The ‘All in the Family’ Feud That Almost Killed off a Major Character

The big picture

• All in the Family
  faced a backlash against his controversial themes, but ultimately successfully bridged generational gaps.
• Carroll O'Connor went on strike during the show's production due to backstage issues.
• Norman Lear considered killing off Archie Bunker when O'Connor went on strike, planning a replacement character.

The American sitcom has been around almost as long as television, and while there have been literally hundreds of entries within the genre, there are still some that remain timeless today. Whether it's because of their innovative nature, lovable characters, or exceptional production, these shows remain among the best and most important forms of entertainment of all time. One of these comedies stood out for almost all the reasons mentioned above, i remains one of the most influential, controversial and revered series never tried: Norman Lear's All in the Family. Loosely based on the British sitcom, Till death do us part, All in the Family was a massive hit for Lear and CBS, spawning a sprawling sitcom universe that included good times, Maud, The Jeffersonsand several direct follow-ups to All in the Familyincluded Archie Bunker's Place i glory. While innovative in their own right, each of these series owed their existence and varying degrees of success to the original show and the fascinating character dynamic of the Bunker family.

The series features a typical American family dealing with various social, political and personal issues, each with their own level of understanding. The cast consisted of Jean Stapleton as the kindly matriarch, Edith Bunker, Sally Struthers like his open-minded daughter, Gloria Stivic, and Rob Reiner like her semi-hippie husband, Mike. Completing the cast was Carroll O'Connor as the brutal bigot, Archie Bunker; Throughout the series, Archie and the other family members are faced with various social issues, the changing political climate of the day, and religion, just to name a few. But in the end, they would always come back together as a loving, if not somewhat dysfunctional, family. Over the years, Archie showed growth in his views, eventually becoming one of the most beloved and important characters in the series. However, there is a curious period in the show's history where a month of episodes aired without Archie. What viewers didn't know was this a backstage dispute nearly ended the character's very existence.

The success of 'All in the Family' was not guaranteed

Taking into account All in the FamilyWith lasting success, viewers will find it hard to believe CBS feared the backlash the show might bring. From the beginning, the show was going to deal with controversial topics, and CBS executives warned the network about the implications of such material, so the pilot aired with a disclaimer. As PBS recalled, the opening crawl read: “The program you are about to see is All in the Family. It aims to put a humorous spotlight on our weaknesses, prejudices and concerns. By turning them into a source of laughter, we hope to show, in a mature way, how absurd they are.”

Although the notice was meant to shed light on the show's more intense themes, the company was still nervous. In accordance with MentalFloss, during production of the initial 13 network-ordered episodes, creator Norman Lear received a memo from the network detailing words, phrases, and themes that CBS's program practices department would not go with feel comfortable Lear decided to ignore many of the requests, and to CBS' surprise and relief, the backlash never came. In fact, The Atlantic claims that the show was not only an audience hit, but credits the show with helping to “bridge the generation gap,” largely because of Archie Bunker. Although his views were often backward and his speech offensive, the patriarch of the Bunker family was key to the show's thesis and weekly plots. Despite this, the success of the show and the character would lead to burnout i a lawsuitthat would put the show in a difficult situation.

During “All in the Family,” Carroll O'Connor went on strike

Most shows take time to achieve success All in the Family, but for O'Connor, Archie Bunker came to represent negative working conditions. According to an archived article from the Sarasota Herald-Tribune, O'Connor went on personal strike in July 1974telling his friends he “doubted” he would return All in the Family. O'Connor had become angry about behind-the-scenes issues on the set, saying: “There's a lot going wrong.” She made it clear she hadn't grown tired of her public image and appreciated fans' enthusiasm for the show, but shortly before speaking to the tribunehad filed a lawsuit against the series' production company, Tandem Productions, alleging that Tandem owed him $64,000. MentalFloss also explained that the actor requested 12 weeks of annual vacation built into the show's 24-week production schedule.

With its star refusing to work, Norman Lear and the show's producers decided to continue production, writing three episodes entirely without Archie. Archie's absence was built into the plot and began with the eighth episode of Season 5, “Where's Archie?” The departure sees Archie mysteriously disappear while travelling, with Edith, Gloria and Mike having no idea what's going on and becoming worried when Archie doesn't show up.

The arc continued with the episode, “Archie is Missing,” as the show opens with Archie having been MIA for 24 hours and Edith, Gloria, and Michael trying to decide what to do. Episode 10, “The Longest Kiss”, wraps up the plot, with Archie revealing that he was having so much fun on his trip that he forgot to call. While it's a comically simple ending to the multi-week story, Archie's fate was almost much more bleak.

Norman Lear Considered Killing Archie Bunker in “All in the Family”

For MentalFloss, Norman Lear wasn't sure if O'Connor would ever return. After the actor shared his doubts about his future in the series, Lear began working on a plan in case O'Connor did not reprise his role as Archie. Lear made his position known and even had a replacement for Archie in mind, com James Cromwell He had recently debuted his character, Stretch Cunningham (a friend of Archie's), shortly before O'Connor's absence.

Lear stated that he planned for Stretch to move into the bunker house and fill the void after Archie was killed in an accident. After Lear made his position known, O'Connor returned to the series, but ironically, Cromwell's Stretch was killed off just two seasons later, allegedly at O'Connor's request. Cromwell told The New York Post that he “was making too many laughs” for O'Connor's taste, but that the star actually “did me a big favor, because I might have ended up being just another Fonzie, an actor who was totally identified with a character.”

All in the Family remains one of the most successful sitcoms ever produced, with its success largely due to Carroll O'Connor's work as Archie Bunker. Although the actor's frustration and demand nearly led to the character being killed off, he was able to resolve his differences with Norman Lear and the show's production company. He would go on to play the character for nine seasons All in the Family and four additional in the sequel series, Archie Bunker's Place.

All in the Family is available to stream on Apple TV in the US

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