I know the reasons given on the show. Gloria cheated or whatever...my question is, why did they break them up at all? We had years of watching them grow from a young struggling couple to becoming parents and Mike finally situated in a career. I hated them breaking up.
Was it done because of plans of a spinoff for Gloria?

i dont know why they did it, but i didnt like it. I thought that Mike and Gloria were good together and that neither one of them would have cheated. i guess they had there reasons though.

I don't know the answer to your question. I mean, I don't know if the writers. producers, whatever's thought it would make a good storyline. I don't know if there were contract dilemas, etc. I agree though that it is a disappointing way to end years of the life of Mike and Gloria on All In The Family. So if they did it because they thought it would make a good, harsh-reality storyline, I'll have to disagree with their thinking on that one. Boo hiss.

Originally posted by Janice
I know the reasons given on the show. Gloria cheated or whatever...my question is, why did they break them up at all? We had years of watching them grow from a young struggling couple to becoming parents and Mike finally situated in a career. I hated them breaking up.
Was it done because of plans of a spinoff for Gloria?


My reason would be because of Gloria's constant whinning. Mike just couldn't take it no more

Originally posted by Sitcom Analyzer
My reason would be because of Gloria's constant whinning. Mike just couldn't take it no more
You may have missed my point Solomon. I'm asking why they (producers, writers, Norman Lear, etc) decided to have Mike and Gloria get a divorce.
They had already moved away and I think had left the show, so what was the point in breaking them up?
Having them together as a couple for all those years, and then to just break them up was lousy.

Originally posted by Janice
You may have missed my point Solomon. I'm asking why they (producers, writers, Norman Lear, etc) decided to have Mike and Gloria get a divorce.
They had already moved away and I think had left the show, so what was the point in breaking them up?
Having them together as a couple for all those years, and then to just break them up was lousy.

OK i have the answer right here

Mike and Gloria was about to get a divotce in the last season of All in the Family but got back together. Then Mike and Goria was happy again when they returned to Archie Bunker's Place for the Thanksgiving Episode. That was supposed to be the last time we saw Mike and Gloria but fr some reason Sally Struthers wanted to make another appearance but Rob Riener did not. So since the Gloria character was going to be appearing by herself with Joey, The writers had to explain Mike's reason for not being with his wife and son. Hope that helps.

Thanks Solomon. I think they could have explained Mike's absence another way besides divorce. That's extreme. I'm curious if the divorce was written in so Gloria would be a single mother on her spinoff show.

Originally posted by Sitcom Analyzer
OK i have the answer right here

Mike and Gloria was about to get a divotce in the last season of All in the Family but got back together. Then Mike and Goria was happy again when they returned to Archie Bunker's Place for the Thanksgiving Episode. That was supposed to be the last time we saw Mike and Gloria but fr some reason Sally Struthers wanted to make another appearance but Rob Riener did not. So since the Gloria character was going to be appearing by herself with Joey, The writers had to explain Mike's reason for not being with his wife and son. Hope that helps. That's what I'd call 'quite a leap'. There could have been a hundred reasons why Mike wasn't there. Why make the second from the ultimate one (death being the ultimate) the reason?

Didn't Mike run of to live in a commune with one of his students?

Originally posted by Janice
Thanks Solomon. I think they could have explained Mike's absence another way besides divorce. That's extreme. I'm curious if the divorce was written in so Gloria would be a single mother on her spinoff show.

I think it was said that Mike left Gloria for a younger woman. But you are right, all of that was written so that it would lead up to the spinoff Gloria in 1982.

Originally posted by TJL
Didn't Mike run of to live in a commune with one of his students?

Yeah I think so.

Originally posted by TJL
Didn't Mike run of to live in a commune with one of his students?
Whoaaah, I missed that one. :lol:

I forgot if that plotline was introduced when Gloria made her last appearence on "Archie Bunker's Place" or on her spinoff..

