I'm sittin here watching the last season of AITF and it's So BORING. Just Archie, Dingy Edith and Stephanie. The show should have really ended when Mike and Gloria left since the show was based on All 4 of those characters. So I was wondering what the producers were trying to accomplish by adding Stephanie?

I guess the writers thought they needed to add something to the show since Gloria and Mike left. I guess they thought it would just be dull to have Archie and Edith living by themselves and just seeing Archie have occasional moments at the bar. Archie had to have somebody to interact with besides Edith. I guess they thought Stephanie could be that person. Just my guess.

Originally posted by Jenny
I guess the writers thought they needed to add something to the show since Gloria and Mike left. I guess they thought it would just be dull to have Archie and Edith living by themselves and just seeing Archie have occasional moments at the bar. Archie had to have somebody to interact with besides Edith. I guess they thought Stephanie could be that person. Just my guess.

it was clearly a bad move by the producers. They should have offered Struthers and Rob Reiner more money to do one last season or just end the show.

I Disagree. I Liked Stephanie.

Originally posted by Chad Doody
I Disagree. I Liked Stephanie.

She was okay for a vistor but not a regular cast member. That's the case with anyone-no matter if they are a child or adult. You just can't have new additions to a show that's been on the air for 7 years. Makes no sense. Either leave a show the way it is and try to work with the cast you have or just move on.

Originally posted by SOLOMON


She was okay for a vistor but not a regular cast member. That's the case with anyone-no matter if they are a child or adult. You just can't have new additions to a show that's been on the air for 7 years. Makes no sense. Either leave a show the way it is and try to work with the cast you have or just move on.

Wel adding people after a few seasons isnt neccesarily bad. It worked for Chachi on Happy Days, Rebecca and Woody on Cheers and Mr. Furley on Threes Company. Sure most shows that add a character later on in the series usualy fail (Cousin Oliver, Pam on The Cosby Show) But i dont really think Stephanie was that bad at all. She added some youth to the show that it had never seen before (Unles you count Joey) and added some new storylines. It also began its switch into Archie Bunker's Place, Which even though alot of people think is the same show, I See it as a totally different show with a different concept yet alot of characters from the old show.

Originally posted by Chad Doody


Wel adding people after a few seasons isnt neccesarily bad. It worked for Chachi on Happy Days, Rebecca and Woody on Cheers and Mr. Furley on Threes Company. Sure most shows that add a character later on in the series usualy fail (Cousin Oliver, Pam on The Cosby Show) But i dont really think Stephanie was that bad at all. She added some youth to the show that it had never seen before (Unles you count Joey) and added some new storylines. It also began its switch into Archie Bunker's Place, Which even though alot of people think is the same show, I See it as a totally different show with a different concept yet alot of characters from the old show.


It's nothing wrong wih adding a character in the first 2 or 3 years of a show but adding a character to save a show is always a no-no.

Originally posted by SOLOMON

it was clearly a bad move by the producers. They should have offered Struthers and Rob Reiner more money to do one last season or just end the show.

You said a mouthful! I've always felt that All in the Family ended when Mike and Gloria moved to California. Unfortunately, the show limped along for a few more years due to Carroll O'Connor's stubbornness to keep it on the air (provided he had more creative control of the show), network greed, and a probable lack of any decent new shows. Bottom line -- The character of Stephanie was valueless to the show; Archie Bunker's Place is a pale ghost of AITF.

Whether the cast additions that Chad Doody mentioned "worked" or not is, of course, debatable:

Cheers: The show's set in a public venue so it's logical for people to come and go. Also, the conflict/tension needed to keep it interesting could (and did) come from the interaction of any combination of characters. In this case, IMO, it worked because it didn't change the premise of the show.

Happy Days and Three's Company - I respectfully decline to comment.

I don't like Stephanie on AITF, but she's okay on ABP. They just started showing the Stephanie episodes on N @ N and I always groan when I see Carroll wearing the gray sweater. Gray sweater=Stephanie

I do like Stephanie on ABP. Just wanted to repeat that so nobody will yell at me or anything.

Originally posted by TVgen62



Happy Days and Three's Company - I respectfully decline to comment.

I'd like to state my opinion about HD. It's a good show if we're talking about the Ron Howard years. It should've ended when he left. Just about every addition they made to the show after Ron's departure just wasn't a very good addition, imo.

Originally posted by Jenny
I don't like Stephanie on AITF, but she's okay on ABP. They just started showing the Stephanie episodes on N @ N and I always groan when I see Carroll wearing the gray sweater. Gray sweater=Stephanie

I do like Stephanie on ABP. Just wanted to repeat that so nobody will yell at me or anything.

I Dont understand how you dont like her on AITF, but like her on ABP. Because the last season of AITF is basically the same thing as the first season of APB.

Originally posted by Jenny
I don't like Stephanie on AITF, but she's okay on ABP. They just started showing the Stephanie episodes on N @ N and I always groan when I see Carroll wearing the gray sweater. Gray sweater=Stephanie

I do like Stephanie on ABP. Just wanted to repeat that so nobody will yell at me or anything.


