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Love him or hate him, it is hard to overestimate Archie Bunker’s importance in television history. Once All in the Family began receiving critical acclaim -- which is to say, almost immediately -- the family at 704 Hauser Street in Queens, New York, quickly became a comedic juggernaut. After earning an Emmy for Outstanding Comedy Series for its 1971 debut season, All in the Family became the highest-rated show on TV, a spot it held for five consecutive years. Not all critics swooned over the show -- in fact, Life magazine critic John Leonard called it "wretched." However, guided by executive producer Norman Lear’s vision, the series consistently pushed the envelope of what was acceptable on TV. During the show’s nine-year run, Carroll O’Connor, Jean Stapleton, Rob Reiner, and Sally Struthers all earned Emmys for their performances. This fact is especially interesting when considered in the context of this first-season collection, as Reiner and Struthers clearly seem to be feeling out their roles under the protective umbrella of O'Connor and Stapleton's brilliance. Perhaps more than any show before or since, All in the Family revolutionized our view of TV as a social forum, confronting issues from racism to homosexuality to women’s liberation week after week. A midseason replacement based on the British hit Till Death Us Do Part, All in the Family's first season ran for 13 episodes, all included here, complete with the original codas that were stripped out from its syndication runs. Landmark episodes include "Gloria Discovers Women's Lib," the homophobia-themed "Judging Books by Covers," and "Lionel Moves into the Neighborhood," wherein Archie's racist paranoia reaches hilarious fever pitch. "The First and Last Supper," which closes the season and introduces Isabel Sanford in the Louise Jefferson role, ranks among the show's all-time funniest episodes. Jeffrey Iorio

Product Details

• UPC: 043396082076
• Source: SONY PICTURES
• Region Code: 1
• Sound: monaural
• Language: English
• Subtitles: English, Español
• Time: 4:46:00

This set contains DVDs which may be available separately:

• All in the Family: Meet the Bunkers
• All in the Family: Writing the President
• All in the Family: Archie's Aching Back
• All in the Family: Judging Books By Covers
• All in the Family: Archie Gives Blood
• All in the Family: Gloria Is Pregnant
• All in the Family: Now That You Know the Way
• All in the Family: Lionel Moves Into the Neighborhood
• All in the Family: Edith Has Jury Duty
• All in the Family: Archie Is Worried About His Job
• All in the Family: Gloria Discovers Women's Lib
• All in the Family: Success Story
• All in the Family: The First and Last Supper

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