---
title: "All in the Family"
year: 1971
kind: "series"
canonical: "https://film.one/tv/all-in-the-family"
fi1m_score: 82
critics_reviews: 1
published: "2026-09-16T16:28:23.768389+00:00"
updated: "2026-09-16T16:28:35.428531+00:00"
region: "US"
licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL."
---

# All in the Family (1971)

Created by Johnny Speight, Norman Lear · 25m · MPA TV-PG · Comedy

**Fi1m score: 82** · Critics: 1 of 6 reviews so far

*In a sentence:* Archie Bunker would enjoy family life more if his family stopped answering back

> Carroll O’Connor and Jean Stapleton make *All in the Family* worth the arguments. Its domestic comedy remains funny and often painful, though repetition and its fondness for Archie’s bluster can weaken the criticism of his prejudices.

## Synopsis

In early-1970s Queens, Archie Bunker (Carroll O’Connor) wants his household run on his terms. Edith Bunker (Jean Stapleton), his wife, tries to keep things civil. Their daughter, Gloria Stivic (Sally Struthers), shares the house with her husband, Michael Stivic (Rob Reiner), whose liberal politics give Archie a ready opponent. Arguments about race, religion and the changing country reach the living room and dinner table. Archie wants respect, Michael wants him to reconsider what he believes, and Edith would like them to get through a conversation without another quarrel.

## Review

*All in the Family* is a funny, abrasive family sitcom whose cast makes the shouting worth enduring. Created by Norman Lear and Johnny Speight, it puts the conservative Archie Bunker under the same roof as his liberal son-in-law, Michael Stivic, and lets their disagreements spoil the domestic peace. Nobody can settle politics and then go home; they are already there. Its chief risk is that Archie’s company can be so enjoyable that his prejudices begin to pass for harmless eccentricity.

Carroll O’Connor makes that risk worth taking. His Archie Bunker is impatient with anybody who requires him to explain himself, and the performance finds comedy in the effort of keeping control as an argument escapes him. The bluster is funny because we can hear how much work it costs, even when the words themselves are ugly. He gives the man enough wounded pride to hold our attention without making every outburst a request for sympathy.

Jean Stapleton’s Edith Bunker is the stronger reason to stay. We were moved by her hesitant replies, because she makes speaking up in this household seem to require more nerve than shouting. Her pauses have thought in them, and her efforts to keep things civil expose the others’ selfishness without a speech about it. There are laughs in the delivery, particularly when her unhurried pace interrupts the men’s impatience.

Sally Struthers and Rob Reiner have harder jobs as Gloria Stivic and Michael Stivic. Their characters must be credible relatives while also giving the arguments somewhere to go, and at times the writing makes them state positions rather than speak naturally. Michael’s certainty can become wearing, although Rob Reiner is good at letting righteousness sound a little too pleased with itself. Sally Struthers supplies useful impatience of her own, especially when the men behave as though the whole household exists to hear them disagree.

The modest domestic staging helps: we can watch the person being talked over as well as the person doing the talking. John Rich is among the directors, with Jay Scherberth, Marco Zappia and Andy Zall among the editors, and the strongest exchanges give a reply time to arrive before moving on. When the rhythm gets too regular, the setup and reaction become predictable, and an argument can feel longer than it needs to. Roger Kellaway’s music provides a lighter touch, though the actors’ competing voices do most of the work.

The harsher jokes need judging one by one. The programme asks us to spend time with racist and sexist speech in order to laugh at the man delivering it, and affection does not guarantee that every joke will land where intended. Most critics in the available sample disagree with us, though the sample is just one hostile review; we think it badly underestimates Carroll O’Connor’s comic timing. But the repeated clashes can grow familiar, particularly when the writing leaves the younger couple with little to do except object.

At 25 minutes, an episode is short enough for the best performances to carry us through the more laboured disputes. We recommend it for the family exchanges, with a warning that the insults are often harsh and the writing sometimes gives the actors opinions when they need conversation. Anyone looking for peace and quiet should choose another household.