Why was Stephanie okay on ABP but not AITF?

It's weird, but I'll try to explain it.

I know the bar scene started toward the end of AITF, but I still consider that part to be AITF. When ABP took over and the name changed, I consider that to be a seperate show. Stephanie started out on that show from point 1, she's a regular character now. On AITF she was just a replacement character. I prefer Mike and Gloria to Stephanie on AITF. I've gotten used to Mike and Gloria. It's kind of like the Darrin 1 and Darrin 2 thing on Bewitched. Most prefer Darrin 1 and Mike and Gloria to Darrin 2 and Stephanie.



Yeah, hope that made sense. If it doesn't, I'll try and explain some more.

[QUOTE]Originally posted by Jenny
It's weird, but I'll try to explain it.

I know the bar scene started toward the end of AITF, but I still consider that part to be AITF. When ABP took over and the name changed, I consider that to be a seperate show. Stephanie started out on that show from point 1, she's a regular character now. On AITF she was just a replacement character. I prefer Mike and Gloria to Stephanie on AITF. I've gotten used to Mike and Gloria. It's kind of like the Darrin 1 and Darrin 2 thing on Bewitched. Most prefer Darrin 1 and Mike and Gloria to Darrin 2 and Stephanie.



Yeah, hope that made sense. If it doesn't, I'll try and explain some more. [/QUOTE


How was stephanie able to hold your interest on ABP but not AITF? For example, I liked George Jefferson more on AITF because he was short tempered and funnier, But I didn't like George too much on TJ because he became heavier and nicer.

Originally posted by SOLOMON
[i]


How was stephanie able to hold your interest on ABP but not AITF? For example, I liked George Jefferson more on AITF because he was short tempered and funnier, But I didn't like George too much on TJ because he became heavier and nicer. [/B]

Well, let me explain this by going back to when TVL first started showing ABP and when I thought it was dull as dust. Okay, most of the episodes that TVL first showed involved the bar scene. You had very little eps with Edith, so it was kind of nice seeing a face from somebody that lived in the Bunker household. Stephanie was the case since Edith didn't appear all that much.

I don't know how my opinion would vary if Edith had appeared more than Stephanie. What if Edith didn't die and she appeared in just about every episode. Would I still like Stephanie on ABP? Idk if I can answer that question because Edith did die and Stephanie did appear more than Edith did.

Originally posted by Jenny


Well, let me explain this by going back to when TVL first started showing ABP and when I thought it was dull as dust. Okay, most of the episodes that TVL first showed involved the bar scene. You had very little eps with Edith, so it was kind of nice seeing a face from somebody that lived in the Bunker household. Stephanie was the case since Edith didn't appear all that much.

I don't know how my opinion would vary if Edith had appeared more than Stephanie. What if Edith didn't die and she appeared in just about every episode. Would I still like Stephanie on ABP? Idk if I can answer that question because Edith did die and Stephanie did appear more than Edith did.



I tried watching ABP but since there was no Edith, Mike, George, Irene, Loinel,Louise, or Maude-it was hard to keep watching-I didn't see the point of ABP

Originally posted by SOLOMON




I tried watching ABP but since there was no Edith, Mike, George, Irene, Loinel,Louise, or Maude-it was hard to keep watching-I didn't see the point of ABP

I really and truly see what you're saying, Solomon. I felt so disappointed when I first seen ABP. It didn't help matters that TVL showed the same eps for so many times. When TVL started showing ABP at a normal time, I watched it again. I'll admit that it sure isn't AITF. I never expected it to outrun AITF. It does stand okay by itself if you forget about AITF. I compared the shows and that's why I was disappointed in it. When you forget about AITF and just see it as Archie Bunker's Place, it does improve.

I like ABP, but I still wished it had ended with the AITF ep 'The Stivics Go West'. We just had a recent post about that. Did you see that final episode of ABP, Solomon? It sucked, imo. I haven't seen too much of the later season, but ABP just might be a shell of it's former self by the time I see the last season. Maybe the last season was excellent and just that last episode sucked ?

I like the Stephanie character. I liked her on AITF and ABP. No, she's not as memorable as Mike and Gloria, but she can keep you (or at least me) interested in the show. Maybe they included her because they wanted to show how Archie and Edith could handle a kid her age? We already know how they were with Mike and Gloria (20 somethings), and Joey (a baby). Just a thought.
As for the "final" episode of ABP. No, it wasn't that great, but that was not the "official final" episode. CBS did not give ABP a chance to have an actual "farewell" episode (i.e. Mary Tyler Moore, M*A*S*H etc). It was interesting to see how the family changed and the characters changed over the years. In real life, people change. But I will admit that ABP is not as strong of a show as AITF. But it's still better than the so-called sitcoms out now.
-Kristi

If creativity were the sole issue as to when a show should end, AITF would have ended with "The Stivics Go West" and there never would have been a Stephanie or ABP. But let's face it, it all comes down to money. AITF was still getting high ratings and CBS wanted it to stay on the air, even as ABP when Jean left. They made Carroll a tremendous offer with total creative control and he ran with it. When ABP ratings started to fall in 1983, CBS pulled the plug.

