women, Murphy Brown - ever presented an argument that I would make as a conservative.

There are of course many more episodes where Mike comes as smug, pompous, hypocritical and condescending. When Gloria makes the first move he throws a little hissy fit that it's the man who should make the first move. But just in general, he really wasn't portrayed as this Sir Gallahad.

But I do see your point about conservatives on other shows--although I do think Alex Keaton came off rather well.

I love All in the family!!!!

I love All in the family!!!!

Me too! And I'm glad I got to see it when it first aired-I was a teenager back then.

The show was mind-blowing, at least 25 years ahead of it's time. It still holds strong -areal classic.

I know over the years I've seen every episode twice. I caught some eps during Antenna's Thanksgiving marathon. It was nice re-visiting it and it's nice to know I can any time as I have the first five seasons.

Lucy should have produced All in the Family. They could have done episodes where Edith meets some past-their-prime celebrity (Bob Cummings!), and where the family must do some sort of musical number.

Well, Sammy Davis Jr. did visit.

There are of course many more episodes where Mike comes as smug, pompous, hypocritical and condescending. When Gloria makes the first move he throws a little hissy fit that it's the man who should make the first move. But just in general, he really wasn't portrayed as this Sir Gallahad.

But I do see your point about conservatives on other shows--although I do think Alex Keaton came off rather well.
AITF and FT were IMO the only shows where politics worked well within the sitcom.

I think Lucy was all about the comedy, she enjoyed making people laugh. So it makes sense if she disliked All In The Family and other Norman Lear sitcoms which have their fair share of arguing, conflict and drama along with the comedy.

Totally disagree. If anything, that we could have a show like AITF on the air show's what a great country we are. Imagine all the dictatorships where freedom of viewpoints would never be tolerated. Also, the show wasn't disdainful of America; more than anything else it helped ALL of us see our warts and that both extremes (liberal and ultra-conservative) are not without shortcomings. The show made us think.

And Mike didn't come across as all that smart anyways. He was smug and hypocritical; and when push came to shove, he was just as close-minded as Archie, maybe even more so. At least Archie was real.

There were a couple of eps where Mike really comes across as a buffoon. Two examples come quickly to mind: in the ep where the burglars break in, they treat Mike's viewpoints just as contemptuously as Archie's. Also the ep where they play that board game, and when everyone starts critiquing Michael, he throws the game off the table. Real mature -Mike can dish it out but can't take it.

You're ignoring the fact that just like virtually every other program on TV, everyone associated with All in the Family was a radical liberal. Obviously Norman Lear. Plus Carol O'Connor, Jean Stapleton and Rob Reiner. Virtually every episode was a diatribe against conservative values. Archie was never allowed to win an argument. The episodes you picked where Mike looks bad, with the board game and burglars, Mike was shown up by blacks, not Archie.

You're ignoring the fact that just like virtually every other program on TV, everyone associated with All in the Family was a radical liberal. Obviously Norman Lear. Plus Carol O'Connor, Jean Stapleton and Rob Reiner. Virtually every episode was a diatribe against conservative values. Archie was never allowed to win an argument. The episodes you picked where Mike looks bad, with the board game and burglars, Mike was shown up by blacks, not Archie.

Yes, there may have been a lot of liberals associated with the show, however the fact that Michael was "shown up" at all, shows that the show wasn't totally biased. The key word being TOTALLY.

However, you have made me reflect back on TV in the 70s, andto be frank, I can't think of many TV characters who are portrayed as intelligent conservatives except maybe for Arthur Harmon on Maude. That is a shame, as an intelligent conservative would have been an excellent character. The idea that you can't be conservative and brilliant is, of course, utter nonsense - and is easily disproved in real life.

The entertainment industry is mostly liberal. As are most people who go into journalism or communications. I think it’s unfortunate there isn’t more diversity, but it is what it is.

That said, I think AITF is pro-American. Here is a family that is sharply divided from a political standpoint. But they love each other and stick together when it counts. And they learn each other’s point of view - I think of “Games Bunkers Play” and “Two’s a Crowd” as prime examples of this. Even Archie softens over time - he seems to joke around with Louise Jefferson toward the end of her run, and sticks up for the Stivics when they are targeted by the KKK.

Come on, at the time the show aired you had a racist white man on air making fun of all races on top of black people not really being seen on TV yet. So yes he criticized it at the time because it was NEW and DIFFERENT.