*Fi1m score 82, published 16 September 2026.*

### Reviews we read (1)

- **The Hollywood Reporter**, Sue Cameron (10/100, inferred): The critic predicts the show will be an instant disaster rather than a smash, finding it tasteless, crude, and unfunny overall despite some genuine laughs from Jean Stapleton's performance. [Read](https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/general-news/all-family-thrs-1971-review-736435/)

## Details

- **Created by:** Johnny Speight, Norman Lear
- **Creator:** Johnny Speight, Norman Lear
- **Director:** Paul Bogart, John Rich, Wes Kenney, Walter C. Miller, Norman Campbell, Norman Lear, Bob LaHendro
- **Writer:** Mel Tolkin, Michael Ross, Bob Weiskopf, Bob Schiller, Norman Lear, Lee Kalcheim, Burt Styler, Gordon Mitchell, Lloyd Turner, Rob Reiner, Paul Wayne, Jerry Mayer, Lila Garrett, Lennie Weinrib, Hal Kanter, Rod Parker, Erik Tarloff, Woody Kling, Susan Harris, John Rappaport, Bernie West, Sam Locke, Alan J. Levitt, John Baskin, Austin Kalish, Bill Richmond, Harve Brosten, Gene Perret, Elias Davis, Barry Harman, Stanley Ralph Ross, Michael Ross, Irma Kalish, Dennis Klein
- **Story:** Alan J. Levitt, Winston Moss
- **Teleplay:** Bob Weiskopf, Bob Schiller, Alan J. Levitt, Phil Sharp, Phil Mishkin, Milt Josefsberg
- **Editor:** Marco Zappia, Andy Zall, Jay Scherberth
- **Music:** Roger Kellaway
- **Producer:** Norman Lear, Michael Ross, John Rich
- **Cast:** Carroll O'Connor as Archie Bunker; Jean Stapleton as Edith Bunker; Danielle Brisebois as Stephanie Mills; Sally Struthers as Gloria Stivic; Rob Reiner as Michael Stivic; Liam Dunn as Mr. Fairchild; Charles Durning as Detective; Nedra Volz as Aunt Iola
- **Runtime:** 25m
- **Certificate (MPA):** TV-PG
- **Release (the US):** 12 January 1971
- **Genres:** Comedy
- **Trailer:** https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GBam7gQ8vCY

## Where to watch in the US

- Amazon Prime Video: streaming

*Checked 2026-09-16.*

Also available in: US. Add `?region=XX` to this URL for another country.

## Awards

- TCA Heritage Award 2013: TCA Heritage Award (won)
- Directors Guild of America Award for Outstanding Directing – Comedy Series 1978: Directors Guild of America Award for Outstanding Directing – Comedy Series (won)
- Primetime Emmy Awards 1978: Outstanding Directing for a Comedy Series (won); Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series (won)
- Peabody Awards 1977: Peabody Awards (won)
- Primetime Emmy Awards 1974: Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series (won)
- Primetime Emmy Awards 1973: Outstanding Writing for a Comedy Series (won)
- Primetime Emmy Awards 1972: Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series (won)
- Golden Globes 1971: Best Television Series – Musical or Comedy (won)
- Primetime Emmy Awards 1971: Outstanding Comedy Series (won); Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series (won)

## If you liked this

- *Till Death Us Do Part* (1965): The British predecessor, with another household obliged to answer its father’s political grievances.
- *Abigail's Party* (1977): A social gathering turns vicious through manners, marriage and barely concealed class resentment.
- *Tokyo Story* (1953), Fi1m 92: A quieter family reckoning, attentive to generational friction and the hurt beneath ordinary conversation. — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/tokyo-story.md)
- *Everybody Hates Chris* (2005): Another outspoken household, with racial tension and parental authority shaping the family jokes.
- *A Separation* (2011), Fi1m 93: A marriage dispute makes being right difficult when other people must live with the consequences. — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/a-separation.md)

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© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Canonical: https://film.one/tv/all-in-the-family