Wait a minute, in the AITF episode “California Here We Are” it was established that Mike moved out because Gloria was unfaithful.
Leading to Archie’s line, “Meathead, I never thought I’d be saying this, but YOU’RE too good for HER!”
There couldn’t be another All in the Family because the TV market is completely different. Not enough people watch the same shows any more. Every show is a niche. The lowest rated network shows of the 70s would be considered wild hits today.
All in the Family stood out because it was surrounded by horrible, horrible shows. It stood out because it dared to have unlikable and annoying main characters. It stood out because it tackled controversial issues.
Nowadays there are hundreds of really good shows, nobody can watch all the must-watch quality shows. Nowadays unlikable or anti-heroic protagonists are the rule. Nowadays nothing is controversial.
All in the Family was a product of its time, and there couldn’t be another show that replicates it because we don’t live in the 1970s anymore. Yes, you could have a show with a bigoted conservative blowhard dad, a scatterbrained wife, an immature daughter and a lazy liberal son in law. And the show could tackle controversial issues, and all the characters could have realistic flaws. Except it wouldn’t be watched by tens of millions of people every week and discussed around the water cooler at the office every Tuesday. It wouldn’t be considered an “important” show, because there’s no taboo about discussing “important” issues. Rape, war, racism, poverty, homosexuality, all the issues that made All in the Family “important” appear on all sorts of shows nowadays.
They were on the road to reconciliation at the end of the episode. I recently saw the episode of Archie Bunker’s Place (during the period when Edith was still alive and made occasional appearances) where the family visited for Thanksgiving (it was wonderful to see Archie greet even Mike joyously) and revealed that Mike had been fired for taking part in a protest against a nuclear power plant–in the nude. Just the same, at this point, their marriage seemed to be strong in spite of this tension.
It was sometime after that when the final breakup occurred and Mike went to live on a commune in protest of Reagan’s policies. I didn’t see it, but from what I read, the commune only accepted couples, and when Gloria refused to go, Mike took up with someone else. That episode was the jumping-off point for the short-lived spinoff “Gloria”.
(That whole business about Mike retreating to a commune–it painted Mike in a poor light. Not just abandoning Gloria and going to live with another woman, but the whole idea of “running away” from a country he disagreed with. For all of Archie’s complaints about a world he increasingly disagreed with, he at least stayed in there and pitched!)
I think you mean American Dad. Major Dad was a show that had no aliens (although did derive its comedy from the juxtaposition of a conservative military step dad with a liberal journalist mom.
There’s still the potential for a Trump Administration, so we’ll see.
The only way this type of show could happen today is in cartoon format.
Did that actually happen in the show? I remember Mike and Gloria moving into the house next door when Mike graduated, but I don’t remember whether he actually repaid Archie.
Funny enough, I just watched the episode where the Stivics move to California and near the end Mike says to Archie “thanks for all the free meals.” I assume he just meant thanks for paying for it till I could pay you back. I don’t remember there being a episode where Archie cancels his debt. I don’t think, character-wise, that would be very Archie to offer (unless forced) or very Mike to accept (unless forced).
Either way, after they moved to the Jefferson house, I don’t recall the deal ever really being specifically mentioned again, so no, I don’t think they ever showed Mike paying up explicitly.
He had to owe Archie a pretty good amount, though. He was in school for 5 years and was not a shy eater. Plus, Archie had to foot the bill for all those mattresses Mike and Gloria wore out…
A similar show featuring a older conservative guy dealing with Arab/Muslims moving into the old neighborhood could be very thought provoking. A lot of current issues could be raised just like the old show did 40 years ago.
Would any network have the guts to air it? Seems unlikely.