Just like now I have trouble in 2011 getting used to female characters on a sitcom talking dirty but once more shows start including this type of language It won't be a big deal anymore
Archie Bunker most certainly was not a racist. Ignorant, yes. A bigot, absolutely. But he was not a racist, not by a long shot.

Well, AITF is one of those shows you either REALLY LOVE or REALLY HATE. And Lucy had a reputation as a prude, so I can she why SHE would hate hate hate it. But as much as I :heart: Lucille Ball (and I really do!) I completely disagree with her about AITF. AITF, like her iconic I Love Lucy, was #1 for years in a row. Only shows with a lot of depth, and/or awe-inspiring originality, can accomplish that!

The two shows are totally different. Lucy's shows were more physical comedy and All in the Family was more dialog comedy. Also time of Archie was 20+ years later.

The two shows are totally different. Lucy's shows were more physical comedy and All in the Family was more dialog comedy. Also time of Archie was 20+ years later.

Of course! Never said, or even meant to imply, the shows were IDENTICAL TWINS. Just that BOTH were ingenious and easily 25 years ahead of their time.

NOBODY, and I mean NOBODY, could do physical comedy like Lucille Ball. And what a wonderful blueprint Desi’s business genius provided to those yet to come.

AITF turned TV on it’s head too-dismissing the tired pablum so typical of sitcoms of that era, and REALLY TAKING ON some of the most controversial topics of our time.

So, basically, what I was saying, is BOTH (IMO) were works of GENIUS!

Of course! Never said, or even meant to imply, the shows were IDENTICAL TWINS. Just that BOTH were ingenious and easily 25 years ahead of their time. NOBODY, and I mean NOBODY, could do physical comedy like Lucille Ball. And what a wonderful blueprint Desi’s business genius provided to those yet to come. AITF turned TV on it’s head too-dismissing the tired pablum so typical of sitcoms of that era, and REALLy TAKING some of the most controversial topics of our time.

So, basically, what I was saying, is BOTH (IMO) were works of GENIUS!

I agree, both were great shows. Each show was just a part of a different era. It's too bad Lucille Ball couldn't give All in the Family a chance.

I agree, both were great shows. Each show was just a part of a different era. It's too bad Lucille Ball couldn't give All in the Family a chance.

I TOTALLY agree! Meanwhile she went all gaga over Three’s Company, which was kinda odd. Threes Company is a nice enough show mind you, but NOWHERE’S in the league of ILL & AITF.

To be fair to Lucile Ball, she made her comments based on the first episodes of AITF when Archie Bunker's character was still being formed and was much more brash and raw. And also, this was something completely new to television that was surely going to polarize and get vastly different opinions on.

We all know by now in hindsight how Archie evolved as the series progressed so we can't really bash Ball for hating the show based the first few episodes. For all we know, she could have changed her opinion later on...or perhaps not. But since her opinions are based on such very early episodes, I think we shouldn't be so hard on her for hating it at that time.

To be fair to Lucile Ball, she made her comments based on the first episodes of AITF when Archie Bunker's character was still being formed and was much more brash and raw. And also, this was something completely new to television that was surely going to polarize and get vastly different opinions on.

We all know by now in hindsight how Archie evolved as the series progressed so we can't really bash Ball for hating the show based the first few episodes. For all we know, she could have changed her opinion later on...or perhaps not. But since her opinions are based on such very early episodes, I think we shouldn't be so hard on her for hating it at that time.

I don’t hate her for it AT ALL. There’s no law that everyone has to be in love with a show - even if most other’s do.

I don’t hate her for it AT ALL. There’s no law that everyone has to be in love with a show - even if most other’s do.

I hope many feel the same way as you. Lucy came from an era when you entertained without injecting politics into stories and I can see how that would be shocking in the early 70's to see on TV, so I don't hold it against her if she despised the show.
She had a completely different way of entertaining and I think we desperately need performers like her in today's era where it seems everything on TV is politicized to death...and why I only tune into classic channels.

I hope many feel the same way as you. Lucy came from an era when you entertained without injecting politics into stories and I can see how that would be shocking in the early 70's to see on TV, so I don't hold it against her if she despised the show.
She had a completely different way of entertaining and I think we desperately need performers like her in today's era where it seems everything on TV is politicized to death...and why I only tune into classic channels.



