The American sitcom has been around almost as long as television itself, and while there have been literally hundreds of entries within the genre, there are still those that remain timeless today. Whether for their groundbreaking nature, lovable characters, or outstanding production, these shows remain among the best and most important entertainment media of all time. One such sitcom stood out for nearly all the aforementioned reasons, and remains one of the most influential, controversial, and revered series ever attempted: Norman Lear‘s All in the Family. Loosely based on the British sitcom, Til Death Do Us Part, All in the Family was a massive success for Lear and CBS, leading to a sprawling sitcom universe that included Good Times, Maude, The Jeffersons, and several direct follow-ups to All in the Family, including Archie Bunker’s Place and Gloria. While groundbreaking in their own right, each of these series owed their existence and varying degrees of success to the original show, and the fascinating character dynamics of the Bunker family.
The series features a typical American family dealing with various social, political, and personal affairs, each through their own level of understanding. The cast was composed of Jean Stapleton as the lovable matriarch, Edith Bunker, Sally Struthers as her open-minded daughter, Gloria Stivic, and Rob Reiner as her semi-hippie husband, Mike. Rounding out the cast was Carroll O’Connor as the brutish bigot, Archie Bunker; throughout the series, Archie and the other family members face off on various social issues, the changing political climate of the day, and religion, just to name a few. But at the end, they would always come back together as a beloved, if not slightly dysfunctional, family. Over the years, Archie exhibited growth in his views, eventually becoming one of the most loved and important characters of the series. However, there’s a curious period in the show’s history where a month-worth of Archie-less episodes aired. What viewers didn’t know was that a behind-the-scenes dispute almost ended the character’s very existence.
All In The Family (1971)
Set in Queens, New York, All in the Family is a sitcom that portrays the life of Archie Bunker, a stubborn, somewhat bigoted blue-collar worker who struggles to cope with the rapid social changes of the 1970s. Between is liberal son-in-law and progressive daughter, Archie will have to learn what it means to change with the times.
The Success of ‘All in the Family’ Was Not Guaranteed
Considering All in the Family‘s lasting success, viewers may find it hard to believe that CBS feared the backlash the show might bring. From the beginning, the show was going to deal with controversial topics, and CBS executives warned the network about the implications that would come with such material, thus the pilot was aired with a disclaimer. As PBS recalled, the opening crawl read: “The program you are about to watch is All in the Family. It seeks to throw a humorous spotlight on our frailties, prejudices and concerns. By making them a source of laughter, we hope to show—in a mature fashion—just how absurd they are.”
Though the warning sought to make light of the show’s more intense themes, the company was still nervous. According to MentalFloss, during production of the initial 13 episodes ordered by the network, creator, Norman Lear, received a memo from the network with a detailed list of words, phrases, and subjects which the CBS Programs Practice department was uncomfortable with. Lear decided to ignore many of the requests, and, to the surprise and relief of CBS, the backlash never came about. In fact, The Atlantic claims that the show was not only a ratings smash, but credits the show with having helped “bridge the generation” gap, in no small way, because of Archie Bunker. Though his views were often backward and his speech offensive, the patriarch of the Bunker family was key to the show’s thesis and weekly plots. However, the success of the show and of the character would lead to burn-out and a lawsuitthat would put the show in a difficult situation.
During ‘All in the Family,’ Carroll O’Connor Went on Strike
Most shows long to achieve the success of All in the Family, but for O’Connor, Archie Bunker began to represent negative work conditions. Per an archived article from the Sarasota Herald-Tribune, O’Connor went on a personal strike in July 1974, telling his friends that he was “doubtful” that he would return to All in the Family. O’Connor had grown upset with behind-the-scenes issues on the set, saying, “There are a lot of things wrong.” He made clear that he had not grown tired of his public image and appreciated the fans’ enthusiasm for the show, but shortly before speaking with the Tribune, he had filed a lawsuit against the series’ production company, Tandem Productions, claiming that Tandem owed him $64,000. MentalFloss also recounted that the actor requested 12 weeks of annual vacation time built into the show’s 24-week production schedule.
With his star refusing to work, Norman Lear and the show’s producers decided to proceed with production, writing three completely Archie-less episodes. Archie’s absence was built into the plot and began with Season 5’s eighth episode, “Where’s Archie?” The outing sees Archie mysteriously disappear while traveling, with Edith, Gloria and Mike having no idea what’s happening and becoming worried when Archie doesn’t turn up.
The arc continued with the episode, “Archie is Missing,” as the show picks up with Archie having been MIA for 24 hours and Edith, Gloria, and Michael trying to decide what to do. Episode 10, “The Longest Kiss,” wraps up the plot, with Archie revealing that he was just having so much fun on his trip that he forgot to call. While it’s a comically simple end to the multi-week storyline, Archie’s fate was almost much more bleak.
Norman Lear Considered Killing off Archie Bunker in ‘All in the Family’
Per MentalFloss, Norman Lear wasn’t sure if O’Connor would ever return. After the actor shared his doubts about his future on the series, Lear began working on a plan in case O’Connor did not resume his role as Archie. Lear made his position well known and even had a replacement for Archie in mind, as James Cromwell had recently debuted his character, Stretch Cunningham (a friend of Archie’s), shortly before O’Connor’s absence.
Lear claimed that he planned to have Stretch move into the Bunker’s house and fill the void after killing off Archie in an accident. After Lear made his position known, O’Connor returned to the series, but ironically, Cromwell’s Stretch was killed off just two seasons later, allegedly at the request of O’Connor. Cromwell told The New York Post that he was “getting too many laughs” for O’Connor’s liking, but that the star actually “did me a great favor, because I might have ended up as another Fonzie, an actor totally identified with one character.”
All in the Family remains one of the single most successful sitcoms ever produced, with its success in large part thanks to Carroll O’Connor’s work as Archie Bunker. While the actor’s frustration and lawsuit nearly caused the character to be killed off, he was able to settle his differences with Norman Lear and the show’s production company. He would go on to play the character for nine seasons in All in the Family and an additional four in the sequel series, Archie Bunker’s Place.
