5th season ideas proposed by Norman Lear and two producers

[TVFactFan]

Just read this in a book called "The Sitcoms of Norman Lear" that they wanted to come up with these situations for 5th season

1. Give archie a very young wife

2. Bring back Rob Reiner and have him appear in 8 or 9 episodes



CBS was like............BYE Norman lear came back and called Carroll to say........."Well we lost my friend"

[EyeofGenesis]

Yeah, those ideas wouldn't have won me over either, to be honest.

Giving Archie a new love interest just seems uninteresting. Maybe it's because I wasn't too fond of how the writers handled Archie/Katherine. There were some aspects of that storyline that I liked, such as Archie still seeing Edith as a part of his life even though she had been gone for around a year at that point (would've liked to see this plot point explored a little more) and Stephanie not liking Katherine at first, but the actual character interactions between Archie and Katherine felt kind of flat.

I feel like the writers had pretty much ruined the Mike Stivic character at that point after Gloria revealed the reason she and Joey were starting a new life without him. I can't see Archie letting him in his bar let alone his house after Mike broke the promise he made to Archie when they had their talk on the day Mike, Gloria, and Joey left to move to California. Trying to undo all the damage to Mike's character probably would've been messy and, well, unconvincing.

Even if the writers could somehow perform a magical storytelling feat and make it work, what would we end up with? A retread of the back and forth Archie and Mike had on All in the Family? By that point, Archie wasn't nearly as argumentative and had softened his views on others that were different, so not only would it be a retread, but probably not as entertaining or thought-provoking.

Now I personally think the series still had gas in its tank even after four seasons, so a fifth season could've definitely worked in my opinion, but the ideas being pitched at the time were not the ones to go with.

[TVFactFan]

Originally Posted by EyeofGenesis

Yeah, those ideas wouldn't have won me over either, to be honest.

Giving Archie a new love interest just seems uninteresting. Maybe it's because I wasn't too fond of how the writers handled Archie/Katherine. There were some aspects of that storyline that I liked, such as Archie still seeing Edith as a part of his life even though she had been gone for around a year at that point (would've liked to see this plot point explored a little more) and Stephanie not liking Katherine at first, but the actual character interactions between Archie and Katherine felt kind of flat.

I feel like the writers had pretty much ruined the Mike Stivic character at that point after Gloria revealed the reason she and Joey were starting a new life without him. I can't see Archie letting him in his bar let alone his house after Mike broke the promise he made to Archie when they had their talk on the day Mike, Gloria, and Joey left to move to California. Trying to undo all the damage to Mike's character probably would've been messy and, well, unconvincing.

Even if the writers could somehow perform a magical storytelling feat and make it work, what would we end up with? A retread of the back and forth Archie and Mike had on All in the Family? By that point, Archie wasn't nearly as argumentative and had softened his views on others that were different, so not only would it be a retread, but probably not as entertaining or thought-provoking.

Now I personally think the series still had gas in its tank even after four seasons, so a fifth season could've definitely worked in my opinion, but the ideas being pitched at the time were not the ones to go with.

I wish Murray would have stayed. Im finishing up season 4 now. The show was a lot better than its spinoff Gloria

[EyeofGenesis]

Originally Posted by TVFactFan

I wish Murray would have stayed. Im finishing up season 4 now. The show was a lot better than its spinoff Gloria

Absolutely agree. I really liked Murray and thought he was a terrific addition to the show. I know not everyone agrees and that's fine, but for me personally, it's one of the reasons I prefer seasons one and two over the later ones.

I've never watched Gloria and to be honest I'm not in any particular rush to either. I don't know if it would've worked or not, but I personally feel like it would've been better to have Gloria become a permanent addition to the ABP's cast rather than give the character a spin-off.

Had Murray stayed and Gloria become a permanent character, I don't know if that would've been enough to keep the series on the air beyond four seasons, but I think it would've made the last two seasons stronger at the very least, in my opinion.

[TVFactFan]

Originally Posted by EyeofGenesis

Absolutely agree. I really liked Murray and thought he was a terrific addition to the show. I know not everyone agrees and that's fine, but for me personally, it's one of the reasons I prefer seasons one and two over the later ones.

I've never watched Gloria and to be honest I'm not in any particular rush to either. I don't know if it would've worked or not, but I personally feel like it would've been better to have Gloria become a permanent addition to the ABP's cast rather than give the character a spin-off.

Had Murray stayed and Gloria become a permanent character, I don't know if that would've been enough to keep the series on the air beyond four seasons, but I think it would've made the last two seasons stronger at the very least, in my opinion.

When I watch the show Gloria it weird that the show doesnt feel like its hers. All the other characters stand out more than her lol Yes she should have stayed on ABP