Since some of us might not see every episode, I wanted to ask this question. Pardon me if it's been asked before. Which season do you think was the best? Did it get better once Edith died and Murray and Veronica left? Did it get even worse?

Originally posted by Jenny
Since some of us might not see every episode, I wanted to ask this question. Pardon me if it's been asked before. Which season do you think was the best? Did it get better once Edith died and Murray and Veronica left? Did it get even worse?

As you probably know, I, like you, have only seen the episodes TVL has played. Frankly, I'm surprised the show lasted past Edith's death. Watching the final episode of ABP the other day was so depressing, to be honest with you. I didn't even recognize Stephanie (who was in her teens by then). I thought overall, the episode was fairly funny, but from just watching the episodes on TVL, I've gotten used to Murray and Veronica. And in the last season, they're gone, so it was a bit strange. I think it got worse after Edith died. The scenes at the house before and after Billie's date were strange, because I hardly even saw the actual inside of the house, it was just so dark and not as lively. Eerie almost. What I mean by this is, all we really saw in those shots were faces, not the actual scenery, it was just weird, know what I mean?

Strange I know, but that's just how I saw things. And frankly, watching an entire episode focused on two characters I've never even met (Billie and Gary) I just didn't feel "invested" you know. Maybe if I ever see all the seasons in between, then my attitude may change. *Shrugs* Just my opinion.

Originally posted by TVJunkie101


As you probably know, I, like you, have only seen the episodes TVL has played. Frankly, I'm surprised the show lasted past Edith's death. Watching the final episode of ABP the other day was so depressing, to be honest with you. I didn't even recognize Stephanie (who was in her teens by then). I thought overall, the episode was fairly funny, but from just watching the episodes on TVL, I've gotten used to Murray and Veronica. And in the last season, they're gone, so it was a bit strange. I think it got worse after Edith died. The scenes at the house before and after Billie's date were strange, because I hardly even saw the actual inside of the house, it was just so dark and not as lively. Eerie almost. What I mean by this is, all we really saw in those shots were faces, not the actual scenery, it was just weird, know what I mean?

Strange I know, but that's just how I saw things. And frankly, watching an entire episode focused on two characters I've never even met (Billie and Gary) I just didn't feel "invested" you know. Maybe if I ever see all the seasons in between, then my attitude may change. *Shrugs* Just my opinion.

Yeah, it was a bit weird for me seeing Stephanie too. Here we are watching episodes where she looks about 11 years old and then we see an episode where she looks 15 or 16. It was just weird.

I didn't really like the last episode. I'm going to go with the reason about not seeing Billie or Gary in any other episodes that closely. I think Billie was in the background of the 'Break a Leg, Stephanie' episode, but I hadn't really seen an episode with her as a front player. I might like the episodes with Billie and Gary if I seen them all the way through, they might grow on me.

I was just sitting here thinking. I know some of us hated when they killed Edith off. Yet, I still think it was pure genius in a way. They really had guts to do that. It takes guts to kill off any major player.

I too obviously have only seen Season 1 but I'm gonna judge mine from looking at the episode guide and I say that season 4 had the best episodes IMO.

After the 1980 season got started, it seemed so gloomy on the set. I had mentioned this before. I did not even get through the whole final episode because I had to do something else and it really did not appeal to me anyway. When I get some spare time I will watch it. Some of my favorites post Edith are:

Happy Birthday Stephanie
Billie
Gloria Comes Home
First Day(Gloria Pilot)

I've seen all the episodes, and the show gets progressively weaker as it goes along. Season 1 is the strongest, season 2 the second strongest, etc. By the time they got to the last season, the premise was completely played out. And the new characters like Billie and Gary weren't particularly well-defined. Watching the last season is seeing the very pale ghost of a once-great show.

Had the show returned for a fifth season, it was going to be retooled, according to the book "Archie, Edith, Mike, and Gloria" (a great book for fans of AITF and ABP). Norman Lear suggested that Archie would marry a much younger woman, much to the horror of his family and friends. He also hoped to bring back Mike for a handful of episodes (Gloria would have presumably returned for at least a few shows as well). Lear later used the May-December marriage idea for his later sitcom "Sunday Dinner".

I'm just as happy we didn't have to see this retooling, though. I just can't see how it would have worked.

Later on, in the early 1990s, Carroll O'Connor wanted to bring back Archie for yet another series. This would have been a one-camera, no-laughtrack sitcom filmed on location in New York. Archie, having sold the bar, would have been running a car service and preaching his views to his customers (the rich and powerful). Though single, he would have had a steady lady friend (with neither one of them in any hurry to marry, though). Lear vetoed the idea, though, preferring to let Archie stay in the past.

Originally posted by TV Guy
I've seen all the episodes, and the show gets progressively weaker as it goes along. Season 1 is the strongest, season 2 the second strongest, etc. By the time they got to the last season, the premise was completely played out. And the new characters like Billie and Gary weren't particularly well-defined. Watching the last season is seeing the very pale ghost of a once-great show.

Had the show returned for a fifth season, it was going to be retooled, according to the book "Archie, Edith, Mike, and Gloria" (a great book for fans of AITF and ABP). Norman Lear suggested that Archie would marry a much younger woman, much to the horror of his family and friends. He also hoped to bring back Mike for a handful of episodes (Gloria would have presumably returned for at least a few shows as well). Lear later used the May-December marriage idea for his later sitcom "Sunday Dinner".

I'm just as happy we didn't have to see this retooling, though. I just can't see how it would have worked.

Later on, in the early 1990s, Carroll O'Connor wanted to bring back Archie for yet another series. This would have been a one-camera, no-laughtrack sitcom filmed on location in New York. Archie, having sold the bar, would have been running a car service and preaching his views to his customers (the rich and powerful). Though single, he would have had a steady lady friend (with neither one of them in any hurry to marry, though). Lear vetoed the idea, though, preferring to let Archie stay in the past.

That would've been awful if they had Archie remarry. I don't think the major fans would buy it either.

I've never read that A, E, M, and G book. I'll have to put down for it the next time I go to the library.

I've seen all the episodes, and the show gets progressively weaker as it goes along. Season 1 is the strongest, season 2 the second strongest, etc. By the time they got to the last season, the premise was completely played out. And the new characters like Billie and Gary weren't particularly well-defined. Watching the last season is seeing the very pale ghost of a once-great show.

Had the show returned for a fifth season, it was going to be retooled, according to the book "Archie, Edith, Mike, and Gloria" (a great book for fans of AITF and ABP). Norman Lear suggested that Archie would marry a much younger woman, much to the horror of his family and friends. He also hoped to bring back Mike for a handful of episodes (Gloria would have presumably returned for at least a few shows as well). Lear later used the May-December marriage idea for his later sitcom "Sunday Dinner".

I'm just as happy we didn't have to see this retooling, though. I just can't see how it would have worked.

Later on, in the early 1990s, Carroll O'Connor wanted to bring back Archie for yet another series. This would have been a one-camera, no-laughtrack sitcom filmed on location in New York. Archie, having sold the bar, would have been running a car service and preaching his views to his customers (the rich and powerful). Though single, he would have had a steady lady friend (with neither one of them in any hurry to marry, though). Lear vetoed the idea, though, preferring to let Archie stay in the past.
To me season 4 was really hit and miss. There were some very good episodes at the end which made me sad we didn't get to see them play out in a 5th season. But earlier in the year there were more duds than gems.

I think I like Season Two best.