How was it decided that All in the Family was going to be restructured as Archie Bunker's Place before the Fall of 1979? Was it contractual obligations or something else?

If memory serves, Jean Stapleton wanted to leave the show. I believe O'Connor wanted out too, but was offered a very big sum of money to keep the Archie character going.

Ms. Stapleton only appeared in 4 or 5 episodes during the first season of "Archie Bunker's Place". Lear & O'Connor reasoned that without Edith in most episodes, it would make sense to have more action take place at the bar. Also, she wanted out, so they decided to have the character of Edith die off screen.

The final season of "Family" was without Rob Reiner & Sally Struthers, and it was by then a rather tired show. It wasn't even performed in front of a live studio audience either by then. A lot of the show lost its crispness and edge once the Stivics moved next door, and then when they moved to California. That was when the show should have went off.

The only thing about "Archie's Place" that I liked were his new business partner Murray (and even he left after 2 years), and the first season they had the Thanksgiving episode with the Stivics coming to the Bunkers.

I thought Archie Bunker's Place was so blah. I remember watching it on Sunday nights because it was sandwiched in between "the Jeffersons" and "Alice" in the early 1980s, but it was a terribly inferior show compared to All in the Family.

I thought Archie Bunker's Place was so blah. I remember watching it on Sunday nights because it was sandwiched in between "the Jeffersons" and "Alice" in the early 1980s, but it was a terribly inferior show compared to All in the Family.


My only issue with it was Stephanie:lol:

I never really liked it. After they killed off Edith Bunker it just wasn't the same anymore. Jean Stapleton and Carroll O'Connor were very believable as a married couple and had great chemistry together. I think since Jean Stapleton wanted to leave they should've just had Edith die and then cancelled All In The Family and been done with it.

Ed.

I would have preferred he divorced her and remarried lol

For the people who have the opinion that All in the Family should have ended when Mike and Gloria moved to California at the end of Season 8:

If All in the Family had ended after its eighth season instead of being renewed for a ninth season (which would mean Archie Bunkers Place wouldn't even exist), I think that would have allowed some of the newer and younger sitcoms on CBS, like WKRP in Cincinnati and (possibly) Stockard Channing in Just Friends, which debuted during the 1978-79 season, would have a better shot at succeeding. Perhaps Archie Bunker's Place never existing would have led to a longer run for WKRP in Cincinnati than just four seasons?

I have never seen All in the Family

For the people who have the opinion that All in the Family should have ended when Mike and Gloria moved to California at the end of Season 8:

If All in the Family had ended after its eighth season instead of being renewed for a ninth season (which would mean Archie Bunkers Place wouldn't even exist), I think that would have allowed some of the newer and younger sitcoms on CBS, like WKRP in Cincinnati and (possibly) Stockard Channing in Just Friends, which debuted during the 1978-79 season, would have a better shot at succeeding. Perhaps Archie Bunker's Place never existing would have led to a longer run for WKRP in Cincinnati than just four seasons?

And I could have done without Archie Bunker's Place. The only thing that kept that series afloat for four years was being on Sunday nights on CBS, sandwiched between shows like "The Jeffersons" and "Alice". I tried to watch some reruns a few years ago, and the show was so boring I couldn't finish one episode.

And I could have done without Archie Bunker's Place. The only thing that kept that series afloat for four years was being on Sunday nights on CBS, sandwiched between shows like "The Jeffersons" and "Alice". I tried to watch some reruns a few years ago, and the show was so boring I couldn't finish one episode.


I too thought it was a little boring, compared to All in the family! My Father liked it and used to watch it, so to me it was like a show for old men ( LOL,my Father being an "old man" in his 50's than ,the age I am now)!!! :lol:

I too thought it was a little boring, compared to All in the family! My Father liked it and used to watch it, so to me it was like a show for old men ( LOL,my Father being an "old man" in his 50's than ,the age I am now)!!! :lol:

It just felt like O'Connor was basically "phoning it in". ABP was also not taped before a live studio audience, so I think it affected pacing.

All In the Family was self-important garbage its last few seasons. Melodramatic. Extreme close-ups. Excruciatingly slow pace.

It was like a completely different show from the extraordinary first few seasons.

Archie Bunker's Place flat-out sucked.

From what I have watched and read about ABP, I don't think I would like it. Just because I would compare it to AITF. I would watch it out of curiosity, though.

I watched it once through Netflix, it wasn't bad not it wasn't All in the Family. I think people expected too much of it.

And I could have done without Archie Bunker's Place. The only thing that kept that series afloat for four years was being on Sunday nights on CBS, sandwiched between shows like "The Jeffersons" and "Alice". I tried to watch some reruns a few years ago, and the show was so boring I couldn't finish one episode.
It wasn't sandwiched between them It led off the night . ABC even moved Mork & Mindy opposite it to try to start off their night and they moved it back to Thursday rather quickly.