I agree! ;):wave:

And I can see where Lucy was coming from!! She came from the old school era of good old fashioned wholesome TV shows and lighthearted, slapstick humor! I could see where AITF would seem shocking and offensive !! :eek:

I agree! ;):wave:

And I can see where Lucy was coming from!! She came from the old school era of good old fashioned wholesome TV shows and lighthearted, slapstick humor! I could see where AITF would seem shocking and offensive !! :eek:

Wonder how she felt about the Honeymooners:)

Wonder how she felt about the Honeymooners:)


She was probably glad she was married to Ricky and not fat, loudmouth, cheapskate Ralph! :D

She was probably glad she was married to Ricky and not fat, loudmouth, cheapskate Ralph! :D

Meaning the quality of the show since the husband was always threatening to hit his wife and yelling. Plus Archie was also insulting his wife so she should have criticized the honeymooners too lol

Meaning the quality of the show since the husband was always threatening to hit his wife and yelling. Plus Archie was also insulting his wife so she should have criticized the honeymooners too lol

Actually it was inferred that Ricky hit Lucy when she was bad. I recall scenes where Ricky implied she was in for physical punishment from him and she reacted terrified. I wish I could pinpoint the exact scene now! Hopefully a hardcore Lucy fan can remember for me.

Also, there was the "Fashion Show" episode where Lucy says "I'm gonna get tan until I turn red....Ricky wouldn't dare hit me in that condition."

And I remember a scene where Ricky actually spanked her on camera too. But it was the 50's and acceptable then for husbands to keep their little wives in line that way which seems medieval and archaic by today's standards.

I hope many feel the same way as you. Lucy came from an era when you entertained without injecting politics into stories and I can see how that would be shocking in the early 70's to see on TV, so I don't hold it against her if she despised the show.
She had a completely different way of entertaining and I think we desperately need performers like her in today's era where it seems everything on TV is politicized to death...and why I only tune into classic channels.

She certainly showed you can be utterly brilliant without introducing politics or controversial topics, although it’s certainly no crime if you do. But for any show to work, it must have brilliant writing, which AITF surely had. Without great writing, AITF would have fallen flat on its face.

Lucy was a genius at comedy-no question about that. And there IS ALWAYS a place for her level of entertainment. Really, one of the hallmarks of a “classic” is to be able to withstand the test of time. ILL certainly does that-still brilliant entertainment nearly 70 years later. Sadly, I can’t think of anyone today of Lucy’s caliber for comedy; Lucy was one in a million-God Bless her.

I know she liked Three's Company and she did a highlight type show about it. She preferred pratfall type shows. I preferred All in the Family to Three's company.

The Jeffersons was better than All in the Family but I do like some AITF episodes. No doubt Carrol O'Connor did a FANTASTIC job as Archie Bunker.

But Three's Company absolutely BLOWS AWAY AITF because John Ritter was the best physical comedian on a sitcom as Ball herself said and it was her favorite show!

Too many episodes of AITF were too dull and depressing to compare to an upbeat & uplifting show like Three's Company!

Lucille Ball did not like All In The Family either. She HATED 'All in the Family', saying it was anti-American, she was not happy that CBS would put a show like AIITF on the air especially the same channel as her own show(Here Lucy) was on at the time.

http://www.allinthefamilysit.com/press_rel08012000.shtml
Lucille Ball’s take on the series -- "After the first show... ‘How awful. How could they put anything like this on the air, particularly at CBS, my station?’"

Unfortunately that link doesn't work anymore.

The Jeffersons was better than All in the Family but I do like some AITF episodes. No doubt Carrol O'Connor did a FANTASTIC job as Archie Bunker.

But Three's Company absolutely BLOWS AWAY AITF because John Ritter was the best physical comedian on a sitcom as Ball herself said and it was her favorite show!

Too many episodes of AITF were too dull and depressing to compare to an upbeat & uplifting show like Three's Company!

AITF was geared toward viewers over 30 and TC was aimed toward viewers under 30

I don't expect a 14 year old to be interested in AITF just like most people over 45 would not be interested in TC

AITF was geared toward viewers over 30 and TC was aimed toward viewers under 30

I don't expect a 14 year old to be interested in AITF just like most people over 45 would not be interested in TC

I dunno about that. Many adolescents go through a rebellious phase and what better show to watch than AITF, which turned TV on it’s head. Re TC, what you suggest is more likely.

