“All in the Family” VS “That ‘70s Show”

Throughout the years, television comedy sitcoms have been a very popular form of entertainment for many people.  Since it first began in the 1950s, sitcoms have focused on tackling down important societal issues as well as conflicts that typical American families go through.  Although much has changed since sitcoms first started, today many still continue to follow the same basic concepts.  “All in the Family” which aired in CBS in 1971, is one of many family sitcoms of its time that illustrated the concerns that many people in society at that time had with the issues regarding race, gender, and sexuality.  Much of the shows humor comes from the way in which the characters, in especially Archie Bunker, embrace society’s stereotypes.   In the episode screen last Thursday, the character of Archie Bunker showed a bigot World War II veteran whose tolerance for homosexuals was completely unacceptable.

In great part, “All in the Family” reminded me much of the sitcom “That ‘70s Show.”  Like Archie, Red Forman is also a World War II veteran who in many ways takes the idea of manhood very seriously.  For instance, he does not tolerate men who demonstrate sensitivity and do not follow the ideal “macho” stereotype.  In the episode “We will Rock you,” Red Forman demonstrates his discomfort for homosexuals as he sees his new neighbors kissing in his living room.  In addition, while Red and Archie share the same ideas regarding sexuality, their personalities are very much similar to one another.  Red and Archie illustrate the hardworking and hardcore discipline dad figures that are the structure of the family.  Most of the times they are very opinionated and grumpy individuals who always think they are right about everything.  What is most surprising is how both of their appearances are almost similar to one another. Overall, “That ‘70s show” is similar to “All in the Family” in that it demonstrates the everyday conflicts that a typical American family goes through and how they deal with stereotypes in society.  

However, while the sitcom “That ‘70s Show” is somewhat similar to “All in the Family”, it is also very different.  “That ‘70s Show” which aired in FOX in 1998 portrayed life in the 1970s, while the sitcom “All in the Family” was actually produced in the 1970s.  In addition, “That ‘70s Show” deals much more with the life experiences of the teenagers, Eric, Donna, Hyde, Kelso, Jackie, and Fez.  Much different than the sitcom “All in the Family”, this show incorporated all different types racial background characters like Fez, who is a foreign exchange student.  In addition, I think that the character of Red Forman a little bit different than Archie in that he at times is a little soft when it comes to his daughter Laurie, while Archie isn’t.

         While both sitcoms are portraying life in the 70s, I think that the main difference these two sitcom shows have is the issues they represent. In “That ‘70s Show”, there are more issues regarding drug use, feminism, economic recession, and family unity.  On the contrary, “All in the Family” focuses more on issues of race and homosexuality.