From what I have watched and read about ABP, I don't think I would like it. Just because I would compare it to AITF. I would watch it out of curiosity, though.


It couldn't be compared to All in the family because it wasn't a family show

It couldn't be compared to All in the family because it wasn't a family show

Yes it was.

I think many of Norman Lear's sitcoms became typical, generic 70s sitcoms by the end of the decade. Good Times, The Jeffersons and to a lesser extent, ODAAT, cut back on the social commentary.

There were still dramatic episodes and issues covered, but it wasn't as heavy handed as it was in the mid-70s. They were more like "Very Special Episodes".

I think All in the Family was renewed for a ninth season in 1978-79 because of the stigma of CBS losing three of their popular shows, The Bob Newhart Show, Maude, and The Carol Burnett Show, because their respective stars decided not to continue with them. CBS did not want to lose a fourth popular show due to its star's departure after the 1977-78 season, especially since it was in the Top 10 of the yearly Nielsen rankings, so Carroll O'Connor and Jean Stapleton were persuaded to do a ninth season of AitF.

I think All in the Family was renewed for a ninth season in 1978-79 because of the stigma of CBS losing three of their popular shows, The Bob Newhart Show, Maude, and The Carol Burnett Show, because their respective stars decided not to continue with them. CBS did not want to lose a fourth popular show due to its star's departure after the 1977-78 season, especially since it was in the Top 10 of the yearly Nielsen rankings, so Carroll O'Connor and Jean Stapleton were persuaded to do a ninth season of AitF.

:confused:

For the people who have the opinion that All in the Family should have ended when Mike and Gloria moved to California at the end of Season 8:

If All in the Family had ended after its eighth season instead of being renewed for a ninth season (which would mean Archie Bunkers Place wouldn't even exist), I think that would have allowed some of the newer and younger sitcoms on CBS, like WKRP in Cincinnati and (possibly) Stockard Channing in Just Friends, which debuted during the 1978-79 season, would have a better shot at succeeding. Perhaps Archie Bunker's Place never existing would have led to a longer run for WKRP in Cincinnati than just four seasons?


You seem to be saying that Archie's Place was so popular that it did not give other TV shows a chance to even be seen or considered.

Maybe All In The Family fans wanted Archie's Place to continue in the hilarious tradition of the show it was spun off from. But it was not.
It was a typical case of one character being so popular that the producers and TV executives or whomever tried to put that character in a different show.
It was just time for All In The Family to end and making a spin off was not a good idea.
The original characters had changed a lot in 10 years or had aged and it was time to stop having Michael and Gloria stay with Archie and Edith since Michael graduated and had a job and Archie and Edith were growing older and since the TV series depicted modern times as it was at that time the 70s were ending and the 80s were coming and the jokes about Nixon and anti-war protesters and hippies and a lot of things that was part of the 1970s were no longer fresh material and the characters were slowly changing and it automatically meant that All In The Family would just not be what it was when it began.

I thought Archie Bunker's Place was so blah. I remember watching it on Sunday nights because it was sandwiched in between "the Jeffersons" and "Alice" in the early 1980s, but it was a terribly inferior show compared to All in the Family.I watched a few episodes of it but didnt really like it........

Its sad how all in the family fell apart... WHY?? Didnt they like doing it?

I watched a few episodes of it but didnt really like it........

Its sad how all in the family fell apart... WHY?? Didnt they like doing it?

All in the Family fell victim to having had been on the air too long (some 10 years) and the characters needed to change with the times, and they did, and thus they become too different from the funnier , memorable people they used to be.
It happened to a majority of TV shows, sitcoms, dramas, soap operas or whatever, and here is no definite amount of time that applies to each show. It is a matter of what context the show was in to begin with, also what the writers can do with each season . Other shows Jumped-The-Shark much sooner and only lasted about 3 or 4 years. I'd say that 4 years is the general amount of time that a successful TV show can last before getting dull .
It is a wonder when any TV show with characters is made, do the writers think about what they would do if the show is a hit and the characters eventually have to become different people from what they used to be, at least in certain ways?
That is why certain regular characters are taken out such as Michael and Gloria , and newer "fresher" characters such as "Stephanie" and the gay guy who worked at Archie's bar, are put in.

Of course it tends not to work.
TV shows will always have to eventually be cancelled because it is time for it.
Of course another common scenario besides this, is that the actors playing certain characters want to go on to other roles and not be typecast.

Ya its really very sad.....

I have great respect for ABP. It brought in new characters who are awesome.