Up to this time, sitcoms were taped without audiences in single-camera format and the laugh track was added later. There was never a canned laugh added, even in the last season when reactions were captured by an audience viewing pre-taped episodes. All in the Family was the first major American series to be videotaped in front of a live audience. They were as respected as the authenticity of the series characters’ parodies.Įven the laughs were genuine. The audience cared deeply, and laughed loudly, because they were never pandered to. The middle-aged bigot chomping on the cigar was played by an outspoken liberal who took the art of acting very seriously. The divide goes beyond party, and is not delineated by age, wealth, or even class. It was grounded in the most serious of realities, more than the generation gap which it openly showcased, but in the schism between progressive and conservative thinking. To celebrate All in the Family’s 50th anniversary, we look back at its journey from conception to broadcast, and how it continues to influence and inform entertainment and society today.Īctor Carroll O’Connor, who was a large part of the creative process of the series, consistently maintains he took the now-iconic role of Archie Bunker because All in the Family was a satire, not a sitcom. The premiere episode contained a considerable list of “television firsts.” One of these rarities continues to remain scarce on network TV: creator Norman Lear trusted the intelligence of the viewing audience. What came was a deluge of support from people hoping this mid-season replacement was a permanent addition to the network’s lineup. CBS put an army of operators at phone lines expecting a barrage of complaints from offended middle Americans demanding its cancellation. All in the Family is roundly considered a touchstone for television achievement now, but when it debuted 50 years ago, even the network carrying it hoped it would fizzle quickly and unnoticed.
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