The problem is revealed by the episodes you pick. Asked to pick 3 episodes where Mike was portrayed negatively, nearly everyone who watched the show would include the board game episode. Archie was portrayed that negatively on almost a weekly basis. Propagandists know that sometimes they have to briefly criticize their own side, just so they can claim evenhandedness.

Mike is criticized in the burglar episode, but by an even more leftist point of view than he subscribes to. It's a forerunner of our current diversity argument that people of the "dominant culture" don't really have a say as to the complaints of minorities, and can't criticize them.

I went through probably 15 years of drifting from a liberal to a conservative. As a liberal, I many times saw my thoughts portrayed on political shows on TV. None of those political shows - including All in the Family, MASH, Maude, Family Ties, Designing Women, Murphy Brown - ever presented an argument that I would make as a conservative.

Very interesting post. But even though the show clearly had a liberal bias, IT ALSO portrayed the characters as nuanced: Edith stepping out of the passive subservient wife and putting her foot down about things that really mattered to her, Archie mellowing out, Michael shown as a somewhat hypocritical doofus. So the show does move a little bit further than you suggest. But given the cleverness of the show, I can see how one might have your perspective.

And like you my politics have moved away from the left: from a rabid liberal as a teen to someone in the middle-maybe a bit on the conservative .

I dunno about that. Many adolescents go through a rebellious phase and what better show to watch than AITF, which turned TV on it’s head. Re TC, what you suggest is more likely.

I couldn't relate to AITF when I was 15 but once I was older the episodes were things I went through in my own life like

Layoffs
Operation
Inflation
Monthly Budget

All the things I didn't know about as a 15 year old because no one in my family never had a operation at that time, no one was laid off, and I wasn't old enough to be concerned with managing a budget or rising prices. Three's Company on the otherhand was FUN to watch because it didn't deal with serious issues at all

It's absurd to compare AITF to Threes Company since AITF was a comedy/drama and Threes Company was strictly comedy. Both shows were made for completely different types of audiences.

It's absurd to compare AITF to Threes Company since AITF was a comedy/drama and Threes Company was strictly comedy. Both shows were made for completely different types of audiences.

A big problem with AITF was Mike's constant crying and complaining and his practically non-stop looney liberal banter. That ALONE makes Three's Company a better show because it didn't have that nonsense plus it has a better comic actor in John Ritter.

I don't know where you're getting this comedy-drama stuff from because my cable/satellite guide lists AITF as a comedy. Isabel Sanford, who played Louise on the show, said when she first saw AITF she couldn't stop laughing!

I agree AITF covered heavy issues like death, sexual assault, sickness, etc. but so did other sitcoms like Family Ties and no one called that a comedy-drama.

A big problem with AITF was Mike's constant crying and complaining and his practically non-stop looney liberal banter. That ALONE makes Three's Company a better show because it didn't have that nonsense plus it has a better comic actor in John Ritter.

I don't know where you're getting this comedy-drama stuff from because my cable/satellite guide lists AITF as a comedy. Isabel Sanford, who played Louise on the show, said when she first saw AITF she couldn't stop laughing!

I agree AITF covered heavy issues like death, sexual assault, sickness, etc. but so did other sitcoms like Family Ties and no one called that a comedy-drama.

AITF is most definitely a comedy/drama. It's nowhere near what Three's Company is in regard to sitcoms. IN fact, i'll go as far as stating that during the first 5 seasons, AITF was more like a stage play than your average sitcom.

Your Family Ties comparison doesn't really equate since that show was mainly a feel good family sitcom that had a few "very special episodes" thrown in during sweeps months during it's run.

AITF from the get go dealt with very serious issues that were far from funny. In the 6th episode alone, Gloria has a miscarriage and it was dealt with very seriously. This solidified (in my opinion) the groundwork for it to be deemed a comedy/drama and not just a funny sitcom.

Yes, the genre IS "sitcom" like others are, and your TV listings will call it a comedy, but it's my opinion that AITF is a comedy/drama and to compare it to Three's Company, a show where the lead character is basically a clown, is absurd. Both shows are apples and oranges to each other which was my original point. You just cannot compare the two because they're on totally different levels and made for completely different audiences.

Three's Company can be best compared to a show like Laverne & Shirley since both were slapstick shows. You get my point now? There's no slapstick found anywhere in AITF.

