The 1976-1977 Season

[TVFactFan]

I was trying to find out why the 1976-77 season was so different from the previous seasons of All in the Family. From 1971-1976, AITF was number one in the ratings but some reason in the 1976-77 season it fell to number 12. I looked at the 76-77 lineup and the show Baretta was on the sametime as AITF. So was there any major modifications in the writing for the 76-77 episodes tha caused AITF to fall in the ratings?

[AITF & ABP ROCK!!]

The 1976 - 1977 came in at #12 because CBS moved the show from Monday night to Wednesday night and then back to Saturday night. When the show aired on Wednesdays, the ratings were really bad.

[TVFactFan]

Originally posted by AITF & ABP ROCK!!
The 1976 - 1977 came in at #12 because CBS moved the show from Monday night to Wednesday night and then back to Saturday night. When the show aired on Wednesdays, the ratings were really bad.

I just don't understand why a show needs to be moved if it's the number one show. I woonder was the show Baretta the reason for All in the Family's sudden drop in the ratings.

[AtlantaBravesFan29]

In the 1975-1976 season they moved the show from Saturdays to Monday nights,yet it was still the number 1 show. I don't know why they moved the show 3 times the next season though. Maybe they thought that they could boost the other nights lineups that way. It did a whole lot better when it moved to Sundays the next season(1977-1978) where it stayed throughout the rest of its run including Archie Bunker's Place although it wasn't the number 1 show anymore. It stayed in the top 25 throughout the rest of its run.

[jon123]

I think the reason the ratings were down in 1976-77 was that AITF was starting to age. The Jeffersons had moved on up, Mike and Gloria had moved into their house next door, and some of the episodes were becoming stale. For that reason the next year Archie bought Kelsey's to freshen things up. But the best years by far were when the four principals all lived under one roof and those were the years that AITF was #1.

[TVFactFan]

Originally posted by jon123
I think the reason the ratings were down in 1976-77 was that AITF was starting to age. The Jeffersons had moved on up, Mike and Gloria had moved into their house next door, and some of the episodes were becoming stale. For that reason the next year Archie bought Kelsey's to freshen things up. But the best years by far were when the four principals all lived under one roof and those were the years that AITF was #1.

So there was less interaction between Edith/Archie and Mike/Gloria during the 76-77 season?

[DarleneIllyria]

Originally posted by jon123
I think the reason the ratings were down in 1976-77 was that AITF was starting to age. The Jeffersons had moved on up, Mike and Gloria had moved into their house next door, and some of the episodes were becoming stale. For that reason the next year Archie bought Kelsey's to freshen things up. But the best years by far were when the four principals all lived under one roof and those were the years that AITF was #1.

Yeah, I agree with Jon. I was watching the eps of AITF this morning on N @ N and it's the later years and it was still okay, but it was getting kind of weak. It didn't totally jump the shark, but it was getting weak.

Some shows, okay, lets use Happy Days as an example. I feel HD should've ended when Ron Howard left. Instead it staggered on, and I just couldn't stand the after Howard years. It just lasted too long. When it lasts too long (all shows), you can see it slowly aging before your eyes. You know it needs to go away, but still it staggers. Finally, it takes one long plunge over and it either gets cancelled or it spins off.

[TVFactFan]

Originally posted by Jenny


Yeah, I agree with Jon. I was watching the eps of AITF this morning on N @ N and it's the later years and it was still okay, but it was getting kind of weak. It didn't totally jump the shark, but it was getting weak.

Some shows, okay, lets use Happy Days as an example. I feel HD should've ended when Ron Howard left. Instead it staggered on, and I just couldn't stand the after Howard years. It just lasted too long. When it lasts too long (all shows), you can see it slowly aging before your eyes. You know it needs to go away, but still it staggers. Finally, it takes one long plunge over and it either gets cancelled or it spins off.

Can u give me some examples of why AITF wasn't as good as the first 5 years? Can u compare the episodes when Mike and Gloria live with Archie and Edith versus when they moved next door?

[mstewart]

Originally posted by SOLOMON



Can u give me some examples of why AITF wasn't as good as the first 5 years? Can u compare the episodes when Mike and Gloria live with Archie and Edith versus when they moved next door?

The years of Mike and Gloria living under Archie's roof provided the best comedy for the show. The Mike vs. Archie fights showed at its best the protaganist (Mike) vs. the atagonist (Archie).

The 76-77 season did looked stale and not enjoyable to watch. The following season, 77-78, was very good given that the show has been on eight years. The storylines involving Archie buying Kelsey's bar breathe some life in the show. Edith's near rape episode was definitely the best episode of the entire series. Another episode that season stood out was Mike and Gloria's first date via flashbacks. That was one of Rob Reiner's and Sally Struther's best episodes together.