Originally posted by jon123
If creativity were the sole issue as to when a show should end, AITF would have ended with "The Stivics Go West" and there never would have been a Stephanie or ABP. But let's face it, it all comes down to money. AITF was still getting high ratings and CBS wanted it to stay on the air, even as ABP when Jean left. They made Carroll a tremendous offer with total creative control and he ran with it. When ABP ratings started to fall in 1983, CBS pulled the plug.


I probably will watch ABP if TV LAND airs the episode with Gloria. Other than that, i can't watch ABP. To me ABP was still AITF, Archie was just had a different life. i'm surprised ABP lasted until 83.

Originally posted by SOLOMON



I probably will watch ABP if TV LAND airs the episode with Gloria. Other than that, i can't watch ABP. To me ABP was still AITF, Archie was just had a different life. i'm surprised ABP lasted until 83.

Hey Solomon, did you catch the 2 part ABP episodes that had Gloria and Mike in it? It was the Thanksgiving episodes. j/w

A lot of people feel that way. My wife loves the early AITF episodes with the whole family but liked it less without Mike and Gloria and doesn't like ABP at all without Edith. I am watching ABP because I have not seen the episodes in 20 years (since I was a baby, LOL) and it is interesting to see them again. Some episodes have their moments but overall it is a "pale ghost" of AITF. ABP is more on the same level as the Jeffersons(which should have done more crossovers to make both shows funnier).

Originally posted by Jenny


Hey Solomon, did you catch the 2 part ABP episodes that had Gloria and Mike in it? It was the Thanksgiving episodes. j/w

Now that's news to me because I never knew Mike appeared on ABP, I thought it was only Gloria. Did Mike still have his hair piece when he returned?LOL

Originally posted by Jenny


Hey Solomon, did you catch the 2 part ABP episodes that had Gloria and Mike in it? It was the Thanksgiving episodes. j/w

Jenny I spotted a Blooper in the opening credits of ABP, if you caught u can reply to that post on the Archie Bunker Place Board.

Originally posted by SOLOMON


Now that's news to me because I never knew Mike appeared on ABP, I thought it was only Gloria. Did Mike still have his hair piece when he returned?LOL

Yep, Mike appeared. Hey, I don't want to spoil details for you, but I'll post a little bit about the episode way down at the bottom of the page. If you want to read about it you can scroll down and read about it. If you don't want to, you can just close out the page and not have any details spoiled. It's episodes 10 and 11 and it's called 'Thanksgiving Reunion'.

I think Mike looked the same in this episode as he did in the episode of AITF in the last season. You remember the episode when Archie, Edith, and Stephanie go to California for Xmas? I'd say he looked pretty much the same.


Originally posted by SOLOMON


Jenny I spotted a Blooper in the opening credits of ABP, if you caught u can reply to that post on the Archie Bunker Place Board.

A blooper? Hmm, wait let me think about the opening. I can't think of one, Solomon. What is it?







































10. Thanksgiving Reunion (1)
gs: Rob Reiner (Michael Stivic)

Mike and Gloria Stivic, and little Joey, come home to spend Thanksgiving with the Bunkers. (Originally a 1-hour special)


b: 18-Nov-1979 pc: 107 w: Patt Shea & Harriett Weiss d: Paul Bogart


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

11. Thanksgiving Reunion (2)
gs: Rob Reiner (Michael Stivic)

Mike and Gloria Stivic, and little Joey, come home to spend Thanksgiving with the Bunkers. (Originally a 1-hour special)


b: 18-Nov-1979 pc: 108 w: Bob Weiskopf & Bob Schiller d: Paul Bogart

Originally posted by Jenny


A blooper? Hmm, wait let me think about the opening. I can't think of one, Solomon. What is it?







































10. Thanksgiving Reunion (1)
gs: Rob Reiner (Michael Stivic)

Mike and Gloria Stivic, and little Joey, come home to spend Thanksgiving with the Bunkers. (Originally a 1-hour special)


b: 18-Nov-1979 pc: 107 w: Patt Shea & Harriett Weiss d: Paul Bogart


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

11. Thanksgiving Reunion (2)
gs: Rob Reiner (Michael Stivic)

Mike and Gloria Stivic, and little Joey, come home to spend Thanksgiving with the Bunkers. (Originally a 1-hour special)


b: 18-Nov-1979 pc: 108 w: Bob Weiskopf & Bob Schiller d: Paul Bogart



Jenny I don't want to give he blooper away yet just try to pay close attention to everything in the opening credits.

Originally posted by SOLOMON




Jenny I don't want to give he blooper away yet just try to pay close attention to everything in the opening credits.

Okay, I'll try and watch the credits really closely tomorrow. Maybe I can spot it then.

Was the blooper you are taking about just in the show yesterday or does it appear on the opening credits for all ABP shows?

Originally posted by jon123
Was the blooper you are taking about just in the show yesterday or does it appear on the opening credits for all ABP shows?

It appears in the opening credits for aLL ABP shows.