Actually, I need to correct myself....Now that I think about it, I would also consider Family Ties a comedy/drama as well. The more I think about it, the more I can recall many scenes that were strictly drama on that show just like AITF.
So I would say you COULD certainly compare AITF to Family Ties because both are pretty much on the same level. But I just don't see enough similarities from AITF to Three's Company to be able to compare the two. One was a slapstick show that never dealt with anything more serious than an upset roommate whereas AITF was across the spectrum with serious issues, as well as Family Ties.

Granted, this is just my opinion. Others are free to feel as they wish. I guess there's no "right or wrong" here.

Now that I think about it, I would also consider Family Ties a comedy/drama as well

Family Ties was definitely a "dramedy." Some even say it was a reverse take on AITF. The parents were 60's hippies and the son was an 80's Reagan conservative. It's interesting that the creators of both shows thought the audience would root for the liberal characters, but that didn't happen with either show. Archie and Alex were the favorites.

Family Ties was definitely a "dramedy." Some even say it was a reverse take on AITF. The parents were 60's hippies and the son was an 80's Reagan conservative. It's interesting that the creators of both shows thought the audience would root for the liberal characters, but that didn't happen with either show. Archie and Alex were the favorites.

"Dramedy" is a perfect word to describe both shows. And yeah, back then (70's/80's) the huge majority of America was conservative leaning, so it boggles the mind that the creators actually expected the viewing audiences to side with the liberal characters.

"Dramedy" is a perfect word to describe both shows. And yeah, back then (70's/80's) the huge majority of America was conservative leaning, so it boggles the mind that the creators actually expected the viewing audiences to side with the liberal characters.

I think Dramedy fits One Day at a Time a bit more than All in the Family

I think Dramedy fits One Day at a Time a bit more than All in the Family

I think Dramedy fits for both shows. Now as for one being more dramatic than the other, i'd call it a toss up between the two. I think both shows dealt with mature and serious issues equally.

Also, AITF paved the way for ODAAT. Without the former, I doubt the latter would have even existed.

Family Ties was definitely a "dramedy." Some even say it was a reverse take on AITF. The parents were 60's hippies and the son was an 80's Reagan conservative. It's interesting that the creators of both shows thought the audience would root for the liberal characters, but that didn't happen with either show. Archie and Alex were the favorites.

Still shocking that AITF, The Jeffersons, Three's Company & so many other shows from that era are shown in reruns but Family Ties really isn't!

Still shocking that AITF, The Jeffersons, Three's Company & so many other shows from that era are shown in reruns but Family Ties really isn't!

Family Ties is currently on Antenna.

Family Ties is currently on Antenna.

Antenna used to play it every weeknight and now they just shove it to overnight and 3pm on weekends only. I'd rather see it back to weeknights or at least daily afternoon airings than just weekends.

Family Ties is currently on Antenna.

Ok but it's not been the proportional rerun hit that it was as a first run show.

So many other shows have done better in reruns & some weren't even as big as FT!

Family Ties was definitely heavier on the drama than the comedy, and I really don’t enjoy it. But undoubtedly 1980’s audiences loved it.

Antenna used to play it every weeknight and now they just shove it to overnight and 3pm on weekends only. I'd rather see it back to weeknights or at least daily afternoon airings than just weekends.

Why do you think they moved it to 3am or whatever? Not getting the viewers.

Why don't you just DVR it?

Why do you think they moved it to 3am or whatever? Not getting the viewers.

Why don't you just DVR it?

I don't own a DVR and if i'm going to shell out money to watch my favorite shows, I prefer to spend it on DVD's for unedited episodes. I already have Family Ties season 1...just have to get the rest of the seasons.

I don't own a DVR and if i'm going to shell out money to watch my favorite shows, I prefer to spend it on DVD's for unedited episodes. I already have Family Ties season 1...just have to get the rest of the seasons.

Do you have cable or satellite? You can add a DVR for like 5 bucks a month. It's worth it even if it were a little more expensive just because you can fast forward past the stupid commercials!

Do you have cable or satellite? You can add a DVR for like 5 bucks a month. It's worth it even if it were a little more expensive just because you can fast forward past the stupid commercials!

I cut cable out of my life 5 years ago and will never go back to that ball & chain again. They keep sending me flyers in the mail to get me back for $19.99/month packages but I toss them in the trash.

For one, I don't watch enough TV to justify paying for it. And secondly, you know after a year goes by, that 19.99 bill will leap to 49.99 or something crazy like that. I'm sick of those games.

