All in the Family (tv) . The Boston Phoenix . 12-01-97

All in the Family (tv)

DIRECTED BY: Meat Head

REVIEWED: 12-01-97

Archie Bunker was both admirable and despicable, a combination rare among television characters. All in the Family permanently widened the range of topics that could be discussed on a sit-com (including impotence and menopause), but it's unlikely that anyone as complex as Archie would be allowed in a sit-com today. Creator Norman Lear pointed out that narrow-minded Archie was proven wrong by the end of every episode. That's technically true, but an interesting thing happens if you watch several episodes over a short length of time. Archie seems more like an ordinary guy breaking his back to feed his family, and son-in-law Mike comes off as an ungrateful prick who likes to hear himself talk. Archie's prejudices are still inexcusable, but he probably wouldn't have them if he had been lucky enough to attend college. Further into the show's run, other critics complained that the character of Archie was losing its edge, citing episodes where he befriended a drag queen and stood up to the Ku Klux Klan. But it was more realistic for Archie to change his views gradually over 13 years than for him to see the light during a single "special episode." Edith Bunker also evolved over the long run of this series, and the couple may be the most fully realized characters in the history of TV.

Taken from The Boston Phoenix's "50 Years and Counting," a retrospective of the most influential programs from television's first half-century. Click here for the full article.

--Robert David Sullivan

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