Originally posted by TJL
Didn't Mike run of to live in a commune with one of his students? Well, if that's true, at least it's funny which is what the show was suposed to be.:)

Originally posted by Janice
Whoaaah, I missed that one. :lol:

Yeah that storyline was on the pilot episode of Gloria.

The producers tried to get both Rob and Sally back but Rob didn't want to. Therefore, Sally come back without Rob (first in a guest appearance on ABP, then on the awful spinoff "Gloria".) If Sally had stayed away the Stivics probably would have remained married offscreen in California during the entire run of ABP. Sally's returning without Rob necessitated the separation, then divorce. Too bad there ever was a "Gloria" series, it would have been so much better if Sally/Gloria had joined ABP and maybe Rob/Mike would have made guest appearances and the divorce between them would have not happened. The running off to the commune with a younger woman made Mike a real meathead and spoiled the fact that he was supposed to have better sense than Archie.

I agree with you completely. Especially about the long running All In The Family dispute between Mike and Archie. That outcome made the whole thing null and void. I like to think that some arrogant and ignorant scamps wrote that outcome. It is an insult to all who kept track of the Mike and Archie battles.

Did anyone here ever watch all the "Gloria" episodes? I downloaded the Intro Clip from this website, but that's all. How was the humor, if so?

Originally posted by ConservativeBaller
Did anyone here ever watch all the "Gloria" episodes? I downloaded the Intro Clip from this website, but that's all. How was the humor, if so?


I only have the first episode of Gloria. I'm tryng to get more. But that episode was okay.

Hmm. The kid that plays Joey; is he a good actor? And, what is said about Mike in the first episode, if anything at all?

Originally posted by ConservativeBaller
Hmm. The kid that plays Joey; is he a good actor? And, what is said about Mike in the first episode, if anything at all?


It was said that Mike left Gloria to join a commune. He joined a commune with one of his students.

Ugh, what an all-around idiot. Anyway, thanks for the info. I want to somehow see episodes of "Gloria" and "Archie Bunker's Place", dangit....

Did Gloria cheat on Mike first? That's what I seem to recall was said when Archie and Edith went to visit them in California.

Originally posted by ConservativeBaller
Ugh, what an all-around idiot. Anyway, thanks for the info. I want to somehow see episodes of "Gloria" and "Archie Bunker's Place", dangit....


I have one episode of Gloria and two episodes of Archie Bunkers PLace. If interested you can email at solomond@webtv.net to discussth details.

Originally posted by Janice
Did Gloria cheat on Mike first? That's what I seem to recall was said when Archie and Edith went to visit them in California.


That was a different situation which was in the last season of All in the Family. That situation had nothing to do with Mike leaving Gloria

Originally posted by Sitcom Analyzer
That was a different situation which was in the last season of All in the Family. That situation had nothing to do with Mike leaving Gloria
Are you sure? On the Bunker's visit to California, Mike and Gloria pretended to be together but they were already separated. It was mentioned that Gloria cheated on Mike.
I'm not understanding you correctly Solomon.

Originally posted by Janice
Are you sure? On the Bunker's visit to California, Mike and Gloria pretended to be together but they were already separated. It was mentioned that Gloria cheated on Mike.
I'm not understanding you correctly Solomon.


in the last season, there was a two part episode called Bunkers Go West and in the second part of that episode, Mike and Gloria made up and got back together. In Archie Bunkers Place, Gloria returns and tells Archie that Mike left her for a younger woman. That episode was in 1982, the Bunkers Go west Episode was in 1979. Two different times and situations. Hope that makes sense.

Originally posted by Sitcom Analyzer
in the last season, there was a two part episode called Bunkers Go West and in the second part of that episode, Mike and Gloria made up and got back together. In Archie Bunkers Place, Gloria returns and tells Archie that Mike left her for a younger woman. That episode was in 1982, the Bunkers Go west Episode was in 1979. Two different times and situations. Hope that makes sense.
Gotcha, thanks. I'm not familiar with ABP. That explains my confusion. :)