Besides, the only channels I care to watch with my rabbit ear antenna are Antenna TV and Buzzr channel....and sometimes Decades channel if they're running a marathon I like. Otherwise, i'm watching classic shows on DVD's.

I cut cable out of my life 5 years ago and will never go back to that ball & chain again. They keep sending me flyers in the mail to get me back for $19.99/month packages but I toss them in the trash.

For one, I don't watch enough TV to justify paying for it. And secondly, you know after a year goes by, that 19.99 bill will leap to 49.99 or something crazy like that. I'm sick of those games.

Besides, the only channels I care to watch with my rabbit ear antenna are Antenna TV and Buzzr channel....and sometimes Decades channel if they're running a marathon I like. Otherwise, i'm watching classic shows on DVD's.

I’m so far in the boonies that I have to rely on DIRECTV for even my local channels. I’ve tried antennas and I pick nothing up. If it weren’t for my love of “Days of Our Lives” and “Wheel of Fortune”, I’d cut the cord today.

I’m so far in the boonies that I have to rely on DIRECTV for even my local channels. I’ve tried antennas and I pick nothing up. If it weren’t for my love of “Days of Our Lives” and “Wheel of Fortune”, I’d cut the cord today.

I'm in Orlando, Florida and my rabbit ears can't pull in NBC or ME TV for some odd reason. So even in the city you won't be guaranteed all stations. I'm sure if I upgrade the antenna to a better one, i'll get them, but i'm happy with the channels I got. Now if I couldn't pull in Antenna TV, then i'd panic. :lol:

I understand the Days addiction. I was obsessed with that show back in the late 90's during the Kristen/Susan pillow baby story. Man was that a fun ride! I tuned out after the actress left the show but went back in '04 for the Salem Stalker story that got so absurd as it progressed that I tuned out forever after that.
I think after Marlena magically transported to an island inside her coffin straight from her funeral I threw my hands in the air and said that's enough. It got so silly by that point I just couldn't take anymore.

Only thing I did last was reduce my cable bill $50 by eliminating LOGO so now I won't get to see Three's company and All in the family on sunday nights:(

I'm curious: among the people who are surrogates for Norman Lear's point of view, especially Mike but also people like the Lorenzos, Maude, maybe Louise, was there ever criticism of any non-American culture?

Only by Archie Bunker but NEVER by the liberals on the show. They practically WORSHIPPED foreign NON-whites!

And domestic non-whites for that matter.

Only by Archie Bunker but NEVER by the liberals on the show. They practically WORSHIPPED foreign NON-whites!

And domestic non-whites for that matter.

And whenever Archie made a valid point in criticizing them, Meathead and the rest of them ALWAYS had a ready (and usually lame) excuse in defense.

Lionel was a liberal, but he was the only character that actually called Meathead on his patronizing behavior towards non whites, particularly him, in the episode "The Games Bunkers Play".
During that great episode (and one of my favorites), he let him know he didn't appreciate that Meathead always spoke to him as a black person first, saying "You're always bending over backwards for me. I can't even get into a good argument with you. You're so quick to agree with me." and "Just once i'd like you to talk to me like I was Lionel Jefferson and not a representation of the whole black race."

It was refreshing that another liberal actually called him out on his patronizing and insulting worship of non whites.

And whenever Archie made a valid point in criticizing them, Meathead and the rest of them ALWAYS had a ready (and usually lame) excuse in defense.

Lionel was a liberal, but he was the only character that actually called Meathead on his patronizing behavior towards non whites, particularly him, in the episode "The Games Bunkers Play".
During that great episode (and one of my favorites), he let him know he didn't appreciate that Meathead always spoke to him as a black person first, saying "You're always bending over backwards for me. I can't even get into a good argument with you. You're so quick to agree with me." and "Just once i'd like you to talk to me like I was Lionel Jefferson and not a representation of the whole black race."

It was refreshing that another liberal actually called him out on his patronizing and insulting worship of non whites.


Is that the episode when Lionel said..."black people have weather too"

Is that the episode when Lionel said..."black people have weather too"

Yes that's the one. It's one of my favorite AITF episodes.

Yes that's the one. It's one of my favorite AITF episodes.

Yeah one of mine too when Mike snapped out and ran in the kitchen

Yeah one of mine too when Mike snapped out and ran in the kitchen

Like the liberal snowflake that he was. Runs away when faced with facts. He also ran up to his room earlier after flipping the game board like a spoiled child when he didn't like the way the game was going. :lol: