The TV sitcom "All In The Family", was voted one of TV Guide's "50 Greatest Shows of All Time" and stars Archie Bunker (Carroll O'Conner) who was voted Bravo's "TV's Greatest Character of All Time." This show was known for breaking grounds with the stories that it's characters appeared in. At the time, the show depicted several controversial issues that no other sitcom dared to take part in. Such issues dealt with racism, cancer, rape, poverty, homosexuality, and many other topics that, at the time, most American's were not comfortable speaking about.
A show that is somewhat similar to "All In The Family" and is getting rave reviews in today's modern society, is the TV sitcom called "Modern Family." This show also tackles some of the same topics that were covered in "All In The Family." The show is based around three of couples that are all related. One of the couples is an older male who has re-married a younger Columbian woman. He has a daughter who is married to the average modern male. They are the second couple who pretty much live the average American life. He also has a son who is homosexual, lives with his partner, and adopted a child. The issues are the same that "All In The Family" talked about.
Despite these shows focusing and talking about similar topics, they still happen to be very different. When "All In The Family" talked about homosexuality and similar issues, it was something that the American public was almost embarrassed to watch, much less speak about. The issues were much more controversial in the 1970's. Also, the show wasn't truly centered around controversial characters, except for Archie Bunker being depicted as a bigot. "Modern Family" differentiates itself by having the main characters deal with such controversial topics. The main character has divorced and re-married a much younger/attractive Columbian woman. That itself is something that decades ago would have stirred up much debate. Furthermore, the son of this man is homosexual, lives with his partner, and has adopted a child. All three of those facts are something that nowadays, doesn't truly shock the American public. The issues remain the same, but the public's perception towards them has significantly changed for the better in my opinion.
The topic of racism is something that was focused on much more in "All In The Family" than in "Modern Family." A reason for this might be that given the time, 1970's, "All In The Family" was based upon the strong racism that was asserted between whites and blacks. Racism was a much larger topic back then than it is now. The main character in "All In The Family" is a bigot, while in "Modern Family" some of the lead characters are homosexual. There is a big difference in time, which is what leads to different topics being focused on more. In the 1970's racism was the big topic, but in today's society, equal rights for homosexuals is what stirs up debate. It's not so much that "Modern Family" doesn't cover what "All In The Family" did, but rather that "Modern Family" focuses on the major issue that is on the American public's minds in today's society.
***VIDEO CLIPS***
"All In The Family" - Homsexuality
==> This clip shows Archie Bunker from "All In The Family" taking one look at Roger and labeling him as being a homosexual right away. Start at 2:37.
"Modern Family" - Car Moment
==> This is a clip from "Modern Family" showing a conversation between the two homosexual partners speaking about how they make a perfect team/couple. Mentions parenting skills and adoption.
"Modern Family" - On Homosexuality in America
==> This clips shows one of the homosexual characters speaking up about how he is proud that his role is opening up more people to realizing that homosexuals are just the same as any other types of people. He wants people to realize that we are all more alike than different.
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