[jon123]

Archie and Mike were much more effective when they lived under one roof. Mike would argue with Archie, but at the same time he depended on Archie for his room and board. When he moved next door he no longer had to depend on Archie and that took away much of the effectiveness of how their antagonist relationship moved the show.

Also, when the Stivics moved next door, it set up some of the worst episodes of the series that totally concentrated on them, such as episodes involving Mike's friends or when the Stivics went on a second honeymoon. I know many will disagree with me, but I felt the Stivics by themselves were similiar to the Mertzes on I Love Lucy, they worked well with all four principals together but by themselves they stank.

Don't get me wrong, they had to move Mike and Gloria out, AITF being a realistic show it would have been unrealistic for them to continue living under Archie's roof, they already extended it for a year by having Mike get his master's.

[DarleneIllyria]

Yep, Jon pretty much summed it up again.

I would also like to mention something about the eps that center on just Mike and Gloria. Sometimes you have a few good eps that centers on them, but most are kind of crappy. Like Jon mentioned, the humor works better if you have all 4 together. Yeah, that's basically it.

[TVFactFan]

Originally posted by Jenny
Yep, Jon pretty much summed it up again.

I would also like to mention something about the eps that center on just Mike and Gloria. Sometimes you have a few good eps that centers on them, but most are kind of crappy. Like Jon mentioned, the humor works better if you have all 4 together. Yeah, that's basically it.

you are right Jenny, it worked better with all four together. I could watch Archie and Edith together sometimes but watching Mike and Gloria by theirself, NO WAY.

[Flash72]

I am going to have to respectfully disagree with you. I felt that the show was still as strong and as funny in the 1976-77 season as it previously had been. Granted, the show was at its best when the four principals resided under one roof, but still retained the magic that made it work even after Mike and Gloria moved out. In 1976 we had one of the best episodes "Archie's Operation" and the arrival of Teresa, in the form of the marvelous Liz Torres. I can pinpoint exactly when I felt the series was edging precariously close to jumping the proverbial shark, it was when Mike and Gloria departed and Stephanie arrived. The final aitf episode was the only one I really enjoyed during that last season. I felt that the series should have ended there, if not before.

As for why "All in the Family" was moved around so much during that season, the reason can be traced to the fact that it was a hit show. CBS execs felt that by moving the show and pitting it against other network's strong programs, they could raise their ratings while simultaneously lowering ABC and NBC's. As we all know, this was not the case. A similar disastrous feat was tried by CBS with their popular "Murder She Wrote." They moved it from its Sunday night berth and put it up against "Friends" on Thursday nights. Needless to say, MSW was murdered in the ratings and soon ended its twelve run in 1996.

[douglasjc]

I have to agree with many people on the board when they said
that having Mike and Gloria alone was bad for the show. Without Archie and Mike going at it , the show was no fun. However, that was only one reason why the 1976-1977 season showed a decline in ratings. The other reason was the country was changing. the hippie of the Nixon years gave way to yuppie of the Carter years. By 1976, Vietnam and watergate was history and disco was the now thing. ALL of the Family was stuck in the middle of this change. It kept on dealing with early issues such as the Vietnam war with the December 1976 episode in which a draft dodger comes to Archie's house for Christmas dinner. But I think people were basically tired of all it. However, I do think All n the family came back strong in the 1977-1978 season with the rape episode and the beating death of Beverly Lasalle

[treky]

Originally posted by Flash72
I am going to have to respectfully disagree with you. I felt that the show was still as strong and as funny in the 1976-77 season as it previously had been. Granted, the show was at its best when the four principals resided under one roof, but still retained the magic that made it work even after Mike and Gloria moved out. In 1976 we had one of the best episodes "Archie's Operation" and the arrival of Teresa, in the form of the marvelous Liz Torres. I can pinpoint exactly when I felt the series was edging precariously close to jumping the proverbial shark, it was when Mike and Gloria departed and Stephanie arrived. The final aitf episode was the only one I really enjoyed during that last season. I felt that the series should have ended there, if not before.

As for why "All in the Family" was moved around so much during that season, the reason can be traced to the fact that it was a hit show. CBS execs felt that by moving the show and pitting it against other network's strong programs, they could raise their ratings while simultaneously lowering ABC and NBC's. As we all know, this was not the case. A similar disastrous feat was tried by CBS with their popular "Murder She Wrote." They moved it from its Sunday night berth and put it up against "Friends" on Thursday nights. Needless to say, MSW was murdered in the ratings and soon ended its twelve run in 1996.

also, in the 76-77 season, CBS also moved "MASSH" from it's monday night slot where it was getting huge ratings, to Friday nights where it was up againt "Sanford & Son" on NBC, wich was also getting big ratings. Again, they were hoping to put a dent in NBCs ratings, but the move didn't work and they soon moved "MASH" back to Mondays.

But, getting back to "AITF", I too, feel that the show lost it's "edge" that season.